LukeP_8

Awesome. Cheers for the advice. I reckon well head to creepy cottage first then and probably start working our way back. Hopefully well get round to hayride and cellar and I'll keep an eye on the queues for those are we go. Well probably skip hellements and island then unless we somehow get everything else done before then.

So it looks like I'm finally heading down tomorrow night (30th) and I can't wait. Only issue is I can see it being mad busy. As someone who's never been, from what I've read here and seen elsewhere it seems like the ones to make sure I get done are Cellar, chop shop, wastelands, doom town and creepy cottage? Assuming I don't have time for all of the mazes is there any I should give a miss to make sure I get the better ones in? Hellements seems like one of those.

Just wanted to ask a quick question on here and hopefully people who have some advice could help me out a little. I'm planning on hopefully going to shocktober fest with a mate next week (largely because I've simply given up on Thorpe and their lame ass fright nights which they now upcharge a fortune for 🙄🙄) and we need to get back to maidenhead afterwards. Does anyone have any tips or tricks as to how we can get back to that area without having to leave super early to catch the last train from Crawley? And whenever we do leave are the ubers back to Crawley late at night really hard/expensive to get hold of? I'm thinking of going next Tuesday/Wednesday. Ofc a taxi all the way back to maidenhead is off the cards expensive 😂 Also if anyone's been this year, is it any good? I heard it was fantastic last year.

So I went to fright nights yesterday, and given the constant rain the park seemed to empty out rather quickly and was generally rather quiet... and so were the mazes 😬 I apologise for the negativity in advance. --- So first was creek freak massacre in which we didnt hear nor see a single chain saw, which is meant to be the signature theme of the maze. For large portions the corridors were empty, and even though there were absolutely no queues and was just me and a friend in there it lacked the intensity I felt it had in 2019 when I last went to the event. However on a positive note some of the individual acting was solid. But ye, disappointed to say the least. --- Next we did trailers which I didnt do last year as I didnt attend the event. But this was for me just as poor as creek freak. The pre show story about everyone having being "sucked into the screens" was a bit odd and some of the scenes didn't actually have actors in them. I will say though that some of the theming was impressive. But ive certainly never walked out of the exit to that building so relaxed before 🙄 --- Last was survival games which was easily the best maze of the night. The start where someone comes up behind you and pulls you away was something I didnt see coming and was really effective. However the rest of the maze still suffered from a lack of actors but just to a lesser degree with some of the maze feeling empty. However being completely alone and lost looping back on myself was good fun and quite daunting. However the maze just didnt scare me one bit aside from the beginning. --- So overall as of 30/09/22, very poor event. I havent been back to the event since they began upcharging mazes and I really hope with a change of heart they'll stop doing it. They are in no way worth the money and non of the mazes had any sort of queue to them or any element of apprehension given I was already set up for disappointment given I just spent a tenner to walk through an empty queue. Again I apologise for the negativity but just going by **my personal** experience I won't be paying for mazes again. An upcharge maze should surely mean more revenue to invest into actually having actors and more than 3 mazes. They really need to go back to 4 or 5 free mazes that were actually good and bouncing with activity. But the event still somehow finds ways to become worse 😂 Hopefully this was all just down to thorpe anticipating the park would be quiet and the mazes will be better during peak weeks.

Well I first went to FN in 2012 and the Asylum was by far the scariest maze on the night. And you could say that 2012/13 is in the more "modern era" of the event. So I completely disagree with the idea Asylum would not be well recieved because it was levels above (imo) any other maze back then, and the rest of those 2012 mazes are better than the mazes (bar a couple) that we've had since then. Imo 90% chain link mesh is what the end of creek freak is, Asylum added a hell of alot of messed up detail to that strobe maze and it all added up to a terrifying experience. Also the chain link stuff was probably only a half of the actual maze in later years... There were many different scenes added to that maze each with their own unique detail and chaotic environment. The only thing that stayed constant throughout the whole thing was the soundtrack and strobes (which was a good thing). As for overall past years being tinted by nostalgia I completely understand that arguement actually, but in this particular case also disagree with this aswell. I'm a big advocate for the past not necessarily being so much better than the present due to nostalgia bias but in this case the mazes in recent years have done absolutely nothing. I mean come on... Are we really suggesting the 2018 maze line up with those walking dead mazes is better than the 2013 lineup, or better yet, the 2011 lineup? Well I'd say most will agree that's not the case.

Ye indeed there used to only be 2 or 3 mazes in its earliest years. Which is why I didnt write off this years fright nights already haha. The only thing is back then, all those mazes were top class (Freezer and hellgate for example) whereas there isnt one top class maze imo currently.

So were only going to get one more maze? That seems way too little to me. I was really hoping Thorpe would finally nail it with mazes this year but I suppose covid was still a factor in their decisions. Lets hppe their last maze makes up for this as Platform is a terrible maze.

Ye theres loads of posters for instance of other mazes. I just thought as though that sign was one of the biggest ones and seemed to get some attention in their latest teaser too, But ye as I said, probs doesn't mean an awful lot sadly. But one can hope.

Anyone else notice the old Surgery/Matron's office/recovery room sign from the Asylum's first corridor in the top right? 👀 That probably means nothing but it's certainly interesting to me non the less...

I'm beyond disappointed with Platform 15's return however I'm not even slightly suprised by it. It's always been a boring eventless maze however by recent standards at fright nights I assumed Thorpe wouldn't go through the expenses of actually replacing it for a maze they'd put some care into. A way of Thorpe minimising their spendings is all I can make of it. Creek freak is good but they really need some great new mazes if they're seriously bringing back platform 15...

