Six Flags and Knott’s Scary Farm Bring the Screams to Midsummer Scream 2026
Any horror/haunt fan worth their salt knows that “Spooky Season” doesn’t start in October. (You’d be very late to the party if that were the case.) No, “Spooky Season” officially kicks off in August for us here in California as Midsummer Scream ushers in the frights and sounds of October every year. Taking place at the Long Beach Convention Center from August 7th to 9th, Midsummer Scream has become the premier convention for all things Halloween and haunt season.
From collectibles to film screenings to home haunt decorations and celebrity signings, Midsummer Scream brings all fans of the spooky and weird together for a great weekend of fandom. Two of the biggest presentations this year had to be Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Fright Fest and Knott’s Scary Farm, and judging by the crowds packed into both presentations, fans were more than ready to hear what was coming.
Six Flags Magic Mountain came out swinging with its 2026 Fright Fest presentation, led by Entertainment Senior Creative Mark Wing and Entertainment Manager Mike Ostrom. The presentation also brought in Gus Krueger from Knott’s Scary Farm to discuss a rather interesting collaboration between the two Southern California parks.
The big news was the arrival of two new mazes.
First up is Final Destination: Death’s Playground, bringing the death-defying chaos of the Final Destination franchise into Fright Fest. The attraction puts guests directly into a world where death itself becomes the enemy, with catastrophic events seemingly waiting around every corner. Six Flags describes the experience as one where a premonition sets off a chain of deadly events and guests quickly discover that disrupting death’s design comes with consequences.
Then there is Wolves’ Blood, an original maze with some very familiar Southern California haunt DNA behind it.
The attraction drops guests into a remote town overrun by werewolves as they make their way toward a live performance by the fictional rock band Wolves’ Blood. The journey takes guests through a bus stop, ransacked businesses, bars and an abandoned cemetery before reaching the Grand Valdonian Theater.
What makes Wolves’ Blood particularly interesting is the collaboration behind it. Krueger, from Knott’s Scary Farm, was brought into the Six Flags presentation to discuss the new attraction, making this a rather unusual case of two major Southern California haunt brands working together under the same corporate umbrella. That corporate relationship is worth remembering. Why pray tell? The current Six Flags Entertainment Corporation that was created when Six Flags and Cedar Fair completed their merger in July 2024, is what we are talking about here, folks. Knott’s came into the new company as part of Cedar Fair’s portfolio.
The relationship has become even more interesting in 2026 as Six Flags has aggressively streamlined its portfolio and options. The company announced the sale of seven parks to EPR Properties for $331 million, describing the move as a way to sharpen its strategic focus and concentrate capital, leadership, and operations on properties with the strongest returns and greatest long-term potential. Six Flags has specifically retained Magic Mountain and Knott’s as part of its remaining portfolio.
So this new house is the first collaboration between the two parks. If things go well this year for Six Flags and these new mazes, we could see a partnership made in fog, if you will. It could be gloriously disturbing, and we’re all in for it.
Fright Fest 2026 runs at Six Flags Magic Mountain on select nights from Sept. 18 through Nov. 1.
Knott’s Scary Farm Says Goodbye to Two Favorites
Then came Knott’s Scary Farm. While fans were clearly hoping for a few major surprises, Knott’s kept some of its biggest cards close to the vest. The park is saving its larger maze reveals for its annual Nightmares Revealed event on Aug. 18.
But that does not mean the Midsummer Scream presentation was short on news. Quite the opposite. Knott’s confirmed that two fan-favorite mazes will enter their final season in 2026. Knott’s has this unwritten rule of Three Years and done. What we mean by that is USUALLY, a house gets to be featured and tweaked for three years before it officially gets retired and we never see that specific house again.
Origins: The Curse of Calico and The Chilling Chambers will both disappear into the fog following this year’s event.
For Origins, this is the end of a significant run. The maze debuted in 2019 and became deeply connected to the mythology of Ghost Town and the legend of the Calico witch.
The Chilling Chambers, meanwhile, arrived in 2023 as part of Knott’s 50th anniversary celebration and served as a modern tribute to the original Ten Chilling Chambers attraction from 1977.
Knott’s also confirmed that CarnEvil is getting a major evolution for 2026, with elements from the retired Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind being incorporated into the experience. Professor Mesmer will return, joined by new characters including The Barker and Clown Maker.
For a haunt that has been scaring Southern California since 1973, change is nothing new. Still, watching two established attractions receive their final season announcement in front of a packed room gave the presentation a very different feeling. There was excitement, certainly, but there was also the realization that guests are about to say goodbye to attractions that have become part of the modern Scary Farm experience. We know that Knott’s has a few more tricks and announcements up its sleeve for Nightmares Reveled when it comes to the park later this month on August 18th. We plan on being there and bringing you all the updates we can.
The Fog Is Rolling In
Midsummer Scream has become one of the most important stops on the Southern California Halloween calendar, and this year’s presentations made it clear why. We have a few more stories for this years event so stay here at TrulyDisturbing for any and all haunt news.
With Fright Fest and Scary Farm just weeks away from starting, we would highly recommend you get your affairs in order because these events are going to be killer.