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I went with my pops this Friday/Saturday just gone, and I didn't have all that much to grumble about besides a few things I miss from previous years. However, we were staying in the hotel since that seems to be the best value option after declining to renew Merlin passes. We both said that it was brilliant we were able to get all the upcharge attractions done within the allotted free entry time for shark cabin guests between 3pm-4pm. We weren't expecting to manage that on a Saturday. Especially not after the problems we faced with mazes last year after buying tickets (2 and a half hours queue for Trailers that resulted in us missing our Platform 15 entry, and since the park was closing, we had to get tickets replaced for the following day. Good job we were planning on being there 2 days on the trot!) I was going to say that the queue problems from last year seemed to be solved, but then Survival Games had an 80 min queue when the park was supposed to be closing according to the app on Saturday. But anyways, we both said we had a brilliant time. We just don't think we would have been too impressed at paying for Creek Freak in particular this year. Trailers We started out with Trailers, and props to the queue hosts for getting everyone ready to enter so fast that the 1st group went in a minute early. They were so smooth with organising the queue line pre-3pm that we were kinda blown away by that. Thought we were gonna have a naff run due to being grouped with quite a large bunch of very loud, very pushy young lads. As we always do in situations like that, we just let them go first and stayed at the back to avoid being shoved. We weren't together for long as one of the early actors chased them out of the room pretty swiftly before preventing my dad and I from proceeding by blocking our path and saying a lot of creepy stuff, haha. The result was us doing the rest of the attraction as a group of 2, so that was a win! We never saw anyone ahead or behind us for the rest of it, and every single actor was full of energy really giving it their all in there. Any time we get to run a maze minus the rest of a group is generally a fantastic run, though I feel for the actors in situations like that >.< But I'd have to put it as my favourite Fright Nights attraction this year. Creek Freak Creek Freak was sadly fairly weak on our run. It seemed a little sparse on actors which was odd for one of the first runs on a Saturday. It just felt really flat after coming out of Trailers. The actors still scared most of the group successfully, but for the most part I just wandered through it unphased, which is generally not how I feel when at the head of a group. It's just there were too many long corridors that I walked down where nothing happened. No one was there. And that persisted throughout most of the start and middle of the maze. It was only towards the strobe section at the end that things got lively. It's not really an attraction that I'll miss. Survival Games My dad and I had differing opinions on Survival Games. I absolutely loved it, but my dad found it sort of meh. The concept and story were cool, and we were both a little disappointed that it sort of vanished after the intro scene, but it's totally understandable given how the attraction works. Not many mazes make me anxious from beginning to end these days, but this one did. I can't even remember the last time I got so sweaty going through a scare attraction xD It was utter chaos of the most delightful variety. Being split up from the beginning was great, and I was expecting for that not to last, but I wound up pleasantly surprised by how persistent the actors were in keeping people separated! I tagged along with 4 different splinter groups of strangers, only to be torn from each of them. I was even reunited with my dad at one point, for all of about 15 seconds before an actor physically pulled him away and sent him off in a different direction xD It reached a point where I began to wonder if I would ever get out of there. Now, my sense of direction isn't great, so that probably played a part in it. I was relieved whenever I came across other people, which is generally the opposite of how I feel in scare attractions considering my social anxiety! Eventually, I made it out with a group of 3 young lads. My dad was waiting. I'd taken 5 minutes longer than him. We reckon I was in there for about 20 minutes xD I know I saw the same rooms a fair few times. It's the most lost I've ever been in a maze though I think. Saw some weird stuff in there too and I still don't know if they were other guests, or actors playing the part of fake guests, haha. I asked my dad if he noticed the monitors cos they were pretty neat with what was playing on em, very much like Black Mirror Labyrinth. He said he didn't see them though >.