Knotts Scary Farm 2009: Terror of London Video

Here is the second of our videos detailing the four new mazes at the 2009 Knotts Berry Farm Halloween Haunt. Terror of London is set in the Mystery Lodge, which used to house one of our favorite mazes, 13 Axe Murder Manor. The replacement fills the bloody shoes of its predecessor with all the thrilling fright one could ask. Our impression while walking through it was that some of the “street” scenes were transparently obvious painted flats, but upon reviewing the video we are impressed with the variety of different settings and the overall all atmosphere of Victorian doom and gloom. We also appreciate the suggestion given of pursuing an elusive mystery, as turning street corners reveal new victims of Jack the Ripper; the use of audio is very nice here, with horrified voices exclaiming that another body has been found, or casual whistling (presumably from Saucy Jack himself) offering a horrible counterpoint to the bloody carnage of his crimes.

It is an eccentric but interesting touch that mad scientist elements creep in, hinting that the Ripper’s crimes may have been a front for something even more horrible: providing raw material for some kind of Frankenstein-type experiment, and we think it’s cool that the mad doctor in the video is wearing goggles that suggest Dr. Gogol (Peter Lorre) in 1933’s MAD LOVE.

Overall, this is a maze that captures something close to an authentic Halloween spirit – old-fashioned Gothic horror that uses atmosphere to inspire dread.