Coaster

It's beyond me how operations can be that bad... I mean with Chessington it literally feels like someone's said "right, we need to make operations as slow as possible."

40 minutes is worthy of a second train IMO, especially at a park like Chessington where there aren't enough coasters to cope with the crowds. A shame to hear that they weren't hurrying as well.

How long was the queue for Vampire out of interest? One train is very poor, especially when you consider that the only other ride in the area is closed so that will have an effect on the number of people on Vampire.

It's all down to opinion, personally I quite like X!

Does anyone know why several of the effects are not in use in Cabin this year? There was the air blast coming from the wolf head, spinning tunnel, moving patterns on the walls in the queue (now static), all of which were not working on my run-throughs this year.

Please be aware the following will contain SPOILERS. Having heard a lot of positive reviews I was incredibly excited for my first visit to Shocktober Fest at Tulleys Farm, and it did not disappoint! Here is my review based on my experiences on Saturday 8th October; Haunts (in the order we did them); Creepy Cottage Knowing that this was the tamest maze I wasn't expecting much from this, but I was wrong! Obviously the intention isn't to terrify you with this attraction, however it creates a creepy atmosphere throughout with very well themed sets and good audio. There were a few jump scares, as the maze has been designed with this in mind; there are plenty of places for actors to hide, and the layout allows for actors to appear multiple times. One thing I really liked about this maze was the mix between live actors and moving props - there were skeletons coming out of coffins and jars, and plenty more animated scenery which added a lot to the enjoyment of the attraction. Overall, Creepy Cottage is a great maze to start the event, and does its job fantastically. 6/10 Hellements Hellements seems to get mixed reviews, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. The attraction is essentially a "blind man's trail", which sees you navigate the layout using a rope as you are blindfolded. I found that the walkthrough lasted a very long time, and was very disorientating with a mix of atmospheric audio and special effects including wind, water and fire. The highlight for me was the fire effect at the end, however the wind was also very effective. The uneven flooring made it more difficult to navigate which was good, even though I did nearly fall over! I enjoyed Hellements a lot more than I was expecting. Despite the fact that I like to see theming in attractions, I feel that in an event with eight haunts it's good to have an attraction that is completely different to the others, and as such it's worthy of a place in the lineup. 5/10 Coven of 13 Wow! Coven of 13 was the main new attraction for this year, and I thought it was fantastic. The haunt has a continued theme of witches throughout, and is very inventive in terms of the effects and locations used. There is a perfect mix of indoor and outdoor sections which worked really well, as the outdoor sections acted as "fillers" for the larger indoor scenes. The first scene was one of my favourites; it made great use of laser effects which offered hiding places for the actors, as they could jump up unexpectedly. The chair scene worked really well (an actor sat on the chair falls under the laser beam) - this is one of many examples of the creative thought that has gone into this attraction, and the fact that this was combined with one of the "squash tunnels" made it even more fun! There was a short outdoor section before we entered a house. Like many of Tulleys' haunts, the theming was superb in here, and the strobes were on a good flash rate which created a sense of chaos whilst still allowing you to see well enough to appreciate the props/actors. Finally, the last scene was really clever, utilising a wind effect combined with an actor in the centre; a great end to an outstanding attraction. Coven of 13 amazed me in every way; it's creative, entertaining and a lot of fun, yet still manages to provide plenty of scares. 8/10 Pandemonium's 3D Carnival Our next maze was Pandemonium, which is a clown maze with a twist; the second half features 3D glasses. The sets were well designed throughout, and interactive both with the actors and guests; simple things such as giving the actors a swing to use added to the overall fun of the haunt, as did the moving clown props. I was worried that the 3D element would be a gimmick but it worked really well IMO - the paintwork was really good, and the actors even had 3D paint on their faces which created a brilliant effect! One of the last rooms was really good with two clown props that moved slightly, and then an actor dressed up as a clown - really effective. Another good thing was that the actors had props, for example one of them holding a doll and then slamming it against the wall. Overall Pandemonium was an immensely fun maze with lots of different elements, though it was definitely more fun than scary. 