Martin Doyle

Count me in I’ll be around for the full thing this time.... probably for the best given how difficult I was to find last year!! ??

Alton Towers +4 Thorpe Park +9 Chessington +5 Drayton Manor +1 Blackpool Pleasure Beach +1 Dreamland Margate +1 Cedar Point +4 Liseberg + 2 Next year the priority is hopefully a return to Cedar Point (if not then certainly 2020) or a trip back to Sweden to finally ride Wildfire!!

-books trip to Poland!!- Hyperion AND an RMC in the same park?? Yes please!!

What I hope - a complete revamp of the event with priority on actual maze quality and original ideas for story/theming (goodbye IP’s) aswell as Freezer and Big Top returning. Would also very much like to see the return of park wide decoration and the atmospheric midnight syndicate tracks. What I expect - Another lacklustre event with priority on using a damn IP to market the event with little to no quality in the mazes whatsoever aswell as Vulcan Peak and Big Top:showtime returning. This accompanied by those beautiful floodlights and ASDA Halloween sourced theming.

So tonight I decided to bite the bullet and give fright nights a chance. Before I say my own thoughts, I would just like to mention a brief chat I had with a couple I met in the Do or Die line. This years fright nights was the first year they went since 2008 (the best year in the events history) and the first thing they said to me was “what happened?? I remember this used to be so good!!” So this couple has not seen the decline of fright nights since 2008, they have seen the then and the now and that to me must be even worse than the decline that I’ve seen year on year. Without mincing my words, this years fright nights is EASILY the worst fright nights I have been too and I have been going since 2004!!. Vulcan peak is an absolute insult to the space that once occupied The Freezer/Asylum. It really is not only comfortably the worst horror maze in the events history, it is the worst horror maze I have ever had the displeasure of going through!! Honestly want to know who thought that maze was good enough to open to the public some of whom are paying good hard earned money to attend. The other new “mazes” to me also felt cheap and last minute.com and as a whole it just all felt rushed together this year. Next year, the event needs a major overhaul as far as I’m concerned as it really has now turned into a laughing stock in relation to both other events in the country AND what the event used to be back up until the damn Lionsgate IP’s came in. The event now lacks a “go to” maze that you know would salvage the event no matter how bad everything else is thanks to the absolutely ludicrous decision to not bring The Big Top back and that has always been something fright nights has had since the start of the event (Freezer,Asylum,Studio 13, Cabin In The Woods and Big Top) so now there is absolutely nothing in my opinion that saves this event. For those of you who are reading this who never got to see how great this event once was, I truly am sorry!!

“Nothing can be worse than Big Top 2015 or Platform 15 2016!!” Vulcan Peak: “Hold my beer!!” Seriously sad seeing the reviews for the quality of attractions this year especially given that 10 years ago, we had four solid indoor mazes in the form of Asylum,Hellgate,The Curse and Se7en!! Goes to show, “Quality over quantity!!” I myself can’t really say anything about the event this year as I am not attending fright nights this year, but hearing all the feedback from friends of mine who have gone to the event and seeing the reviews online tells me that it really is concerning times for this event which has been on the decline for some time now in my eyes. It really does need a major shake up next year in order to save the event now because in terms of quality, it really is starting to really lag behind other events such as Scarefest and Shocktoberfest. That is quite sad for those who remember the years when Fright Nights was right up there as one of the best Halloween events in the country.

RIP the atmospheric Colossus and Nemesis Inferno old school soundtracks!! I do love a lot of what Imascore do (Big Top,Helix,Wickerman and Taron ETC) but I also find a lot of what they do quite bland and lacking in atmosphere. Yes they make long soundtracks but just because something has a longer lasting time does not make it better.... otherwise by that logic, The Attack of the Clones is a better movie than The Empire Strikes Back.

Wickerman by the skin of its teeth for me. That is largely down to the fact that I find Icon in any row other than the back to be painfully dull. Both coasters to me are 6/10 rides but I just prefer the overall feel of Wickerman when you throw the smoke,fire and interactions with the Wickerman effigy into the mix.

I think it’s almost a cast iron certainty Cedar Point will be opening a coaster for the anniversary. They are having a quiet investment year next season so they will most likely go big for the anniversary. So I would personally recommend waiting for the anniversary year (plus I myself will be going back then too!) In terms of “when to visit weather wise”, any time in August would be ideal really given the long opening hours (this chances on the last week of August as it is considered “off peak” so the park closes earlier at 8pm) the lines ofcourse will be long but if you are investing in fast lane plus anyway, this won’t be an issue. Be aware though they do seem to do a Merlin with fast lane and oversell it (Steel Vengeances fastlane can still easily clock in at over an hour) For flights, I flew to Iceland first before getting a connecting flight to Cleveland Hopkins. Both flights together are around 8 hours worth of flying time. From there it’s a one hour drive from Cleveland to Sandusky. Hope this was some sort of help!! Cedar Point is the best park out there so it is definitely worth going.... don’t even think....just go!!

Honestly if Thorpe Park give us an RMC, I will forgive them for the Loggers Leap treatment!! They are amazing coasters and pretty much all of them get good at worst reviews so they could open the worst RMC and it would still be an instant hit to the UK audience. Heck if they want to slap an IP on it to market it, go for it!! Hell theme it to “My Little Pony” and market it as “worlds first My Little Pony coaster” if you want merlin!! Just seems a no brainer to me for parks to get an RMC. Airtime in abundance, unreal transitions and that perfect mixture of fun and intense.

Personally, I am quite delighted to see Tulleys get Circus of Horrors as I used to love watching them back during the good old days at fright nights. Yes I can understand the advertising of “9th haunt” was stupidly misleading, but I feel this could really add to Shocktoberfest massively (a great thing to do outside the haunts) which is a good thing given it’s already the one of the best (if not the best) Halloween events in the country.

