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Tbh, I think the hands on shoulders mazes offered something else that now cant be matched. and until covid is no longer an issue I cant see them returning due to proximity. all the reactions of the people in the group or hearing them was simply brilliant. Although there is no better experience than a unofficial brave it alone on Asylum when its empty and they called out staff member before letting me in (2008) I think. yes there are pro’s and cons for both types of maze. But lets not forget the scare ability of the likes of some of the earlier mazes surpasses that of the more recent additions.

I’m kind of just realising that FN’s 10th anniversary (& Exp10’s opening year) being 10 years ago, which means that half of FN’s history has taken place since then….. I realise that is is obvious, but wow I’m getting so old! 😳 Exp10 opening feels so recent to me. I completely agree with all that’s been said about looking back at the past mazes fondly - I don’t think perhaps the likes of Asylum would be quite as well received today as it was at the time. Really Asylum was little more than a chain-link strobe maze with a lit-up sign out the front and a great theme tune. But wow was it scary. I seem to remember scare mazes making me (and everyone else queueing) genuinely nervous. They, especially Asylum, seemed to have a legendary reputation which I think just added to it. I think as well the hands-on-shoulders thing, and the bizarre group photo (with all the random strangers in your run through) and briefing on the ‘stage’ in front of the queue before going through the iconic blue door added to it too - it felt like such an event! I think we expect a lot more from a scare maze these days, unlike a few years ago when really we didn’t expect much more than simply to be scared. Now we seem to expect a full story to be told and for it to be well themed throughout - the bar has been raised massively, and quite rightly so since they now charge for a runthrough. I think that’s why Experiment 10 and Cabin In The Woods (and the towers mazes) impressed so much at the time, because it added so much more to what most people were used to seeing from a maze, including the likes of Tulley’s at the time. I think expectations are just extremely different now. Mazes have stories and are generally really well themed. Big Top was a little different for me because it almost felt like a slight step back to how mazes used to be - it was more simple in what it was trying to do. Even the beloved Big Top though was a far cry from how mazes used to be a few years before. The way the BT’s soundtrack evolved throughout the maze, and the work that went in to the set designs, it was nothing like the old mazes at all - it was so much more, and clearly had a much bigger budget. I don’t think there’s any going back to how it was, not without people calling it lazy. I think scare mazes are having a bit of an identity crisis at the moment. Most mazes aren’t built simply to be “scary” anymore - they’re really more of a scenic theatrical experience aren’t they? (I’m not complaining about that - just kind of rambling/realising) A good point was made earlier about the “10th birthday” being celebrated by a plastic cake being wheeled about on a trolley and a maze with “10” written on it - and that was great back then! Now everyone expects a lot more. ———— Tl;dr - I think the unwritten ‘definition of a scare maze’ has changed too much for Asylum and co to be as well received as they used to be. People expect more now. (sorry for my rambling post 🙄) Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

This year May not be over yet but it has been one long roller coaster ride and sadly not an enjoyable one other . As this horrible time remains dominated by a never ending pandemic, here’s some rides that may be a reminder and summarisation of how 2020 is going. Hold on tight and remain seated, you are in for a very bumpy ride! 1/ Meanstreak- Cedar Point Tall, long and dominating. The whole presence of this attraction should deliver something great to live up to it’s name. Sadly that is not the case. This coaster uncomfortably drags you along a rough and uncomfortable circuit which proves to become more and more uncomfortable as experience more of the ride. It seems to never end and go on and on without end. You are relieved when you finally get off, but the physical recovery is long and winding. Not to mention the whiplash will still be with you during whatever you decide to ride next. Sadly there is no RMC conversation at the end of this year! 2/ Temple Of The Nighthawk- Phantasialand On a personal level, comparing 2020 to the last few years of my life is a bit like visiting Phantasialand and going from riding Taron and Chiapas to experiencing the park’s infamous indoor coaster, Temple Of The Nighthawk. This coaster takes up a large footprint of what isn’t a massive park, sticks out like a sore thumb and greatly clashes with much of the other amazing offering. It’s a long slow paced attraction taking you on a long and mundane layout through forceless twists and turns in the dark. You don’t know where you are going yet it lacks any sense of any excitement or direction. Not to mention three waves’ I mean lift hills to endure also. Many want this gone and to be ripped out, but that’s unlikely to happen for a while given the building’s mixed usage and complexities. So like many negative things, the Nighthawk is currently here to stay without it’s demise in sight. 3/Most Pinifari Coasters Rough, bumpy,uncomfortable and generally unreliable, the perfect candidate to what is a disappointing year it has been. Yet despite this these coasters are still scattered around countless parks both large and small, with several years yet before they head into the big headache in the sky! 4/ Fairy Tale Castle Liseberg Though it was removed a few years ago, this weird and random attraction epitomises 2020 given how bizarre it has all been. One moment we would see a cardboard Peter Pan fighting a cheap Captain Hook, followed by a fat “trumpesque” like emperor figure. All whilst listening to the “ripped” Droomvlucht music playing. It should be amicably pleasant, but fails this in countless areas leading to something memorable for the wrong reasons perhaps. 5/ Son Of Beast Just like 2020, Son Of Beast had the intention of delivering greatness just from it’s name, however became proned with problems and something of a massive write off, as far as success goes. The Beast should’ve been something spectacular and lived up to its predecessor but it just didn’t. It was painful to pretty much everyone who did it and was met with more positives than negatives when it met it’s demise. This year will be the same bar Rhona sadly continuing. 6/ Saw The Ride- Thorpe Park Saw is a torturous coaster, 2020 is a tortuous year! Likewise they both begin with something of a hopeful prospect but this is ruined to plummeting down hill with a series of jolts, bumps and many moments of discomfort. Sure there was that brief moment of an airtime hill towards the middle, but in general this is followed by more pain and discomfort until it is suddenly over. The headache afterwards lasts even longer. 7/ Hero- Flamingo Land You are seated uncomfortably when you go up the spiral lift. You know you are in for a bad experience when it’s already rough and shaky already. The ride essentially sees you ride through a poorly profiled track and layout whilst locked down in your torture vehicle wishing it to end sooner rather than later. When it’s finally over you will have no intention to talk about your experience ever again! This year hasn’t been fun for sure. What rides make you think of 2020? I don’t own the pictures.

Furius baco screams 2020 to me. Nice monkey, lots of alcohol. Then an absolute car crash and the only redeeming feature being a wine shop at the exit.