The 50th year of Knott’s Scary Farm will feature three new mazes, a new scare zone and the return of the controversial stage show “The Hanging.”

The three new mazes at the Knott’s Halloween haunt event will be:

  • Cinema Slasher: This move-themed house will take you into the “mystical Midnight Theater” as you “become the movie characters who try to escape the wrath of the dangerous Slasher,” according to a Knott’s press release;
  • The Chilling Chambers: Honoring Scary Farm’s original maze, you will be met with a character called The Keeper as you “are thrust beyond the threshold of an ominous towering cathedral that leads to terrifying classic maze themes from Knott’s Scary Farm’s infamous history.”
  • Room 13: This Prohibition-era maze takes place at speakeasy called The Blind Tiger, which has begun serving a “dangerously delicious new cocktail named The Devil’s Elixir.” 

Returning mazes for the 2023 event include Bloodline 1842, The Grimoire, Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind, Wax Works, Origins: The Curse of Calico, The Depths and Dark Entities. 

Four scare zones will also be back: Ghost Town Streets, The Gore-ing 20’s, Carnevil, and Forsaken Lake. They’ll be joined by the reimagined version of The Gauntlet, which take over Camp Snoopy with “maniacal jesters, brutal barbarians, wicked wizards, and lawless peasants,” according to Knott’s. 

The show lineup for Scary Farm’s 50th edition will see the greatest changes from last year. While “Le Magnifique Carnaval du Grotesque” will be back on the Calico Mine Stage, the Brian Henson-created “Puppet Up!” and ““Conjurers: Dark Magic” are gone. In their place are three new shows:

  • “Dr. Cleaver Returns:” Described by Knott’s as “Your favorite demented doctor is back for more Halloween hijinks!”
  • “Music, Monsters & Mayhem:” Knott’s said this show “takes you on a scintillating and provocative musical journey celebrating 50 years of terror and frights.”
  • “The Hanging: Uncancelled:” Back for the first time since 2019, this show aims to jam in as many current pop culture and political references as possible. 

The Orange County Register reported that “The Hanging” plans to lean into its “politically incorrect” nature this year. Jeff Tucker, Knott’s Berry Farm show writer and director, said to the paper, “I’m not censoring myself in any way. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.” 

Knott’s Scary Farm will take over Knott’s Berry Farm on select nights from Sept. 21 through Halloween. The event, which is not recommended for anyone under the age of 13, does require separate admission and is not included with Knott’s season passes.