A new haunted maze coming to Knott’s Berry Farm will step inside a military lab conducting animal/human hybrid experiments in an attempt to create a mutant super soldier during the 52nd Halloween season of the granddaddy of all haunted events.
The Zoo haunted maze will be part of Knott’s Scary Farm at the Buena Park theme park on 28 select nights from Sept. 18 through Nov. 1.
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The new Knott’s Berry Farm maze will be set inside an abandoned zoo where the military has been conducting secret experiments, according to Knott’s Scary Farm creative designer Daniel Miller.
“I always like to have my mazes be action packed from the beginning and have you thrown into the story,” Miller said during a media preview at the park.
Scary Farm visitors will enter the maze as military recruits arriving at the secret lab to be transformed into animalistic super soldiers using one of three methods — surgery, chemical treatments or genetic mutations.
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The maze winds through a welcome center, security checkpoint, zoo habitats and military labs filled with mutated soldiers thirsty for revenge.
“Once you’ve entered the facility, the story shifts,” Miller said. “All the hybrids are fed up, they’ve broken out of their cells and are attacking everyone.”
Miller drew inspiration for the new maze from “The Island of Doctor Moreau,” the 1896 novel by H. G. Wells about a mad scientist who creates half-human beasts on a tropical island. The book was adapted into movies in 1932, 1977 and 1996.
“When I was a kid I saw ‘The Island of Doctor Moreau,’” Miller said. “I always wanted to do that as a maze. And an abandoned zoo is such a creepy location. I just merged those two together to create this great atmosphere.”
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The Zoo will be two experiences in one with Knott’s turning out the lights inside the maze every night at 11 p.m. and handing out flashlights to visitors to help them navigate the blackout.
“I always wanted to do a maze that shifted through the night,” Miller said. “You flip a switch and it becomes a complete nightmare.”
Miller previously worked on the Widows, Cinema Slasher and Tooth Fairy mazes at Knott’s Scary Farm.
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Scary Farm 2025 will feature 10 haunted mazes, five scare zones and three live shows.
The Zoo will be joined by a second new maze based on the Bloody Mary apparition who can be summoned by anyone who turns out the lights and says her name into a mirror three times.
The returning mazes include Widows, Eight Fingers Nine: The Boogeyman, Chilling Chambers, Cinema Slasher, Room 13, The Grimoire, Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind and Origins: The Curse of Calico.
Scary Farm 2025 will be the final year for the Grimoire and Mesmer mazes. Origins: The Curse of Calico will be heading into its seventh year – a long run for a Scary Farm maze in the modern era.
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The returning scare zones include Ghost Town Streets, Forsaken Lake, Gore-ing 20s, Carnevil and The Gauntlet.
The entertainment lineup includes “The Hanging: There’s a New Tariff in Town” comedy and stunt show in the Wagon Camp Theater, “Le Magnifique Carnaval du Grotesque” circus sideshow on the Calico Mine Stage and “Conjurers” magic show in the Bird Cage Theatre.
The Boulet Brothers from the Emmy-nominated “Boulet Brothers’ Dragula” drag queen reality competition television show will serve as the horror hosts of Knott’s Scary Farm 2025.
This year’s Scary Farms dates include Sept. 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 and 28; Oct. 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 and 31; and Nov. 1.
Doors open nightly for the separate admission, after hours event at 7 p.m. The event runs until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 1 a.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.