With the addition of the Silver Bullet roller coaster and area to Knott's Berry Farm, we said farewell to The Swamp in 2004.  Last year, the area was re-opened and dubbed "Silver Bullet Mine Town" during Halloween Haunt.  For the most part, the same team that made up The Swamp was brought back in the form of dead cowboys and werewolves for this new scare zone.

Cowbows and werewolves - the theme kinda worked, but walking through, no one would have guessed really that was what Haunt planners were trying to accomplish.  Like The Swamp before it, Silver Bullet Mine Town was a crazy mixture of various spooks creeping around in the fog.  There were no serious lycanthrope overtones or anything to suggest that the area was cursed.  A few "outhouse" fixtures were put up along the walkway and a couple of mechanical props also helped boost the scare factor of SBMT.

There was one secret weapon the monsters in SBMT had however, that made them one of the most terrifying groups at the Scary Farm... chainsaws.  For many, there is nothing more horrifying than the sound of a chainsaw roaring in the darkness, the smell of gasoline hanging heavy in the air.  Out of the shadows comes a decayed cowboy swinging the saw, the crowd scatters in all directions - it is truly an inspiring moment for all to witness and appreciate!

Never mind that cowboys would have never had chainsaws back in the day.  Hell, these guys are walking arm-in-arm with werewolves; at Halloween Haunt, anything goes!

Silver Bullet Mine Town is home to some of the hottest talent at Haunt.  To watch this group in action is awesome.  Not only do these guys and gals know how to handle the masses on their own as individual creatures of the night; they work together in pairs or as a group that is as precise as the Blue Angels in action.  You get that with years of practice and great teamwork skills.  In SBMT, the maturity and the experience of the team is evident each night.

While the area does not have the ambience of Ghost Town or the winding walkways of The Gauntlet, it holds its own perfectly and is what it is - a kick-ass scare zone where no one is safe and everyone is the butt of a joke or wisecrack as they wander through.  To seasoned Haunt guests and fans, the transformation from The Swamp into Silver Bullet Mine Town may have been drastic - but the same energy and amazing talent hung heavy in the air and a familiar feeling went with the new zone.

Of course, a crowd favorite is Uncle Skittles, the babbling, rambling madman with a long Scary Farm history himself.  God help you if you get cornered by him or unknowingly happen to stop him to ask for directions.  If he happens to be on a tear and targets you or your partner, you're screwed.  He can run, slide, hide and menace without mercy - he is one of the masters at Halloween Haunt.

Do yourself a huge favor and spend some quality time in Silver Bullet Mine Town during Haunt 2006.  You will be amazed, entertained and most of all, you will be treated to many classic scares; this team knows how to work it.

Major props to the men and women of Silver Bullet Mine Town; we look forward to seeing you bring it during Haunt 2006!  We love you guys!

Editor's Note:  One of the most completely crushing losses that Theme Park Adventure has ever suffered took place during Haunt 2005.  Late one night, after returning from a post-Haunt gathering, I was very tired and accidentally erased the shots we'd taken that night in Silver Bullet Mine Town.  Many, many images were lost - some of the best action shots TPA has ever had from Halloween Haunt.

Needless to say, I was heartbroken and sick with myself about what had been done when I realized it the following day.  Re-shoots were taken, but they were nowhere near as good as the ones we lost.  My deepest apologies to the SBMT team and our readers.  We will put extra precautions in place from here on out to hopefully avoid this type of devastating loss in the future.

All images on this page are the copyrighted material of Theme Park Adventure and may not be reproduced or duplicated elsewhere online or for any type of public display without the written expressed consent of TPA.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Theme Park Adventure is currently experiencing technical difficulties with our video capabilities at the moment.  We are working on this end to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and appreciate your patience.  As soon as the issue is corrected, we will make the video of Silver Bullet Mine Town available to our readers for download.

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