This past week, Knott’s Scary Farm announced their first ever “VIP” maze called “Trapped.” This maze will be limited to only 5 people at any one time, and they promise that you won’t see another group as you go through the attraction. Because of the strictly limited capacity, Trapped will require a reservation (details about how to reserve your time slot have not been given yet). And although they haven’t officially said it yet, we are pretty sure there will also an up-charge for this maze.
Many people are comparing this idea to Howl-O-Scream Tampa’s “Alone” house, which debuted in 2010 and has received mostly positive reviews. In Alone, groups are limited to 4 people at a time, or you can choose to “go alone,” as the name implies. If you do make it through the attraction by yourself, they give you a t-shirt. The up-charge for Alone was $34.95 for 1-4 people. There’s no word on what Knott’s might charge for Trapped.
This VIP concept has likely sprung from the fact that theme park haunts get more and more popular every year, and the usual “conga line” that develops in these crowded haunts can completely ruin the atmosphere and detract from the scares. After all, how many times have you been bunched up in a room in a maze and wished you had it to yourself instead? In addition, these limited-capacity attractions are a way for the theme park haunts to compete with the smaller, local one-off haunts, which tend to have better line control (although usually with longer waits) compared with theme parks.
But will Trapped’s idea be popular enough to entice guests to open their wallets? We will see. Clearly, Knott’s is aiming for the serious haunt fan who—especially in recent years—has grown bored with the lack of innovation at Knott’s. But over the past couple of years, Knott’s has been experimenting with more original ideas and unique maze concepts, and Trapped fits right in line with that. We’re glad to see Knott’s thinking outside the box, and we will definitely be making our way through Trapped this fall.
Scare Zone will bring you more details on this maze, and other attractions, as we find out more.
