'No-Boo' Necklace at Horror Attraction Gets Booed

Each fall, California theme park Knott's Berry Farm transforms into Knott's Scary Farm for its beloved Halloween event. It's so beloved that hundreds of people attended a live preview of the event last week in Buena Park, though not all fans were happy with what they saw. As the Los Angeles Times reports, "scores of die-hards jeered and booed" for a full minute after event organizers revealed the new "no-boo" necklace, which serves to protect visitors from frights. Offered for $14.99, the necklace tells the park's actors, disguised as monsters, scary clowns, and other frightening characters, that the guest has "scare immunity."

"Wait, not nice," event co-host LeeAnna Vamp said in response to the boos before donning one of the necklaces. Yet she removed it "after a minute of consistent booing from the crowd," per the Times. Despite the less-than-warm response, the park plans to go ahead with the necklaces, which Vamp touted as "great for groups and families." "If you have one of these on, it's illuminated and, most importantly, visible to the monsters, [and] they will avoid scaring you directly," she said. Though one visitor suggested actors would have a hard time seeing the necklace because "a lot of the monsters like to come up from behind," others saw the potential benefit.

One guest who's attended the Halloween event annually for the last two decades said her brother and his friends initially "enjoyed being scared" during their first visit as young teens but eventually sought relief. "I had them trying to hide under my arms or burying their face into me," she told the Times, so "I do think this can be a good thing." The preview crowd did cheer the return of a "controversial, offensive, and violent" show called The Hanging, per Inside the Magic. Not seen since 2019, the show will be "even more offensive" this year, per the Orange County Register. It's one of four live shows at the event, which also includes five scare zones and 10 horror-themed mazes, where the "no-boo" necklace will not be honored. Inside Universal has all the details. (More Knott's Berry Farm stories.)