JoshC.

Great photo's as always.
Also, if there is still any speculation about the manufacturer of SW7, it has now been confirmed by Gerstlauer themselves, that SW7 is being manufactured by Gerstlauer.
Listen closely from around 2:00 onwards from this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxFSgFOMp9M&feature=g-all-u
Just to end the speculation (if there was any).

Day 2
I did many rides, but day 2 was all about the mazes more than anything. I was on park just after 11.30 and was soon at the Box Office buying a ticket for The Sanctuary. Aside from Sub Terra, I've never really done a scare maze before. I had no idea what to expect, so was really nervous beforehand.
***SPOILERS***
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*The Sanctuary*
This was just absolutely incredible from start to finish. The whole experience was extremely unnerving and the actors took their roles very seriously. The best bit for me was the screens section, which was accompanied by a very strange odour and plenty of mist. The water effects were new and exciting – 1984 meets Asylum, basically
10/10
*Carnival of Screams*
Pretty good, with plenty of shock moments! I have to say that I hated the inflatable walls section, as it made me feel very claustrophobic and trapped.
8/10
*Terror of The Towers*
The queue for ToTT was a good 50 minutes, but it was so worth it. Several people in front of me were too nervous to go first, so I found myself leading the group. The frights never seem to end and the actors have no qualms about showing you what they’re capable of. One actor rubbed their face against mine and demanded to know what may name was – that was pretty freaky, but still enjoyable
10/10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------






Total ride count:
Nemesis x9
Ripsaw x3
Air x2
Sub Terra x1
Oblivion x6
Enterprise x1
Sonic Spinball x1
Rita x3
Th13teen x3
Merchandise:
“Don’t Look Down” hoody
SW7 mug
Highlights:
Seeing the real chained oak tree
The rides in the dark
The Sanctuary
Thanks for reading

Just come across a 1990 brochure on Flickr, not seen it before. Interesting how much pride the park took in its history, the attention to detail in its rides, and general pride in cleaning, maintenance and customer service. Who knew even back then they had a 16 track sound studio to produce their own show and ride audio?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65600336@N08/

Right, so a more in depth review of my experiences with Experiment 10 and The Passing. This may read a bit like a trip report, but it's pretty much a way of summing up the entire Fright Nights experience. The maze sections have spoilers, of course!
Experiment 10
Following the brilliance of this last year, I was really looking forward to it again this year. Having done it 4 time last year, I knew that for me it wasn't a one trick pony, and that the effect always worked. The ending was a bit weak and needed some work doing, but overall, it was a strong maze. Being one of only two mazes we were really concerned about (the other being The Passing, booked for quarter past 4), we decided to head here before 3 so we wouldn't have that long to wait.
We arrived at ten-to 3, with a queue already inside the arena (presumably, the gates had already been opened at half 2 for everyone to go in?). It can't be too bad we thought, probably 30-45 minutes, so we decided it was no big issue, so stuck it out. 3 o'clock came, and nothing happened. About 10 past 3 came, and the standard announcements from last year of 'Experiment 10 is now in progress' and 'No smoking inside the facility' were played - hooray, it's finally opened..not. Following those quiet announcements (which were the only ones of the evening that I heard from the queue), there was another 10 to 15 minutes before anything started to happen, with the queue only moving when people had had enough and decided to leave. It got to the point where I was ready to leave at half 3 if nothing happened. The queue moved through slowly, and about 5-10 minutes later, someone behind us asked how long the queue was from where they were, to which the response was "about 45 minutes", in a confident tone. We decided that though this was a lot more then we were wanting to wait, since we had already waited about 45-50 minutes, that we'd stay in the queue a grin and bare it.
The ever-slowly moving queue plodded along, and by about 5:20, we were finally near the front. That's right, at this point, we had queue 2 and a half hours for this blooming maze, despite the fact we got there before it even opened. I genuinely cannot remember the last time I queue over 90 minutes for something, though it was probably back in 2006 for Stealth opening weekend, front row, where I queued about 2 and a quarter hours. Considering people behind us were told that a queue which took 100 minutes would only take 45 minutes, it is in my opinion, ridiculous. I understand that the queues are going to be new to staff, and it's hard to judge exactly, but when you are that far out, it is just ridiculous. Couple this in with no announcements, no apologises for the late opening or anything, it just is not right in my opinion.
So, by the time we were near the front, it starts to become apparent why the queue is taking a long time. I presume you can guess the culprit - that's right, Fastrack. The hugely long Fastrack line was having large numbers sent through at any one period. For example, when I was near the front, I counted 30 (yep, THIRTY, which is more than a whole group who go in the maze) Fastrack let through with not one person from the main queue let through. I don't give two hoots if Fastrack is good for people or whatever, a balance must be reached where those who pay for the extra service get what they pay for, without affecting the main queue. This balance was just not reached. How it can be justified that such a large number of people is let through from the Fastrack queue does not make sense to me. I can't comment on whether it was oversold, by I think there needs to be a much stricter cap put on Fastrack sales, because quite frankly, it is ludicrous.
So, now time to actually review the maze..
The first scene was rather rushed, no doubt to get people through, and just doesn't have as much impact with a larger group. The decontamination chamber, a room which was once dimly lit and had a sinister tone about it now is lit up like daylight. There's less smoke now as well it seems, and it just feels like they've weakened that effect. Also, the fact that the hazmat suits are gone confuses me. Not being able to see a face is a lot scarier than being able to see part of a face. It creates mystery and leaves you to your imagination. Being able to see part of the face / any form of skin makes me feel as though what's happening isn't as harmful as it's being made out to be as well. A good part of the maze ruined.
Now, onto the cupboards / individual rooms. They've got rid of the audio in there, so it's just silent. Mixed feelings about this, but it lacks something now, as the screams and bangs really added a sense of insecurity that those around you were petrified. Also, being locked in there with someone else, the silence is a little less unnerving in my opinion. One good change, however, was how the actor shone a light through the peeping hole, attraction our attention, then grabbed me through the hole (which I think is a new feature?); really did catch me off guard! One thing I didn't know last year though was that it was the same actor who puts you who takes you out of the rooms. Also, the fact that the person putting people in the rooms wasn't wearing a hazmat suit made me feel a little more secure - those suits were one of the more dominating aspects of the maze. It's a real shame they're not there any more - I do hope there's a real reason behind that other than cost or something stupid like that.
So, the middle of the maze is also a bit naff as well. Lacks actors (I only saw ONE in this section) and lacks audio. In general, it's just a lot weaker than last year, and doesn't really have any scares. The strobe lighting section seems to have changed a bit this year as well, what with the mirror of pointlessness and going on/off a lot weaker than last year. Then there was a bit more walking and nothing happening, apart from loads of people grouping together and being confused, and then an actor directing people into a room. She said something about 'This is what Experiment 10 is really about' or something like that; didn't really hear her. By the time we got in there (we were one of the last people in our group), there was a video playing on the TV screen, with a doctor facing the screen and a patient with a scroll saw walking towards him. She kills him, blood splatters on the screen and a little shoot of water comes out, but misses half the people. The actor starts to panic a little bit, and the patient starts to saw around the TV (there's a nice effect where the surrounding on the TV lights up, but it's nothing special really) and the actor starts shouting 'LET ME OUT' and then after a while, turns to us and says 'Get out. No, really, run!' at which point to patient jumps out at the side of the TV (no logic considering she has sawed the bottom and other side on screen...) and a saw noise is made. It scares some people and others - like myself - are just disappointed in the predictableness of this. The fact that the scroll saw is plastic / rubber is a bit of a letdown as well to a degree, as to those who notice it, it really spoils it. The fact that this maze continues to try and do 'an Asylum' with its grand finale disappoints me; last season, they had the incredibly loud monstrous noise, this season, a fake saw in an overly predictable fashion. Why not try and have a more original / different ending? Have a good two or three actors at the end blocking people on the way out, trying to 'take them away', stopping them whilst others around them freely escape. It would continue the panic as well as the isolation feeling that the maze is so good for. Instead, they're trying to force it into doing something it can't. Though I said the ending last year was a little weak and could do with improving, the park successfully ruined the ending (and half the maze it felt), and have created something which decreases throughput it seems, which in turn has ruined the entirety of the attraction.
Another thing I have noticed is the fact that there were a lack of actors. There was one in the reception area, and one in the decontamination room. I assume two actors for the isolation rooms (maybe three, don't know how they deal with the right hand side and its tunnel). Then there was one in the middle section, and two in the end (staff and patient). Six actors for this maze is ridiculous; I'm sorry.
I don't have much else to say with regards to Experiment 10. It has been successfully ruined, with the maze itself feeling like it can't cope with demand, the ending being silly, predictable and not in line with the story (though, I guess if some people literally run out of it, then it will be kept..), a lack of audio and tone. A real shame, a real disappointment, and hardly worth a 20 minute wait, let alone a 2 and a half hour one...
5/10
The Passing
So, we had missed our slot by some time, but after speaking to a member of management, we were told to just go and explain the situation and we should be let in fine. So, our ticket was checked at the entrance to the queue, and nothing was said, despite the fact it was coming up to two hours past our slot. Unfortunately, it seems the idea of a time slot or Fastrack only maze has not worked; there was a quoted 45 minute queue, which was closer to 55 minutes. Again, a total muck up here by the park in my opinion - unless there's a VERY valid reason for missing your slot, you shouldn't be allowed in. However, the way it operated was you could go in after your time slot, just not before (as opposed to the up to 15 minutes after your time slot stated on the ticket). This means people in theory could book a ticket for half 3, yet use it at 8pm with no issues? I'm sorry, but it's silly and the idea needs a rethink. Though I hate to compare, Alton Towers did very well with the time slots on the mazes, and Thorpe could perhaps learn a bit from how they operated it. I understand this is the first time they've done such a thing, but they need to make sure that it works, and the system just did not work. The fact that the actual entrance to the queue is so far away from all the signs pointing to The Passing makes me think that this was not planned by Thorpe, and something had gone wrong - I just hope they learn from any mistakes made quickly, as many people were annoyed with how the queuing system panned out.
Anyone, after queuing and getting our wristband (I assume the 'tagging' idea mentioned), we were batched into a group of five; of which five young boys, oldest must have been thirteen, youngest ten? We had the safety announcement, and as soon as the bag on your head was mentioned, on said 'No, I'm claustrophobic, I can't do that.' and walked off. The others were all very nervous and worried, though some were giving it mouth 'Oh, don't wimp out' and all that went on. Standing in the old Hellgate tunnel and given the nice speech about how we're criminals and been sentenced to death is nice, though the idea of having your photo taken just for the extra money is so cheap, and just is pointless. Even though they try to tie it in with the maze by saying 'Now have a photo taken of your last moments', it just doesn't work and should be scrapped. At this point, the rest of the young boys left as well, too afraid it seems, though the actor stayed in role very well.
I was glad that once we moved on, the bags were actually put on our heads. I worried that it would just be 'Here's a bag, make yourself comfortable', but it wasn't. The actor wordlessly and with a stern look on her face put the bags on our heads, and dragging out the process as long as possible. Unfortunately, I had something in front of me, which I now think was one of the speakers, though it didn't feel like one. It almost felt like it was meant to go round my mouth? I really don't know, but it was a bit of a nuisance more than anything, though it did restrict my vision further - a bit of good and bad I guess! One thing I did not like, however, was the cheap looking vinyl-like wallpaper; it just felt a bit of a cheat. Even if there were just a couple of things 'sticking out', it wouldn't be as bad, but it just felt so half-hearted, perhaps even rushed. We moved on to the next scene, which I think was meant to be the video scene I have now read about, though there was an actor blocking our way for some reason. Whether it was because of another group still in there or that it wasn't working at the time, I don't know, but it is a shame, as from what I've heard of it, it sounds interesting and sets up the maze nicely.
We moved along to the tunnels, where a hooded actor - possibly Death - guided the two in front of us into one tunnel. I went to follow, when I was stopped and moved to the adjacent one. It also turns out I was the only one in this tunnel out of my whole group, which shocked me a little when I found out after the maze. Anyway, I went along the tunnel and expected something similar to Experiment 10's one; straight bit, little dip, out (maybe not necessarily like that exactly, but pretty much the same thing). I crawled a bit, then banged my head - now this shocked me. For that split second, I feared I was trapped, taken a wrong direction or something, and there was no way for me to go. However, I found the turning and carried on. There were copious little dips and turns, and each time I was asking myself 'So do I get up now?' only to have my head stopped by the ceiling. I was worried; I could not see in front of me, I didn't know how long this was going on for and I didn't even know if I was going the right way. Eventually, I felt a cold surface and knew that it must be time to get up.
At this point, there was two of us now to tackle the maze - such a small group is worrying, as you can really get picked on. Having the speaker or whatever it was in my way meant I struggled to see, along with the bag itself which - in darkness - was hard to see through as well, and the actors took advantage of the bag on the head really well. Scares would come from literally out of nowhere. The trouble with the scares is that they are still quite samey - actors hiding, shouting and more leading to 'jumps', than 'scares'. Having a bag on your head should leave you questioning yourself, and it should lead to a psychological experience a lot; somehow the actors need to further scare you with the psychological side more - make you continually second guess yourself as to where you are, what you are doing and so forth. The spinning tunnel was a good touch, with all the words written on and such, and was surprisingly disorientating for me. I quite liked the final scene with your bag on your head; the actor was very good, and even though we caught up with the other two nearly, he did very well in confusing us, blocking our way and touching to scare us. I think I might have ended up in the wrong place, as I went through some curtains, walked into a wall nearly a hit a step / seat, to which the actor moved me whilst saying 'This was you piece of scum'. And that was nearly it. We were told to take off our bags by two staff members, to which I found out my crime was an arsonist, and presented with our certificates of death. I was a bit underwhelmed by the length if I'm honest, and responded with 'Was that it?'.
Anyone, we moved on through the UV section, through some curtains and into a pitch black room. There was nowhere to go; were we in the wrong place? I shouted out asking which was do we go, only for an actor to jump out seconds later - it confused me more than scared me, but I was certainly caught off guard. None of us knew where to go or what to do, and then a door seemingly opened, but I couldn't leave as someone had a hold of my ankle. A couple of seconds later, I was allowed to go, caught up with the others in our group, and was greeted by the photo booth - brilliant thing to do after death...
My main issues with the maze are the beginning with the vinyl wallpaper bits and the story line being inconsistent. Maybe missing the video did more harm than it should have done, but what does the maze signify? When do I die? How have I been executed? What happens after I die? From my experience, the whole maze experience itself is the execution, where in the moments before dying, all the evil is flashing before me, and I'm contained in a bag helpless. Then, we're presented with the certificate of death, and the final scene is meant to show us that we're tormented after death as well. But with the video, it almost seems like the bag goes on your head, then life flashes before our eyes, then we go through the tunnels to signify being buried, the maze is death / the afterlife, and after that, who knows? However, my point simply is that it needs to be clearer in the story, give a stronger indication as to when we die and what happens afterwards. Oh, and get rid of the photo bit and perhaps give a bit more at the ending.
Is it worth the £3? Yes and no; it depends on your definition of worth. In terms of quality, there's better experiences that can be had in my honest, but it's still good, and with some work, would be great. It's a different experience, and is a lot more personal. The nice little mementos (wristbands and certificate) are good as well. So, worth it really, but if you're expecting the additional cost to lead to a much scarier maze than a free one, then you may need a readjustment of expectations. All in all, a good maze that needs some work.
6.5/10
Just a couple of other bits. Serious lack of FN theming - can't say I saw any at all apart from the posters of the criminals and on the island by the bridge. Quite disappointing. Audio was alright, though the park-wide loop with messages from the Governor needed to be longer. The roaming actors were good from what I saw of them too.
With regards to Experiment 10 and the Fastrack situation, I decided to go to Guest Services about it (lack of communication about queuing and opening time, too much Fastrack) and pretty much, nothing was written down, we were told 'It shouldn't be like that', and given Priority Passes with no expiry date as an apology. I fear that nothing will come from the complaint, and that the resolution (giving of PP) just makes the issues worse. What I found amusing was at the same time, there was another complaint at the same time about Fastrack - many people in the main queue for attractions do get annoyed with it - it needs serious rethinking. (Also, another random point, anyone able to explain why some people were able to use the Priority Queue for The Passing without being disabled? Definitely saw a group of 4 or 5 using tickets, looked identical to Fastrack ones, being used there... )