Don’t worry!! Big Top will return!! Then the circus will be rocking up to the park and protesting that the maze is “too offensive to clowns” and that will be good night Vienna to Big Top!!

Well ChiapasC has more or less covered the bulk of it!! Essentially, The Asylum was pretty much 85 percent the same as The Freezer with the main difference being the layout was reversed. You’d walk in through The Asylums exit and run out onto the old showcase stage. Theming wise, Freezer was themed to more of a morgue where the dead have come alive whereas Asylum is themed to....well just that!! The Freezer also had dead ends in its first year (I never got to experience that though) aswell as much more smoke used in it. Apart from that, both of them more or less was the same maze!! Same strobes,same audio (inside and outside!!), same fencing and relied on similar tricks but with different presentation (For example Asylum used hanging clothes and cloth in one scene for you to weave in and out of whereas Freezer used body bags) but Freezer felt better presented than Asylum in that the layout worked better in its original form and there was a bit more theming and different scenes in The Freezer. Doesnt add anything I know but I’d have Freezer back at the event in a heartbeat!! Easily the most terrifying maze in the events history and it’s been gone since 2004!!

I wouldn’t joke about that you know!! ?

Top 10 Fright Night mazes (been going since 2004) 1. The Freezer/Asylum 2. The Big Top (2016/17) 3. Se7en 4. Experiment 10 5. Hellgate 6. Cabin In The Woods 7. The Curse 8. My Bloody Valentine 9. Studio 13 10. Platform 15 (2017) I feel bad though leaving the world class Dead End Terror Zone and Sanctum off this list though!! Those two would have made the folks at Tulleys Shocktoberfest and Xtreme scream park think twice!!

Also a fright night related one!! I actually found Se7en to be one of the best mazes in the events history!! The amount of people that didn’t seem to like it to me was unreal. Yes, it wasn’t the chaotic crazy maze The Asylum was and wasn’t the jumpscarefest that Hellgate was and was definitely the weakest maze out of those 3 scares wise. However, it was designed to be disturbing and disgusting and it absolutely nailed that. That to me made it a terrific attraction and still better than most of what’s been at the event since it left by a million miles!! The “gluttony” and “lust” scenes!! ❤️❤️

I second both of these!! Maverick may have its flaws such as its restraints and the trims just after the second launch, but it’s variety in elements and it’s intensity to me is enough to give it the nod over Taron. Millennium Force has the edge over Shambhala for me because it has an incredible first drop (arguably my favourite drop on any coaster), amazing speeds throughout, great views of the lake and surrounding coasters, does have some good pops of airtime (not as much as Shambhala admittedly) and to me is just a more fun coaster which is why it’s one of my top 3!! Maybe I’ve just turned into a huge Cedar Point fanboy though!! ?

Scratch that. Top Thrill Dragster every day of the week and twice on sundays...ESPECIALLY in the front row!! Not just the best launch but arguably my favourite element on any coaster!!

Big Top going (if indeed it is going) really is Thorpe shooting themself in the foot. It has easily been the best maze over the last two years of fright nights (that’s not saying a lot really given I find the other mazes ok at best) aswell as being the only maze in the events history that I would put up there with The Freezer/Asylum. A massive shame if it’s going and vindication to me in my decision to skip the event this year.

So now I have had several rides on Steel Vengeance including rides in front, middle and back rows aswell as a night ride (complete with bugs) on it. This roller coasters hype is real!! There is not a single roller coaster in the world that tops this and I do mean not one. Airtime is relentless, first drop is sensational, it’s long, it’s inversions are amazing and the whole ride as a whole is outstanding from start to finish. Forget Taron, forget Shambhala, forget Helix and forget Walking dead the ride. This coaster is the absolute best in existence!!

Updated/revised top 10 coasters!! 1. Steel Vengeance 2. Maverick 3. Millennium Force 4. Helix 5. Taron 6. Shambhala 7. Top Thrill Dragster 8. Mako 9. Manta 10. Incredible Hulk Coaster

This looks like it will absolute blow every single dive coaster on the planet out of the water!! Admittedly I would have preferred if the breaks and final drop was replaced with an airtime hill or something like that, however everything up until that point looks like a masterpieces especially the location of that first drop!!

Now I absolutely love the Dungeon attractions, however the issue I have with having these smaller scale ones in Warwick Castle and soon to be Alton Towers is the fact they charge extra for them. The reason I have for this is because if I am a standard pass holder, why on earth would I pay extra to do a condensed 45-50 minute version of the Dungeon when I can go to Edinburgh,Blackpool,York or London and do a 80-90 minute Dungeon included in the price of the annual pass??. Plus maybe I am being ignorant or something but what dark history do the towers have in the same way the other dungeons do? Now If they don’t upcharge for it (which I strongly doubt they will given it will probably sell well), use some interesting dark historical events (whatever they may be) in their scenes and find a way to keep the queues respectful (how Warwick Castle use free timed tickets in their Halloween attractions for example) then this potentially could be a good addition to the towers line up given all the Dungeon attractions are highly entertaining attractions.

Bit of a “funny” moment on ghost train today. As I was waiting to board the train, the staff member who was doing the speech about the headsets and what to do if they don’t work did throw in quite an interesting line. ”if you like it then tell all your friends. If you don’t like it then keep your mouth shut” Needless to say the mate I was with was not best pleased about that phrase really!! I Won’t read that much into it if it’s in character because humour is a great thing BUT didnt really appreciate the choice of words given the mixed reception the ride has.

I’m in for this!!