Knott's Haunt 2010 Review

Earlier this month I made my annual pilgrimage to the Knott's Berry Farm Haunt, and I thought this was one of the stronger years. It seemed really tired last year, and many of the mazes were sorely in need of a face lift. It seems like they noticed because there were several great changes to the park. I won't go into great detail about all of the mazes, but there were a few stand-outs.



Sleepy Hollow Mountain: The Log Ride has finally changed themes from the very tired Pyromaniax. It was so exciting to see new decor and monsters! If you're a pumpkin enthusiast, you'll love the dozens of glowing jack-o-lanterns, and the moody, misty woods were perfect for setting a believable Sleepy Hollow theme.

The Labyrinth is always good for pretty things - pretty costumes, pretty decor, and silly, tittering spooks. It's not scary, but it is fun to walk through. The stairs and uneven terrain help with the outdoorsy, fairy forest theme.

Virus Z in Fiesta Plaza. As we were walking through I said It's exactly how I always pictured the Zombie Apocalypse! The maze starts out in an abandoned 1950's-style diner and winds through a zombie-filled suburban town. It wasn't the scariest maze, but it was the most satisfying. How often does something deliver exactly what you'd hoped for?

The Corn Stalkers is a good one for me, but only because I've never seen a real-life corn field. I love the smell of the hay bales that stack up taller than my head; the thought of really being in a spook-filled corn field is plenty of scare for me.

While it is nowhere near the bottom of my list of favorites, I do have to say that Uncle Bobo's Big Top of the Bizarre was better this year. It didn't make me roll my eyes and sigh the way it did last year.


I just wanna talk! Image courtesy of Knott's.

And a dishonorable mention to the Black Widow's Cavern (Calico Mine Ride). Every year, I cross my fingers and hope that the giant spider in the middle of the cavern will finally move or do something, and I am always disappointed. As a spider-enthusiast, I'm sad to say that it is really time for this one to go. Knott's is pretty good about changing it up, so I hope to see something new in the Calico Mine next fall.

If you've never been to Knott's for the haunt, or if you haven't been in years, but are thinking about it, I think this is a good year to get back into the Haunt Groove. The Virus Z zombie maze alone was worth it for me, and the Sleepy Hollow log ride got me in the mood for the rest of autumn...if it ever shows up.

Review: Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights

This box of Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights caught my eye at the grocery store. There were several Little Debbie treats on the bottom shelf in the seasonal aisle; I chose these because they were the only snacks that contained actual pumpkin puree.

I'll admit to having never had a Little Debbie snack before. These are "filled soft cookies" with a jack-o-lantern face. Each cookie is individually wrapped, 150 calories.


The cookies are cute - especially if you like things that appear cute, but are actually terribly evil. These cookies look evil. The too-wide smile is a sure sign of insanity.


You eat me, I eat your SOUL.

The cookies are quite flat and they smell like apple pie. The bite is soft; I would liken them to a very moist, dense fig newton. They don't have a strong pumpkin flavor, but they are nice enough. After the initial cookie flavor, they're overwhelmingly sweet, and then overwhelmingly salty. I remember caramel and cinnamon being the strongest flavors.

Overall, the Pumpkin Delights were fine for midnight munchies, but if I'm in the mood for this type of cookie again, I'll probably just buy some fig newtons.

3/5

Zombie defense

It's time to get real and train for the inevitable zombie uprising. The zombies won't take pity on you, and neither will these guys:



UDAZ-DO: The Way of Unarmed Defense Against Zombies

Real zombies at every event!

Learn skills to STAY HUMAN!

I don't know these guys, but I salute their efforts. LA folks - check it out and report back...if you survive.

Pumpk-introduction*

I’ve been obsessed with pumpkins for a long time, so I decided to finally create a place for all my pumpkin love. I love pumpkins, carving pumpkins, pumpkin foods, and pumpkin drinks so much, that you might even call me a pumpkin tart.

The first pumpkin-themed dinner I made was in 2003. It was a relatively simple meal:
-Savory pumpkin and tart apple soup
-Filet mignon with pumpkin and sweet potato puree
-Pumpkin crème brulee

It was my first time really cooking with pumpkin, besides some soups that were made by faithfully following recipes. My husband said it was delicious, but it wasn’t very good. The soup was watery, the pumpkin puree was mushy, and the crème brulee had little pumpkin flavor. The only thing I did well was the filet – also the most expensive item on the menu, so at least I got that right.