Right, so a more in depth review of my experiences with Experiment 10 and The Passing. This may read a bit like a trip report, but it's pretty much a way of summing up the entire Fright Nights experience. The maze sections have spoilers, of course!
Experiment 10
Following the brilliance of this last year, I was really looking forward to it again this year. Having done it 4 time last year, I knew that for me it wasn't a one trick pony, and that the effect always worked. The ending was a bit weak and needed some work doing, but overall, it was a strong maze. Being one of only two mazes we were really concerned about (the other being The Passing, booked for quarter past 4), we decided to head here before 3 so we wouldn't have that long to wait.
We arrived at ten-to 3, with a queue already inside the arena (presumably, the gates had already been opened at half 2 for everyone to go in?). It can't be too bad we thought, probably 30-45 minutes, so we decided it was no big issue, so stuck it out. 3 o'clock came, and nothing happened. About 10 past 3 came, and the standard announcements from last year of 'Experiment 10 is now in progress' and 'No smoking inside the facility' were played - hooray, it's finally opened..not. Following those quiet announcements (which were the only ones of the evening that I heard from the queue), there was another 10 to 15 minutes before anything started to happen, with the queue only moving when people had had enough and decided to leave. It got to the point where I was ready to leave at half 3 if nothing happened. The queue moved through slowly, and about 5-10 minutes later, someone behind us asked how long the queue was from where they were, to which the response was "about 45 minutes", in a confident tone. We decided that though this was a lot more then we were wanting to wait, since we had already waited about 45-50 minutes, that we'd stay in the queue a grin and bare it.
The ever-slowly moving queue plodded along, and by about 5:20, we were finally near the front. That's right, at this point, we had queue 2 and a half hours for this blooming maze, despite the fact we got there before it even opened. I genuinely cannot remember the last time I queue over 90 minutes for something, though it was probably back in 2006 for Stealth opening weekend, front row, where I queued about 2 and a quarter hours. Considering people behind us were told that a queue which took 100 minutes would only take 45 minutes, it is in my opinion, ridiculous. I understand that the queues are going to be new to staff, and it's hard to judge exactly, but when you are that far out, it is just ridiculous. Couple this in with no announcements, no apologises for the late opening or anything, it just is not right in my opinion.
So, by the time we were near the front, it starts to become apparent why the queue is taking a long time. I presume you can guess the culprit - that's right, Fastrack. The hugely long Fastrack line was having large numbers sent through at any one period. For example, when I was near the front, I counted 30 (yep, THIRTY, which is more than a whole group who go in the maze) Fastrack let through with not one person from the main queue let through. I don't give two hoots if Fastrack is good for people or whatever, a balance must be reached where those who pay for the extra service get what they pay for, without affecting the main queue. This balance was just not reached. How it can be justified that such a large number of people is let through from the Fastrack queue does not make sense to me. I can't comment on whether it was oversold, by I think there needs to be a much stricter cap put on Fastrack sales, because quite frankly, it is ludicrous.
So, now time to actually review the maze..
The first scene was rather rushed, no doubt to get people through, and just doesn't have as much impact with a larger group. The decontamination chamber, a room which was once dimly lit and had a sinister tone about it now is lit up like daylight. There's less smoke now as well it seems, and it just feels like they've weakened that effect. Also, the fact that the hazmat suits are gone confuses me. Not being able to see a face is a lot scarier than being able to see part of a face. It creates mystery and leaves you to your imagination. Being able to see part of the face / any form of skin makes me feel as though what's happening isn't as harmful as it's being made out to be as well. A good part of the maze ruined.
Now, onto the cupboards / individual rooms. They've got rid of the audio in there, so it's just silent. Mixed feelings about this, but it lacks something now, as the screams and bangs really added a sense of insecurity that those around you were petrified. Also, being locked in there with someone else, the silence is a little less unnerving in my opinion. One good change, however, was how the actor shone a light through the peeping hole, attraction our attention, then grabbed me through the hole (which I think is a new feature?); really did catch me off guard! One thing I didn't know last year though was that it was the same actor who puts you who takes you out of the rooms. Also, the fact that the person putting people in the rooms wasn't wearing a hazmat suit made me feel a little more secure - those suits were one of the more dominating aspects of the maze. It's a real shame they're not there any more - I do hope there's a real reason behind that other than cost or something stupid like that.
So, the middle of the maze is also a bit naff as well. Lacks actors (I only saw ONE in this section) and lacks audio. In general, it's just a lot weaker than last year, and doesn't really have any scares. The strobe lighting section seems to have changed a bit this year as well, what with the mirror of pointlessness and going on/off a lot weaker than last year. Then there was a bit more walking and nothing happening, apart from loads of people grouping together and being confused, and then an actor directing people into a room. She said something about 'This is what Experiment 10 is really about' or something like that; didn't really hear her. By the time we got in there (we were one of the last people in our group), there was a video playing on the TV screen, with a doctor facing the screen and a patient with a scroll saw walking towards him. She kills him, blood splatters on the screen and a little shoot of water comes out, but misses half the people. The actor starts to panic a little bit, and the patient starts to saw around the TV (there's a nice effect where the surrounding on the TV lights up, but it's nothing special really) and the actor starts shouting 'LET ME OUT' and then after a while, turns to us and says 'Get out. No, really, run!' at which point to patient jumps out at the side of the TV (no logic considering she has sawed the bottom and other side on screen...) and a saw noise is made. It scares some people and others - like myself - are just disappointed in the predictableness of this. The fact that the scroll saw is plastic / rubber is a bit of a letdown as well to a degree, as to those who notice it, it really spoils it. The fact that this maze continues to try and do 'an Asylum' with its grand finale disappoints me; last season, they had the incredibly loud monstrous noise, this season, a fake saw in an overly predictable fashion. Why not try and have a more original / different ending? Have a good two or three actors at the end blocking people on the way out, trying to 'take them away', stopping them whilst others around them freely escape. It would continue the panic as well as the isolation feeling that the maze is so good for. Instead, they're trying to force it into doing something it can't. Though I said the ending last year was a little weak and could do with improving, the park successfully ruined the ending (and half the maze it felt), and have created something which decreases throughput it seems, which in turn has ruined the entirety of the attraction.
Another thing I have noticed is the fact that there were a lack of actors. There was one in the reception area, and one in the decontamination room. I assume two actors for the isolation rooms (maybe three, don't know how they deal with the right hand side and its tunnel). Then there was one in the middle section, and two in the end (staff and patient). Six actors for this maze is ridiculous; I'm sorry.
I don't have much else to say with regards to Experiment 10. It has been successfully ruined, with the maze itself feeling like it can't cope with demand, the ending being silly, predictable and not in line with the story (though, I guess if some people literally run out of it, then it will be kept..), a lack of audio and tone. A real shame, a real disappointment, and hardly worth a 20 minute wait, let alone a 2 and a half hour one...
5/10
The Passing
So, we had missed our slot by some time, but after speaking to a member of management, we were told to just go and explain the situation and we should be let in fine. So, our ticket was checked at the entrance to the queue, and nothing was said, despite the fact it was coming up to two hours past our slot. Unfortunately, it seems the idea of a time slot or Fastrack only maze has not worked; there was a quoted 45 minute queue, which was closer to 55 minutes. Again, a total muck up here by the park in my opinion - unless there's a VERY valid reason for missing your slot, you shouldn't be allowed in. However, the way it operated was you could go in after your time slot, just not before (as opposed to the up to 15 minutes after your time slot stated on the ticket). This means people in theory could book a ticket for half 3, yet use it at 8pm with no issues? I'm sorry, but it's silly and the idea needs a rethink. Though I hate to compare, Alton Towers did very well with the time slots on the mazes, and Thorpe could perhaps learn a bit from how they operated it. I understand this is the first time they've done such a thing, but they need to make sure that it works, and the system just did not work. The fact that the actual entrance to the queue is so far away from all the signs pointing to The Passing makes me think that this was not planned by Thorpe, and something had gone wrong - I just hope they learn from any mistakes made quickly, as many people were annoyed with how the queuing system panned out.
Anyone, after queuing and getting our wristband (I assume the 'tagging' idea mentioned), we were batched into a group of five; of which five young boys, oldest must have been thirteen, youngest ten? We had the safety announcement, and as soon as the bag on your head was mentioned, on said 'No, I'm claustrophobic, I can't do that.' and walked off. The others were all very nervous and worried, though some were giving it mouth 'Oh, don't wimp out' and all that went on. Standing in the old Hellgate tunnel and given the nice speech about how we're criminals and been sentenced to death is nice, though the idea of having your photo taken just for the extra money is so cheap, and just is pointless. Even though they try to tie it in with the maze by saying 'Now have a photo taken of your last moments', it just doesn't work and should be scrapped. At this point, the rest of the young boys left as well, too afraid it seems, though the actor stayed in role very well.
I was glad that once we moved on, the bags were actually put on our heads. I worried that it would just be 'Here's a bag, make yourself comfortable', but it wasn't. The actor wordlessly and with a stern look on her face put the bags on our heads, and dragging out the process as long as possible. Unfortunately, I had something in front of me, which I now think was one of the speakers, though it didn't feel like one. It almost felt like it was meant to go round my mouth? I really don't know, but it was a bit of a nuisance more than anything, though it did restrict my vision further - a bit of good and bad I guess! One thing I did not like, however, was the cheap looking vinyl-like wallpaper; it just felt a bit of a cheat. Even if there were just a couple of things 'sticking out', it wouldn't be as bad, but it just felt so half-hearted, perhaps even rushed. We moved on to the next scene, which I think was meant to be the video scene I have now read about, though there was an actor blocking our way for some reason. Whether it was because of another group still in there or that it wasn't working at the time, I don't know, but it is a shame, as from what I've heard of it, it sounds interesting and sets up the maze nicely.
We moved along to the tunnels, where a hooded actor - possibly Death - guided the two in front of us into one tunnel. I went to follow, when I was stopped and moved to the adjacent one. It also turns out I was the only one in this tunnel out of my whole group, which shocked me a little when I found out after the maze. Anyway, I went along the tunnel and expected something similar to Experiment 10's one; straight bit, little dip, out (maybe not necessarily like that exactly, but pretty much the same thing). I crawled a bit, then banged my head - now this shocked me. For that split second, I feared I was trapped, taken a wrong direction or something, and there was no way for me to go. However, I found the turning and carried on. There were copious little dips and turns, and each time I was asking myself 'So do I get up now?' only to have my head stopped by the ceiling. I was worried; I could not see in front of me, I didn't know how long this was going on for and I didn't even know if I was going the right way. Eventually, I felt a cold surface and knew that it must be time to get up.
At this point, there was two of us now to tackle the maze - such a small group is worrying, as you can really get picked on. Having the speaker or whatever it was in my way meant I struggled to see, along with the bag itself which - in darkness - was hard to see through as well, and the actors took advantage of the bag on the head really well. Scares would come from literally out of nowhere. The trouble with the scares is that they are still quite samey - actors hiding, shouting and more leading to 'jumps', than 'scares'. Having a bag on your head should leave you questioning yourself, and it should lead to a psychological experience a lot; somehow the actors need to further scare you with the psychological side more - make you continually second guess yourself as to where you are, what you are doing and so forth. The spinning tunnel was a good touch, with all the words written on and such, and was surprisingly disorientating for me. I quite liked the final scene with your bag on your head; the actor was very good, and even though we caught up with the other two nearly, he did very well in confusing us, blocking our way and touching to scare us. I think I might have ended up in the wrong place, as I went through some curtains, walked into a wall nearly a hit a step / seat, to which the actor moved me whilst saying 'This was you piece of scum'. And that was nearly it. We were told to take off our bags by two staff members, to which I found out my crime was an arsonist, and presented with our certificates of death. I was a bit underwhelmed by the length if I'm honest, and responded with 'Was that it?'.
Anyone, we moved on through the UV section, through some curtains and into a pitch black room. There was nowhere to go; were we in the wrong place? I shouted out asking which was do we go, only for an actor to jump out seconds later - it confused me more than scared me, but I was certainly caught off guard. None of us knew where to go or what to do, and then a door seemingly opened, but I couldn't leave as someone had a hold of my ankle. A couple of seconds later, I was allowed to go, caught up with the others in our group, and was greeted by the photo booth - brilliant thing to do after death...
My main issues with the maze are the beginning with the vinyl wallpaper bits and the story line being inconsistent. Maybe missing the video did more harm than it should have done, but what does the maze signify? When do I die? How have I been executed? What happens after I die? From my experience, the whole maze experience itself is the execution, where in the moments before dying, all the evil is flashing before me, and I'm contained in a bag helpless. Then, we're presented with the certificate of death, and the final scene is meant to show us that we're tormented after death as well. But with the video, it almost seems like the bag goes on your head, then life flashes before our eyes, then we go through the tunnels to signify being buried, the maze is death / the afterlife, and after that, who knows? However, my point simply is that it needs to be clearer in the story, give a stronger indication as to when we die and what happens afterwards. Oh, and get rid of the photo bit and perhaps give a bit more at the ending.
Is it worth the £3? Yes and no; it depends on your definition of worth. In terms of quality, there's better experiences that can be had in my honest, but it's still good, and with some work, would be great. It's a different experience, and is a lot more personal. The nice little mementos (wristbands and certificate) are good as well. So, worth it really, but if you're expecting the additional cost to lead to a much scarier maze than a free one, then you may need a readjustment of expectations. All in all, a good maze that needs some work.
6.5/10
Just a couple of other bits. Serious lack of FN theming - can't say I saw any at all apart from the posters of the criminals and on the island by the bridge. Quite disappointing. Audio was alright, though the park-wide loop with messages from the Governor needed to be longer. The roaming actors were good from what I saw of them too.
With regards to Experiment 10 and the Fastrack situation, I decided to go to Guest Services about it (lack of communication about queuing and opening time, too much Fastrack) and pretty much, nothing was written down, we were told 'It shouldn't be like that', and given Priority Passes with no expiry date as an apology. I fear that nothing will come from the complaint, and that the resolution (giving of PP) just makes the issues worse. What I found amusing was at the same time, there was another complaint at the same time about Fastrack - many people in the main queue for attractions do get annoyed with it - it needs serious rethinking. (Also, another random point, anyone able to explain why some people were able to use the Priority Queue for The Passing without being disabled? Definitely saw a group of 4 or 5 using tickets, looked identical to Fastrack ones, being used there... )

