In 2004, TerrorVision came onto the Halloween Haunt scene and proved itself as a kick-ass entity with an amazing crew.  Considered the "underdog" of the two new maze experiences two years ago, TV turned on, tuned in and absolutely kicked the other new maze's butt in every which way (the other new maze that year was Red Beard's Revenge, which everyone had their money on as the favorite for 2004).  Theme Park Adventure was very excited to see what the 2005 version of TerrorVision would bring.

It's not been an easy road for this maze.  In 2004, the maze was squeezed in and around the construction for the new Knott's Berry Farm roller coaster, Silver Bullet.  Construction coupled with heavy rains and muddy conditions at the work site led many to believe whether or not the new maze would even get a chance to prove itself to the Haunt world.  The employees of Knott's Scary Farm didn't even get a chance to see TV up and running on its preview night due to the entrance not being accessible.  Honestly, it is the closest we've ever heard of a Haunt maze not opening on time.  It's safe to say after hearing numerous accounts from all sides that everyone involved was concerned about the success of TerrorVision.  It could have been a huge disaster in 3-D; fortunately, the Haunt gods smiled down on this attraction and it rocked.

By the end of Haunt 2004, we were already excited to see what would become of TV in 2005, since we knew that the maze would have to be seriously reconfigured because of the completion of Silver Bullet in the year between.  It wouldn't be the first time a maze has been moved/redesigned due to a location change.  TerrorVision follows in the footsteps of other mazes such as Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns, Curse of the Spider (in its first year and location, it was Spider Woods) and Asylum.  Moving or reconfiguring a maze doesn't necessarily spell out doom.

The entrance/exit of TerrorVision were at best, a bit confusing for Haunt guests.  This was the only "negative" of the maze in 2005.  Scary Farm guests would enter TV after walking back stage along side Montezooma's Revenge (a long walk - especially on slow nights with no one in the queue).  Guests would then exit the maze and find themselves in the Silver Bullet Mine Town area of the Scary Farm; not cool when mom and dad suddenly couldn't figure out where the kids had disappeared to.  The first time Theme Park Adventure went through, it was disorienting when we emerged, for sure.  We watched guest after guest come out and after catching their breath, the looks of confusion were unmistakable.  No one came out and knew where the in the hell they were!  The only change we'd love to see in 2006 would be to have the maze's entrance and exit in the same area, as is the case with most Haunt attractions.  Considering this is the only negative we have to comment on, that ain't bad!

TerrorVision is an entity that continues to evolve and has the ability to remain fresh for years because of its theme - television shows.  With a myriad of old shows to choose from for ghoulish scenes, Haunt designers also have a buffet of new shows to pick from as well.  It's a great, fun medium for the design team to work with for inspiration.

Theme Park Adventure has never been big on "funny" mazes at Halloween Haunt.  Humor goes perfectly with the scare elements of Haunt - but we prefer to see the lighter side of the Scary Farm in its shows, monsters in the scare zones and occasionally in the mazes here and there.  TerrorVision didn't sound appealing to us very much when we first learned about it.  The maze however, combines horrific scenes with just the right sprinkling of humor - it works and doesn't come off as a "ha ha" type of maze such as the old Toon Terrortory or Kingdom of the Lounge Lizards did back in the day, which, as far as we're concerned, is a good thing.

All elements of TV - from the spoofs on I Love Lucy to The Brady Bunch - work nicely.  No matter how disjointed the transition (how do you go from a Sesame Street theme to Star Trek or M-A-S-H smoothly), it works because the whole premise of TerrorVision is that you're flipping through the channels in this horrific nightmare in the middle of Knott's.  It's channel surfing at its nastiest - and it is brilliant.  TerrorVision could last years at Haunt because the themes could change over time, always allowing designers to create new and wild scenes for us to marvel at!

In our opinion, TerrorVision could remain at Haunt for at least three more seasons before guests begin to get tired of it.  If it's kept updated and exciting, it could possibly last longer as a part of the Scary Farm line up.  We know that we're not getting bored with it any time soon!

And that brings us to the soundtrack.  What an amazing, bizarre and ultimately, awesome soundtrack mix Knott's has come up with for TerrorVision.  The TV soundtrack in itself is a force to be reckoned with and sets a very high standard for future Halloween Haunt mazes.  Major, major, major props going out to the sound team on this one - TV's multitude of tracks are simply amazing and we love them!

The set design is also something that cannot be ignored in TerrorVision.  It's been a long time since the art direction of a maze has caught our eye the way TerrorVision's has.  It ranks up there with art direction greats such as Dominion of the Dead, Malice in Wunderland and Nightmares.  Granted, it's nowhere near as detailed as any of those mazes were - but the art direction is that good.  The scenes are mostly simply, but they are cleanly-executed, fun and look great.  We cannot wait to see how the maze looks this fall!

Last but certainly never least - the talent of TerrorVision.  While on some nights, the overall energy of the group is a mixed bag, the crew in general is always very strong.  This is a fun-loving, very dedicated group that have bonded together and they know they were once the underdogs - and that they made a debut that surprised everyone.  The result was a confident - although not cocky - 2005 showing of talent energy.  While still considered a "new" team last season, the entire TerrorVision crew showed awesome maturity; in simple terms, they know how to work it with their maze.

So, TerrorVision is and remains a true Halloween Haunt gem.  There is no doubt in our minds that it will only be stronger in its 2006 run; we can hardly wait!  Props to everyone involved with TerrorVision - from its designers to build crew, painters and Haunt talent.  This is exactly the kind of maze we visit the Scary Farm to see each year!

All of Theme Park Adventure's video files are now distributed via BitTorrent, a free file-sharing program that you will need to download from BitTorrent.com before proceeding to download the following videos.  BitTorrent is a very simple, very powerful tool that allows TPA readers to share in the distribution of our video files to other fans around the world at no cost.  We do ask that after you have downloaded and installed BitTorrent that you download as many TPA videos as you'd like.  In return, the only request we have is that you allow BitTorrent to run in the background on your system indefinitely so that others may pull the TPA videos quickly and easily, as you have.  This is how the distribution of our files remains free and is not a burden on our server.

NOTE: When you initially download BitTorrent, please go into View - Settings - Seeding; make sure that all boxes are checked so that you will continue to "seed" each file indefinitely.  If you already have BitTorrent, please make sure your settings are selected this way as well.

BitTorrent does not currently minimize to your system tray when in operation - but that feature is coming very shortly.  Please be patient until then; your participation and enthusiasm for TPA's use of BitTorrent to distribute our content is much appreciated by our crew and your fellow fans.

Any additional questions should be referred to the BitTorrent FAQ page by clicking here.  Theme Park Adventure file content will not download properly without the use of BitTorrent.

Quicktime:  41 Megs - Click here to begin download.

Discuss TerrorVision on our Message Board