By Rick West

Daniel Miller has been attending Knott's Halloween Haunt since he was about 12 or 13 years old.  From fan, he became a monster, working in the House of Maniacs maze where he played a monster in a closet lovingly dubbed "Uncle Ernie" by his fellow spookers.

"That was very creepy in there," recalls Miller.  "I remember being one of the last people in there one night and they shut off all the lights..."

So that's what happened.

A master Halloween Haunt designer was born and Daniel has been serving up white-hot fear on a stick ever since for hundreds of thousands of Knott's Scary Farm visitors each year in Buena Park, California.  Some of Daniel's past creations that you may have had the pleasure of surviving include: Malice in Wunderland, Hatchet High, Carnival of Carniverous Clowns and The Asylum.

For his latest venture into the darkness of our fears, Daniel's created perhaps his most intense maze to date... Lockdown: The Asylum.

As we stepped into the shadowed entrance, I began looking at the Twitter questions/comments that Theme Park Adventure readers wanted me to bring up to Daniel.  And we asked the big question right away...

Many people feel that Lockdown: The Asylum is nothing more than a fancy re-name and re-hash of The Asylum, allowing Knott's to simply create a "new" maze on the cheap and cut as many corners as possible, renewing The Asylum for another four years or so without much work involved on the creative end.  What was the reason for this maze and is it a cheap shortcut?

"How [Lockdown] originated was... people liked The Asylum a lot," explains Miller.  "And we kinda played with the idea of a 'sequel maze'; to have it be The Asylum but not The Asylum.  And I've always played around with the idea of a prison maze.  So we said, 'Let's figure out how they get into a prison... well, they closed down The Asylum and they're shipping the truly dangerous people into the prison', and that is the origin of Lockdown.

"It's a mixture of some of the Asylum characters and a whole new maze and quite the same feel - creepy - plus maximum security characters.  It's a lot more intense.  The music is a lot more intense as well."

As we stood looking at the foreboding facade of Lockdown: The Asylum, it was more than clear that what Daniel was saying wasn't corporate spin; there in the shadows of guard towers, catwalks and the massive prison walls, we were suddenly a million miles from the gates of Mangler Asylum.

This is Lockdown, for sure.

One of the immediate things guests will find is the multi-dimension fear factor that has been built into this maze with the inclusion of actual working catwalks where armed prison guards will keep an eye (or a pointed gun) on everyone below.  This will be the first time that a maze facade at Knott's is actually used by maze talent, and we are really excited about this!

"There will be guards that go up and down there," points Daniel, smiling proudly - this guy knows it's going to be awesome; he can see Opening Night of Haunt in his mind's eye already and can see how this will look and what guests' reactions will be.  "And there will be search lights out here..."

Guards, catwalks, piles of rubble, huge walls, LOTS of fencing, towers, lights; it is quite possible that we were just given a sneak peek at what will soon be the most famous facade for a maze in Halloween Haunt's history.  With show lighting, sound and effects going - we cannot imagine guests not being terrified by the idea of entering. 

Once inside Lockdown, the first thing we noticed is that it's big.  Like The Asylum before it, Lockdown is actually housed in one of two very large permanent warehouse structures in the backstage area of Knott's Berry Farm.  And in using what was available, Daniel wanted to go epic-scale to really set the tone of Lockdown.

"We really wanted to use this space," says Miller as we walk past inmate cells and under catwalks that will soon be overrun by guards and monsters alike.  "So we built up to 16 feet and we have catwalks going across."

Again, the whole "second level" feel that this maze will have is a first for Knott's, really.  There was a catwalk in Doll Factory, but it was rarely used by talent and most people didn't even know it existed.  However, in Lockdown, the catwalks will play a critical role in raining terror down from above; Haunt guests will have it coming at them from all directions - including over their heads - and we are totally impressed by the dimension this will bring to this particular maze.

Because Lockdown is a prison setting where inmates have taken over and basically, have trashed the place, Miller and his crew have more than enough material to work with when it comes to hiding spots for monsters and visual gags.