I guess the difference in opinion on Experiment 10 shows how scare mazes differ each and every time. On my go, as said, there were 6 actors (of which I only encountered 5) and none of them were very 'in your face' or did anything which created a sense of fear, unless they utilised the maze and the scenery itself (for example, the hand through the door wall). The ending just seemed to go against the maze and story line, in that it groups everyone together again, and was predictable. Sometimes predictability isn't always a bad thing, but in this case, it was for me. Whilst I was one who said the ending needing improving last year, I feel it was much better than this, as it kept people separated / in small groups and created a chance for more scares. It's good of the park to work on the feedback, but it's something which has just led to a maze which is now worse off. However, the fact that people actually run and scream out of it shows that it's doing it's job, scaring people, which I guess is a good thing. Personally though, it just doesn't work and unfortunately takes away from the maze.
As for The Passing, I agree about how the £3 charge along with a long queue is ridiculous and it needs sorting, and that the charge doesn't necessarily reflect a much higher quality of maze. However, I think that the fact the park are doing something which is meant to lead to very small groups going through the maze, I believe the general idea is to get 3-4 people to group together after the tunnels, the maze is going to have a lower throughput. I've always thought that having the charge and restriction the number of people who can go of it meant the lower throughput wouldn't be an issue, but this seems to not be the case at the moment. Hopefully with some work, the issue of queuing for it can be sorted out, and the maze's kinks can be ironed away to create a good, solid attraction which is worth the additional charge.
On a different note, nice pictures and reviews there Ben - always enjoy reading your FN reviews and comparing them to previous season's ones!

Right, so a more in depth review of my experiences with Experiment 10 and The Passing. This may read a bit like a trip report, but it's pretty much a way of summing up the entire Fright Nights experience. The maze sections have spoilers, of course!
Experiment 10
Following the brilliance of this last year, I was really looking forward to it again this year. Having done it 4 time last year, I knew that for me it wasn't a one trick pony, and that the effect always worked. The ending was a bit weak and needed some work doing, but overall, it was a strong maze. Being one of only two mazes we were really concerned about (the other being The Passing, booked for quarter past 4), we decided to head here before 3 so we wouldn't have that long to wait.
We arrived at ten-to 3, with a queue already inside the arena (presumably, the gates had already been opened at half 2 for everyone to go in?). It can't be too bad we thought, probably 30-45 minutes, so we decided it was no big issue, so stuck it out. 3 o'clock came, and nothing happened. About 10 past 3 came, and the standard announcements from last year of 'Experiment 10 is now in progress' and 'No smoking inside the facility' were played - hooray, it's finally opened..not. Following those quiet announcements (which were the only ones of the evening that I heard from the queue), there was another 10 to 15 minutes before anything started to happen, with the queue only moving when people had had enough and decided to leave. It got to the point where I was ready to leave at half 3 if nothing happened. The queue moved through slowly, and about 5-10 minutes later, someone behind us asked how long the queue was from where they were, to which the response was "about 45 minutes", in a confident tone. We decided that though this was a lot more then we were wanting to wait, since we had already waited about 45-50 minutes, that we'd stay in the queue a grin and bare it.
The ever-slowly moving queue plodded along, and by about 5:20, we were finally near the front. That's right, at this point, we had queue 2 and a half hours for this blooming maze, despite the fact we got there before it even opened. I genuinely cannot remember the last time I queue over 90 minutes for something, though it was probably back in 2006 for Stealth opening weekend, front row, where I queued about 2 and a quarter hours. Considering people behind us were told that a queue which took 100 minutes would only take 45 minutes, it is in my opinion, ridiculous. I understand that the queues are going to be new to staff, and it's hard to judge exactly, but when you are that far out, it is just ridiculous. Couple this in with no announcements, no apologises for the late opening or anything, it just is not right in my opinion.
So, by the time we were near the front, it starts to become apparent why the queue is taking a long time. I presume you can guess the culprit - that's right, Fastrack. The hugely long Fastrack line was having large numbers sent through at any one period. For example, when I was near the front, I counted 30 (yep, THIRTY, which is more than a whole group who go in the maze) Fastrack let through with not one person from the main queue let through. I don't give two hoots if Fastrack is good for people or whatever, a balance must be reached where those who pay for the extra service get what they pay for, without affecting the main queue. This balance was just not reached. How it can be justified that such a large number of people is let through from the Fastrack queue does not make sense to me. I can't comment on whether it was oversold, by I think there needs to be a much stricter cap put on Fastrack sales, because quite frankly, it is ludicrous.
So, now time to actually review the maze..
The first scene was rather rushed, no doubt to get people through, and just doesn't have as much impact with a larger group. The decontamination chamber, a room which was once dimly lit and had a sinister tone about it now is lit up like daylight. There's less smoke now as well it seems, and it just feels like they've weakened that effect. Also, the fact that the hazmat suits are gone confuses me. Not being able to see a face is a lot scarier than being able to see part of a face. It creates mystery and leaves you to your imagination. Being able to see part of the face / any form of skin makes me feel as though what's happening isn't as harmful as it's being made out to be as well. A good part of the maze ruined.
Now, onto the cupboards / individual rooms. They've got rid of the audio in there, so it's just silent. Mixed feelings about this, but it lacks something now, as the screams and bangs really added a sense of insecurity that those around you were petrified. Also, being locked in there with someone else, the silence is a little less unnerving in my opinion. One good change, however, was how the actor shone a light through the peeping hole, attraction our attention, then grabbed me through the hole (which I think is a new feature?); really did catch me off guard! One thing I didn't know last year though was that it was the same actor who puts you who takes you out of the rooms. Also, the fact that the person putting people in the rooms wasn't wearing a hazmat suit made me feel a little more secure - those suits were one of the more dominating aspects of the maze. It's a real shame they're not there any more - I do hope there's a real reason behind that other than cost or something stupid like that.
So, the middle of the maze is also a bit naff as well. Lacks actors (I only saw ONE in this section) and lacks audio. In general, it's just a lot weaker than last year, and doesn't really have any scares. The strobe lighting section seems to have changed a bit this year as well, what with the mirror of pointlessness and going on/off a lot weaker than last year. Then there was a bit more walking and nothing happening, apart from loads of people grouping together and being confused, and then an actor directing people into a room. She said something about 'This is what Experiment 10 is really about' or something like that; didn't really hear her. By the time we got in there (we were one of the last people in our group), there was a video playing on the TV screen, with a doctor facing the screen and a patient with a scroll saw walking towards him. She kills him, blood splatters on the screen and a little shoot of water comes out, but misses half the people. The actor starts to panic a little bit, and the patient starts to saw around the TV (there's a nice effect where the surrounding on the TV lights up, but it's nothing special really) and the actor starts shouting 'LET ME OUT' and then after a while, turns to us and says 'Get out. No, really, run!' at which point to patient jumps out at the side of the TV (no logic considering she has sawed the bottom and other side on screen...) and a saw noise is made. It scares some people and others - like myself - are just disappointed in the predictableness of this. The fact that the scroll saw is plastic / rubber is a bit of a letdown as well to a degree, as to those who notice it, it really spoils it. The fact that this maze continues to try and do 'an Asylum' with its grand finale disappoints me; last season, they had the incredibly loud monstrous noise, this season, a fake saw in an overly predictable fashion. Why not try and have a more original / different ending? Have a good two or three actors at the end blocking people on the way out, trying to 'take them away', stopping them whilst others around them freely escape. It would continue the panic as well as the isolation feeling that the maze is so good for. Instead, they're trying to force it into doing something it can't. Though I said the ending last year was a little weak and could do with improving, the park successfully ruined the ending (and half the maze it felt), and have created something which decreases throughput it seems, which in turn has ruined the entirety of the attraction.
Another thing I have noticed is the fact that there were a lack of actors. There was one in the reception area, and one in the decontamination room. I assume two actors for the isolation rooms (maybe three, don't know how they deal with the right hand side and its tunnel). Then there was one in the middle section, and two in the end (staff and patient). Six actors for this maze is ridiculous; I'm sorry.
I don't have much else to say with regards to Experiment 10. It has been successfully ruined, with the maze itself feeling like it can't cope with demand, the ending being silly, predictable and not in line with the story (though, I guess if some people literally run out of it, then it will be kept..), a lack of audio and tone. A real shame, a real disappointment, and hardly worth a 20 minute wait, let alone a 2 and a half hour one...
5/10
The Passing
So, we had missed our slot by some time, but after speaking to a member of management, we were told to just go and explain the situation and we should be let in fine. So, our ticket was checked at the entrance to the queue, and nothing was said, despite the fact it was coming up to two hours past our slot. Unfortunately, it seems the idea of a time slot or Fastrack only maze has not worked; there was a quoted 45 minute queue, which was closer to 55 minutes. Again, a total muck up here by the park in my opinion - unless there's a VERY valid reason for missing your slot, you shouldn't be allowed in. However, the way it operated was you could go in after your time slot, just not before (as opposed to the up to 15 minutes after your time slot stated on the ticket). This means people in theory could book a ticket for half 3, yet use it at 8pm with no issues? I'm sorry, but it's silly and the idea needs a rethink. Though I hate to compare, Alton Towers did very well with the time slots on the mazes, and Thorpe could perhaps learn a bit from how they operated it. I understand this is the first time they've done such a thing, but they need to make sure that it works, and the system just did not work. The fact that the actual entrance to the queue is so far away from all the signs pointing to The Passing makes me think that this was not planned by Thorpe, and something had gone wrong - I just hope they learn from any mistakes made quickly, as many people were annoyed with how the queuing system panned out.
Anyone, after queuing and getting our wristband (I assume the 'tagging' idea mentioned), we were batched into a group of five; of which five young boys, oldest must have been thirteen, youngest ten? We had the safety announcement, and as soon as the bag on your head was mentioned, on said 'No, I'm claustrophobic, I can't do that.' and walked off. The others were all very nervous and worried, though some were giving it mouth 'Oh, don't wimp out' and all that went on. Standing in the old Hellgate tunnel and given the nice speech about how we're criminals and been sentenced to death is nice, though the idea of having your photo taken just for the extra money is so cheap, and just is pointless. Even though they try to tie it in with the maze by saying 'Now have a photo taken of your last moments', it just doesn't work and should be scrapped. At this point, the rest of the young boys left as well, too afraid it seems, though the actor stayed in role very well.
I was glad that once we moved on, the bags were actually put on our heads. I worried that it would just be 'Here's a bag, make yourself comfortable', but it wasn't. The actor wordlessly and with a stern look on her face put the bags on our heads, and dragging out the process as long as possible. Unfortunately, I had something in front of me, which I now think was one of the speakers, though it didn't feel like one. It almost felt like it was meant to go round my mouth? I really don't know, but it was a bit of a nuisance more than anything, though it did restrict my vision further - a bit of good and bad I guess! One thing I did not like, however, was the cheap looking vinyl-like wallpaper; it just felt a bit of a cheat. Even if there were just a couple of things 'sticking out', it wouldn't be as bad, but it just felt so half-hearted, perhaps even rushed. We moved on to the next scene, which I think was meant to be the video scene I have now read about, though there was an actor blocking our way for some reason. Whether it was because of another group still in there or that it wasn't working at the time, I don't know, but it is a shame, as from what I've heard of it, it sounds interesting and sets up the maze nicely.
We moved along to the tunnels, where a hooded actor - possibly Death - guided the two in front of us into one tunnel. I went to follow, when I was stopped and moved to the adjacent one. It also turns out I was the only one in this tunnel out of my whole group, which shocked me a little when I found out after the maze. Anyway, I went along the tunnel and expected something similar to Experiment 10's one; straight bit, little dip, out (maybe not necessarily like that exactly, but pretty much the same thing). I crawled a bit, then banged my head - now this shocked me. For that split second, I feared I was trapped, taken a wrong direction or something, and there was no way for me to go. However, I found the turning and carried on. There were copious little dips and turns, and each time I was asking myself 'So do I get up now?' only to have my head stopped by the ceiling. I was worried; I could not see in front of me, I didn't know how long this was going on for and I didn't even know if I was going the right way. Eventually, I felt a cold surface and knew that it must be time to get up.
At this point, there was two of us now to tackle the maze - such a small group is worrying, as you can really get picked on. Having the speaker or whatever it was in my way meant I struggled to see, along with the bag itself which - in darkness - was hard to see through as well, and the actors took advantage of the bag on the head really well. Scares would come from literally out of nowhere. The trouble with the scares is that they are still quite samey - actors hiding, shouting and more leading to 'jumps', than 'scares'. Having a bag on your head should leave you questioning yourself, and it should lead to a psychological experience a lot; somehow the actors need to further scare you with the psychological side more - make you continually second guess yourself as to where you are, what you are doing and so forth. The spinning tunnel was a good touch, with all the words written on and such, and was surprisingly disorientating for me. I quite liked the final scene with your bag on your head; the actor was very good, and even though we caught up with the other two nearly, he did very well in confusing us, blocking our way and touching to scare us. I think I might have ended up in the wrong place, as I went through some curtains, walked into a wall nearly a hit a step / seat, to which the actor moved me whilst saying 'This was you piece of scum'. And that was nearly it. We were told to take off our bags by two staff members, to which I found out my crime was an arsonist, and presented with our certificates of death. I was a bit underwhelmed by the length if I'm honest, and responded with 'Was that it?'.
Anyone, we moved on through the UV section, through some curtains and into a pitch black room. There was nowhere to go; were we in the wrong place? I shouted out asking which was do we go, only for an actor to jump out seconds later - it confused me more than scared me, but I was certainly caught off guard. None of us knew where to go or what to do, and then a door seemingly opened, but I couldn't leave as someone had a hold of my ankle. A couple of seconds later, I was allowed to go, caught up with the others in our group, and was greeted by the photo booth - brilliant thing to do after death...
My main issues with the maze are the beginning with the vinyl wallpaper bits and the story line being inconsistent. Maybe missing the video did more harm than it should have done, but what does the maze signify? When do I die? How have I been executed? What happens after I die? From my experience, the whole maze experience itself is the execution, where in the moments before dying, all the evil is flashing before me, and I'm contained in a bag helpless. Then, we're presented with the certificate of death, and the final scene is meant to show us that we're tormented after death as well. But with the video, it almost seems like the bag goes on your head, then life flashes before our eyes, then we go through the tunnels to signify being buried, the maze is death / the afterlife, and after that, who knows? However, my point simply is that it needs to be clearer in the story, give a stronger indication as to when we die and what happens afterwards. Oh, and get rid of the photo bit and perhaps give a bit more at the ending.
Is it worth the £3? Yes and no; it depends on your definition of worth. In terms of quality, there's better experiences that can be had in my honest, but it's still good, and with some work, would be great. It's a different experience, and is a lot more personal. The nice little mementos (wristbands and certificate) are good as well. So, worth it really, but if you're expecting the additional cost to lead to a much scarier maze than a free one, then you may need a readjustment of expectations. All in all, a good maze that needs some work.
6.5/10
Just a couple of other bits. Serious lack of FN theming - can't say I saw any at all apart from the posters of the criminals and on the island by the bridge. Quite disappointing. Audio was alright, though the park-wide loop with messages from the Governor needed to be longer. The roaming actors were good from what I saw of them too.
With regards to Experiment 10 and the Fastrack situation, I decided to go to Guest Services about it (lack of communication about queuing and opening time, too much Fastrack) and pretty much, nothing was written down, we were told 'It shouldn't be like that', and given Priority Passes with no expiry date as an apology. I fear that nothing will come from the complaint, and that the resolution (giving of PP) just makes the issues worse. What I found amusing was at the same time, there was another complaint at the same time about Fastrack - many people in the main queue for attractions do get annoyed with it - it needs serious rethinking. (Also, another random point, anyone able to explain why some people were able to use the Priority Queue for The Passing without being disabled? Definitely saw a group of 4 or 5 using tickets, looked identical to Fastrack ones, being used there... )

