When we learned that Knott's Scary Farm would have a new "studio-backed" maze, and that it would be for Quarantine, we were interested to see how it would work out.  In previous years, The Grudge and Beowulf were film-based attractions at Haunt and they were well-received by the public, although hard core Halloween Haunt fans didn't much care for the idea.

And we totally get that.  Knott's Halloween Haunt has served as an international icon for almost four decades now when it comes to Halloween-themed parties/theme park events.  Why now, does the company invite film studios to participate?  Perhaps it's money that goes to Cedar Fair in the way of "advertisement revenue" or perhaps Knott's feels that having a major motion picture-themed maze will help boost attendance.  Theme Park Adventure doesn't necessarily feel that having a movie-themed maze makes anyone on the fence finally decide to plunk down their cash and head to the Scary Farm.  It never motivated us to cover Haunt better or be more interested.  And since the coming of the studio-backed mazes is relatively new at Knott's, it is very true to say that the majority of the event's loyal followers and fans never wanted or demanded studio-sanctioned attractions, either.  We just wanted Knott's.  No one else.  No big headlining maze names such as The Grudge or Quarantine.  We just wanted to go, have an amazing time and share in the fun that has been the Scary Farm all these years.

However, that all is well and good.  We have to remember that Knott's and Haunt is a business, as well.  If for whatever reason, it brings revenue to Knott's to partner with these studios, then so be it.  It does NOT mean that the mazes will automatically be successful, nor does it mean that they will suddenly be the BEST mazes at the Scary Farm, either.  Because no matter how much money (and the amount spent on these movie studio-backed mazes dwarfs the cost of "standard" Haunt mazes) is thrown at these attractions, the bottom line is the same reason Haunt is different than every other event out there... it's about the people involved.  From the designers to the builders to the talent that busts their asses off every night... that is the key to Halloween Haunt's success; not some studio marketing slickster writing out a check to Knott's or whatever the process may be (we honestly do not know - because frankly, we aren't interested in that aspect of Haunt) to honk out their movie to the masses that attend the Scary Farm.

That said, we will add that having these studios involved in the Haunt process is not a completely pleasant experience.  We have heard from more than a few sources that dealing with the studios is a real challenge because the folks behind the money don't necessarily understand the Halloween Haunt process, audience or history.  And while the studios are infamous for micro-managing the entire process at Haunt, the street isn't necessarily two-way at all times.  Take Quarantine, for example.  The talent (which did an amazing job) were told they were in this maze, that it was a zombie movie about to come out and that they were hostile toward humans.  It is beyond us why the studio wouldn't give Knott's a five-minute video of scenes from Quarantine to base their performances off of.  The same goes for the Build crew, etc.  It appears that in the case of Quarantine, very little material was shared with the crew at Knott's - it was all conveyed via word of mouth or written description. 

If these studios want to get the biggest bang for their buck, our suggestion is being much more candid and open with the people at Knott's that are bringing their products to life.  It would make the experience that much better and would not leave the talent on the front lines shooting in the dark as to how their characters are supposed to be.  Just show them, for God's sake!

The design of Quarantine was very nice.  It was obviously a challenge to the Knott's crew and pushed them to create something very detailed and very attractive.  And they succeeded.  That is a major kudos to the Knott's team - and no one else, unless someone from the studio came to Buena Park and actually lifted a finger to help build the thing.  The ultimate finished product that we all enjoyed and appreciated - that was all Knott's, folks.  Let's make that clear and get that out in the open without any minced words.  Major, major props to the Build teams on this maze; it truly was gorgeous.

The layout of Quarantine was really good - and the added "repeat room" effect was brilliant.  If you don't know what we're referring to, watch our YouTube.com flow-through of the maze.  At one point in the maze, you find yourself "back" in the first room you enter the maze through.  This is obviously a double, and Knott's did a great job with it - very creative and very well-executed.

The talent is the main focus of this review - because the talent is what makes or breaks any maze.  And the talent in Quarantine was some of the best at Haunt 2008.  Each night, these men and women fired it up and were on mark each time we would go through the maze.  You could tell that they were having a blast being "rabid zombies" and the guest reaction to them was very strong.  It was an unnerving experience - which speaks volumes about the talent, because when Haunt started and people visited the maze, no one had seen the film yet.  In actuality, it was Knott's Quarantine talent that set the tone for hundreds of thousands of prospect movie-goers as to whether or not they would actually go see Quarantine in the theater. 

Zombies are always good - and Haunt has had their share of them over the years, but not in such as strong showing as in Quarantine.  The maze was fast-paced, very intense and the level of talent staffed in Quarantine was for the most part, perfect.  There were times late at night where the staffing level was a bit low throughout the maze - but most of the time, there were plenty of nasty zombies running around, lunging at us from the darkness or simply getting right in our faces and working it.  Good job!

The soundtrack used for Quarantine was heavy on the ambience side of things and it worked well; it was unnerving, and raw.  Not necessarily a memorable soundtrack that will be talked about for years by Haunt visitors and fans - but it served its purpose.

Quarantine had a pre-show room that was a concept that perhaps looked better on paper than when it was finally executed.  The first room featured a "reporter" broadcasting live from the scene, as well as the "falling fireman" gag, that proved to be a challenge for Knott's throughout the Haunt run.  The line for the maze quickly backed up on busy nights, and soon, the first room of Quarantine was pretty much a write-off and was nerfed. 

This is nothing new.  Knott's knows that "shows" or intro rooms at the beginning (or anywhere throughout) of mazes serves only one purpose - it backs everything up.  More than likely, the studio insisted on this element to "set the tone" and act as a commercial for the film - but when it backed things up, Knott's decided to override this and make the maze flow rather than back up the line.  Nice idea, but it was not practical.  The same as "photo locations" inside the mazes.  Whoever had that brain child - major mistake and bad show!  Keep the mazes flowing and the money-making OUT.  If you want photo locations, do it in the queue where people expect to be waiting - not inside the maze.  It ruins everything.

Quarantine will return for the 2009 Halloween Haunt.  And we cannot help but feel that the same fate awaits this maze as Grudge in its second year at Knott's.  There is no more studio money coming in for it, the maze has suffered the wear and tear that everything else at Haunt does, the movie has come and gone and no one is pumped for it anymore.  Likely, this will become a starting point for rookie monsters and they will of course, give it all they have.  However, the same "feeling" won't be there anymore - we do not expect great things from Quarantine when it returns.  That's just the way it am.

It would have been better for Quarantine to be a one-year wonder at Knott's Halloween Haunt.  Movie mazes outstay their welcome very quickly - and our fear is that what was a very strong maze in 2008 will quickly become the bottom of the barrel in 2009.  There is a lot resting on the shoulders of the talent.  If they can pull it off and make this maze as successful as it was originally, then they are truly going to be praised up and down.  Time will tell.

Thank you to the men and women that worked on Quarantine - you took a movie property and made it a Haunt property.  Great job!

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