This means hanging clothes, overturned tables, piles of junk and various fixtures and prison equipment litter the rooms.  Halloween Haunt is no longer about just filing through the mazes and being onlookers.  Today's scare event crowds are more sophisticated and demand more in-your-face terror.  That means that guests are taken out of their "safe zones" and are plopped right in the middle of the action.

Not only are the rooms and walkways becoming more "cluttered" with things for people to navigate, massive props are being built now, as are more elaborate special effects.  And we'd like to say this right now - Theme Park Adventure loves when Knott's lets the genius and creativity of its own staff flow when it comes to building props and effects for the Scary Farm.  We have always felt that home-made effects and props are much, much more appealing and special than Cedar Fair simply plunking down cash for off-the-shelf catalog pieces that anyone with a haunt and a checkbook can have.

Halloween Haunt is and always has been about the people.  That goes for the people that work behind the scenes as well - the engineers, the sound people, the prop folks, the painters the techs, the lighting crew - everyone.  For a designer to envision a maze such as Lockdown or Terror of London and then have a talented group of artists actually create that from scratch... that is a thing of beauty; poetry in motion.  And that is the true essence and spirit of Knott's Scary Farm.  It doesn't matter whether it's a floor that goes up and down, a giant frog dissecting students in a science class or a giant washing machine that is designed to bounce and thump menacingly... when the terror is home-grown, that is what it's all about.

As we continued through the hallways and rooms of Lockdown, Daniel actually reminded us that there will be some elements from The Asylum returning, because they're crowd-pleasers.

"This is an example of one of the things we brought back from Asylum: the nurses' station," explained Daniel.  "They'll be the same nurses [characters, at least - some of the ladies in white like the ever-popular Poison have moved on to new things within the Scary Farm], in basically the same uniforms.  They're very happy to be back!  I think pretty much the same crew - about 90% that worked The Asylum - came back to work this; I think they're going to be really happy when they see this."

And we think Daniel's right.  In fact, I would imagine that the Lockdown crew is going to freak when they see their new digs.  Once they've been introduced to this massive new addition to Haunt, and all of the questions/fears of it simply being The Asylum all over again have been squashed, I can't imagine them all being anything but ready to rock it.

As our tour of Lockdown wrapped up and we made our way, we agreed that once the fans and monsters get a look at this, The Asylum is going to be likely dropped from the title in conversation about this maze.  Going forward, we completely feel that it will simply be known as "Lockdown".  That isn't a bad thing, nor does it belittle the amazing legacy of The Asylum, which will forever be one of the greatest mazes in Halloween Haunt history.  What it does demonstrate, is that Lockdown is strong enough to stand on its own, regardless of returning nurses or some of the same characters.  Lockdown is going to be a formidable maze in its own right with no need of help in the way of being a "sequel" to anything or by having "Asylum" in its title.  We wouldn't even be surprised if Knott's officially stripped "Asylum" out of the title in years to come.  Time will tell.

Walking through the Knott's backstage area toward our second destination, Terror of London, we pulled up some more Twitter questions from our readers for Daniel.  And no, Adam, Daniel is not going to let you borrow $10.00!  The second most-asked question was, what maze has been Daniel's favorite in designing.

After pondering for a moment, Daniel smiled and nodded...

"Asylum."

Terror of London is the new maze replacing 13 Axe Murder Manor at the Mystery Lodge location at Haunt.  While not designed by Daniel Miller, he is obviously very impressed by it and very proud of it and his fellow designer, Brooke Walters.

Theme Park Adventure readers may not know Brooke very well (and trust me, we are so about to change that this year, Tender Lumplings), but they are definitely familiar with her work.  Brooke was the mind behind The Doll Factory, The Labyrinth and was part designer of Feary Tales.  So, it's obvious that Brooke knows how to make a visually stunning maze... and she knows how to make an ass-kicking, terrifying and intense maze.

Put them together, and you have a gorgeous, horrifying maze: Terror of London.