Right, so a more in depth review of my experiences with Experiment 10 and The Passing. This may read a bit like a trip report, but it's pretty much a way of summing up the entire Fright Nights experience. The maze sections have spoilers, of course!
Experiment 10
Following the brilliance of this last year, I was really looking forward to it again this year. Having done it 4 time last year, I knew that for me it wasn't a one trick pony, and that the effect always worked. The ending was a bit weak and needed some work doing, but overall, it was a strong maze. Being one of only two mazes we were really concerned about (the other being The Passing, booked for quarter past 4), we decided to head here before 3 so we wouldn't have that long to wait.
We arrived at ten-to 3, with a queue already inside the arena (presumably, the gates had already been opened at half 2 for everyone to go in?). It can't be too bad we thought, probably 30-45 minutes, so we decided it was no big issue, so stuck it out. 3 o'clock came, and nothing happened. About 10 past 3 came, and the standard announcements from last year of 'Experiment 10 is now in progress' and 'No smoking inside the facility' were played - hooray, it's finally opened..not. Following those quiet announcements (which were the only ones of the evening that I heard from the queue), there was another 10 to 15 minutes before anything started to happen, with the queue only moving when people had had enough and decided to leave. It got to the point where I was ready to leave at half 3 if nothing happened. The queue moved through slowly, and about 5-10 minutes later, someone behind us asked how long the queue was from where they were, to which the response was "about 45 minutes", in a confident tone. We decided that though this was a lot more then we were wanting to wait, since we had already waited about 45-50 minutes, that we'd stay in the queue a grin and bare it.
The ever-slowly moving queue plodded along, and by about 5:20, we were finally near the front. That's right, at this point, we had queue 2 and a half hours for this blooming maze, despite the fact we got there before it even opened. I genuinely cannot remember the last time I queue over 90 minutes for something, though it was probably back in 2006 for Stealth opening weekend, front row, where I queued about 2 and a quarter hours. Considering people behind us were told that a queue which took 100 minutes would only take 45 minutes, it is in my opinion, ridiculous. I understand that the queues are going to be new to staff, and it's hard to judge exactly, but when you are that far out, it is just ridiculous. Couple this in with no announcements, no apologises for the late opening or anything, it just is not right in my opinion.
So, by the time we were near the front, it starts to become apparent why the queue is taking a long time. I presume you can guess the culprit - that's right, Fastrack. The hugely long Fastrack line was having large numbers sent through at any one period. For example, when I was near the front, I counted 30 (yep, THIRTY, which is more than a whole group who go in the maze) Fastrack let through with not one person from the main queue let through. I don't give two hoots if Fastrack is good for people or whatever, a balance must be reached where those who pay for the extra service get what they pay for, without affecting the main queue. This balance was just not reached. How it can be justified that such a large number of people is let through from the Fastrack queue does not make sense to me. I can't comment on whether it was oversold, by I think there needs to be a much stricter cap put on Fastrack sales, because quite frankly, it is ludicrous.
So, now time to actually review the maze..
The first scene was rather rushed, no doubt to get people through, and just doesn't have as much impact with a larger group. The decontamination chamber, a room which was once dimly lit and had a sinister tone about it now is lit up like daylight. There's less smoke now as well it seems, and it just feels like they've weakened that effect. Also, the fact that the hazmat suits are gone confuses me. Not being able to see a face is a lot scarier than being able to see part of a face. It creates mystery and leaves you to your imagination. Being able to see part of the face / any form of skin makes me feel as though what's happening isn't as harmful as it's being made out to be as well. A good part of the maze ruined.
Now, onto the cupboards / individual rooms. They've got rid of the audio in there, so it's just silent. Mixed feelings about this, but it lacks something now, as the screams and bangs really added a sense of insecurity that those around you were petrified. Also, being locked in there with someone else, the silence is a little less unnerving in my opinion. One good change, however, was how the actor shone a light through the peeping hole, attraction our attention, then grabbed me through the hole (which I think is a new feature?); really did catch me off guard! One thing I didn't know last year though was that it was the same actor who puts you who takes you out of the rooms. Also, the fact that the person putting people in the rooms wasn't wearing a hazmat suit made me feel a little more secure - those suits were one of the more dominating aspects of the maze. It's a real shame they're not there any more - I do hope there's a real reason behind that other than cost or something stupid like that.
So, the middle of the maze is also a bit naff as well. Lacks actors (I only saw ONE in this section) and lacks audio. In general, it's just a lot weaker than last year, and doesn't really have any scares. The strobe lighting section seems to have changed a bit this year as well, what with the mirror of pointlessness and going on/off a lot weaker than last year. Then there was a bit more walking and nothing happening, apart from loads of people grouping together and being confused, and then an actor directing people into a room. She said something about 'This is what Experiment 10 is really about' or something like that; didn't really hear her. By the time we got in there (we were one of the last people in our group), there was a video playing on the TV screen, with a doctor facing the screen and a patient with a scroll saw walking towards him. She kills him, blood splatters on the screen and a little shoot of water comes out, but misses half the people. The actor starts to panic a little bit, and the patient starts to saw around the TV (there's a nice effect where the surrounding on the TV lights up, but it's nothing special really) and the actor starts shouting 'LET ME OUT' and then after a while, turns to us and says 'Get out. No, really, run!' at which point to patient jumps out at the side of the TV (no logic considering she has sawed the bottom and other side on screen...) and a saw noise is made. It scares some people and others - like myself - are just disappointed in the predictableness of this. The fact that the scroll saw is plastic / rubber is a bit of a letdown as well to a degree, as to those who notice it, it really spoils it. The fact that this maze continues to try and do 'an Asylum' with its grand finale disappoints me; last season, they had the incredibly loud monstrous noise, this season, a fake saw in an overly predictable fashion. Why not try and have a more original / different ending? Have a good two or three actors at the end blocking people on the way out, trying to 'take them away', stopping them whilst others around them freely escape. It would continue the panic as well as the isolation feeling that the maze is so good for. Instead, they're trying to force it into doing something it can't. Though I said the ending last year was a little weak and could do with improving, the park successfully ruined the ending (and half the maze it felt), and have created something which decreases throughput it seems, which in turn has ruined the entirety of the attraction.
Another thing I have noticed is the fact that there were a lack of actors. There was one in the reception area, and one in the decontamination room. I assume two actors for the isolation rooms (maybe three, don't know how they deal with the right hand side and its tunnel). Then there was one in the middle section, and two in the end (staff and patient). Six actors for this maze is ridiculous; I'm sorry.
I don't have much else to say with regards to Experiment 10. It has been successfully ruined, with the maze itself feeling like it can't cope with demand, the ending being silly, predictable and not in line with the story (though, I guess if some people literally run out of it, then it will be kept..), a lack of audio and tone. A real shame, a real disappointment, and hardly worth a 20 minute wait, let alone a 2 and a half hour one...
5/10
The Passing
So, we had missed our slot by some time, but after speaking to a member of management, we were told to just go and explain the situation and we should be let in fine. So, our ticket was checked at the entrance to the queue, and nothing was said, despite the fact it was coming up to two hours past our slot. Unfortunately, it seems the idea of a time slot or Fastrack only maze has not worked; there was a quoted 45 minute queue, which was closer to 55 minutes. Again, a total muck up here by the park in my opinion - unless there's a VERY valid reason for missing your slot, you shouldn't be allowed in. However, the way it operated was you could go in after your time slot, just not before (as opposed to the up to 15 minutes after your time slot stated on the ticket). This means people in theory could book a ticket for half 3, yet use it at 8pm with no issues? I'm sorry, but it's silly and the idea needs a rethink. Though I hate to compare, Alton Towers did very well with the time slots on the mazes, and Thorpe could perhaps learn a bit from how they operated it. I understand this is the first time they've done such a thing, but they need to make sure that it works, and the system just did not work. The fact that the actual entrance to the queue is so far away from all the signs pointing to The Passing makes me think that this was not planned by Thorpe, and something had gone wrong - I just hope they learn from any mistakes made quickly, as many people were annoyed with how the queuing system panned out.
Anyone, after queuing and getting our wristband (I assume the 'tagging' idea mentioned), we were batched into a group of five; of which five young boys, oldest must have been thirteen, youngest ten? We had the safety announcement, and as soon as the bag on your head was mentioned, on said 'No, I'm claustrophobic, I can't do that.' and walked off. The others were all very nervous and worried, though some were giving it mouth 'Oh, don't wimp out' and all that went on. Standing in the old Hellgate tunnel and given the nice speech about how we're criminals and been sentenced to death is nice, though the idea of having your photo taken just for the extra money is so cheap, and just is pointless. Even though they try to tie it in with the maze by saying 'Now have a photo taken of your last moments', it just doesn't work and should be scrapped. At this point, the rest of the young boys left as well, too afraid it seems, though the actor stayed in role very well.
I was glad that once we moved on, the bags were actually put on our heads. I worried that it would just be 'Here's a bag, make yourself comfortable', but it wasn't. The actor wordlessly and with a stern look on her face put the bags on our heads, and dragging out the process as long as possible. Unfortunately, I had something in front of me, which I now think was one of the speakers, though it didn't feel like one. It almost felt like it was meant to go round my mouth? I really don't know, but it was a bit of a nuisance more than anything, though it did restrict my vision further - a bit of good and bad I guess! One thing I did not like, however, was the cheap looking vinyl-like wallpaper; it just felt a bit of a cheat. Even if there were just a couple of things 'sticking out', it wouldn't be as bad, but it just felt so half-hearted, perhaps even rushed. We moved on to the next scene, which I think was meant to be the video scene I have now read about, though there was an actor blocking our way for some reason. Whether it was because of another group still in there or that it wasn't working at the time, I don't know, but it is a shame, as from what I've heard of it, it sounds interesting and sets up the maze nicely.
We moved along to the tunnels, where a hooded actor - possibly Death - guided the two in front of us into one tunnel. I went to follow, when I was stopped and moved to the adjacent one. It also turns out I was the only one in this tunnel out of my whole group, which shocked me a little when I found out after the maze. Anyway, I went along the tunnel and expected something similar to Experiment 10's one; straight bit, little dip, out (maybe not necessarily like that exactly, but pretty much the same thing). I crawled a bit, then banged my head - now this shocked me. For that split second, I feared I was trapped, taken a wrong direction or something, and there was no way for me to go. However, I found the turning and carried on. There were copious little dips and turns, and each time I was asking myself 'So do I get up now?' only to have my head stopped by the ceiling. I was worried; I could not see in front of me, I didn't know how long this was going on for and I didn't even know if I was going the right way. Eventually, I felt a cold surface and knew that it must be time to get up.
At this point, there was two of us now to tackle the maze - such a small group is worrying, as you can really get picked on. Having the speaker or whatever it was in my way meant I struggled to see, along with the bag itself which - in darkness - was hard to see through as well, and the actors took advantage of the bag on the head really well. Scares would come from literally out of nowhere. The trouble with the scares is that they are still quite samey - actors hiding, shouting and more leading to 'jumps', than 'scares'. Having a bag on your head should leave you questioning yourself, and it should lead to a psychological experience a lot; somehow the actors need to further scare you with the psychological side more - make you continually second guess yourself as to where you are, what you are doing and so forth. The spinning tunnel was a good touch, with all the words written on and such, and was surprisingly disorientating for me. I quite liked the final scene with your bag on your head; the actor was very good, and even though we caught up with the other two nearly, he did very well in confusing us, blocking our way and touching to scare us. I think I might have ended up in the wrong place, as I went through some curtains, walked into a wall nearly a hit a step / seat, to which the actor moved me whilst saying 'This was you piece of scum'. And that was nearly it. We were told to take off our bags by two staff members, to which I found out my crime was an arsonist, and presented with our certificates of death. I was a bit underwhelmed by the length if I'm honest, and responded with 'Was that it?'.
Anyone, we moved on through the UV section, through some curtains and into a pitch black room. There was nowhere to go; were we in the wrong place? I shouted out asking which was do we go, only for an actor to jump out seconds later - it confused me more than scared me, but I was certainly caught off guard. None of us knew where to go or what to do, and then a door seemingly opened, but I couldn't leave as someone had a hold of my ankle. A couple of seconds later, I was allowed to go, caught up with the others in our group, and was greeted by the photo booth - brilliant thing to do after death...
My main issues with the maze are the beginning with the vinyl wallpaper bits and the story line being inconsistent. Maybe missing the video did more harm than it should have done, but what does the maze signify? When do I die? How have I been executed? What happens after I die? From my experience, the whole maze experience itself is the execution, where in the moments before dying, all the evil is flashing before me, and I'm contained in a bag helpless. Then, we're presented with the certificate of death, and the final scene is meant to show us that we're tormented after death as well. But with the video, it almost seems like the bag goes on your head, then life flashes before our eyes, then we go through the tunnels to signify being buried, the maze is death / the afterlife, and after that, who knows? However, my point simply is that it needs to be clearer in the story, give a stronger indication as to when we die and what happens afterwards. Oh, and get rid of the photo bit and perhaps give a bit more at the ending.
Is it worth the £3? Yes and no; it depends on your definition of worth. In terms of quality, there's better experiences that can be had in my honest, but it's still good, and with some work, would be great. It's a different experience, and is a lot more personal. The nice little mementos (wristbands and certificate) are good as well. So, worth it really, but if you're expecting the additional cost to lead to a much scarier maze than a free one, then you may need a readjustment of expectations. All in all, a good maze that needs some work.
6.5/10
Just a couple of other bits. Serious lack of FN theming - can't say I saw any at all apart from the posters of the criminals and on the island by the bridge. Quite disappointing. Audio was alright, though the park-wide loop with messages from the Governor needed to be longer. The roaming actors were good from what I saw of them too.
With regards to Experiment 10 and the Fastrack situation, I decided to go to Guest Services about it (lack of communication about queuing and opening time, too much Fastrack) and pretty much, nothing was written down, we were told 'It shouldn't be like that', and given Priority Passes with no expiry date as an apology. I fear that nothing will come from the complaint, and that the resolution (giving of PP) just makes the issues worse. What I found amusing was at the same time, there was another complaint at the same time about Fastrack - many people in the main queue for attractions do get annoyed with it - it needs serious rethinking. (Also, another random point, anyone able to explain why some people were able to use the Priority Queue for The Passing without being disabled? Definitely saw a group of 4 or 5 using tickets, looked identical to Fastrack ones, being used there... )