7/10 Chop Shop After hearing a lot about this it was my most anticipated maze of the event, and whilst it was fun, I did feel that it could be improved. The first half of the maze is immensely themed with an incredible amount of detailing for a scare attraction; you're navigating through a car repair workshop which requires you to walk round cars, through small spaces and everything was thought of in terms of decoration. The actors were good in this section, building up the anticipation for the second half. After a while the theatrical side is dropped in favour of an intense, loud and very fun second half. This section consists of corridor after corridor of white walls covered in blood, whilst guests are terrorised by some 8 actors, all with chainsaws! I found this to be a lot of fun, however the scare factor did wear off after a while. I also feel that in a maze so reliant on chainsaws, it lacked a proper ending; we weren't chased out on our run-through, with the final corridor feeling like a calm walk to the finish rather than the intense final it should have been IMO. The second half could do with some small items of theming, for example body parts scattered around and writing on the wall; just something to add some difference to the otherwise same-y white walls. I really enjoyed Chop Shop. It's a maze of two halves, and is truly groundbreaking for the UK, however I feel that some improvements are necessary for it to be the "outstanding" maze it could definitely be. 7/10 The Colony The Colony was the longest walkthrough at the event, taking nearly 15 minutes to complete. Despite this, we were entertained the entire way through due to a fantastic mix of indoor and outdoor sections, as well as some extremely creative set designs; like many of Tulleys' attractions there were lots of small touches which added to the overall experience, for example a bee hive with an air cannon, and the chicken run! There were no large open spaces which, combined with the great use of scenery, meant that the actors had an abundance of places to hide and surprise guests from. I also loved the use of real bonfires throughout this attraction! My one disappointment came from the final; when you have Chop Shop using 5+ chainsaws, and a few on Haunted Hayride, the chainsaw finale in The Colony felt like a bit of a cop-out. Don't get me wrong, it was executed well, however I feel that there should be something else when chainsaws are so prominent in one of the event's other mazes. Overall The Colony is a great attraction with outstanding theming, which despite being long managed to hold my interest throughout the entire duration - but I would like to see a revised ending for next year. 7/10 The Cellar This was easily the most unnerving haunt of the event for me, it just went on and on through so many different scenes! The first scene takes place in a garden with one particular effect surprising us a lot - however it hadn't quite reset in time and therefore was visible as we entered the room which was a shame. That was the only downside though as the maze was atmospheric with phenominal sets in places, for example the cobwebs in the house! The actors were on top form and there were loads of places for them to hide, with small enclosed spaces adding to the feel of unease throughout. There was loads of dangling theming throughout, which forced us to interact with it as well as giving the actors yet more places to hide! This was one of my favourite things about The Cellar, as when combined with the small spaces and dark lighting, it really did make you feel vulnerable. The final scare was a simple idea which could use some work; the strobe went off after we had walked past, meaning that it didn't have the effect it should have done. The Cellar was my favourite walkthrough attraction of the event - it had everything, atmosphere, scares, theming and a decent duration. 8/10 Horrorwood Haunted Hayride WOW! I have never come across a scare attraction like this before! The Haunted Hayride takes place on a trailer pulled by a tractor, and takes you past loads of huge scenes throughout, as well as some smaller ones. Despite taking approximately 20 minutes there were NO dull sections, it was so entertaining! There were many creative set pieces throughout, for example the spider at the beginning and the toppling boards. The humour in this attraction was fantastic, with actors jumping onboard the trailer and terrorising guests; jump scares were triggered both from actors and theming, with the use of fire in multiple places adding to the fun! The final section consisted of two actors with chainsaws jumping on board which was very intense, and hysterically funny! Overall Horrorwood Haunted Hayride is an phenominal attraction. It's so unique and different to anything you'll come across at other scare events, and it truly pushes the boundaries of what can be done at a scare event. In my opinion it's worth going to Tulleys just for this. 9/10 Overall event Tulleys isn't just about the mazes, as there is also plenty of street entertainment on offer as well as two live stages. The atmosphere throughout was brilliant with music blaring out, as well as roaming actors (the "popcorn people" were really good!) and Halloween decoration throughout. The event is different to any I've been to as it's not located at a theme park; despite this it (IMO) surpasses the quality of any other event I've been to, it's just so entertaining in every aspect and I would highly recommend it to scare fans. Shocktober Fest is the best scare event I have ever been to, and we hope to be back next year! Photos Chop Shop has one of the best maze exteriors I've ever seen! Pandemonium; The Colony; The Cellar; Live music; Thanks for reading

Overheard this yesterday in the indoor section of the Cabin in the Woods queue; Girl 1: "Is this the maze?" Girl 2: (Pointing to the exit) "Yeah I think you go out to the left" Girl 1: "What's the ******* point in that?"

