Dan Sperry has brought his unmistakable brand of dark and bizarre magic to Knott’s Scary Farm as part of an all-new collaboration between the legendary Halloween event and Hollywood's Magic Castle.
For the 2026 Halloween season, Knott’s Scary Farm has introduced OCCULTUM, a new live magic experience inside the historic Bird Cage Theatre at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California.
And who better to kick off a Halloween magic show than Dan Sperry?
Sperry was selected as the first magician to perform in OCCULTUM, appearing during Knott's Scary Farm's opening weekend, September 17–19, with four performances each night.
The Magic Castle Comes to Knott's Scary Farm
OCCULTUM is more than a single magic show.
The production is a collaboration with Hollywood's world-famous Magic Castle and features a rotating lineup of magicians throughout the 2026 Knott's Scary Farm season.
The show replaces Conjurers at the Bird Cage Theatre and is designed specifically for the darker atmosphere of Scary Farm. Instead of simply transplanting a traditional Magic Castle show into a theme park, the performers are being encouraged to embrace material that's stranger, darker and more appropriate for Halloween.
Magician Rudy Coby is curating the rotating lineup for the Magic Castle and will also perform during the season.
It's an especially interesting partnership considering the long connection between magic and the Bird Cage Theatre. Magic Castle performers have appeared there over the years, and Coby himself performed at Knott's roughly 35 years ago.
Dan Sperry Opens OCCULTUM
Sperry seems almost tailor-made for the concept.
Known for combining illusion, sideshow-inspired stunts, dark comedy and a gothic visual style, Sperry has spent more than 25 years developing a persona very different from the traditional tuxedo-wearing magician.
Magic fans will recognize him from appearances on America's Got Talent and more than a decade of appearances on Masters of Illusion, along with performances around the world.
Opening-weekend reports from Knott's reveal that Sperry's OCCULTUM performance included both bizarre physical magic and mentalism.
One routine reportedly involved a book, chalkboards, a bell and even a Magic: The Gathering card used as a bookmark. Sperry correctly revealed information selected from the book before adding another unexpected twist to the revelation.
But this is Dan Sperry at Knott's Scary Farm, so naturally things didn't stay quite that innocent.
He also brought out one of the pieces of shock magic for which he has become known: swallowing razor blades.
It's exactly the kind of material that demonstrates why pairing the Magic Castle with Knott's Scary Farm has so much potential.
Magic Gets a Little Darker for Halloween
OCCULTUM also represents something interesting for magic fans.
There are plenty of haunted attractions during Halloween. There are also plenty of magic shows throughout the year.
But bringing respected working magicians into an established Halloween event and allowing them to explore the darker side of the art creates something different.
Magic has always had connections to the mysterious and macabre. Spirit cabinets, séances, mind reading, bizarre magic, dangerous-looking stunts and supernatural themes have been part of the art's history for generations.
Knott's Scary Farm gives performers a setting where they can push those themes further.
For Sperry, whose entire performing character already exists somewhere between magician, sideshow performer and horror character, the fit is especially natural.
A Different Magician Throughout the Season
Dan Sperry's opening weekend is only the beginning.
OCCULTUM will continue with a rotating lineup of Magic Castle performers during Knott's Scary Farm's 2026 run.
Among the other magicians connected to the production are Rudy Coby, Rob Zabrecky and Georges-Robert. Coby has said the performers were chosen specifically because their styles could work with the unusual Scary Farm audience.
That also means OCCULTUM won't necessarily be the same show from week to week.
Visitors returning later in the season could see an entirely different magician and style of magic inside the Bird Cage Theatre.
Knott's Scary Farm Continues Through Halloween
The 53rd season of Knott's Scary Farm began September 17 and continues on select nights through October 31, 2026.
This year's event features 10 mazes, five scare zones and multiple live shows in addition to OCCULTUM.
For magic fans, however, the partnership with the Magic Castle gives them another reason to step into the fog.
Dan Sperry may have opened the door, but a rotating collection of magicians will keep the impossible happening at Knott's Scary Farm throughout the Halloween season.
And if OCCULTUM's opening weekend is any indication, this isn't going to be your typical magic show.
It's magic designed for the dark.
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