JoshC.

It's not technically the fifth film, more like a film relating to the overall universe of Paranormal Activity. I think it was described as a 'cousin' to the franchise, as opposed to a sequel or spin off? Either way, this isn't looking great. It'll probably create a nice few plot holes, and milk the cow even more. I just hope PA5 ends the franchise with a bit of substance...

I think I saw her on Friday; I wasn't sure if it was her arm cleverly disguised and with lots of make up or if it was actually amputated!

As promised, maze reviews. I'll review them as I did them during the night. Cabin in the Woods Incredible. An amazing concept, with excellent theming and execution. Being faced with 4 doors and not knowing where to go was amazing. The free flow idea is really clever. We went through the first door, and were led down and round a wooded area, with an actor making good use of the surroundings. After coming back out, we went through the third door, and things about the route got blurry very quickly. Two of us were in a room with an actor, and she separated us and cornered each of us individually; really invaded our personal space. We then quickly found the control room. This was disappointing for two reasons - I felt like this should have been nearer the end of the maze (almost like an alternative end), and none of the buttons worked. I felt like a facility worker would've been well placed there two, but oh well. We continued through many doors, and found the dead-end basement. It was a shame that many of the fire exits were so obvious, at it helped me realise where we needed to go, and ruined the effect slightly. The second half of the maze was very busy, but the actors did a superb job in keeping the flow well. I liked the tight-fit corridor and revolving tunnel a lot as well. The end was...well, I don't remember the end very well. I remember seeing the blood stone sacrifices, but after that, nothing was very memorable, which is a shame. Overall, a very strong maze, which just needs a better ending and a bit more control to make the second half less congested. 7.75/10 The Asylum Yawn. Once again, a distinctively average maze. Fortunately, the strobes didn't give me a headache, but the effect wears off quickly. It's nice to see the actors be able to be very energetic and climb and such, but they didn't really take advantage of trying to scare people. It was a shame. Many scares felt very obvious and it was just a bit tiring doing the maze in honesty. No stand out actors for me either, I'm afraid. All were very typical 'jump scares' and run for the next one. The ending was fun; the toilet cubicles were interesting to look at. Chainsaw guy left people running as always; it does always get me a bit as well, I cannot lie, but it has worn off after a few goes. 5.5/10 Blair Witch Project There was a fantastic actor in the queue line for this. (Though, a queue line for a scare ZONE is stupid...). Very creepy, yet funny. He was a really good laugh to listen to. The zone itself was disappointing. It lacked atmosphere, which is what this needed. It was too dark and too quiet, which sounds like a strange criticism in a way. You couldn't see things like the stick figures hanging from the trees unless you really looked for them. Sounds of people screaming would have been amazing, as well as gusts of winds and stuff. Hearing Inferno's roar isn't scary. Our group quickly separated into two halves, meaning we saw all the scares, and the actors then didn't scare us. A couple gave us 'scary looks' and followed us, but nothing special. The fundamental flaw with this scare zone is it tries to be a maze. Yet, as it's perfectly linear, you see everything happen in front of you before it happens to you. The shed is a nice idea, but it poorly executed, and looks cheap. A real disappointment. I guess, however, having a 2 star rating, the park weren't aiming for a particularly scary experience - but even then, it lacked atmosphere. One more thing - what's the point in encouraging people to upload photos of the scare zone if they can't use flash, so would naturally end up with rubbish photos? The amazing queue line actor. 4/10 Saw Alive No real differences to any other year, except loads more actors than normal. The maze was good fun and I really enjoyed; quite a few stand out actors, and they targeted everyone in our group. 7/10 My Bloody Valentine This was a huge shame, as it had so much potential. The maze's introduction is nice, and is actually really good. Having not watched the film, I don't know if he relates to the film itself or not, but he was the best character in the maze. The walk through the hospital is interesting, but being at the front of the group, the actor in there left it too late for us to be scared by her. We were then sent to the right hand side. We were walking past mine shafts. I guess this is where I was most surprised about the maze - no more separation rooms. Presumably, this is due to throughput issues? A real shame, but I think this is where having done Experiment 10 before rally ruins this maze, as you almost expect to be separated. The actor that lead us down was very blasé and uninterested. I really feel like the park could have made more effort here - having you twisting through very tight corridors, looking like a mine. Anyone remember what the second half of 'The Twilight Zone' at Chessington (for Vampire's 21st birthday) was like? Imagine having that, after having your large group split in two. It would only take up a small amount of one container, and then you could have actors getting in your face. I think that would have been SO much better. Anyways, we made it to the tunnel, and went through. After this, it felt like we weren't in a mine any more; I had no idea where I was. I then had a big rubber bed pushed up against - why? What? I then ended up in a nicely themed forest, which I guess would have made sense if I watched the film. I then reached a locked door and couldn't go anywhere. After most of the 20 person group arrived, it randomly opened and then Harry Warden appeared with a pick axe, and then we were out. Wow. It was a pretty weak maze in my opinion, and I just didn't know how to react. There was no audio in the maze, and a lack of actors - no more than 8 that I encountered? I encountered more in the Blair Witch Project! After a brilliant first year with the shipping containers, the route continues to slip and park aren't using the idea effectively. Next year needs improvements here! For the only 5 star rated maze, this was hugely disappointing. 4/10 You're Next May as well say a couple of words - these guys were good fun, even if I only saw them once. They did the job and were quite fun to be around at the same time; can't ask for more? You're Next character 1 You're Next character 2 I also came across the director and his assistant. They were great. The director didn't like me, so refused to touch me and treated me a bit like dirt in a way. Showbiz is a cruel world; all I wanted was to star in his films. The assistant said she should have done my make up, but I thought I did a good job on my own. Apparently she was still more beautiful than me though, which is a shame... The director, refusing to touch me. That's about it. Despite not having the best mazes to me, the overall event was great. Would once again highly recommend Face it Alone! The more I think about it, the more struggle to put into words the event. Simply put, it's extreme and exactly what the park needed to offer if they want to advance their scare event. I hope we continue to see the film idea continue, with new IPs added every year or two. Hopefully Lionsgate and Thorpe will continue with a strong working relationship and build on this event all the more. And, I also hope we see more out of hours things in following seasons, like Face it Alone and the overnight camping.

