The Timber Mountain Log Ride has been a central icon of Knott's Halloween Haunt for decades.  Its themes have included toxic spills, crazy elves, a nightmarish kids camp and yes, werewolves.  The latest residents of the mountain, the lycanthropes have terrorized Haunt guests for the past several years as part of Red Moon Massacre.

We have written for years about the logistics battle that goes along with transforming the Log Ride into a Haunt attraction.  To do it 100% justice, Knott's would need to spend millions on the transformation, much the same way that Disneyland does in turning the Haunted Mansion into the Haunted Mansion Holiday.  The truth of the matter is, Knott's doesn't have that kind of budget to work with, nor will they ever, probably; it's nothing personal - it's just business, kids.

That said, the lack of a "monster" budget for Red Moon Massacre means two things: If you can't make it really pretty, turn the lights down low.  And, the big pressure lies squarely on the shoulders of the talent.

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In 2006, Haunt designers did a great job with the props they did have to use.  In fact, the attraction looked better to us this past Haunt than it has since becoming Red Moon.  Long-time Scary Farm fans have come to love the crude animatronics that have populated the Haunt's mazes and attractions for years; Red Moon Massacre doesn't disappoint.

As was the case with the 2005 version of Red Moon Massacre, our favorite large piece featured in this ride was the massive wolf skeleton that "swallows" guests as their log zips through the flume and begins the big ascent toward the finale splash-down.  If the fog isn't too heavily concentrated in this area, the effect is awesome and the sheer size of this prop is very impressive.  There is often talent standing along the flume where this prop is, and they often give it a little shake, which makes it look rickety and, well... Haunty!  Good stuff!

There are also several large props that came from Curse of the Werewolf that have been incorporated into Red Moon Massacre.  Older Haunt vets will no doubt, have recognized them over the years.  The one thing that is fun about seeing animatronics recycled over the years - it's like seeing old friends once a year!  Honestly!  Only the most disturbed and twisted Haunt fans will know where we're coming from on this one and agree!

The darkness plays a very important role in Red Moon Massacre as well.  The size of the Timber Mountain Log Ride offers designers a challenge that is simply taken on by flipping a light switch off.  What guests don't see as their logs race through the darkness is what truly freaks them out.  The fear and anticipation of the unknown is a powerful, wicked tool that is used perfectly at Red Moon.  Riding in a log that is bouncing along a flume in the pitch black is disorienting, at best.  Even for us, there are several areas that are very effective and we are completely lost each time we ride as our eyes strain for any light up ahead.  Good stuff!

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However - big props and darkness do not a good Haunt attraction make.  It's all about the talent, folks.  If you don't have people jumping out all night at riders in their logs, the darkness ahead won't be as scary, the level of anticipation will drop and so on.  You get the point.  It's all about the men and women that spend night after night, hour after hour standing, waiting for each log full of guests.  It is definitely not the most glamorous job at Knott's Scary Farm, nor is it necessarily the most fun or exciting.  It is, however, absolutely vital to the success of this attraction.  To those folks who scare inside (and out) of the mountain each night during Haunt - our hats are off to you.  Big, big props to you all.

There isn't much of a soundtrack to Red Moon Massacre - so besides some growls and abstract bits and bytes here and there, we don't listen for the same type of things in Red Moon as we do in the mazes at Haunt.  Would the mountain benefit from a big, melodic soundtrack or various rock tunes?  It's hard to say.  Most people don't realize just how quickly their logs are traveling as they ride through the mountain.  To properly set the mood in a Haunt maze or attraction, it is extremely important to set the musical tone in each new area so that the soundtrack helps tell the story, if you will, as guests explore the maze, etc.  We move so fast through Red Moon Massacre, that running one big soundtrack over the whole ride would be the only thing that Knott's could do differently - and we honestly don't think in this rare case that it would matter.

2006 was definitely our favorite version of Red Moon Massacre.  The enthusiasm of the monsters was great, the ride operators were very receptive and professional and everything seemed to gel nicely for the Red Moon team.  Is there always room for improvement inside the Log Ride each year during Haunt?  Of course.  But that isn't something that can or should be held against the crew that works it.  They did a great job with what they had and guests waiting to ride Red Moon Massacre in 2006 definitely shouldn't have been let down.

Will the werewolves return again in 2007 to Timber Mountain?  Only time will tell.  The theme is a bit old now, but unless Knott's is really prepared to go all-out with a new theme and do it right, we would be happy to have the wolves back again.  2007 should though, be the last year, as Haunt fans like change after a few years.  It's better to go out with a bang than with your fans begging for something new.

Kudos to the Red Moon Massacre team!  Great job!

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