Right, so a more in depth review of my experiences with Experiment 10 and The Passing. This may read a bit like a trip report, but it's pretty much a way of summing up the entire Fright Nights experience. The maze sections have spoilers, of course!
Experiment 10
Following the brilliance of this last year, I was really looking forward to it again this year. Having done it 4 time last year, I knew that for me it wasn't a one trick pony, and that the effect always worked. The ending was a bit weak and needed some work doing, but overall, it was a strong maze. Being one of only two mazes we were really concerned about (the other being The Passing, booked for quarter past 4), we decided to head here before 3 so we wouldn't have that long to wait.
We arrived at ten-to 3, with a queue already inside the arena (presumably, the gates had already been opened at half 2 for everyone to go in?). It can't be too bad we thought, probably 30-45 minutes, so we decided it was no big issue, so stuck it out. 3 o'clock came, and nothing happened. About 10 past 3 came, and the standard announcements from last year of 'Experiment 10 is now in progress' and 'No smoking inside the facility' were played - hooray, it's finally opened..not. Following those quiet announcements (which were the only ones of the evening that I heard from the queue), there was another 10 to 15 minutes before anything started to happen, with the queue only moving when people had had enough and decided to leave. It got to the point where I was ready to leave at half 3 if nothing happened. The queue moved through slowly, and about 5-10 minutes later, someone behind us asked how long the queue was from where they were, to which the response was "about 45 minutes", in a confident tone. We decided that though this was a lot more then we were wanting to wait, since we had already waited about 45-50 minutes, that we'd stay in the queue a grin and bare it.
The ever-slowly moving queue plodded along, and by about 5:20, we were finally near the front. That's right, at this point, we had queue 2 and a half hours for this blooming maze, despite the fact we got there before it even opened. I genuinely cannot remember the last time I queue over 90 minutes for something, though it was probably back in 2006 for Stealth opening weekend, front row, where I queued about 2 and a quarter hours. Considering people behind us were told that a queue which took 100 minutes would only take 45 minutes, it is in my opinion, ridiculous. I understand that the queues are going to be new to staff, and it's hard to judge exactly, but when you are that far out, it is just ridiculous. Couple this in with no announcements, no apologises for the late opening or anything, it just is not right in my opinion.
So, by the time we were near the front, it starts to become apparent why the queue is taking a long time. I presume you can guess the culprit - that's right, Fastrack. The hugely long Fastrack line was having large numbers sent through at any one period. For example, when I was near the front, I counted 30 (yep, THIRTY, which is more than a whole group who go in the maze) Fastrack let through with not one person from the main queue let through. I don't give two hoots if Fastrack is good for people or whatever, a balance must be reached where those who pay for the extra service get what they pay for, without affecting the main queue. This balance was just not reached. How it can be justified that such a large number of people is let through from the Fastrack queue does not make sense to me. I can't comment on whether it was oversold, by I think there needs to be a much stricter cap put on Fastrack sales, because quite frankly, it is ludicrous.
So, now time to actually review the maze..
The first scene was rather rushed, no doubt to get people through, and just doesn't have as much impact with a larger group. The decontamination chamber, a room which was once dimly lit and had a sinister tone about it now is lit up like daylight. There's less smoke now as well it seems, and it just feels like they've weakened that effect. Also, the fact that the hazmat suits are gone confuses me. Not being able to see a face is a lot scarier than being able to see part of a face. It creates mystery and leaves you to your imagination. Being able to see part of the face / any form of skin makes me feel as though what's happening isn't as harmful as it's being made out to be as well. A good part of the maze ruined.
Now, onto the cupboards / individual rooms. They've got rid of the audio in there, so it's just silent. Mixed feelings about this, but it lacks something now, as the screams and bangs really added a sense of insecurity that those around you were petrified. Also, being locked in there with someone else, the silence is a little less unnerving in my opinion. One good change, however, was how the actor shone a light through the peeping hole, attraction our attention, then grabbed me through the hole (which I think is a new feature?); really did catch me off guard! One thing I didn't know last year though was that it was the same actor who puts you who takes you out of the rooms. Also, the fact that the person putting people in the rooms wasn't wearing a hazmat suit made me feel a little more secure - those suits were one of the more dominating aspects of the maze. It's a real shame they're not there any more - I do hope there's a real reason behind that other than cost or something stupid like that.
So, the middle of the maze is also a bit naff as well. Lacks actors (I only saw ONE in this section) and lacks audio. In general, it's just a lot weaker than last year, and doesn't really have any scares. The strobe lighting section seems to have changed a bit this year as well, what with the mirror of pointlessness and going on/off a lot weaker than last year. Then there was a bit more walking and nothing happening, apart from loads of people grouping together and being confused, and then an actor directing people into a room. She said something about 'This is what Experiment 10 is really about' or something like that; didn't really hear her. By the time we got in there (we were one of the last people in our group), there was a video playing on the TV screen, with a doctor facing the screen and a patient with a scroll saw walking towards him. She kills him, blood splatters on the screen and a little shoot of water comes out, but misses half the people. The actor starts to panic a little bit, and the patient starts to saw around the TV (there's a nice effect where the surrounding on the TV lights up, but it's nothing special really) and the actor starts shouting 'LET ME OUT' and then after a while, turns to us and says 'Get out. No, really, run!' at which point to patient jumps out at the side of the TV (no logic considering she has sawed the bottom and other side on screen...) and a saw noise is made. It scares some people and others - like myself - are just disappointed in the predictableness of this. The fact that the scroll saw is plastic / rubber is a bit of a letdown as well to a degree, as to those who notice it, it really spoils it. The fact that this maze continues to try and do 'an Asylum' with its grand finale disappoints me; last season, they had the incredibly loud monstrous noise, this season, a fake saw in an overly predictable fashion. Why not try and have a more original / different ending? Have a good two or three actors at the end blocking people on the way out, trying to 'take them away', stopping them whilst others around them freely escape. It would continue the panic as well as the isolation feeling that the maze is so good for. Instead, they're trying to force it into doing something it can't. Though I said the ending last year was a little weak and could do with improving, the park successfully ruined the ending (and half the maze it felt), and have created something which decreases throughput it seems, which in turn has ruined the entirety of the attraction.
Another thing I have noticed is the fact that there were a lack of actors. There was one in the reception area, and one in the decontamination room. I assume two actors for the isolation rooms (maybe three, don't know how they deal with the right hand side and its tunnel). Then there was one in the middle section, and two in the end (staff and patient). Six actors for this maze is ridiculous; I'm sorry.
I don't have much else to say with regards to Experiment 10. It has been successfully ruined, with the maze itself feeling like it can't cope with demand, the ending being silly, predictable and not in line with the story (though, I guess if some people literally run out of it, then it will be kept..), a lack of audio and tone. A real shame, a real disappointment, and hardly worth a 20 minute wait, let alone a 2 and a half hour one...
5/10
The Passing
So, we had missed our slot by some time, but after speaking to a member of management, we were told to just go and explain the situation and we should be let in fine. So, our ticket was checked at the entrance to the queue, and nothing was said, despite the fact it was coming up to two hours past our slot. Unfortunately, it seems the idea of a time slot or Fastrack only maze has not worked; there was a quoted 45 minute queue, which was closer to 55 minutes. Again, a total muck up here by the park in my opinion - unless there's a VERY valid reason for missing your slot, you shouldn't be allowed in. However, the way it operated was you could go in after your time slot, just not before (as opposed to the up to 15 minutes after your time slot stated on the ticket). This means people in theory could book a ticket for half 3, yet use it at 8pm with no issues? I'm sorry, but it's silly and the idea needs a rethink. Though I hate to compare, Alton Towers did very well with the time slots on the mazes, and Thorpe could perhaps learn a bit from how they operated it. I understand this is the first time they've done such a thing, but they need to make sure that it works, and the system just did not work. The fact that the actual entrance to the queue is so far away from all the signs pointing to The Passing makes me think that this was not planned by Thorpe, and something had gone wrong - I just hope they learn from any mistakes made quickly, as many people were annoyed with how the queuing system panned out.
Anyone, after queuing and getting our wristband (I assume the 'tagging' idea mentioned), we were batched into a group of five; of which five young boys, oldest must have been thirteen, youngest ten? We had the safety announcement, and as soon as the bag on your head was mentioned, on said 'No, I'm claustrophobic, I can't do that.' and walked off. The others were all very nervous and worried, though some were giving it mouth 'Oh, don't wimp out' and all that went on. Standing in the old Hellgate tunnel and given the nice speech about how we're criminals and been sentenced to death is nice, though the idea of having your photo taken just for the extra money is so cheap, and just is pointless. Even though they try to tie it in with the maze by saying 'Now have a photo taken of your last moments', it just doesn't work and should be scrapped. At this point, the rest of the young boys left as well, too afraid it seems, though the actor stayed in role very well.
I was glad that once we moved on, the bags were actually put on our heads. I worried that it would just be 'Here's a bag, make yourself comfortable', but it wasn't. The actor wordlessly and with a stern look on her face put the bags on our heads, and dragging out the process as long as possible. Unfortunately, I had something in front of me, which I now think was one of the speakers, though it didn't feel like one. It almost felt like it was meant to go round my mouth? I really don't know, but it was a bit of a nuisance more than anything, though it did restrict my vision further - a bit of good and bad I guess! One thing I did not like, however, was the cheap looking vinyl-like wallpaper; it just felt a bit of a cheat. Even if there were just a couple of things 'sticking out', it wouldn't be as bad, but it just felt so half-hearted, perhaps even rushed. We moved on to the next scene, which I think was meant to be the video scene I have now read about, though there was an actor blocking our way for some reason. Whether it was because of another group still in there or that it wasn't working at the time, I don't know, but it is a shame, as from what I've heard of it, it sounds interesting and sets up the maze nicely.
We moved along to the tunnels, where a hooded actor - possibly Death - guided the two in front of us into one tunnel. I went to follow, when I was stopped and moved to the adjacent one. It also turns out I was the only one in this tunnel out of my whole group, which shocked me a little when I found out after the maze. Anyway, I went along the tunnel and expected something similar to Experiment 10's one; straight bit, little dip, out (maybe not necessarily like that exactly, but pretty much the same thing). I crawled a bit, then banged my head - now this shocked me. For that split second, I feared I was trapped, taken a wrong direction or something, and there was no way for me to go. However, I found the turning and carried on. There were copious little dips and turns, and each time I was asking myself 'So do I get up now?' only to have my head stopped by the ceiling. I was worried; I could not see in front of me, I didn't know how long this was going on for and I didn't even know if I was going the right way. Eventually, I felt a cold surface and knew that it must be time to get up.
At this point, there was two of us now to tackle the maze - such a small group is worrying, as you can really get picked on. Having the speaker or whatever it was in my way meant I struggled to see, along with the bag itself which - in darkness - was hard to see through as well, and the actors took advantage of the bag on the head really well. Scares would come from literally out of nowhere. The trouble with the scares is that they are still quite samey - actors hiding, shouting and more leading to 'jumps', than 'scares'. Having a bag on your head should leave you questioning yourself, and it should lead to a psychological experience a lot; somehow the actors need to further scare you with the psychological side more - make you continually second guess yourself as to where you are, what you are doing and so forth. The spinning tunnel was a good touch, with all the words written on and such, and was surprisingly disorientating for me. I quite liked the final scene with your bag on your head; the actor was very good, and even though we caught up with the other two nearly, he did very well in confusing us, blocking our way and touching to scare us. I think I might have ended up in the wrong place, as I went through some curtains, walked into a wall nearly a hit a step / seat, to which the actor moved me whilst saying 'This was you piece of scum'. And that was nearly it. We were told to take off our bags by two staff members, to which I found out my crime was an arsonist, and presented with our certificates of death. I was a bit underwhelmed by the length if I'm honest, and responded with 'Was that it?'.
Anyone, we moved on through the UV section, through some curtains and into a pitch black room. There was nowhere to go; were we in the wrong place? I shouted out asking which was do we go, only for an actor to jump out seconds later - it confused me more than scared me, but I was certainly caught off guard. None of us knew where to go or what to do, and then a door seemingly opened, but I couldn't leave as someone had a hold of my ankle. A couple of seconds later, I was allowed to go, caught up with the others in our group, and was greeted by the photo booth - brilliant thing to do after death...
My main issues with the maze are the beginning with the vinyl wallpaper bits and the story line being inconsistent. Maybe missing the video did more harm than it should have done, but what does the maze signify? When do I die? How have I been executed? What happens after I die? From my experience, the whole maze experience itself is the execution, where in the moments before dying, all the evil is flashing before me, and I'm contained in a bag helpless. Then, we're presented with the certificate of death, and the final scene is meant to show us that we're tormented after death as well. But with the video, it almost seems like the bag goes on your head, then life flashes before our eyes, then we go through the tunnels to signify being buried, the maze is death / the afterlife, and after that, who knows? However, my point simply is that it needs to be clearer in the story, give a stronger indication as to when we die and what happens afterwards. Oh, and get rid of the photo bit and perhaps give a bit more at the ending.
Is it worth the £3? Yes and no; it depends on your definition of worth. In terms of quality, there's better experiences that can be had in my honest, but it's still good, and with some work, would be great. It's a different experience, and is a lot more personal. The nice little mementos (wristbands and certificate) are good as well. So, worth it really, but if you're expecting the additional cost to lead to a much scarier maze than a free one, then you may need a readjustment of expectations. All in all, a good maze that needs some work.
6.5/10
Just a couple of other bits. Serious lack of FN theming - can't say I saw any at all apart from the posters of the criminals and on the island by the bridge. Quite disappointing. Audio was alright, though the park-wide loop with messages from the Governor needed to be longer. The roaming actors were good from what I saw of them too.
With regards to Experiment 10 and the Fastrack situation, I decided to go to Guest Services about it (lack of communication about queuing and opening time, too much Fastrack) and pretty much, nothing was written down, we were told 'It shouldn't be like that', and given Priority Passes with no expiry date as an apology. I fear that nothing will come from the complaint, and that the resolution (giving of PP) just makes the issues worse. What I found amusing was at the same time, there was another complaint at the same time about Fastrack - many people in the main queue for attractions do get annoyed with it - it needs serious rethinking. (Also, another random point, anyone able to explain why some people were able to use the Priority Queue for The Passing without being disabled? Definitely saw a group of 4 or 5 using tickets, looked identical to Fastrack ones, being used there... )

