Magic Castle magician Ruby Coby will headline a new magic show full of blood, guts and dismemberment custom-curated for a Knott’s Scary Farm audience primed for a night full of thrills, chills and scares.
“Obviously with the Knott’s Scary Farm audience you can’t just do a normal magic show,” Coby said.
The new “Occultum” magic show during Knott’s Scary Farm will feature a rotating lineup of magicians from the world famous Magic Castle performing in the Bird Cage Theatre at the Buena Park theme park.
“We’re just so thrilled to finally get to partner with Knott’s Scary Farm,” Coby said. “It makes so much sense. It’s been a long time coming.”
Knott’s Scary Farm 2026 runs on select nights from Sept. 17 through Oct. 31 with 10 mazes, five scare zones, three shows and more than 1,000 monsters.
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Coby will return to Knott’s Scary Farm after performing 35 years ago during the annual Halloween festival.
“I did a show here that I knew I couldn’t get away with at the Magic Castle,” Coby said during a media preview at Knott’s. “I pounded a nail into my face. I cut my legs off with a chainsaw. I had a little tiny puppet clown that became an 8-foot-tall clown. It chopped my head off at the end.”
The Magic Castle will bring world-class magicians to perform a series of Halloween-themed shows during Knott’s Scary Farm — with a new magician performing every weekend.
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The Magic Castle in the Hollywood Hills serves as the exclusive private clubhouse of the Academy of Magical Arts and is open only to members and their invited guests.
The Carnegie Hall for magicians features several theaters showcasing close-up magic and stage illusions along with a series of secret doors, hidden passageways and a piano-playing ghost that takes song requests.
Coby will be curating the “Occultum” shows for the Magic Castle as well as performing one of the weekends during Knott’s Scary Farm.
The “Occultum” shows will be a little more edgy, off-beat and scary than your typical Magic Castle shows.
“We’re going to make it as weird as possible,” Coby said.
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Mentalist Rob Zabrecky — known for his dark, deadpan and absurdist performances — seemed like a natural fit for the “Occultum” shows, according to Coby.
“Rob does seances at the Magic Castle,” Coby said.
Zabrecky was named the Close-Up Magician of the Year by the Academy of Magical Arts in 2024.
Shock illusionist Dan Sperry will kick off Knott’s Scary Farm as the first magician on opening weekend on Sept. 17-19 — performing four “Occultum” shows each night.
The “Rockstar of Magic” is known for blending traditional magic and wince-inducing stunts with dark comedy, gothic aesthetics and bizarre theatrics.
Sperry has performed on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and the CW’s “Masters of Illusion.”
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The other Magic Castle magicians performing “Occultum” shows during Knott’s Scary Farm have not yet been revealed.
“The other ones were literally on my dream list,” Coby said. “I called them and I thought I would get a no and they said yes.”