When most individuals think of Knott’s Scary Farm, haunted mazes immediately come to mind.  Foggy alleyways with sinister monsters around every corner are the quintessential image from the world’s biggest, longest running, theme park Halloween celebration.

The 41-year-old beast had been at a slump as of lately because of the uprising rival horror extravaganza of Universal Studios Hollywood, Horror Nights. KSF stepped its game up this year by literally going out with the old and in with the new. Film-like features and a whole lot of stellar makeup replaced the old rubber masks and poorly produced sets and props.

With six different shows available to watch, guests had a chance to laugh, cry, and get the chills outside of scare zones and mazes. The most popular was Elvira’s Sinema Séance. The Mistress of Darkness – yes, Cassandra Peterson herself – hosts musical and comical dance numbers, complete with many Elvira jokes that fans all know and love, “I put the boob, in boob tube,” and “I put the rack in Dracula.” Elvira does a fabulous job providing endless laughs throughout the show, while it does not teeter beyond the PG-13 rating of the event.

Twelve mazes were featured in this year’s KSF, including a surprising six new mazes. Usually only a small fraction of the attractions are new, but the Knott’s masterminds split it 50/50 and left guests intrigued and excited to see what new ideas were implemented.

The six new mazes were Forevermore, Black Magic, Trapped: The New Experiment, The Gunslinger’s Grave, Mirror Mirror, and Dominion of the Damned.

The six returning mazes were Pinnochio Unstrung, Delirium, Trick or Treat, ENDGAMES, Uncle Willy’s Slaughterhouse, and Witch’s Keep.

Bring in Halloween the right way; don’t miss the best and spookiest year of KSF yet. Tickets range from $38-$62 and the final day is Nov. 2.