Why Knott’s Berry Farm retired ‘The Hanging’ after a decades-long run

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Knott’s Berry Farm decided to enactment “The Hanging” connected the backmost burner aft a decades-long tally amid progressively aggravated antagonistic feedback and the quickening gait of popular civilization that made the drama parody amusement tougher to propulsion disconnected each Halloween.

“It conscionable felt similar it was clip to springiness it immoderate enactment and conscionable measurement distant for a small spot and effort thing different,” Knott’s amusement shaper Eric Nix said during an online video interview.

The marquee amusement that played for much than 4 decades during the yearly Halloween lawsuit astatine the Buena Park taxable parkland had evolved implicit the years from a Wild West reenactment to a supernatural communicative focused connected the Green Witch to a bloody drama revue that disemboweled personage popular culture.

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Knott’s originative squad had ever planned to retire “The Hanging” astatine the extremity of the 2019 Halloween season.

“It was a subtle goodbye successful 2019,” Nix said. “We knew that we were going to enactment it to rest.”

Knott’s Scary Farm designers created a caller Origins: The Curse of Calico haunted maze based connected the prequel backstory of the Green Witch successful 2019. That aforesaid year, “The Hanging” featured the Green Witch who exacted her revenge connected the Calico townspeople earlier disappearing successful a puff of fume with a cackling laugh. A tombstone connected a video surface hinted “The Hanging” had yet met its demise.

The coronavirus closure of Knott’s forced the cancellation of the yearly Halloween Haunt event and “The Hanging” successful 2020.

The situation had ever been keeping the drama worldly caller for “The Hanging” — 1 of the longest-running unrecorded amusement shows successful Knott’s history. In caller years, the accelerated gait of societal media meant “The Hanging” had to beryllium updated connected a play and sometimes regular ground during the Halloween play run.

“Pop civilization moves astatine an wholly antithetic velocity than erstwhile ‘The Hanging’ archetypal started,” Nix said. “It got harder and harder to constitute twelvemonth implicit year. Particularly 2018 and past 2019 were 2 precise hard years to get through.”

Over the decades, times changed, arsenic did assemblage expectations.

“There’s ever country for drama and parody successful our Halloween lineup,” Nix said. “In each honesty, I deliberation the clientele changed and they weren’t arsenic receptive to that benignant of poking and prodding arsenic they utilized to beryllium successful years prior.”

“The Hanging” began successful 1976 a fewer years aft the archetypal Halloween Haunt lawsuit astatine Knott’s. A mates of outlaws recovered blameworthy of execution were hanged successful beforehand of the Wild West townspeople of Calico successful a Halloween Haunt amusement created “to bash thing adjacent much outrageous than ever before,” according to the Knott’s website.

In consequent years, the amusement featured a screaming pistillate protesting her innocence arsenic she was hauled done the streets of Calico and hanged for being a witch, according to the park’s website. As the backstory evolved, Calico townswoman Sarah Marshall transformed into the Green Witch connected the gallows, turned her accusing neighbors into monsters with a wicked curse and vanished successful a puff of fume with a cackling laugh.

The Green Witch remained the cardinal quality of “The Hanging” until 1989 erstwhile the absorption of the amusement switched to a roast of popular civilization icons of the time followed by the slaughtering and hanging of the astir deserving celebrities — from Justin Bieber to Bill Cosby to Miley Cyrus. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton featured prominently successful the 2016 amusement anterior to the November predetermination portion the 2017 amusement had a “Fake Noose” theme.

The diminished Green Witch continued to roam the streets of Calico until 2019 erstwhile she was erstwhile again made the centerpiece of Knott’s Scary Farm.

Knott’s received tons of “pretty aggravated feedback” astir “The Hanging” successful 2018 and 2019 by mode of passionate letters and telephone calls, according to Nix. Knott’s originative squad decided to shelve “The Hanging” successful 2019 with an oculus toward yet revisiting the long-running amusement with a caller narrative.

“It sets america up to beryllium capable to look astatine it successful the aboriginal successful a antithetic mode and archer the communicative of the hangman and the witch successful caller ways,” Nix said. “We’re trying to acceptable ourselves up for the 50th, which is accelerated approaching.”

Knott’s Halloween Haunt volition observe its 50th day successful 2023.

Plans for a “show moment” harking backmost to the archetypal 1970s format of “The Hanging” featuring the Green Witch and the hangman person been enactment connected clasp for this year.

“We person immoderate ideas brewing already connected however we tin revitalize that communicative and bring it backmost successful a antithetic way,” Nix said.

For 2021, the caller “Carnaval du Grotesque” amusement volition regenerate “The Hanging” and instrumentality implicit the Calico Mine Stage with unrecorded bands accompanied by carnival sideshow performers.

“Carnaval du Grotesque” volition beryllium headlined astir nights by The Haxans stone set with a continuing lineup of sword swallowers, occurrence eaters and different sideshow artists successful betwixt philharmonic acts.

The Haxans — Swedish for “the witches” — instrumentality their sanction from a 1922 soundless fearfulness movie astir witchcraft and witch hunting. The set stars vocalist Ashley Costello from the Anaheim-based rockers New Years Day and Rob Zombie bassist Matt Montgomery — amended known by his alias Piggy D. The Goth popular duo, who formal successful “creep kitsch” fashion, gully inspiration from B-movie fearfulness and spooky decadence.

“They acceptable our taxable perfectly,” Nix said of The Haxans.

Knott’s Scary Farm volition diagnostic 3 different caller shows successful 2021.

The “Invitation to Terror” integer illusion amusement successful the Mystery Lodge tells the communicative of millionaire inventor Tom Shackleford arsenic helium unveils a concealed task that promises to alteration the world.

The terrifying communicative is acceptable successful 1986 Calico arsenic attendees witnesser the debut of Shackleford’s latest technological advancement known arsenic Futuretronics.

The caller amusement uses the Pepper’s Ghost effect successful the Mystery Lodge with caller animation and projections that seemingly make interactions betwixt integer tone characters and existent satellite performers.

“There’s immoderate amusive breadcrumbs that could pb to aboriginal narratives down the road,” Nix said of the “Invitation to Terror” show.

Also caller for 2021: The “Wicked Drums” percussion amusement successful the Camp Snoopy Theater and the Doce de la Noche creation enactment astatine the Fiesta Plaza stage.

Returning amusement for Scary Farm 2021 includes the “Puppet Up! Uncensored” improvisational drama and puppet amusement successful the renamed Walter Knott Theater and the “Conjurers: Magic and Mirth” drama and magic amusement successful the Bird Cage Theatre.

“Puppet Up” was a runaway occurrence astatine Scary Farm 2019.

“It was the highest rated Scary Farm acquisition ever — implicit Elvira oregon immoderate of our mazes oregon scare zones,” Nix said of “Puppet Up.” “It was specified a hit.”

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