Thanks to modern-day communication tools such as the Internet and Twitter, London already has a massive swell of fan enthusiasm and support behind it - and very few people have even actually seen or stepped foot inside of the maze!  It's an amazing phenomena that really plays out in full these days when it comes to the anticipation of the new Halloween Haunt mazes.  Sure, there is buzz about what other parks are doing - but when it comes to Knott's and its new mazes... something absolutely crazy and wonderful happens; fans go in to a feeding frenzy of information and start rooting for their favorite mazes long before the event even begins. 

And that is what's happened with Terror of London.  The big question is, will this maze live up to the self-inflicted hype and anticipation of the fans?

Indeed.

Terror of London is a glorious mix of Jack the Ripper lore, combined with a healthy dash of Sweeney Todd and some Dr. Jekyll tossed in for healthy measure.  The balance is a huge maze that is going to thrill fans and plunge visitors into the dark nightmares that lurk in London's damp, dark, foggy alleys and sewers.

And yes, we mean damp.  There will be water in London.  There are sewers, after all.  However, before you get worked up about water being used in a maze, we should clarify something that has very definite lines drawn...

We have found that most TPA readers do NOT like water being sprayed on them in mazes.  This comes from reading years of emails and posts on our Message Board about being sprayed in the face, on the glasses, etc. and it not being a pleasant experience.  This is one area where Universal and Knott's go separate ways big time - and there are fans in both camps.  Universal Studios delights in spraying "blood" all over visitors at almost every turn in its mazes.  Knott's now has two water gags - one in London and one in Slaughterhouse.

In discussing water tricks with Daniel and the two approaches both companies take, this was his take, which we accept as Knott's Berry Farm's approach to water-based haunt gags/elements:  "We've been in the business for a long time, and a lot of the times we don't do things are, because for some reason, we got letters about it.  Suede is a big issue.  People wore suede to Knott's and it would ruin their clothes."

Theme Park Adventure isn't a huge supporter of water being sprayed in mazes.  Never have been.  However, we feel that if done right, it can be a great touch to a haunt.  It's just no fun when it's done blatantly to get you wet, no fun when it's squirted in your face (especially if you wear glasses or get hit directly in the eyes) and definitely no fun when it's over-done and it's in the freezing dead of night and you have to wander around wet.  And if you have expensive cameras or camcorders - forget it.

Terror of London will feature water elements, but not like you' may be thinking or worried about.  At one point, there will be enough water in one scene that it will actually have a current, according to Daniel.  Yep... a current and a boat!

And that's all we're tellin' you 'bout that!

One element that we do want to give away (because people are already talking about it and we do not want this to be over-looked once Haunt begins) is the "mist curtain" that has been designed and plugged in to one of the London scenes toward the back end of the maze.  It is for all intents and purposes, it is the same system that Disneyland has used in Pirates of the Caribbean in the "Trans Tunnel" just before the Sea Battle scene - where Davey Jones comes through the "waterfall" to address guests in the boats.

Brooke and the team popped one of those effects into London and it looks fantastic.  Major kudos to the guys and gals that brought this effect to life professionally and without a doubt, much more cost-effectively than Disneyland Park!  Great job!  Theme Park Adventure rarely makes "predictions" about this kind of thing, but if this isn't a major contender for a Screamy Award mention from us, I don't know what the hell would be!

It's great to see Knott's really stepping it up on all fronts - both in size and scope of its mazes, but also in the production quality of these creations.  With heavy hitters like Universal just up the freeway creating multi-million Halloween extravaganzas for Halloween Horror Nights, the spit polish and "garage grass roots" style of creating Haunt mazes at Knott's has become a thing of the past.

And that's not a bad thing.

We asked Daniel how many maze/Haunt designers are at Knott's currently.  There are four; Daniel, Todd Faux, Brooke Walters and the new kid on the block, David Ortiz.  And for the record, Theme Park Adventure is really excited about David's arrival on the Haunt scene!  His first go at maze design last year was co-creating Club Blood, which we love, and this year, David's baby is Dia De Los Muertos, which we really think could be a huge underdog this season in the scheme of all things Scary Farm.