Apple products eh?

Right, so a more in depth review of my experiences with Experiment 10 and The Passing. This may read a bit like a trip report, but it's pretty much a way of summing up the entire Fright Nights experience. The maze sections have spoilers, of course!
Experiment 10
Following the brilliance of this last year, I was really looking forward to it again this year. Having done it 4 time last year, I knew that for me it wasn't a one trick pony, and that the effect always worked. The ending was a bit weak and needed some work doing, but overall, it was a strong maze. Being one of only two mazes we were really concerned about (the other being The Passing, booked for quarter past 4), we decided to head here before 3 so we wouldn't have that long to wait.
We arrived at ten-to 3, with a queue already inside the arena (presumably, the gates had already been opened at half 2 for everyone to go in?). It can't be too bad we thought, probably 30-45 minutes, so we decided it was no big issue, so stuck it out. 3 o'clock came, and nothing happened. About 10 past 3 came, and the standard announcements from last year of 'Experiment 10 is now in progress' and 'No smoking inside the facility' were played - hooray, it's finally opened..not. Following those quiet announcements (which were the only ones of the evening that I heard from the queue), there was another 10 to 15 minutes before anything started to happen, with the queue only moving when people had had enough and decided to leave. It got to the point where I was ready to leave at half 3 if nothing happened. The queue moved through slowly, and about 5-10 minutes later, someone behind us asked how long the queue was from where they were, to which the response was "about 45 minutes", in a confident tone. We decided that though this was a lot more then we were wanting to wait, since we had already waited about 45-50 minutes, that we'd stay in the queue a grin and bare it.
The ever-slowly moving queue plodded along, and by about 5:20, we were finally near the front. That's right, at this point, we had queue 2 and a half hours for this blooming maze, despite the fact we got there before it even opened. I genuinely cannot remember the last time I queue over 90 minutes for something, though it was probably back in 2006 for Stealth opening weekend, front row, where I queued about 2 and a quarter hours. Considering people behind us were told that a queue which took 100 minutes would only take 45 minutes, it is in my opinion, ridiculous. I understand that the queues are going to be new to staff, and it's hard to judge exactly, but when you are that far out, it is just ridiculous. Couple this in with no announcements, no apologises for the late opening or anything, it just is not right in my opinion.
So, by the time we were near the front, it starts to become apparent why the queue is taking a long time. I presume you can guess the culprit - that's right, Fastrack. The hugely long Fastrack line was having large numbers sent through at any one period. For example, when I was near the front, I counted 30 (yep, THIRTY, which is more than a whole group who go in the maze) Fastrack let through with not one person from the main queue let through. I don't give two hoots if Fastrack is good for people or whatever, a balance must be reached where those who pay for the extra service get what they pay for, without affecting the main queue. This balance was just not reached. How it can be justified that such a large number of people is let through from the Fastrack queue does not make sense to me. I can't comment on whether it was oversold, by I think there needs to be a much stricter cap put on Fastrack sales, because quite frankly, it is ludicrous.
So, now time to actually review the maze..
The first scene was rather rushed, no doubt to get people through, and just doesn't have as much impact with a larger group. The decontamination chamber, a room which was once dimly lit and had a sinister tone about it now is lit up like daylight. There's less smoke now as well it seems, and it just feels like they've weakened that effect. Also, the fact that the hazmat suits are gone confuses me. Not being able to see a face is a lot scarier than being able to see part of a face. It creates mystery and leaves you to your imagination. Being able to see part of the face / any form of skin makes me feel as though what's happening isn't as harmful as it's being made out to be as well. A good part of the maze ruined.
Now, onto the cupboards / individual rooms. They've got rid of the audio in there, so it's just silent. Mixed feelings about this, but it lacks something now, as the screams and bangs really added a sense of insecurity that those around you were petrified. Also, being locked in there with someone else, the silence is a little less unnerving in my opinion. One good change, however, was how the actor shone a light through the peeping hole, attraction our attention, then grabbed me through the hole (which I think is a new feature?); really did catch me off guard! One thing I didn't know last year though was that it was the same actor who puts you who takes you out of the rooms. Also, the fact that the person putting people in the rooms wasn't wearing a hazmat suit made me feel a little more secure - those suits were one of the more dominating aspects of the maze. It's a real shame they're not there any more - I do hope there's a real reason behind that other than cost or something stupid like that.
So, the middle of the maze is also a bit naff as well. Lacks actors (I only saw ONE in this section) and lacks audio. In general, it's just a lot weaker than last year, and doesn't really have any scares. The strobe lighting section seems to have changed a bit this year as well, what with the mirror of pointlessness and going on/off a lot weaker than last year. Then there was a bit more walking and nothing happening, apart from loads of people grouping together and being confused, and then an actor directing people into a room. She said something about 'This is what Experiment 10 is really about' or something like that; didn't really hear her. By the time we got in there (we were one of the last people in our group), there was a video playing on the TV screen, with a doctor facing the screen and a patient with a scroll saw walking towards him. She kills him, blood splatters on the screen and a little shoot of water comes out, but misses half the people. The actor starts to panic a little bit, and the patient starts to saw around the TV (there's a nice effect where the surrounding on the TV lights up, but it's nothing special really) and the actor starts shouting 'LET ME OUT' and then after a while, turns to us and says 'Get out. No, really, run!' at which point to patient jumps out at the side of the TV (no logic considering she has sawed the bottom and other side on screen...) and a saw noise is made. It scares some people and others - like myself - are just disappointed in the predictableness of this. The fact that the scroll saw is plastic / rubber is a bit of a letdown as well to a degree, as to those who notice it, it really spoils it. The fact that this maze continues to try and do 'an Asylum' with its grand finale disappoints me; last season, they had the incredibly loud monstrous noise, this season, a fake saw in an overly predictable fashion. Why not try and have a more original / different ending? Have a good two or three actors at the end blocking people on the way out, trying to 'take them away', stopping them whilst others around them freely escape. It would continue the panic as well as the isolation feeling that the maze is so good for. Instead, they're trying to force it into doing something it can't. Though I said the ending last year was a little weak and could do with improving, the park successfully ruined the ending (and half the maze it felt), and have created something which decreases throughput it seems, which in turn has ruined the entirety of the attraction.
Another thing I have noticed is the fact that there were a lack of actors. There was one in the reception area, and one in the decontamination room. I assume two actors for the isolation rooms (maybe three, don't know how they deal with the right hand side and its tunnel). Then there was one in the middle section, and two in the end (staff and patient). Six actors for this maze is ridiculous; I'm sorry.
I don't have much else to say with regards to Experiment 10. It has been successfully ruined, with the maze itself feeling like it can't cope with demand, the ending being silly, predictable and not in line with the story (though, I guess if some people literally run out of it, then it will be kept..), a lack of audio and tone. A real shame, a real disappointment, and hardly worth a 20 minute wait, let alone a 2 and a half hour one...
5/10
The Passing
So, we had missed our slot by some time, but after speaking to a member of management, we were told to just go and explain the situation and we should be let in fine. So, our ticket was checked at the entrance to the queue, and nothing was said, despite the fact it was coming up to two hours past our slot. Unfortunately, it seems the idea of a time slot or Fastrack only maze has not worked; there was a quoted 45 minute queue, which was closer to 55 minutes. Again, a total muck up here by the park in my opinion - unless there's a VERY valid reason for missing your slot, you shouldn't be allowed in. However, the way it operated was you could go in after your time slot, just not before (as opposed to the up to 15 minutes after your time slot stated on the ticket). This means people in theory could book a ticket for half 3, yet use it at 8pm with no issues? I'm sorry, but it's silly and the idea needs a rethink. Though I hate to compare, Alton Towers did very well with the time slots on the mazes, and Thorpe could perhaps learn a bit from how they operated it. I understand this is the first time they've done such a thing, but they need to make sure that it works, and the system just did not work. The fact that the actual entrance to the queue is so far away from all the signs pointing to The Passing makes me think that this was not planned by Thorpe, and something had gone wrong - I just hope they learn from any mistakes made quickly, as many people were annoyed with how the queuing system panned out.
Anyone, after queuing and getting our wristband (I assume the 'tagging' idea mentioned), we were batched into a group of five; of which five young boys, oldest must have been thirteen, youngest ten? We had the safety announcement, and as soon as the bag on your head was mentioned, on said 'No, I'm claustrophobic, I can't do that.' and walked off. The others were all very nervous and worried, though some were giving it mouth 'Oh, don't wimp out' and all that went on. Standing in the old Hellgate tunnel and given the nice speech about how we're criminals and been sentenced to death is nice, though the idea of having your photo taken just for the extra money is so cheap, and just is pointless. Even though they try to tie it in with the maze by saying 'Now have a photo taken of your last moments', it just doesn't work and should be scrapped. At this point, the rest of the young boys left as well, too afraid it seems, though the actor stayed in role very well.
I was glad that once we moved on, the bags were actually put on our heads. I worried that it would just be 'Here's a bag, make yourself comfortable', but it wasn't. The actor wordlessly and with a stern look on her face put the bags on our heads, and dragging out the process as long as possible. Unfortunately, I had something in front of me, which I now think was one of the speakers, though it didn't feel like one. It almost felt like it was meant to go round my mouth? I really don't know, but it was a bit of a nuisance more than anything, though it did restrict my vision further - a bit of good and bad I guess! One thing I did not like, however, was the cheap looking vinyl-like wallpaper; it just felt a bit of a cheat. Even if there were just a couple of things 'sticking out', it wouldn't be as bad, but it just felt so half-hearted, perhaps even rushed. We moved on to the next scene, which I think was meant to be the video scene I have now read about, though there was an actor blocking our way for some reason. Whether it was because of another group still in there or that it wasn't working at the time, I don't know, but it is a shame, as from what I've heard of it, it sounds interesting and sets up the maze nicely.
We moved along to the tunnels, where a hooded actor - possibly Death - guided the two in front of us into one tunnel. I went to follow, when I was stopped and moved to the adjacent one. It also turns out I was the only one in this tunnel out of my whole group, which shocked me a little when I found out after the maze. Anyway, I went along the tunnel and expected something similar to Experiment 10's one; straight bit, little dip, out (maybe not necessarily like that exactly, but pretty much the same thing). I crawled a bit, then banged my head - now this shocked me. For that split second, I feared I was trapped, taken a wrong direction or something, and there was no way for me to go. However, I found the turning and carried on. There were copious little dips and turns, and each time I was asking myself 'So do I get up now?' only to have my head stopped by the ceiling. I was worried; I could not see in front of me, I didn't know how long this was going on for and I didn't even know if I was going the right way. Eventually, I felt a cold surface and knew that it must be time to get up.
At this point, there was two of us now to tackle the maze - such a small group is worrying, as you can really get picked on. Having the speaker or whatever it was in my way meant I struggled to see, along with the bag itself which - in darkness - was hard to see through as well, and the actors took advantage of the bag on the head really well. Scares would come from literally out of nowhere. The trouble with the scares is that they are still quite samey - actors hiding, shouting and more leading to 'jumps', than 'scares'. Having a bag on your head should leave you questioning yourself, and it should lead to a psychological experience a lot; somehow the actors need to further scare you with the psychological side more - make you continually second guess yourself as to where you are, what you are doing and so forth. The spinning tunnel was a good touch, with all the words written on and such, and was surprisingly disorientating for me. I quite liked the final scene with your bag on your head; the actor was very good, and even though we caught up with the other two nearly, he did very well in confusing us, blocking our way and touching to scare us. I think I might have ended up in the wrong place, as I went through some curtains, walked into a wall nearly a hit a step / seat, to which the actor moved me whilst saying 'This was you piece of scum'. And that was nearly it. We were told to take off our bags by two staff members, to which I found out my crime was an arsonist, and presented with our certificates of death. I was a bit underwhelmed by the length if I'm honest, and responded with 'Was that it?'.
Anyone, we moved on through the UV section, through some curtains and into a pitch black room. There was nowhere to go; were we in the wrong place? I shouted out asking which was do we go, only for an actor to jump out seconds later - it confused me more than scared me, but I was certainly caught off guard. None of us knew where to go or what to do, and then a door seemingly opened, but I couldn't leave as someone had a hold of my ankle. A couple of seconds later, I was allowed to go, caught up with the others in our group, and was greeted by the photo booth - brilliant thing to do after death...
My main issues with the maze are the beginning with the vinyl wallpaper bits and the story line being inconsistent. Maybe missing the video did more harm than it should have done, but what does the maze signify? When do I die? How have I been executed? What happens after I die? From my experience, the whole maze experience itself is the execution, where in the moments before dying, all the evil is flashing before me, and I'm contained in a bag helpless. Then, we're presented with the certificate of death, and the final scene is meant to show us that we're tormented after death as well. But with the video, it almost seems like the bag goes on your head, then life flashes before our eyes, then we go through the tunnels to signify being buried, the maze is death / the afterlife, and after that, who knows? However, my point simply is that it needs to be clearer in the story, give a stronger indication as to when we die and what happens afterwards. Oh, and get rid of the photo bit and perhaps give a bit more at the ending.
Is it worth the £3? Yes and no; it depends on your definition of worth. In terms of quality, there's better experiences that can be had in my honest, but it's still good, and with some work, would be great. It's a different experience, and is a lot more personal. The nice little mementos (wristbands and certificate) are good as well. So, worth it really, but if you're expecting the additional cost to lead to a much scarier maze than a free one, then you may need a readjustment of expectations. All in all, a good maze that needs some work.
6.5/10
Just a couple of other bits. Serious lack of FN theming - can't say I saw any at all apart from the posters of the criminals and on the island by the bridge. Quite disappointing. Audio was alright, though the park-wide loop with messages from the Governor needed to be longer. The roaming actors were good from what I saw of them too.
With regards to Experiment 10 and the Fastrack situation, I decided to go to Guest Services about it (lack of communication about queuing and opening time, too much Fastrack) and pretty much, nothing was written down, we were told 'It shouldn't be like that', and given Priority Passes with no expiry date as an apology. I fear that nothing will come from the complaint, and that the resolution (giving of PP) just makes the issues worse. What I found amusing was at the same time, there was another complaint at the same time about Fastrack - many people in the main queue for attractions do get annoyed with it - it needs serious rethinking. (Also, another random point, anyone able to explain why some people were able to use the Priority Queue for The Passing without being disabled? Definitely saw a group of 4 or 5 using tickets, looked identical to Fastrack ones, being used there... )

