Axe Murder Manor.  What a gorgeous maze!

New guests have no idea what they are in for as they make their way through the Mystery Lodge queue at Knott's Halloween Haunt.  But once they turn the final corner and come face-to-face with one of the best - if not the best facades in Scary Farm history, they know that the bar's been raised and just looking at the manor, they know they are in deep doo-doo!

While the theme of 13 Axe Murder Manor has always been a big muddled, it seems to be a major crowd and fan-pleaser regardless.  Technically, the fact that Manor has a bunch of themes going on at once is kind of a mess.  You have the promise of an axe-wielding maniac simply by the maze's name.  Then we are introduced to a séance room with Brides jumping out at us.  Okay..  Then there appears to be something going on with witchcraft as we are treated to a "wow" room with books and a body levitated and spinning in the air.  On to the dining room, we come across corpses and a cannibalistic feast spread out for all to enjoy.  Then there's a nursery with creepy girls singing at us - originally, the prevailing thematic idea that floated around was a Lizzie Borden-type of story; perhaps these girls are supposed to be our Lizzies?  Who knows?  Then there is the second part of the maze with a very Texas Chainsaw Massacre thing going on with humans being hacked up for barbeque in the manor's smoke house.

So, yeah; 13 Axe Murder Manor is a total disaster when it comes to a focused theme.  No one will probably dispute that.  The fact that everything looks so damn good and the crew totally brings it and makes it work - that is what we love about this maze.  It's pure eye candy and it's staffed with a team that has fun and knows how to work it.

The only problem that we had with the 2006 incarnation of Manor was the fact that in the beginning, certain crew members chose for some reason to go the "funny" route and were saying lame and in some cases, offensive things to Haunt guests as they walked by.  Note to all 13 Axe crew members: you do not work in a "funny" maze; there is nothing humorous about your maze.  Don't try to make it funny.  Frankly, we relayed this information immediately to Knott's management and they put a stop to it very quickly, thankfully.

13 Axe Murder Manor has a fantastic soundtrack that everyone should listen to and appreciate as they travel the halls and rooms of this maze.  From haunting music to chilling audio clips of people being murdered in cold blood - the soundtrack is a canvas of sound that is incredible.  Major props to the sound team!

One major change that we really liked in the 2006 version of Manor was the addition of the Brides in make-up as opposed to the odd masks they wore in 2005.  Having the Brides in make-up gives them a chance to act and to become yet another group of cute-but-deadly Haunt vixens that have hallmarked many of the Scary Farm's best mazes over the years!  Great decision - we expect good things from the Brides of Axe Murder Manor this year.

Axe Murder Manor is a very graphically violent maze - which works well in this case.  Not every maze needs to have graphic violence and body parts strewn all over, but in this case, it works and lends itself to the mystery and madness of the Manor.  This maze is definitely not for the squeamish.  Kudos to Knott's designers for being bold and keeping it that way.

One thing we would like to see strengthened is the last bit of the maze - dubbed by fans as the Burlap Mile.  It seems that most of the design attention was devoted to the Manor portion of the maze and when it came time to direct guests back toward the exit of this maze, it was decided to simply throw up some walls, add a ton of hanging burlap and sprinkle the area with monsters until guests reach the smoke house facade and then are at the end of the maze.  Give us some real meat here, Knott's.  We're outside of the Manor.  How about making it dark with trees and fog - much like the old approach at the beginning of Blood Bayou?  That would be much more interesting - and terrifying - than the Burlap Mile.  Even if the area had to be straightened out to accommodate the addition of fake trees - the idea of it being dark and quiet with maybe the sounds of an axe being sharpened - that is much more appealing (and themed), in our opinion.  This would also help with the constant lack of talent in this area - you'd only need a couple axe-wielding ladies lurking in the darkness to pull this off effectively and lend beautifully to the whole Lizzie thing that Manor has going on already.  Then, from the darkness and the trees of the Manor's property, we could stumble on the smoke house as the climax.  Make it bigger - longer in size - perhaps with a twist or turn to keep the tension high.  The ending of 13 Axe Murder Manor should be intense and not anti-climatic, as it is currently.  The rest of the maze is beautiful - if Knott's designers were to come back and re-imagine the end portion, this maze would suddenly have another three years left and would be fresh all over again.

Changes as drastic as this don't come along very often to established Haunt mazes.  However, it would certainly add a one-two punch to an already kick-ass maze.  We love 13 Axe Murder Manor, even with its identity crisis.  Bravo to all involved - from the design and Build crews to the men and women that work it and work it well each night at Haunt. 

NOTE TO KNOTT'S:  It was semi-amusing to find that "13 Axe Murder Mansion" had been printed on the Line Control signs.  What made it worse was that the Line Control folks were shouting out, "Axe Murder Mansion right here!" as they stood under the maze's main sign that says 13 Axe Murder Manor.  Hopefully, the Axe Murder Mansion signs will not be making a return appearance in 2007!

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