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All things spoilers for Fright Nights 2019 are discussed here! --- I attended Press Night tonight, and I'll give some brief spoilery thoughts about the mazes. However, it's very hard to judge the mazes based on run-throughs of tonight; I experienced them in such small groups (and on more than one occasion, alone), making it unfair to judge. Creek Freak Massacre This will get a very good reaction from the masses. It's very well themed, has lots of good effects, good opportunities for the actors to scare you, and of course chainsaws. There's some multi-route aspects and I encountered 3 chainsaws during my goes. And, importantly, this doesn't feel like a Thorpe's attempt at Chop Shop; it feels original. The maze is quite long (probably the second longest, behind Platform) which is good too. I have concerns about the reliability of the effects (not that these detract from the experience in fairness), the reliability of chainsaws (they require regular petrol changes) and how this will cope when the park is busy. I hope those fears are unfounded, but for now, the jury is out. Terror at Amity High Just a flash mob/dance routine, with actors interacting with the crowd in between performances. However, this is really well done, and a refreshing change from all of Thorpe's angsty characters in the past. Do or Die Seen some changes this year, and the theming within the 3 containers you go in is largely very good. Outside them is basically the same as last year and doesn't feel great. There's a very cool sequence in one of the containers. However, I don't know how it will work in the long run with larger groups. So again, I'll wait and see. Blair Witch Very dense forestry and very good layout given the space, but the actors' script is a bit weak. Fun and different, but nothing special. Platform 15 Has a new ending, which I'm sure will go down well in big groups and be a hit with the public. I wasn't a fan of it though. Actor numbers felt a bit sparse but I hear they will improve. Living Nightmare Same as last year but with a slightly different ending. Probably the best themed ending they've done, but not all that scary. Containment Rooms 1 and 2 are different this year. I hadn't done this for a couple of years, so had forgotten that it's pretty decent. Would recommend if you haven't done it for a while. Parkwide Theming, Audio and Lighting Minimal. Didn't notice anything aside from a couple of hanging bodybags and some zombies. Colossus apparently has some stuff but I hate Colossus so didn't pay attention. Verdict For now, it's safe to say that this year's Fright Nights is significantly better than last year. Though that was not very hard to achieve. Every attraction has seen work to try and improve it, though some attractions have missed the mark for now. As ever, I can't give a fairer review until I've done the mazes in a more normal condition. Creek Freak will hit the spot it needs to for the park are it'll go down well. I enjoy aspects of it, though in reality it's not completely my cup of tea. I just hope my operational fears are unfounded.

Went tonight, better than last year still a lot of improvement required. Creek Freak, intro was rushed not giving a background to the story. The maze was fun however I didn't find it very intense despite making contact with one of the chainsaws. Themeing was cool though. Platform 15, good new ending however I think it could be executed better. Do or die, good fun however the groups are too big resulting in less scares. Amity high was excellent, the actors were having great interactions with guests and the flash mob was something different and what the park needs as a filler. Didn't do the others as was enjoying the rides. Here's my issue, what is sold to the public through online POV's from press night, being batched in small groups of under is very different to what you get with a group size of 15, where the experience seems rushed and more about getting people through the attraction, so yes the event may be 10 times better than last year however would last nights reviewers have the same opinion on the attractions on a peak Saturday night? Probably not but we shall see how the park handles the crowds in the coming weeks. Overall its good and I would still recommend a visit, however I think its time for an over-hall and bring back at least 1 hands on shoulders maze for old times sake.

Jack Sickstone, 10/10 for all the mazes

Why though, the tent mazes back in the day were so much better than all these outdoor mazes.

Second ever ride on the train for me today, first in its ROTD guise. It's fair to say there have been improvements over the first effort. - The sound is hugely better and isolating - The graphics seem smoother, if just as low quality - The second ride VR section is much better than playstation 1 apocalypse - The post show incident gives the ride its only opportunity to provide an actual scare, and goes some way to delivering it But it is nowhere near enough to save this utter turkey - Throughput is minuscule, queuing is ssllllooooowwwww and not close to worth the reward of riding - The staff approach is all over the place. Real aggressive introduction about phone use, not sure if that is supposed to be a 'character' or just a real obnoxious way to make a point? - The second room 'pre-show' immediately prior to the train entrance is downright bizarre. A stumbling attempt to be jokey, bring someone from the front to the back, do nothing with them, clap them(?), bang a door, go through the door. WOT? A pre-boarding stall I imagine, but just in every way possible from pacing to storytelling to atmosphere to point, utterly wrong. - The 'middle-show' is immeasurably worse. The old concept of being in a tunnel with no obvious way out and simulate a train approaching was actually a really good idea poorly done. Walking into a dark room where nothing happens before being turned round to walk back out of it is a really bad idea poorly done. Getting on and off the train doesn't even make sense in the narrative any more. - The second VR I can't quite get my head around. Augmented reality would have been hugely better rather than pretend augmented reality, but whatever. This breaks the fourth wall of suspension of belief the ride is asking us to make; the whole point seemed to be that the hyper reality of the simulation of being on a train would be the driver behind messing with your mind in that relate-able, mundane situation. You are now looking at people, like you, who are clearly on a theme park ride of a train, not an actual underground train. What am I supposed to do with this in the context of the narrative? - While we are on the second VR, the image quality as a whole is better than it was, but why is the main character we are supposed to scared of so poorly defined? For the most part it is an indistinguishable fuzzy blob floating around the screen about as menacingly as a rain cloud. - The laboured situation and 'acting' to hold people in the post-show goes a long way to ruining an otherwise decent effect. They may as well put up a big flashing sign saying 'wait a mo, something else is going to happen'. There must be a better, more natural way. Overall, there is no getting away from the fact that the whole thing is an ACTUAL TRAIN SIMULATOR. Not a rocket to the moon. Not a flight on an X wing. Not dive in a submarine. Not a time travelling jump in a Delorean. Why? I can get on a train, I don't need it simulated. I want fantasy. There is nothing fantastical about this Ghost Train. I honestly do not think it is rescuable. It's sad, but the whole concept is so deeply flawed I really feel the best thing to do would be to rip it out and start again. At the moment it is just a very expensive way to damage your brand and reputation.