I tried to get my Passing tickets from the advanced ticket sales, and they told me I was in the wrong place. They then told me to go to Customer services in the park. Customer services once again told me I was in the wrong place and that you need to go to Sales and information. So just pick them up whenever you're near Nemesis, you don't HAVE to have them at the start of the day, after all.

For those asking, some statistics about the No Limits Recreation, bearing in mind that the indoor section has no known layout and so the recreation follows this basis (and that No Limits is no way perfectly accurate).
Track Length is 1108.14m
Height from lowest section of track to highest point is approximately 32m
The top speed peaks at 81km/h
Remember to note that No Limits is not an accurate representation of the real life values but are a good estimate. Also to note, the landscaping at the bottom of the SW7 site is very dissimilar from that of the recreation.

The press statement mentioned by Dan:


http://press.altontowers.com/news-alton-towers-resort-to-launch-world-first-rollercoaster-in-2013-11705 - Link
4 rows of 4 is...interesting to say the least.
(As a side note, with the track length being confirmed as 1170m, is that around the same to what was on the plans? Presumably people who've done No Limits recreations know the outside length track, and that may give an indication to how long the inside section is?)

There is literally nothing wrong with the park security arrangements. They'll have put months of planning into this and meetings etc, and they could've realised they've overstaffed security in recent years creating the wrong atmosphere on park.
Thorpe is fine, merlin is fine, tussauds were awful. Stop hating for hating sake, seriously. It gets boring and irritating.

Paranormal Activity
To say this film is terrible would be a huge understatement. I really can't be bothered to do a full proper review on it because it was just that bad. I'm a big fan of the series but this film was ridiculous. There were hardly any scares, (most of which weren't caused by 'paranormal activity'. The acting was poor apart from a couple of characters and the ideas they have of catching the paranormal activity was laughable and unrealistic.
It started to get good at the end but then the final part was laughable, instead of screaming, everyone burst into laughter. I'm sorry but this franchise is long dead and I hope to God they don't make another next year (which no doubt they will). Luckily I had a 2for1 voucher so only had to pay £3 to see it, it still wasn't even worth that. If you want to see a good horror film this halloween then go see Sinister (that is awesome)
4/10

If I had 1p for every time I've read this on a theme park forum, I wouldn't have needed to take out a student loan for uni...
Seriously, no matter what anyone's views are on Merlin, they know how to run a business. They're making loads of money and they probably still have pretty high satisfaction rates on the whole (I'm sure the general public are a lot more satisfied with things than we are, for example...). There'll be many reason for having an awful year this season, and no doubt some of them are completely out of Merlin's control.
If I'm honest, I'm a bit confused about what your point is here. You believe there's a drop in visible security and that there's some actors who have some fears about safety. A visible drop in security is not necessarily bad - just as long as there's enough to keep people in line and act as a deterrence as pluk said. Also, if actors have fears for their safety, I hope they're brought that to the park's attention to some description - all well and good saying it to some person who can't do anything about it, but it doesn't actually help the situation, does it? By the sounds of it, there's always security around, and sometimes it's just that they're well hidden / blending in, which is surely a good thing?
Incidents will inevitably happen in the mazes, whether they've just opened or been going for a few hours. It will happen across the country and it's just an unfortunate thing that happens. I believe that the only Thorpe maze which 'needs' to have security outside the maze is Asylum, due to the fact many get freaked out too much by the ending (or something like that, not too sure, but I've heard it's one they 'always' have security by the exit'?).
So basically - Merlin know how to run a business, and any changes to security this year have probably been thought through carefully, and if there are serious concerns from actors / staff, they should bring it up with the park and sort it out.

If I had 1p for every time I've read this on a theme park forum, I wouldn't have needed to take out a student loan for uni...
Seriously, no matter what anyone's views are on Merlin, they know how to run a business. They're making loads of money and they probably still have pretty high satisfaction rates on the whole (I'm sure the general public are a lot more satisfied with things than we are, for example...). There'll be many reason for having an awful year this season, and no doubt some of them are completely out of Merlin's control.
If I'm honest, I'm a bit confused about what your point is here. You believe there's a drop in visible security and that there's some actors who have some fears about safety. A visible drop in security is not necessarily bad - just as long as there's enough to keep people in line and act as a deterrence as pluk said. Also, if actors have fears for their safety, I hope they're brought that to the park's attention to some description - all well and good saying it to some person who can't do anything about it, but it doesn't actually help the situation, does it? By the sounds of it, there's always security around, and sometimes it's just that they're well hidden / blending in, which is surely a good thing?
Incidents will inevitably happen in the mazes, whether they've just opened or been going for a few hours. It will happen across the country and it's just an unfortunate thing that happens. I believe that the only Thorpe maze which 'needs' to have security outside the maze is Asylum, due to the fact many get freaked out too much by the ending (or something like that, not too sure, but I've heard it's one they 'always' have security by the exit'?).
So basically - Merlin know how to run a business, and any changes to security this year have probably been thought through carefully, and if there are serious concerns from actors / staff, they should bring it up with the park and sort it out.

You what?
Thorpe have added a new attraction to some description every season since, and including, 1998. In the past ten years, they've spent around £80 million on new attractions (quick guestimate to be honest there, but it seems about right). I really can't think of many parks that have had this level of investment, and if you exclude Disney and Universal parks, I can't think of any (though correct me if I'm wrong here).
Thorpe have thrown ride after ride at the park, and realistically, the list of options available to them for 'round rides' (ie non-coasters) is becoming smaller and smaller. Their level of investment does not need to be increased really.
However, one year with no new additions would not be a bad thing. There's plenty of things which can be done to attract guests, and rides at the park which could do with a revamp and even be marketed as new due to that. The park has plenty of options open to them, and with their two year marketing strategies that seem to occur for coasters, no doubt next year there'll be some form of Swarm-related pulling power to try and bring in the guests.
The introduction of the Snoozeboxes will certainly be an interesting factor. Say what you want about how they look, the troubles it may show with the plans for a hotel at Thorpe or whatnot, but they will be used, and they will attract guests to come to the park (even if it's for longer, as opposed to completely outright).
In other words, what I'm saying is that a new ride / attraction is not necessary to bring in new guests / more guests, or to be recognised. The last time the park didn't add anything, 1997, they won awards for being the best family park in the country (or something along those lines), so no new rides never spell doom and gloom necessarily.
Meh, I'm probably rambling now, but pretty much - Thorpe's investment is high enough, whether or not there's a new attraction next year, Thorpe will still do things to attract people and all should go to how they plan..

Tulleys farm is one of the biggest scare attractions of 2012! With 6 mazes and many roaming we were in for a fright as we arrived at tulleys farm's preview night! Below are reviews of 5 mazes! Due to the fact that the review has spoilers, the whole reviews are going to be in spoiler tags! Enjoy















Sadly due to the fact that I am not 15 I was refused entry into the maze! Bit of a bummer actually as 15 is a 'recommended age' not a set age!

You what?
Thorpe have added a new attraction to some description every season since, and including, 1998. In the past ten years, they've spent around £80 million on new attractions (quick guestimate to be honest there, but it seems about right). I really can't think of many parks that have had this level of investment, and if you exclude Disney and Universal parks, I can't think of any (though correct me if I'm wrong here).
Thorpe have thrown ride after ride at the park, and realistically, the list of options available to them for 'round rides' (ie non-coasters) is becoming smaller and smaller. Their level of investment does not need to be increased really.
However, one year with no new additions would not be a bad thing. There's plenty of things which can be done to attract guests, and rides at the park which could do with a revamp and even be marketed as new due to that. The park has plenty of options open to them, and with their two year marketing strategies that seem to occur for coasters, no doubt next year there'll be some form of Swarm-related pulling power to try and bring in the guests.
The introduction of the Snoozeboxes will certainly be an interesting factor. Say what you want about how they look, the troubles it may show with the plans for a hotel at Thorpe or whatnot, but they will be used, and they will attract guests to come to the park (even if it's for longer, as opposed to completely outright).
In other words, what I'm saying is that a new ride / attraction is not necessary to bring in new guests / more guests, or to be recognised. The last time the park didn't add anything, 1997, they won awards for being the best family park in the country (or something along those lines), so no new rides never spell doom and gloom necessarily.
Meh, I'm probably rambling now, but pretty much - Thorpe's investment is high enough, whether or not there's a new attraction next year, Thorpe will still do things to attract people and all should go to how they plan..

You what?
Thorpe have added a new attraction to some description every season since, and including, 1998. In the past ten years, they've spent around £80 million on new attractions (quick guestimate to be honest there, but it seems about right). I really can't think of many parks that have had this level of investment, and if you exclude Disney and Universal parks, I can't think of any (though correct me if I'm wrong here).
Thorpe have thrown ride after ride at the park, and realistically, the list of options available to them for 'round rides' (ie non-coasters) is becoming smaller and smaller. Their level of investment does not need to be increased really.
However, one year with no new additions would not be a bad thing. There's plenty of things which can be done to attract guests, and rides at the park which could do with a revamp and even be marketed as new due to that. The park has plenty of options open to them, and with their two year marketing strategies that seem to occur for coasters, no doubt next year there'll be some form of Swarm-related pulling power to try and bring in the guests.
The introduction of the Snoozeboxes will certainly be an interesting factor. Say what you want about how they look, the troubles it may show with the plans for a hotel at Thorpe or whatnot, but they will be used, and they will attract guests to come to the park (even if it's for longer, as opposed to completely outright).
In other words, what I'm saying is that a new ride / attraction is not necessary to bring in new guests / more guests, or to be recognised. The last time the park didn't add anything, 1997, they won awards for being the best family park in the country (or something along those lines), so no new rides never spell doom and gloom necessarily.
Meh, I'm probably rambling now, but pretty much - Thorpe's investment is high enough, whether or not there's a new attraction next year, Thorpe will still do things to attract people and all should go to how they plan..

So, yesterday I hit Scarefest for the first time ever yesterday. I'd heard many great things about the event in the past few years, and really did jump at the opportunity to go. Being also my first visit of the year, this would be my first experience of the anticipated Nemesis Sub-Terra; needless to say, I was looking forward to the day.
After a long coach journey from uni (two and a half hours somehow, even though it should have only taken one and a half!), we arrived at about half 11, and got in at about quarter to 12.

I do love the Scarefest entrance!

Clowns were greeting guests, and scaring a fair few guests too.

I love this view, whatever the weather!
The park was relatively quiet, and the weather was nice - things were looking good. According to the Scarefest app, Sub Terra's queue was 15-30 minutes, so we jumped at the opportunity. After a quick Skyride over there, we arrived and made our way over. The queue was relatively quick moving and interesting I thought; the TV loop was very good and very professional. We made our way in, and this is where I'll pretty much leave it there for the time being, as I'll post my full, spoiler-filled review in the correct topic.
Just a couple of words though - I really did enjoy it, it left me with a smile on my face, and there were some bit that genuinely shocked me, though I was a little disappointed with the way the storyline ended; a little weak. On the whole, a good, solid attraction which suits Alton Towers perfectly - 7/10.
Afterwards, we made our way towards the Dark Forest via Skyride, of course, though a random detour to Cloud Cuckoo Land for a certain costumed character was had...