From Flickr user Teo

I’ve grown since then. My last pumpkin dinner had something like 8 courses and three rave reviews (thanks, friends!). Nowadays, my annual pumpkin dinner requires about 2 months of test cooking, and a solid week of prep before the big night. I’m starting late this year, but when I finally get to it, I hope to share my annual pumpkin dinner with you. I’m still learning new techniques and my taste in foods and flavors is always changing. I get bored by following recipes, and I almost never measure (unless I’m baking, of course).

In the meantime, I’ll be trying all the tasty pumpkin treats at local restaurants and stores, and occasionally writing about my obsession with weird Halloween activities and horror-themed plays.

The Monster Cereal Trifecta is here!

With Elvira having aired her first comeback show, and this early Autumn heat wave in full swing, it’s officially Halloween Time. Every local store has been thoroughly scoured for Halloween things, and there's something new in one of my annual purchases.

The Monster Trifecta cereal has new artwork. Take a look:


It's a nice change, and a good update on classic characters (though I hope they don’t completely abandon the old artwork), and there are a few subtle hints in the new background that tell us more about our favorite monster cereals.

Notice the castle in the background of each box? It’s the same castle. This can only mean one of two things:

1) The monsters all live in the same castle. Presumably it is Count Chocula’s castle, FrankenBerry is his pet monster/roommate, and BooBerry is the ghost that inhabits their home.
2)The artists are lazy.

I’m sure the good people at General Mills would not get lazy with their artwork, so it must mean that the three monsters have been roommates all along. Or perhaps the recent housing crisis has made them consolidate expenses - haunted houses are expensive to keep up.

The Halloween season officially starts

This gorgeous, gloomy weather can only mean one thing: an imminent SoCal heat wave. It happens every year when it seems that Autumn might have finally arrived. This Saturday night I'll be cranking up the A/C, popping a big bowl of popcorn, and settling in for the return of Elvira's Movie Macabre.



Elvira, the bawdy, boob-y hostess of b-movies is kicking off the 2010 Halloween season with the classic zombie movie Night of the Living Dead. This season promises lots more good things - including a new intro from living legend Jack White.


Can we talk about how amazing she looks?

My only complaint is that the show is not DVR friendly (it's listed by the movie title, not as Elvira's Movie Macabre), so take a look at the schedule to make sure that you don't miss a minute.

Local spooky-ish stuff to do

It's springtime so there are very few entertainment options for spooky lovers like me (and you), but there are a few things worth mentioning.

Last week I attended a performance of The Miracle of Mary Mack's Baby at STAGEStheater in Fullerton.



Imagine if you will, a small west Texas town, it's a normal Friday night, M*A*S*H* playing on the T.V. Out of the dark, Texas sky falls to Earth a silver vessel, lands on the front lawn, steaming from what appears to be entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Up in the sky, a series of brilliant, shiny lights, pulsing in an almost hypnotic manner to a rhythmic, otherworldly beat. From the vessel emerges your child that went missing 6 months earlier...or is it?

Mary Mack is a hilariously weird, and highly entertaining popcorn play. It's exciting to discover a place like STAGEStheater because I know I'll be back. Some of the upcoming shows are Steel Dragnolias (a drag re-imagining of Steel Magnolias) and an entire evening of Twilight Zone episodes acted out on stage. Hopefully they'll be as entertaining as Mary Mack and the other townies from West Texas! Oh, and tickets range from $15-$18, and they charge $1-$2 for refreshments. It's a wallet-friendly evening out.


Most recently, I attended Dr. Cerberus at South Coast Repertory.



Expecting it to be another weird horror-themed performance, I was surprised to find that it was a thoughtful and somewhat painful to watch play about a young closeted boy growing up in Washington DC. The horror aspects were never fully worked into the plot as I had expected, but it was laugh out loud funny in some parts, and emotionally moving in others. I expected horror and got an awkward adolescent, but I loved it. If you're a fan of '80s family sitcoms, B-movie show hosts, gay issues, family issues, and the ignored and overweight geeks of the world, I think you'll like Dr. Cerberus. There were enough classic monster/horror movie references to know that the playwright, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, is "one of us".


If you want a monthly spooky fix, why not check out GHOULA? The Ghost Hunters of Urban Los Angeles. I haven't attended a meeting yet (curse you, traffic), but I will someday. The co-founder of the group wrote a book called Disneyland After Dark. You know I'm a fan of the House of Mouse, so I hope to get my hands on a copy soon!



Oh, and speaking of Disneyland, Halloweentown is going to be hosting a new art exhibit this summer - A Tribute to the Haunted Mansion. I can't wait! I'll be there with my checkbook (hopefully)!