Review by Rick West

Lockdown is the second maze in what has become the Daniel Miller "trifecta of terror" at Knott's Halloween Haunt, linking the classic Asylum with the smash-hit of 2011, Delirium.

Making its debut in 2009, Lockdown is themed as a maximum security prison that has been overrun by its inmates - the most horrid offenders that were shipped to the facility from the Mangler Asylum to be locked away in cells forever or destroyed. An inmate of the Asylum, Deborah Rose, was haunted by the graphic visions that became Miller's 2011 installment at Knott's Scary Farm, Delirium.

In its third season at Knott's Halloween Haunt, Lockdown received somewhat of a makeover, with some tweaks taking place regarding the layout and design. The most notable was the final room - the public execution chamber, which took guests through the center aisle of the room past rows of chairs, directly to an inmate being electrocuted before dumping them back out into the Scary Farm.

The facade of Lockdown is impressive - a prison front, complete with guard tower and catwalk, which continues inside the first room of the maze. The design is great and is absolutely one of the strongest maze facades Haunt has ever had, working perfectly to suck guests in to the realm of suspension of disbelief.

Inside, Lockdown is just as you might imagine - a prison that has been torn apart and broken down by rampaging inmates bent on death and destruction. The detailing of the maze is very polished; from nasty cells plastered with girly pictures to a gas chamber, Lockdown is one big, violent mess. And that is exactly what Daniel excels at - in-your-face maze experience that are hostile, graphic and downright gross. Lockdown certainly doesn't disappoint on any of those levels.

It sucks, and doesn't work. The talent would be amazing in Lockdown if they were free to have at guests without the hassle of masks - why do inmates need masks anyway? They're not monsters - they are humans.

The only ones in the maze without the confines of masks are the Nurses. Sadistic, sensual and absolutely insane, these ladies go all out night after night to intimidate, titillate and taunt Haunt guests as they creep and slink through the darkened halls of Lockdown. Year after year, they have been really good for the most part, joining the ranks of other femme fatales we've seen over the years at Knott's, including the Vampire Brides from Dominion of the Dead, the Blue-Haired Girls from Blood Bayou and the Prom Queens from Hatchet High. Like those before them, the Nurses of Lockdown absolutely give Haunt guests their best, which is absolutely grueling, physically. Unfortunately, they are also the target of many a tool who can't just enjoy their performances and characters and take it too far by making lewd comments or grabbing at the girls. Besides losers like that, the rest of us really enjoy the Nurses - as well as the rest of the talent in Lockdown. It's a tight crew and they know how to rock it.

The soundtrack played in Lockdown is a very loud loop from Ministry played over and over called N. W. O. Normally, we really don't like rock or metal music blaring in a maze as a soundtrack - it's almost always destructive to the theme and completely undermines the art of haunting.

Almost always. In the case of Lockdown, Ministry's raw, driving onslaught of sound actually works very well with the theme and overall feeling of the maze, adding to the frantic, oppressive pacing of the scares, the brutal scenes and ultimately, the complete and utter chaos that Miller has created.

Located in one of the large warehouse locations backstage behind GhostRider, Lockdown is one of the mazes at Knott's that has the luxury of being in an enclosed environment. This assists the Haunt team when it comes to set dressing, sound and lighting, as they never have to worry about the threat of rain or wind harming the maze. On the flip side of that however, Lockdown can be one of the hottest locations at Halloween Haunt due to the fact that it is indoors and heat from guests, lights and hot October days is trapped inside the building, as fans work overtime trying to air it out.

Overall, Lockdown has remained as strong - if not stronger - than its debut in 2009, and is definitely one of the fan favorites at Halloween Haunt. Even though most Scary Farm guests don't know (or likely wouldn't care) that Lockdown is part of the whole Asylum/Delirium/Daniel Miller realm, they do know that it is extremely high-energy, totally in-your-face and extremely raw. Lockdown delivers year after year, and 2011 was no exception.

We look forward to seeing Lockdown return for another run in 2012, as we feel the maze has legs and will be part of  the Knott's Halloween Haunt lineup for at least another year. Certain things just seem to gel and become better with age; Lockdown is one of those things and like most everyone else, we think it is bad ass and we really enjoy it! Kudos and props to everyone on the Lockdown2011 team on a job very nicely done!

Now, get back into your cells!

DISCUSS LOCKDOWN 2011 IN THE TPA FORUM

Return to Haunt 2011 Contents Page

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.