A temporary attraction installed for Halloween at Knott’s Berry Farm has been shut down after complaints from mental health advocates.
The virtual reality attraction – FearVR: 5150 – stirred up controversy with its content, which focused on a possessed patient on the loose in a dilapidated hospital. The number 5150 in the experience’s name refers to the California state code for an involuntary psychiatric hold.
"You get in there and get the headset on, you know you're in an insane asylum, and that this patient, is loose and is going to do bad things to you. It's wrong," said mental health advocate Ron Thomas, whose schizophrenic son Kelly Thomas died in a confrontation with police in 2011.
"The mentally ill are people. They're human beings. They're suffering. They have illnesses, and we have to do something to help them – not demonise them. Not to continue the stigma of mental illness,” he said, speaking to
ABC7 Eyewitness News.
Following Thomas’ and others’ opposition to the temporary attraction, Knott’s Berry received backlash on social media, leading to its decision to remove it from the park, while its parent company Cedar Fair has also closed down the attraction at two of its other parks in Santa Clara and in Toronto, Canada.
"California's Great America is proud of its popular annual Halloween Haunt event,” said a statement from Knott’s Berry.
“For nine years we have delivered unique and immersive haunted experiences to our fans and loyal guests. Our evening attractions are designed to be edgy, and are aimed at an adult-only audience.
“Over the past week we have heard from a number of people expressing their concern that one of our temporary, Halloween attractions – FearVR: 5150 – is hurtful to those who suffer from mental illnesses.
“Contrary to some traditional and social media accounts, the attraction's story and presentation were never intended to portray mental illness. As it is impossible to address both concerns and misconceptions in the Halloween timeframe, at this time we have decided to close the attraction."
Halloween has in recent years become firmly set as a staple of the attractions sector, prompting millions of people to visit theme parks across the US and the rest of the world. Worth more than US$7bn (€6.2bn, £5.4bn) a year to the US alone, the event is the second-largest commercial programme after Christmas.
Universal is the leader in Halloween horror attractions, drawing more than 600,000 visitors annually, while Knott’s Berry Farm is one of the originators of the idea, starting its Halloween festivities in 1973.
