Ah, the Vamps.  God bless 'em.

Here's the deal - like them or love them, everyone goes through the vampire maze at least once every trip to Halloween Haunt.  If you're like the Theme Park Adventure crew, you hit the maze several times each night.  We have always been big fans of the vampire experience and over the past several years that the maze has been Lore of the Vampyre (that's how the cool kids spell it), we've definitely spent a huge amount of time hanging out and observing the Children of the Night.

Some children have been better-mannered than others - some folks have egos (or quirks) the size of Supreme Scream, and refuse to participate in any photo or video shooting, letting their team down as a whole year in and year out.  Other vamps however, have always been amazing to work with - and the images from the vamp maze over the years have been some of our favorites, hands-down.

For the most part, the vampires are the same peeps each season; some have become very high-profile with fans, such as Sandy Graham, the Vampire Queen.  She is depicted in many shots below - and has become one of Knott's Scary Farm's monster icons - a true Legend.  Fans and monsters alike respect and adore Sandy - and we love her to... death!  Not only is she a central figure of the vampire maze each year, she also rolls up her sleeves and helps paint the Haunt mazes each year as Build takes place at the Farm.  Not only is Sandy a true Haunt Vet - she is an amazing talent in and out of make-up.

There are many vampire team members that have been very kind and very close to TPA over the years - too many to go into detail about, but they know who they are - from the one and only Anthoni (another Haunt Legend) to newer friends like Angie and Serina.  They are all amazing people and Haunt is a better place with them aboard.

So why name individuals in this review when we usually don't do that as a general rule of thumb?  Because the rest of the Haunt Family and many of the fans have such a - unique relationship with the vampires that we feel it is important and necessary to point out that despite the running jokes, despite the somewhat drama-laden perceptions, Lore of the Vampire has been a great fixture at the Haunt for the past several years and this group of individuals has spawned some absolutely amazing and kick-ass talent on the Farm.  Hell, Theme Park Adventure has even busted the vamps' chops from time to time, because we do expect a lot out of them - because for most, this is not their first rodeo; many of them are seasoned talent and they know what they should be doing when onstage and working each night.  No lame excuses for this crew - they either work it out and kick ass or they own it and know they've dropped the ball.

Lore of the Vampire has maintained the gothic, sensual side of the vampires at Halloween Haunt very nicely.  It's also given us a "taste" of what's to come in 2008 with Club Blood, the newest incarnation of the vamp experience at Knott's Scary Farm; the name says it all - get ready for flavors of The Underground to return with a bloody, fanged vengeance!

Regardless of the theme every few seasons, there is one thing that is a constant - the vamps are seductive, sexy and weave a dark tale unlike any other maze or team at Knott's Halloween Haunt.  Period.  The end.

And like clowns, you either dig the whole vampire thing - or you hate it.  There are lots of folks out there that don't get the vampire maze because the talent isn't all slamming into walls and in your face with shaker cans or metal-lined gloves.  The vampire mazes were born out of Lair of the Vampyre - a very elaborate, very dark and seductive "experience" that was born at Knott's Scary Farm in 1992; Lair was half show, half maze.  Ultimately, it failed - because the queue backup was substantial compared to the people machines that the other mazes are.  However, it was also the dawn of a new level of mazes for Haunt - Dominion of the Dead introduced the masses to the vampire team in stunning black and white.  Others came along such as Gothic Graveyard and the original Lore of the Vampire in 2001, which actually was an amazing idea taking guests through time with vampires from ancient Egypt to the future - a brilliant idea that unfortunately, didn't catch on.  Lore remained in place - and has been firmly anchored in The Gauntlet for years.

A good handful of the vamps that return every year have been part of that maze's bloodline - which is very cool and very vital to the overall "feeling" that only this maze provides over the years.  Just like Ghost Town has its seasoned vets - so does the vamp team - something that is unique only to this maze and crew; it sets it aside from any other maze group at the Haunt.  And we recognize and applaud that.  In some cases, it is a good idea to mix up the team a bit - but for other folks with their feet planted firmly in reality (who know they aren't really vampires), it is a welcomed reunion once a year that we actually really love.

The soundtrack to Lore of the Vampire included the legendary Dead Can Dance track, The Host of Seraphim, which in its own right has become a Haunt fixture as well, haunting the dark corners of the vampire mazes for more than a decade now.  We sincerely hope that it will continue to be worked in to the next version of the vampire experience; it wouldn't feel right without it.

So here's how it all boils down - MAJOR props and love to the vamps that are NOT afraid to work it for the camera and let the fans have fun with them.  Mucho love to those that give their all night after night and understand that Haunt is for the guests.  And much respect to those who remain part of the vampire team as they transition once again this year into a new home and new theme; blood is thicker than water... and this bloodline lives on!

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