There weren't many actors during our run-throughs in Cabin today, especially in the first half - and none were wearing the character costumes. Platform 15 was still awful, though the actors were slightly better. Big Top was good, Saw Alive & Blair Witch the same as usual.

Nemesis Inferno

A wooden coaster with lots of airtime.

Decent operations yesterday, all coasters were on two trains until the evening (it got quieter), and the mazes ran smoothly all day. Big improvement on last year's operations during Fright Nights.

Ghost Train was rubbish today, the VR was glitchy and the main effect (in the live action sequence) wasn't even working!

I had high expectations for Tulleys, yet it exceeded them in almost every way. I'll post full reviews but they won't be online until Monday at the earliest.

Great to see them putting guest satisfaction first in this case.

My reviews based on yesterday's experiences; The Big Top Wow, what an improvement! Unlike last year the maze takes place in one tent, with no outside sections. After the first scene there is a simple strobe maze which is a good idea, however I feel that the flash rate on the strobes was too infrequent; a few strobes going off at different times would work better IMO, as you couldn't really see the actors. There was also light leaking in through the fire exits during the daytime, which spoiled the effect somewhat - and a few small items of theming on the netting wouldn't go amiss. My favourite scenes were the dressing room and the prop room, both of which were very well themed and very effective. I also liked the fact that the theming in the "clown wash" scene forces you to interact with it, as well as providing good hiding places for actors. I felt that there weren't enough actors in the first section of the maze, with us only encountering two actors in the first half on our second run-through. Overall, IMO it is a huge improvement on last year, but still not an "outstanding" maze - though there is room for further tweaks/improvements. 6/10 Cabin in the Woods Cabin was good yesterday, though there hasn't been much in the way of changes aside from a few new items of theming. The costumes were good with a pumpkin head, scarecrow and the 'mouth-face' all appearing on our first run-through, however by our third there were less actors wearing masks and more with just generic face paint. The glass wall was only utilised on one of our run-throughs which is a shame, as it's a good effect. I was disappointed to see that the spinning tunnel is still not working! I think it has been broken for two seasons now which is a shame, as it added a lot to the maze IMO. Overall Cabin was good, but not brilliant. Like Big Top, it only needs some small changes IMO. 6.5/10 Saw Alive Saw Alive remains virtually unchanged to previous years aside from a few small lighting changes, and in all honesty I've had much better goes through than yesterday's. Whilst there are some great theming elements I feel that the maze has become quite stale, as after 6 years of operation there have been no scene changes. Also, the actors weren't all in the roles of Saw - however some were. 5/10 Blair Witch Blair Witch was alright. It's similar to previous years however some new theming items have been added (illuminated by small red lights), which was a nice touch. The "shed" is the same as in previous years which is a shame, as there could be so much more done to create a finale than someone banging on the walls. The actors were good, and the overgrown nature of the maze means that they have plenty of hiding places. I'm not sure why there are claims of "new scenes" on the park map. 4/10 Platform 15 Platform 15 is the new attraction for 2016, and a replacement for My Bloody Valentine. The maze starts off with a talk from an actor which sets the scene well. Following this, the walk up to the first scene has no theming aside from a corrugated metal wall on the left, and a few small items scattered around. The train scene was good. I liked the fire, however on our run throughs it went off well before we got near the train, therefore didn't have the effect it could have had. The lighting was good, as were the bodies in the carriages - nice job there. The following section is diabolical. There is no real theming, and the actors cannot surprise you as the paths are far too wide for any scares to be generated. The lack of shrubbery, or obstacles, means that there is nowhere for the actors to hide - and the path ahead is clearly outlined, removing any possible fear. After this we approached the final tunnel, which takes place under a section of Saw: The Ride. This consisted of a walk through a dark tunnel in a straight line. No corners, no theming, and only one actor. Despite the layout being boring, they could have still done more with it; they could have had theming elements on the walls lighting up as you walk past, things dangling from the ceiling, which would have been better than nothing. At the end of the tunnel there is a small turn into a finale scene. During this an actor tries to summon the "dead conductor" and then something from above lights up and you walk under it to the exit. This had no effect on me, however others may enjoy it. Overall, for me, there were two positives; audio was good throughout the attraction, with speakers lining the majority of the walkthrough. Lighting is also good in the train scene, as is the fire effect. The layout of the maze is boring, with little happening throughout. The train scene is the highlight, and the only real item of theming; however it's something they already had! I find it saddening; we used to get fantastic new attractions like Experiment 10, why has the quality been reduced to this? Overall I can categorically say that Platform 15 is the worst scare maze I have ever experienced. 2/10 General event It was great to see more parkwide theming this year, with some great displays around the bridge, outside Cabin's entrance and other locations around the park. With that said, it was a shame that the ride stations didn't have anything. Audio was good, with most mazes having audible queue music creating a big atmosphere; especially Big Top! I found it interesting that the director audio has been reused despite it not being a heavy park-wide theme, but I'm glad they're using that dispatch music again! I saw the roaming actors twice, however only one of them was wearing the E10 gas mask. Overall the event feels better than last year in some ways, but in my opinion, far lower than the standard it has been in previous years.