Hope everyone is having fun! And to those Facing it Alone later - good luck; you'll need it

I had a very different experience to you yesterday! All actors were energetic and plentiful (especially in Cabin), and I had no complaints about the actors. MBV had the least number of actors; it must have been about 10 in my run. BWP had a good number of actors too! Almost like noseyelephant and I went to different events last night...

A full review of the mazes will come tomorrow. However, just a quick couple of words - the event was very good; favourite maze was Cabin in the Woods, least favourite would be My Bloody Valentine. Blair Witch Project was disappointing. You're Next characters were fun. I did Face it Alone. I can't - and won't - say anything about the experience itself (so PLEASE don't ask me). I imagine every experience is different anyways. But I would really recommend it to anyone who likes scare attractions - it is very full on. One quick thing - we didn't sign anything, but it was recommending for over 18s. Personally, I think anyone under 18 would struggle with it...

A review of the Blair Witch camping experience is on ScareTOUR: *Potential Spoilers* http://www.scaretouruk.com/review---blair-witch-overnight-experience---thorpe-park.html Disappointing to hear to that it wasn't successful on its first night, but glad to hear it's being improved. I'm never a fan of actors pretending to be guests, as in my experience they've always over-acted things...

If a new coaster is planned for 2015, it's likely we'd see plans on Runnymede Council's website between November and February. However, it is unclear if there even will be a new roller coaster in 2015. I personally doubt there will be!

Got Saw Alive booked for Face it Alone on Friday! Will certainly be interesting... Just so I've got a rough time frame in mind - 2 of us are 'Facing it Alone' in Saw; anyone have an idea when we'll both be finished by? Trying to plan about when I'll be getting home and that.

It's an interesting tactic; it keeps the secrecy over it, making each individual experience better. But, at the same time, many might not be willing to spend £15 after hearing 'Yeah, it's good, but I can't say why'. Then again, FiA is meant for a small market, so it's probably best this way. For example, FiA appeals to me, but I was unsure about doing it, but hearing positive words about it has sold it to me. For others, that won't be enough.

The thing is, the park are covered by their T&Cs, which say all rides are subject to availability. Not saying it's the best thing to do, but the park aren't doing anything technically wrong.

Not really knowing anyone in the target market, and having not watched CBeebies since the channel was founded, I don't quite know what to expect from the area, or what the park should really be aiming for, but it'll be interesting to see how well they pull it off. Hopefully the ever-changing content won't reduce the quality of said content though. Also will be worth keeping an eye out on this link - http://www.altontowers.com/cbeebiesland/

Shouldn't be like this though; if the park is below standard, they themselves should realise this and do something about it. On topic, here's the next journal entry: I've been too lazy to read it yet...

$45 is just under £30 I believe? In terms of games, that's more than reasonable. For a simulator, it's very much high end, but NL2 is a high quality simulator. The price is perfectly justified in my eyes.