< It absolutely reminded me of Sub Species! For me though, it felt superior. That's likely because I only ever did Sub Species once though, and it was a disappointingly uneventful run. I'm really surprised to read here about the cost of Survival Games though, as both my dad and I were saying it must have been quite cheap to make in comparison to other attractions at Fright Nights! >.< His main reason to dislike it was the lack of set design and stuff. He much prefers attractions with elaborate designs. He said Survival Games felt somewhat cheap and a bit tacky. I loved it though! Sure, I too adore gorgeous attractions with beautiful sets and great storylines, but I equally enjoy ones like that which just get your heart racing from the pure chaos of it all. So yeah, personally, I enjoyed it equally to Trailers, but my dad would put Trailers 1st and Survival Games 2nd. Terminal As for Terminal, I have mixed feelings. As a big fan of Darkfield, I was expecting it to be brilliant. As much as I wanted to love it, I just can't say that I did. I first encountered Darkfield's work when we attended Seance at Warwick Castle a few years back. That was so good that we decided to book tickets for Darkfield's containers in London and did both Flight and Coma. We also paid to do all the shows on Darkfield Radio through lockdown and beyond. I think what they do is absolutely amazing, and while some shows are better than others, they're generally all entertaining and thought provoking. Terminal seemed like the weakest one of all. I wouldn't necessarily say I thought it was bad, but I certainly didn't think it was particularly good either. It pains me to say that, but it just wasn't up there with their usual storytelling standards. Which sucks for me as a fan, but I feel it sucks even more for anyone encountering their work for the first time because it doesn't leave a great impression! Had Terminal been my first Darkfield experience as opposed to Seance, I probably wouldn't have bothered looking then up or attending any of their other events. I think the reason it fell so flat for me was it's overuse of sound effects. To me, what makes the other Darkfield experiences great is the interesting dialogue and compelling scenarios. Terminal lacked both of these for the most part. It started out well enough, but as soon as the main actor's piece was over, it all went downhill from there. Also, I'm not sure why the containers were so plain. I know the story didn't call for all that much, but with the Flight, Seance, and Coma containers, you really feel as though you've stepped into another world. Like you're there in the story. I didn't get that feeling from Terminal. I guess it's harder to do with a sci-fi sorta scenario, but still. Even if we hadn't managed to experience it without paying extra during our hotel free entry hours, I would've purchased a ticket based purely on the fact that it's a Darkfield thing. However, I don't think I would've been particularly happy about it! The Crows The Crows were just as fun as last year, though weirdly there seemed to be less of them on Saturday compared to Friday, and waaaay too many people with their phones out trying to get selfies. I do love them a lot though. I find them to be some of my favourite newer Fright Nights characters even though they can't speak! Death's Doors Death's Doors was a lot of fun. We did it 5 times over the 2 days. A couple during daylight hours + some in the dark. There were a few different characters between the two days, so that made it even more interesting! Even with large groups in there, it still seemed to function just fine, if a little chaotic. Some of the actors were spouting out some pretty funny lines reminiscent of the sort of stuff you hear at The Dungeons attractions, which we thought was hilarious. I wouldn't really say it was remotely scary, but then that's personal. I saw one or two older kids crying in there, so I imagine they'd beg to differ! What it was though was good, spooky fun I'd like to see more like it. The crazy alarm only went off once in the multiple times we went through, so that would be a shame to miss if you only did it once because it was quite amusing to see all the actors leave their doors and run around as though all hell has broken loose. I heard one person near us say "What the **** is going on?" in a voice filled with awe. And that's exactly what I was thinking as a beekeeper being chased by a swarm of invisible bees ran by followed by several other characters charging about to the siren and flashing lights like a psycho flash mob. Kinda reminded me of that scene in Cabin in the Woods where all the creatures are released from where they're being held and everything goes to **** xD Birthday Bash + Amity Stuff I can't comment on Birthday