It shouldn't need extensive modification given how much it cost, but at least they're improving it rather than leaving it as it is - though I hate how they're basically advertising "Ghost Train will open in the standard it should have been at this year, next year!" It probably won't change my personal opinion of the ride, but it would be good to see improvements; could we have some ghosts on the Ghost Train?

Parkwide theming is looking good!

Ghost Machine The maze would be themed to a "machine," with an industrial-style exterior. Guests would enter the first room, which would be themed to a control room, where they would be briefed by a "Ghost Control" operative on the testing of the "ghost machine" and how they were a part of the first test. The purpose of the machine would be to allow the "spirit world" to be viewed by people in the real world. Whilst nothing dramatic would happen in this scene, a feel of foreboding would be created by atmospheric audio and small items of theming (e.g. a "failed tests" notepad on the desk, covered in blood). After the briefing guests would be directed into the second section of the maze which would consist of dimly lit corridors - the purpose of this would be to prepare guests for the test; therefore there would be safety speeches playing through speakers as well as instructions on the wall. A second more sophisticated control room is reached, illuminated in red. After a short spiel ("the test will now begin") a button is pressed by an actor and the room plunges into darkness. Seconds later the room lights up again, this time with black lighting, and a single hooded figure is visible in the middle of the room. Also visible is the body of someone with the "Ghost Control" uniform in the corner of the room, which is presumed to be the person who pressed the button. Audio is very loud at this point, with ghostly metallic voices speaking of how "their world" shouldn't be visible to the living world. Emergency lights would flash up in the room, with a door at the end of the room opening up revealing a corridor. Guests would go through this door, which would lead to the "central core" of the machine. This section would be an intense strobe maze with emergency sirens & lighting, and "ghosts" (actors) appearing from hidden spaces. The ghosts would be people from different eras, furthering the sense of unease throughout. Finally, guests reach the end of the strobe maze and head into a final corridor. This is dimly lit, but initially gives guests a false sense of security. Guests reach a wall (concealed door), which is seemingly a dead end, and the voice of a "Ghost Control" operative is heard through speakers telling people to stand still and stay calm. Following this, the lights slowly fade with the music getting louder. After a 5 second pause the lights quickly come back up in a blinding white colour, a horrific wail is heard from behind guests* and door at the end of the room opens to reveal the exit. * During this scene, wind effects would be utilised from behind the guests to give the sense of something rushing towards them.

The park closes for the season on Wednesday 2nd November. I could be wrong, but wasn't the weekend of 5th/6th November previously listed as the final two days?

It certainly should happen, the park lacked a Halloween atmosphere other than the mazes (and the odd area) last year which is a shame. They used to decorate the ride stations, add lighting/smoke effects to the flat rides and a lot more theming parkwide; it generally felt like a much more rounded event than it has done for a good few years.

Thanks for the update, I'm looking forward to Fright Nights this weekend, don't have high hopes for Platform 15 but would like to be surprised!

What have they done to the CCR train?!

Though not much has changed, I thought I'd share a few photos of the Construction 2018 area I got today for anyone who's interested; I hope they don't bin the Totem pole! Blue post = support... I think! Wonder how different this will all look next year?

Great review, can't wait for my first visit to Tulleys next weekend!

It returned briefly, but was removed again - very strange indeed.