No new cred on the cards for me for this year, so my Top 5s: Top 5 Coasters 1) The Swarm (Forwards) - Sheer perfection in my eyes. Absolutely love it, mixes elegance and force into one ride, with near misses which vary from in your face to subtle. I never want to give it a perfect rating, but just can't justify not... 10/10 2) Nemesis - Still sitting strongly at Number 2. Fantastic ride with a unique position. But, unfortunately, I find my ride experience varies, from 'a bit forceless' to 'woah, that was a bit too forceful it was uncomfortable at points'. 9/10 2.5) The Swarm (Backwards) - I'm unsure whether to stick this in my Top 5 or not. It is a different experience and, in my honest view, a really different ride than when you ride it forwards. So, I'll stick it here for comparison purposes, but won't properly treat it in my Top 5. 8.5/10 3) X (TP) - A new addition to my Top 5. My first ride on the new X was disappointing and the ride felt awkward. Since the breaks were removed and a couple of things improved, I've grown to seriously love the ride, and I'm so glad the decision to turn the trains forward was made. I get a feeling that my rating of the ride is higher than it should be because it's a much more 'fun' ride compared to the rest of the park's offerings, and that it will lose it's place sometime in the near future. But for the time being, it's here. 8/10 4) Nemesis Inferno - 10 years old, and Inferno's brought it's game face on. Loving the ride more than ever now. 8/10 5) Th13teen - I didn't get a chance to ride it yesterday as it was closed all day. And I really feel like I need to, as it's one of those rides where I only realise how much I enjoy shortly after I've ridden it. It's certainly in threat of losing it's spot on my Top 5 though... 7.5/10 Honorary Mentions) The Antelope, as ever, gets my Honorary Mention here, for reasons I've explained a few times now. A shout out to Saw as well, which has narrowly lost it's place in my Top 5, despite ranking 3rd towards the end of last year. Ranks 3, 4, 5 and 6 are extremely close, and will no doubt change very regularly. Had I ridden Th13teen yesterday, I'd have been able to give a concrete answer, but alas, I cannot. *Top 5 Non-Coasters to follow*

Review The Smiler So, I finally did Smiler today. Did it twice in fact; both times with about an hour queue. And, well, the best way I can describe my views are that it is just a 'slightly above average ride'. First off, the look of the ride. The ride looks phenomenal. It manages to draw your attention without hogging the limelight, which I think people feared with regards to Oblivion. As you enter X-Sector, there's always something different to look at, and always something going on. It's just an amazing feast for your eyes. The queue itself is a strange one. In one sense, it's actually quite disorientating to be in, and it looks a lot less than it is. But, at the same time, it feels very mundane, and I was a bit disappointed that after a while, you feel like you've seen all there is to see. It gets boring almost, which isn't good. There's only so many times you can look at 2 cars going round part of the track, and the videos you see are both great to watch, yet don't keep your attention long enough. The 'Smile. Always' and 'Join Us' map things are quite interesting to look at, but it's a shame you can't really see them perfectly, especially the latter. Who is this Al and why should he smile? Oooooooh. This was the best shot I could get of 'Join Us'. Not great. There has been rain today, making the queue a wanna-be Storm Surge... The indoor queue is actually quite fun and interesting actually. The second go, one of the projectors had blue-screened, which isn't great. However, when it works, it's great. The station area, though minimalist, works in my opinion. It's simple and yet has a harsh clinical feel to it, exactly what you want from this attraction I think. Now then, ride experience. I had back row on both my goes, for reference... The dispatch is great, though I'm really not a fan of the voice that says 'It's time to get corrected' and 'Join us' and all that. It doesn't really fit in with the station's ambience in my opinion. The indoor drop is fun, and was surprisingly quick. However, it was very obvious it was going to happen from watching trains leave the station. A small niggle I know, but I just can't help but feel if it had been concealed or was designed slightly differently, it would have been better and more surprising. The first inversion is fun in itself, but a flashing light does not make it any better. A huge wasted opportunity there. The brakes before the lift with the loud, evil laughing is great; seriously loved that bit. And then it's up we go. And then down. Through inversion, after inversion, after inversion. I wasn't particularly worried about the ride being mostly inversions, as you can still create something that flows (something which, I think, Colossus does well. One of the few positives I'll say about it). However, to me, Smiler felt like inversion stuck onto inversion. It felt all very forced and uninteresting. The first airtime hill is great because it very briefly breaks up the monotony of the inversions. Yet, after that, it is just like 'how many inversions can be bolted together'. Admittedly, I was disorientated, and the half way point is a good thing (another fear I had about the ride feeling like two rides bolted together - this was not the case). The TVs before the vertical lift were nice. I don't quite know what I expected from them, but I felt like more could have been done with them? Instead, they were just sorta there; felt like I was seeing nothing new really. And then we go up again. And then down again. Through inversion, after inversion, after inversion again. The second half feels like it was meant to follow the first half, but yet again, it just feels like you're being forced through inversion after inversion, with an airtime hill (again, very fun) chucked in because they couldn't put an inversion there. I dunno, but it just feels a bit monotonous to me. The cobra roll has a nasty jolt and is the only rough part of the ride. On a brighter note, the final two inversions are strangely enjoyable; possibly because they're so different to most of the other inversions? The blurred 'You belong to The Smiler' as you exit is actually really clever, and the exit corridor is a brilliant touch. But I can't help but feel they could have done more. Just imagine is parts of the corridor were like the indoor queue line of Duel, where you feel on a slant, lose your balance and become disorientated? Would've been awesome. Another thing I can't help but be disappointed in is that there's no real story here. We're being corrected, to make us smile, but why? Is this from an evil organisation who want us to conform to something? Is this from a nice friendly bunch of people who are a bit creepy? Just what? Is this meant to mess with our minds, or improve them? Everything just feels so fuzzy, and I think it would have been really simply to add a bit of a story at least, with no harm done. It's a shame, as you can tell a lot of effort went into the videos they've created. Couple more things - the Marmaliser is great to look at, but you only really notice it on ride once; first airtime hill (does make a great headchopper though!). I was sorta expecting that, but doesn't mean I'm not disappointed that I was correct there. Marmaliser effects were hit and miss - first time, the Tickler and Hypnotiser weren't working, second time they were. The Inoculator (is that even turned on these days) didn't work at all. On a more positive note though, the music is simply amazing. Also, some top quality merchandise is the amazing shop (seemed to grab a bargain of getting the Smiler paperweight for £14.40, with AP discount, when it's RRP is £40!). Whilst this is quite a negative review, and I'm not Smiler's biggest fans, I do however think it is just what the park needed. It's a fast, furious coaster targeted for the teens and young adults. It's filled a space that the park's line up was missing. No doubt the public are still lapping it up. But personally, I just don't rate it all that highly. And so... My pre-correctional face. My post-'correctional' face. On a scale of 'very grim' to 'massive grin', The Smiler gets a 'content smile' from me, which is an unfortunate 6/10.