With four designers working full-time on ideas and concepts for Halloween Haunt (wouldn't you just kill someone for the chance to be a year-round Haunt god or goddess?), that means that the mazes at the event have to be on some kind of set "rotation" schedule.  Back in the day, most mazes at Knott's lasted maybe two or three years.  Now, depending on its popularity, a maze can sometimes last more than five years as part of the Scary Farm.  We asked Daniel if he would elaborate for us about this process and if there is a definite longevity plan in place now for all new mazes coming online at Knott's.

Most hard core fans likely shudder at the thought of going three years between visits to Halloween Haunt.  I've been attending since 1981, and if someone told me that I wouldn't be visiting the Scary Farm now until 2012 or so, I'd tell them to get their head checked!  Knott's Scary Farm has grown so big and so grand in scale that it is virtually impossible to see everything the event has to offer in one evening now.  Halloween Haunt is absolutely a two or three-night outing in October for fans that want to do it right now.  And with aggressive coupon marketing, events such as TPA Night at Haunt where you can attend with the most dedicated fans that know the ins and outs of a trip to Knott's and other discounted ticket promotions, there is no reason anyone has to miss all that Haunt has to offer now.  We not only encourage multiple nights for most fans to visit - it's just about mandatory now.

With all that Haunt offers its guests, it's hard to imagine all of the stuff that doesn't make it to the implementation stage.  Yet, as Daniel explained, there is a lot that Haunt fans never get to see - the fate of Haunt mazes is in the hands of designers and senior executives with Cedar Fair and Knott's Berry Farm.

"When I first came, we would propose the themes, but then management would choose from our proposals," said Daniel.  "Typically - and it's changed over the years - we'd come up with two or three themes for a location and then Marty [Keithley] and Jack [Falfas] would decide which one was the best and we'd go from there.  Like this year's Dia De Los Muertos maze - there were like four ideas for that.  Usually, the best idea kind of floats to the top."

I was honestly very surprised by this revelation about senior executives having the final say on what goes in and what gets cut from Haunt as far as mazes go.  With all due respect, Jack Falfas or other senior Cedar executives probably have as much maze design know-how in their entire bodies as people like Daniel and Brooke have in their thumbnails.

We're not slamming the Cedar execs; we just personally feel they shouldn't have the final say in what will and will not work at Halloween Haunt.  They're generally not the ones trolling the fan sites or message boards, researching what people say, like or don't like about Haunt.  The Knott's design team and middle-management team does very frequently, and as a result, they are the ones that know what's going on.  They're the ones that should have 95% of the control as to what goes on at Halloween Haunt.  When executives and bean counters get involved, you suddenly have $10 beers and booze locations springing up like weeds and the creative side of Haunt (not to mention safety of monsters and those of us who don't need a drink to enjoy Haunt) becoming eclipsed by neon Budweiser signs and loud, club-like music.

That is the kind of "scary" that we feel has no place at the Scary Farm.

But I digress.  For now.

As we walked through the final gorgeous scenes of Terror of London, we were very excited.  It's obvious that Knott's has stepped it way up and the mazes at Haunt are only going to be bigger and better now.  Everyone should be thrilled by this - because the clear winners in this case are the fans.  We're not going to select between venues such as Haunt or Halloween Horror Nights.  We'll enjoy them all and the quality of each will give us the best damned Halloween season that we've ever enjoyed.

What will be the best new maze at Knott's Halloween Haunt this year?  Lockdown?  London?  Will Ortiz's Dia De Los Muertos be the dark horse?

There's only one way to find out - and we're just about to, kids!

Much love and thanks to Daniel and the rest of the Haunt design/build/props/paint/effects people - you bring our nightmares to life and we are so, so ready for Haunt to begin!

All images on this page are the copyrighted material of Theme Park Adventure and Knott's Berry Farm.  Unauthorized use for personal or professional gain without the written consent of Rick West is strictly prohibited.  Images may not be linked to from other sites online.

BACK TO HALLOWEEN HAUNT 2009 CONTENTS PAGE