Bash, as we only saw bits of it. Same with the Amity stuff with the werewolves and vampires. Legacy We did watch Legacy while waiting for coffee to cool down, and it was okay if you don't have anything better to do. I have no idea how it compares to last year since when we visited in 2021, Legacy wasn't operating that weekend and nobody we asked seemed to know why. I assume it's different this year though just based on the fact that it's telling the story of the locksmith and showing trailer-type scenes for this year's attractions before moving on to a series of throwbacks for attractions of the past. It was fairly funky, but seemed more like one big piece of advertising more than anything to me. Also, I don't know if it was the speaker setup or some of the tracks themselves, but the audio quality was quite crackly and just bad in places. I don't know much about audio tech, but I have ears, and decent enough hearing to know that something can't have been right with how the sound was setup. Other Definitely noticed more roaming actors on Saturday compared to Friday. The Creek Freak wagon was amusing! The main thing I wish would come back is more of the atmospheric lighting + soundtrack + alternate station sounds on rides. I know they're only small things, but added altogether, they make a big difference to the atmosphere. I really miss the soundtrack changing once Fright Nights attractions kick off. It used to make me so excited because it was like a signal to say **** was about to get spooky! As far as I could hear while we were there, it was the same soundtrack all day. Just similar style music to what's used in Trailers, including a twisted sort of happy birthday theme. It kinda did my head in listening to that all day >.< And yeah, no change to ride station lines and stuff, which was disappointing. I also don't understand why the party island sorta vibes were still present in some of the decorations like the big green walls with neon signs on. They're ugly as heck and could be replaced with some sorta Halloweeny decoration for Fright Nights. Same as I don't understand why they can't just put 1 zombie actor in TWD ride during Fright Nights in that section when you leave the ride. Pretty much everyone we rode with sighed in that room when they realised it was empty. Also, DBGT was awful. I wasn't expecting the demon actor to be back since that's been gone for ages now, but I don't know. I just thought they'd maybe do something to spice it up a bit for Fright Nights this time. But nope. It seemed like the shortest version ever. And the headsets could've done with better cleaning or ideally replacing, as the ones I got were falling apart on the headphones and scratched or extremely dirty on the lenses >.< Other than those little niggles though, we had a fantastic time! I do feel like it was much better than last year. But also that it was nowhere near as good as other years gone by.

The Howl is a fairly new event- debuting in 2015 in Leighton Buzzard, it has slowly became more and more known amongst the community. It is the sister park to Shocktoberfest, so it shares a lot of DNA with its brother. I first visited in 2015 on opening night- I found it to be very fun and had an AMAZING street team, though with its mazes it very much was very similar to Shocktoberfest, which meant that if you had been to Shocktober, you generally knew what to expect. 7 years on, and the event has grown and evolved into its own thing. This year it felt like a total different place to how it was in 2015, it was amazing to see the growth and its unique quirks that it has developed over the past 7 years. One thing I would like to comment on first about The Howl is that I believe it is great value for money- I paid about £30 for entry, which sounds like a lot. But at Towers and Thorpe you are looking at £32 minimum for 3-4 mazes, but for £30 you get 6 at The Howl. I also believe the roaming team are amongst the best in the country- the characters are now completely different to Shocktoberfest's, but keep a lot of the wit and charm, and made me laugh in between mazes. RED: Red is a small maze- it has a pretty small building, and lasts only a few minutes. Despite this it manages to cram in so many scares in that short time period. It reminds me of a little of Creepy Cottage if it took steroids. It has a great puppet moment, and some brilliant masks mixed in with a cast who harass you. The maze is short, but jesus it packs in so much it completely makes up for it. Attic: This maze has some beautiful theming- I love the use of levels and it has a few genius moments for scares. The actual Attic section itself is brief though intense, and certainly is a quirky moment that'll stick it out from the other mazes. The cast were more than lively too! Toppers Twister: I love clown mazes- I love the