Do you want map with yellow?

That's just the chassis of the train - all wingriders' chassis's are black I believe!

Here's a picture of the Hellgate layout: Source - http://www.s104638357.websitehome.co.uk/html/magazine_23a_01.htm Of course, no idea about CITW's layout; still managed to avoid spoilers for it (surprisingly!)

Yeah, I guess it is. It's just that pretty much I've been waiting to go on Smiler for about a year now, but the past couple of months, I've lost interest in riding it. When it comes to riding a new coaster, I tend to really look forward to it, but that excitement for Smiler really has dwindled away, though I don't quite know why. Despite the new mazes, FN is still something I've done for several years, and is much more 'of the norm' to me, if you will, so not something I'd normally get excited over as much as doing a new major coaster. So for me, it does feel quite strange at the moment. As I say though, I don't quite know why I've lost that buzz over Smiler...

You can tell the ride is heavily inspired by Saw from that video. It really does look like the same ride with a few elements tweaked / moved to accommodate the space they had. Looks like a good coaster, like Saw, and hopefully due to the standard 97 degree drop it has, the infamous jolt so many complain about on Saw won't happen. Must admit, that airtime hill looks like it'll be the highlight of the ride!

We all knew this day would come sooner or later - though I must admit I was expecting later (2015/2016). Wouldn't be surprised if it's so high to encourage people to book in advance and such though. £40 for a child ticket as well is shockingly high too...

I can see a lot of people being disappointed next year if they end up expecting loads of work to Smiler. At best, the reliability should improve and the apparent drainage issues may be sorted, but not much else. In other news, I finally get to try this thing out on Sunday (if it's open...). Oddly enough, I'm more looking forward to my Fright Nights trip than going on Smiler...

A new journal piece has been uncovered... For those who have trouble reading it: "An incredible discovery has been made today. Hundreds of years of speculation and debate are at an end. I have found Atlantis. It is a beautiful city, sunk into the depths of the Ocean. Filled with countless examples of art and culture, this is a remarkable find! I was able to recover the prize I sought... It is a golden trident thought to have belonged to Posiden - the god of the sea! I am certain that such a beautiful treasure was not meant to stay at the bottom of the ocean! Some of the men are beginning to get a little superstitious. They are speaking of strange noises and happenings onboard our ship. I am sure this is nonsense. We are now heading to our next destination. It is vital these men don't get distracted by their silly 'ghost stories'. I am getting too close to my ultimate prize. Nothing is going to get in my way..." All sounds promising. Hopefully they can execute a decent story line in the attraction itself...

Unfortunately I'm no longer going to pop up at this meet now. I'll instead be going the day before, in the hope that it's quieter, allowing me more chance to get all the mazes done (as I can only get 1 FN visit a year now). It also means that I have the chance to do 'Face it Alone', if I think it's worthwhile. Sorry guys - but hopefully I'll see you at the Crimbo meet!