Pretty standard shot.
Th13teen times were had as well, though we decided to use Single Rider as the queue was rather large following disturbances in the forest affecting Rita's operational status temporarily, though it was quickly resolved it seems.
I absolutely love Th13teen, it is one of my favourite rides on park. In fact, had that first drop not been trimmed and it kept a large amount of pace during the ride, it might have even been my favourite ride! The indoor queue line is a work of art, and the station area sets such a brilliant tone - absolutely love it. The ride itself is enjoyable, but the first trim really does ruin it for me; I forget just how noticeable it is. In a couple more years once more trees have grown more and such, the outside section will certainly be impressive. The indoor section is so much fun as well; it's something which puts a smile on everyone's face. My favourite part of the ride is the end however - pretty much being launched into the station just makes me laugh for some reason..
Once Th13teen was done and dusted, it was coming close to 1 O'clock and Terror of the Towers was due to open, so we made our way over there and waited a short period of time..

I'm aware that TotT gets large queues, so seeing this short length (as the gates had yet opened) made me happy.


I do like the queue line and the shots of the Towers you can get.

Trying the panorama mode on my phone; pretty successful I think.

The Sanctuary queue is to the left hand side.
Like with Sub-Terra, I'll write reviews for the mazes in the appropriate topic, but a couple of non-spoiler words to follow. I like the back story to the maze, however, I just didn't feel like it followed through in the maze really, which was disappointing. The length was very good, and I don't think it felt drawn out, however, I wasn't as impressed with it as others seem to be; perhaps all the rave reviews lead me to expect too much, but I wasn't overly impressed with it.. - 6/10
We exited the maze into the X-Sector, and made our way to Oblivion. Again, another ride which many seem to like, and I seem to think is okay at best. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the ride, but it just never blows me away really. Lunch was had in the Fried Chicken Co. - really good place; fast service, tasty food and quite cheap as well. Thumbs up from me!

Standard Oblivion shot.

Standard Oblivion shot II.

My usual nature shot. This duck tried so hard to eat this bread, and failed.
We ended up going to Duel, but got lost / sidetracked by the beautiful shots round here:

This tower-thing is pretty sweet.

Panorama-view from by that tower.

Because why not?
Now then, this was my first time on Duel. I knew what the ride was, and I knew that it used to be a Haunted House ride, but I didn't quite know what to expect from the ride. I really did enjoy it though; the effects were amazing, the length was very good and the general setting I loved. Much better than Tomb Blaster, and a very good dark ride - would've loved to have ridden it before the laser guns were introduced.
Nemesis and Air times were had afterwards, and my opinions remain pretty much the same. I also did Nemesis front row, which was an experience. However, as controversial as it may seem, I still prefer Swarm to Nemesis - Swarm just seems to have 'something' about it which is special, whereas Nemesis, whilst special, seems to lack that 'something'. The thing is, I can't really put my finger on what that 'something' actually is, but hey, I digress... A second go on Sub-Terra was also had, and I enjoyed it just as much the second time as I did the first, proving to myself really that it wasn't a one hit wonder of a ride.
After some general milling around and the such, as well as a quick go on the amazing Sonic Spinball, half 5 arrived and it was time for the Carnival of Screams and The Sanctuary. Again, spoilers elsewhere, just a couple of pictures and a sentence here:

Love this entrance! <3
I really enjoyed Carnival, a really great attraction, and again, a very good length. There were a couple too many 'obvious scares' for my liking, and I'm unsure if that was the point, but on the whole, it was solid and did what it was meant to do. 7.5/10

Sanctuary 'waiting room'.

Everyone Sanctuary patient gets a stamp it seems..
Sanctuary was my favourite maze of the day, and had a couple of real highlights for me. Like all of Alton's mazes, a very good length in my opinion and works very well. A bit like TotT, I found the story is set up very well at the beginning before the maze, but seems to disappear in the maze a fair bit, with just bits and bobs coming through. The ending also needs some work. 7.5/10
Zombies followed afterwards, and there's not a lot I can say about it really. The actors do a good job, the theming is good and everything works well. A good scare and works for all the family, which is exactly what Alton should aim for.

The Towers lit up at dusk; very nice sight.
That's pretty much it. A bit of shopping was done, but due to Barclays and their silly fraud rules I missed out on a couple of bits and restricted myself (grr, but life goes on..). I didn't noticed the green donuts which were mentioned on the AT Twitter page either, which was a shame, and missed out on night rides as well, but there'll be other times.
All in all, I really enjoyed Scarefest, mainly because I enjoy Alton Towers. I noticed that apart from in Towers Street and the mazes, it didn't feel very Halloween-y, with no real changes to audio and not that much extra theming and the like. I guess being the Preview Weekend, the park has a chance to add more, make tweaks and the like, which I hope they do. Really enjoyed the day, and I hope that I can make it to another Scarefest event next season and for seasons to come.

Trip report of Six Flags New England 14/10/12
I knew I was going to the park for ages and ages and despite arranging to meet up with someone, people fail at organising themselves and all that so at the last minute my dad said he'd be happy to take me! Whatever, I'm going to Six Flags so I'm happy!
Park was advertised as open from 12-9 so I arrived at 12ish, greeted with a cheeky $20 parking fee the day wasn't looking very promising. Having visited Six Flags Elitch Gardens as a child and Six Flags Magic Mountain in a previous post-summer time to find horrific ride reliability, poor theming, incredibly slow operations, and Thorpe Park standard rudeness from employees etc I didn't have high hopes to begin with!
Despite the walk to the park being small, I didn't know so waited a bit for a shuttle bus to get to the entrance; waste of time but surprising and a good move from the park as the car park wasn't adjacent.
Heading into the park was easy but really set the tone for the worst having to hand in my phone and go through a metal detector; nice start for any guest! Especially a park that advertises heavily '3 kids areas!' to try and appeal to a family market. Despite this, the actual entrance was quite well kept and there was a lot of Halloween theming for Fright Fest, a lot more than you'd see in the whole of Thorpe Park in the space of just the entrance. (Organ man set piece below)

After reading a few reviews of Fright Fest in Magic Mountain, I got the impression the park would be busy, (like theme park Halloween events anywhere) But after discovering there were just 3 mazes costing $8 per maze, I wasn't so worried!
Plan of attack was to either do Goliath ('new' ride of 2012 which is really 'De ja vu' a Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang moved from Magic Mountain) or Bizarro first. As it happens Goliath wasn't operating that morning due to the 'weather conditions' (it was a bit cloudy and had rained in the night) - Great first impression, so walked briskly to Bizarro which was walk on! Yay.
Bizarro (Previously Superman: Ride Of Steel) was voted the world's number one steel coaster on various coaster polls.

There was even a sign in the station saying the years it had one etc; Six Flags really push this as many advertisements and signs say 'Home to the number one rated steel coaster, Bizarro' etc. (You can see on the left of this photo)

So after it being shoved down my throat, I was expecting quite an experience... which it failed to deliver! It all just felt 'meh-y', I expected crazy air-time or intensity or something. It was a smooth, fun, and fast ride, but I failed to see what all the fuss was about! It has it's moments.

I particularly like the first drop and tunnel, the tunnel and bunny hops at the end, and a part after the first turnaround where it dips slightly giving slight airtime and a feeling of speed. But overall not a fantastic ride and I felt that Silver Star which I had rode just months earlier was possibly better. I think it was a case of over-hype but hey! 7/10

Next in this section was a wild-mouse that was a reverse rattlesnake clone. - COASTER CREDIT.

Vekoma SLCs for life. As this was the standard layout, I had ridden it a thousand times before and knew what I was getting into; I think my aim of the day was 'while I'm here I'll do everything', so had 'fun' on this. Standard vekoma headache too! 3/10
Being mainstream as I am, I was really looking forward to a nice B&M that I knew would be painless and thrilling.

Batman – The Dark Knight is a cute floorless that isn't too intimidating and proves a fun ride; being so small it has some tight elements which are surprisingly smooth (but then again, its a B&M!).

I really liked it throughout despite being small it was fun; the Nemesis Inferno of Six Flags New England that isn't hyped but is still a strong coaster! 8/10
STORM SURGE CLONE was next.


Hilariously better themed and operated than Storm Surge, it had an actual station building and the boats actually spun. Still had a pool of water in the bottom of the boat though! Entertaining and a good filler, it's awkwardly located next to the water park even though it's for theme park guests; maybe the system in Legoland California for their new chute the chute ride could be implemented here, where the slide would be half for theme park guests and half for water park guests.
Huss topspin next which proved painful and had the awkward hang even though there were no water sprays. It was running on the Rameses second setting (or very similar!) so had spins and general awkward movement. As a side note, top spins are one of the worst flat rides ever.
'Scream' an S&S Power Tower (or whatever) next was fun as it had a launch, bounce, then drop and bounce setting that was genuinely fun and thrilling. I think 'thrilling and fun' is the theme here.

Goliath had opened not long after opening and had an 'hour' long queue! Yikes, I opted for single rider and walked straight on like a pro - Didn't even have to sit next to anyone as the seating configuration is so damn awkwardly staggered. I really thought this would be horrible and I had avoided it like the plague when it was at Magic Mountain; but I was in a funny mood and it was a fairly rare experience so I thought I would give it a go!

Hate me if you want but I LOVED it. The awkward backwards vertical hill climb at the start followed by a drop downwards was just hilarious. Leaves you no time to breathe as you fly through the station and into the cobra roll. Wasn't stupidly rough like I had expected and actually was intense and left me feeling weird being pulled in some weird directions. The loop was standard, pretty forceful, then the second tower felt exactly like Saw's climb, sort of falling out of your seat feeling but less weird than being pulled up backwards! You don't even realised you've hit the top when you plummet backwards seeing the supports either side of you flying upwards.

I forgot how much I secretly loved Vekoma boomerangs and sidewinders like Revolution at blackpool. Guilty pleasure but I love going through inversions backwards; the cobra roll was especially good. A second fly through the station and the most awkward lift-hill jolt ever as you are slowly dragged back up to the top before coming down. Crazy awkward but intense and interesting ride. For some reason I absolutely loved it, maybe just because it was such a unique experience! 9/10 (I'm sorry, theming and all that don't come into play because it was a somehow great ride).
Up till this point everything had been walk on except Goliath if I hadn't have used single rider, but a low capacity ride was looming. Pandemonium is a Gerstlauer spinning coaster that again is a classic Six Flags chain ride. Having been on 3 Maurer Sohne spinners and a Mack spinning coaster... Well a sort of spinning coaster, wild mouse... thing, I was semi-excited to seeing what Gerstlauer did to make it so special.

So with a queue of 30 minutes I jumped in. It was fun, had a few moments when we spun quite a lot and a small dip; the layout was unimaginative but compact so oh well! 6/10 but not a scratch on Dragon's Fury.
Panda Express was had for lunch.

Fast food chinese food is just great. Gross, but great.
Despite having just eaten I was keen for Catapult, the only other existing sky swat other than our very own Slammer! Interestingly (so not interesting), the right side rotates over the top first unlike the left side of Slammer. But otherwise the ride is the same low throughput banter nightmare with painful lap bars!

Either way it was fun and with Slammer being closed most of this season, I actually hadn't ridden in a while and enjoyed the sky swat experience.
Next was a wooden rollercoaster Cyclone which looked very rough. Having ridden and compared Psyclone an older wooden coaster at Six Flags MM to Wodan in Europa Park, I was expecting a horrific ride from Cyclone which was an older woodie.

But I was thankfully surprised to enjoy my ride as it was just the right amount of crazy with nice bits of airtime and some big drops! 7/10
Blizzard River a rapids ride was better themed than any UK rapids rides I have ridden and there were plenty of soak moments without much use of sprays or waterfalls that take the 'rapids' out of rapids.

All good fun even though I got pretty wet! Also wasn't sure on the manufacturer as the station was a conveyer rather than a turntable, and boats were more 'open' than any other rapids rides I've been on! EDIT: Just looked at the website, the manufacturer is 'OD Hopkins'
Placed right by Goliath is a vekoma boomerang called Flashback. So 2 vekoma boomerangs right by each other; brilliant. This proved fun, as I said they're a bit of a guilty pleasure.
This was it, pretty much all the rides done and it was only 3:45 so I looked up the show times. In honour of Fright Fest there were some scaryish themed shows including a freak show, but I opted to see a hypnotist show as it started at 4 and wasn't that far away. Whether you believe in hypnotism or not etc you would have to be stubborn to not enjoy the show just because it was made clear from the beginning it was just meant to make everyone laugh and have a good time. I'd never seen a show like it and really enjoyed it, particular highlights were everyone on the stage driving a car and suddenly hit 'speed bumps' as well as someone looking at the audience and thinking they see someone famous. Glad I caught it as it was a little gem!
Despite advertising a 40 minute show, it lasted 55 which was no issue for me as I had done almost everything. A quick sweep around the park I had a go on Batman again, Goliath using single rider, a small Huss Frisbee called Tomahawk that I thought was quite thrilling and despite not being as high or 'beyond vertical' as Vortex, was on a long setting and spun quite quickly so was another new found favourite alongside the giant vekoma boomerang.

2 final rides were an old compact wooden coaster called Thunderbolt which was thrilling despite not being high and taking up loads of room and a final ride on Bizarro just before dusk. This ride was an improvement of the first, it felt a lot smoother, faster, airtime-y and made me re-evaluate my rating to a 9/10.

Utter shock at how good my day was – Friendly staff, efficient running of rides with most running full capacity, busy enough for an atmosphere but not busy queues, good amounts of theming for a Six Flags park with loads of roaming actors, gag theming, and smoke for Fright Fest! So even though I hadn't intended to visit at Halloween time; not going in any mazes didn't segragate from the great theming throughout the park as well as scare zones on major pathways when at about 4 actors started roaming around.
Thanks for reading! I didn't take many pictures as I hadn't intended to look back fondly of this trip, but there you go!

Oops. Thought I missed out on something, I wrote Hellgate instead. That's how up to date I am with thorpes aging mazes!
All done