True, the Scary Farm wouldn't be itself without the vampires.  They are just as "Haunt" as The Hanging, funnel cake and security wands to the groin before entering the park!  It is however, important for the vamps to evolve and change periodically, or else face the certain reality of becoming stale.  No pun intended, by the way.

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In 2006, we were once again, invited to visit the vampires in their world - in Lore of the Vampire.  For those guests attending Haunt for the past several years, Lore has become kind of a fixture in Camp.  It is a mixed bag, though - being a fixture isn't all a good thing.

So we'll discuss the negative points first.  Lore of the Vampire really has not changed in the last three years or so.  There are no new surprises, no new scenes and no new edge.  That has become a problem that the vamps really need to shake.  Let's be fair, though - that is not a talent issue; that stalemate lies firmly on the shoulders of the Haunt design team at Knott's; more specifically, the budget gods that allow that team to design new things.  Hopefully, 2006 marked the final year for the same Lore of the Vampire that we've walked through over and over and yes, over again, for the last several years.  It's past time for change - and hopefully, Knott's is on the same page that we are with this.

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Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with Lore of the Vampire's layout or design; first-time visitors and hard core vamp fans no doubt adore this maze and all it offers.  And the layout is interesting - from the gothic graveyard, through the Queen's chamber and into Club Blood.  It is a journey that is definitely unique and very entertaining.  Speaking on behalf of those fans that do attend Halloween Haunt year after year, it's become boring, whether we like to admit it or not.

The talent has carried Lore of the Vampire through the years - even with the inherent ups and downs and drama this team tends to attract.  Many of us return to Knott's year after year, expecting to see Sandy as the Queen - an individual that has become a Halloween Haunt Legend due to her dedication and seemingly endless abundance of love and true affection for the event as a whole.  Sandy truly is the Queen of the vampires and a cornerstone of Haunt.  Regardless of the changes to the vampire maze, one thing must remain a constant - the beloved Queen.

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And there are others that we look forward to year after year in the vampire maze, too.  It wouldn't be a vamp maze without the P; but we digress.  Like all of you, we have our favorites, too.  One last personal shout-out indulgence and then we will move on for the masses:

It was refreshing and amazing to have our dear Anthoni return to the fog and darkness of Buena Park.  For us, it was a personal thrill, a genuine rush and God knows, a very-much needed blast to the past in our opinion.  We love you, Anthoni - you know that.  New talent - you had a unique opportunity to learn from a true master; it is our sincere hope that you appreciated the chance and took full advantage of working with another Haunt Legend in 2006.

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We felt that for the most part, the talent this past year was much improved over 2005's offering.  Now, considering that the majority of the vampire team tends to return season after season to become children of the night, perhaps we should say that we felt that the vibe was better this time than last.  Maybe there was a better balance of old and new talent all drawn together by the cornerstone guidance of Sandy and Anthoni.  Maybe the crew wanted to really bring it because the family was reunited in so many ways.  Whatever the reason - we felt it, everyone felt it, and the maze as a whole was simply a better experience all-around because we felt it.  In 2005, many long-time fans felt like they were infringing on the vampires' social lives.  Many felt that the vamps simply didn't want to be there for any other reason than socializing and entertaining themselves.  Theme Park Adventure certainly called the team on it - and while we probably didn't make many points with the crew, many fans echoed our feelings.

It was much better for everyone in 2006.  For that, we thank each and every one of you that got out there and honestly worked it each night.  The feeling that we usually get from the vampires is the reason we line up and return time and again year in and year out.  We love the gentle hiss of the Brides, we love the thump of the Club and when it all gels with the talent truly into it - it is one of our favorite Halloween Haunt experiences each year hands-down.  It's a personal thing for us - and that is why we're maybe harder on this team than others when we feel let down.

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Now, the ugly...

We're going to put this loud and clear, because we know that Knott's executives and everyone in management reads these reviews...

HAVING A PICTURE LOCATION FOR PROFIT IN THE MIDDLE OF ANY MAZE IS A BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD IDEA AND NEEDS TO STOP.  COMPLETELY.  FOREVER.  IMMEDIATELY.

Yeah, the photos bring profit.  Yeah, plenty of people pose with the Queen for their snapshot.  Yeah, we know that management digs numbers.  However, the whole thing is just wrong.  It is poorly-executed, it breaks the flow of the fantasy and it brings the crowd to a dead stop, even on the nights with the lowest guest attendance.  And the worst thing possible Knott's... is everyone listening?  It SCREAMS "Disney," NOT Cedar Fair or Knott's Berry Farm.  The photo location in the Queen's chamber is just as out of place as having a monster with a shaker can jump out and scare the shit out of families riding It's a Small World at Disneyland.  It may work in the eyes of someone in the accounting office, but trust the real pros - your long-time fans and Haunt employees alike - it absolutely sucks and ruins the entire experience.

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If Knott's wants the extra income from pictures, here's the simple solution: Replace some of the candy vendors in each queue with a monster or two from that maze, set up a digital camera and create individual picture "scenes" for each maze/attraction.  Plug in a printer, create unique, maze-specific borders in Photoshop for the damned things and sell 5"x7" prints in Halloween Haunt paper frames for $12.00 a pop and there ya go!  Profits, pictures and mazes that aren't interrupted by a lame photo shoot smack in the middle of everyone's maze experience.  Don't believe us?  Hopefully, our readers and your employees will chime in on our Message Board regarding this so that everyone can get this wrong and possibly detrimental trend out into the open for discussion.  If no one speaks up, all management will see are dollar signs and suddenly, kids, we're going to have photo locations in the middle of every maze at Haunt.  To us, that is very disturbing and very possible reality.

In the end, we had a much better time with the vampires in 2006 than we have in quite a while.  The maze was stronger than it had been, probably due to the strength and enthusiasm of some of the returning talent - not just the long-time crew, but those vamps that have now done this for three or four years and are now carving their own niches in the fan groups.  Lore of the Vampire is, however, stale and in dire need of drastic change.

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Designers, sharpen those pencils; bean counters, put yours and your ideas away.  We're watching and waiting and look forward to seeing what this year's 35th Annual Halloween Haunt brings to the Children of Darkness.

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All images on this page are copyrighted material of Theme Park Adventure and Knott's Berry Farm.  All rights are reserved.  These images may not be used without the written consent of Theme Park Adventure and/or Knott's Berry Farm.  In other words, no MySpace.com, other fan pages, YouTube tribute videos, etc.  TPA and Knott's reserve the right to prosecute any violations to the fullest.  Don't make us get the Naughty Stick out!

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