interactions, the freedom for the actors, and the contrasting colors to other mazes. Clown mazes always stick out to me, and forever have a place in my heart. Toppers Twister is a very good clown maze- it has a great trommel tunnel, some weird sets like a ball pit, and a pretty tried and tested finale- a true tulleys hat trick. The cast were very lively, full of wit, and seemed to be having a fun time- being in a clown maze is also a fun time. If you're not scared of clowns, you'll still get some laughs and fun out of this. Its a solid maze that oozes joy. Howl Valley High: First off can I comment on the theming? This maze is SO well themed it feels like a complete new chapter for the mazes at The Howl with its sets. I also love the theme, it is fairly unique in my opinion, and is a very cool concept. The cast were very interactive and lively, and in the second half became increasingly more threatening and scary. I feel the maze is a really good addition, and I cannot wait to see how it evolves over the years, and the future of new mazes at this event. The Shed: This maze is the same as it was in 2015, but I do not mind as it was great then, it is still great. I love some of the outdoor sets, and its use of hiding spots and holes for actors to come out of nowhere. There was also a moment where I saw 5 actors in one room, which was pretty amazing and equally scary as hell. Squealers Yard: Now, all of The Howl's mazes are good/great, but Squealers is by far the crown jewel in my opinion. It is the longest on park, the most varied with its sets, the most intense in my opinion, and even confusing at one point with a crazy room that ruin your sense of direction. The ending also is savage for people like me who have a certain fear. The maze even had some good comedy in the first half, which just is the cherry on the cake. Overall I would say the lineup is very equal- no maze stood out as bad, and a lot of them had very spread out queues due to this. I had an amazing night there, and I have not even mentioned the Circus Of Horrors! But yeah it is a very solid event, and great for those who are north of London and a little too far from Shocktoberfest

I went to towers on Saturday, the first saturday of scarefest. This was my first time at scarefest so here are my thoughts. It was absolutely packed, probably one step down from school holidays but the busiest I've personally seen the park. The busyness predictor website got it quite wrong. Think next time I'll avoid a saturday! We got on Rita, Thirteen, wicker man, nemesis, galactica, smiler and oblivion, so pretty much the main rides once, this is with being there shortly after opening to beyond closing with a very short break around lunch not queuing. We also did the attic. We found the queue times pretty inaccurate in many cases, smiler was advertised as 70 but ended up being around 90 and I doubt it dropped below that all day, one shot fast tracks sold out early on and I could see the fast track queues were quite large for rides like smiler. Also long RAP queues at each ride. Perhaps this all contributed to the queues moving slowly across the board. Rita said 15 but was 50, thirteen said 40 but was 65. Wicker man was fairly accurate at least at 75 min. I also hadn't personally seen nemesis get a queue like that (around an hour). Was kinda gutted not to have time to fit in one final ride on Wicker Man, but that can wait until march. We did notice they'd invited quite a few 'celebs', e.g. we saw curtis prichard, I also heard 'lad baby' was on the park to try to pretend the invitation was good. I assume this is the route their marketing team is going down. We did one maze (the attic) as we personally find £9 each a bit punchy, and the invitation sounded awful. The attic was really great, I actually think it was one of my favourite mazes ever, the setting and decor was second to none and the actors made a lot of effort- the devil guy especially made me jump several times. They got the smoke effects and lighting just right and actually it was very intense. Definitely worth the £9. I did however think the effort made across the park for scarefest, other than by the entrance, was pretty poor. I think they need some scare zones, roaming actors, or similar. The rides have cool themes, they need to make the most of them.

You forgot Slammer, its just waiting there, biding its time in near mint condition, just waiting to reopen!

Spinball won't fit at Blackgang because it's on the side of a cliff and the footprint is massive comparative to existing attractions (I've even checked. It's essentially double in size!). RCT is not real life.

This would never happen this way. You'd bring him to a pub, you THINK you offered him a drink but in fact you've just signed over your house, life savings and cat to him and you'd be none the wiser.