Jack Silkstone in disguise? 👀😂

The events for this year just got announced, only 3 this time around though. A new one called park vibes whatever the hell that is from 21st-25th of July was announced a few days ago I believe. Then obviously Oktoberfest was announced and Fright Nights also got confirmed as expected for the 8-10th and 15-31st. Quite suprised theres only 4 days worth of events during the summer, I'd love to see summer nights return one day. They were a hell of alot of fun.

Well they need to actually make fright nights, scary, again to do that. But hold on, bit of an issue with that... They've not had a scary fright nights attraction since Asylum in 2013. As much as I like your idea, the reason there were so many families is because Fright Nights now has a reputation for not being particularly scary. I mean at the end of the day, it is all about reputation. Back in the day, Thorpe would never have had to operate an ID system for under 13s etc as people knew what they were getting themselves into. You cant force a perspective by making it seem scary cus ur IDing people who may be too young for the image that you personally have about who can handle it, you have to create that image again by bringing in scary attractions. Plus, it isnt fair to make it strictly 15 or over. Not only is that too old, I was that terrified 12 year old back in FN2012 and loved it. While I understand ur point, it isnt the right way to fix the problem. However the idea of closing the part for day guests I actually think is a good idea. Do what Universal do, but dont shut out age groups. Its their problem after all. As you said, I'd love to hear stories of parents complaining about fright nights being too "fright"ening 😂. Which would eventually stop happening if Thorpe can build Fright Nights reputation again.

Yup! Thats exactly what I could hear, that video shows perfectly how powerful those new speakers really are. Fastastic upgrade. And ye, I really really don't like the new imascore music at all. So repetitive and all based on that same bloody island theme. Doesn't do anything at all. I dont mind the imascore music around the park, but really wish theyd leave the coaster music as it was. The 2 rides had perfectly unique and great soundtracks.

I did kinda wonder why I could hear the pulsating bass on Inferno's soundtrack all the way from Jungle Escape... Seemed abnormally loud. Guess these new speakers were the reason, sounded great.

Agreed. I sort of think that once it lost its I'm a Celeb IP it lost any level of interest that remained, especially given I'm a Celeb was a free attraction. It had no chance really. As for it being a permenant fright nights space again please dont make me start hoping again... 🤩Myself and I'm sure alot of others will take the Freezer back for this years anniversary Thorpe!

I went to the park 2 days ago and noticed the Jungle escape sign was no longer in place I dont think, and some wooden fencing was in place as if to completely divert attention to the building. All but the infamous exit doors were covered up. Anyone else reckon this is finally it for I'm a celeb/jungle escape? I personally think the park have finally realised this escape room has no future at the park anymore...

I noticed Infernos old soundtrack when I went yesterday. Honestly loved hearing it again, both Colossus and Inferno's soundtracks lost any sense of individuality when they both got remixed to feature that same bloody island tune a few years ago. I just want to hear Colossus's old theme back aswell to give the 2 coasters some unique soundtracks again.

With that being said is there any news on what will be happening with Jungle Escape or if it will reopen this year? Ofc I hope it doesn't as I've never felt as though I'm a celeb or any other iteration has a future at the park and just leaves a legendary event space occupied imo. I've seen on the website it still just states "Please note - this attraction is currently closed. The majority of our rides and attractions remain open." Or even "2020 ticket availability coming soon!"

No. Not even slightly, it's something I ride for the first time, enjoy it, somewhat impressed but after that it's just so meh. One of if not the least re-ridable ride at the park. I'd honestly take a refurbished arena back over DBGT. Excited to see how Black Mirror will be though, however I do hope this is Thorpes last filler attraction before something meaningful goes in again.

I often talk down on the park these days (the majority of the time actually) but that is entirely out of my love for the park and frustration with the direction its been moving in over the years. I just want the best for it! But ye... I am honestly tempted to just fill up all 3 points with 1) The Past 2) The Past 3) The Past But I'll actually give it a go... 1) The memories So I've basically just gone back to what I said a second ago but its honestly the best part for me about the place. The park is quite literally like my second home. The amount of incredible times I've had during my childhood and teenage years are countless, it actually hurts to look back on it as I grow up and the nostalgia kicks in... Most particularly stuff like fright nights years ago... The memories of the feeling of nervousness that lasted the whole night of the event in its prime... And in particular, walking through Asylum as a young kid absolutely scared ****less out of my mind are impossible to lose. I used to visit the park so much and have experienced so many different eras it's just played a huge part in my life so far! 2) Fright Nights As pretty much everyone else has said, it is no longer the best Halloween event out there, and has drastically declined. But not only was it once the best, it has still year after year been an annual tradition for me to attend and I still look forward to it every year. Fantastic memories in the past in some mazes, but recently it has been a place to meet with friends and have a good time. 3) The thrill rides and coasters While I'm not a fan of every one of their coasters, like the swarm for example, IMO the thrills that Thorpe park offers are the best in the country. Rides like Stealth, Samurai, Saw, and even the late Slammer and Loggers leap are all top tier attractions my eyes that I've always got a kick out of every single time I've ridden them.

Big year, big potential.... so a big post aswell 😁 I've thought this since the 2020 lineup was announced. The best that could come out of FN2020 is that they continue and carry the same concepts of all the new scarezones etc through into 2021. I never got to actually go this year but the event seemed better than I originally thought it would be when they announced it. If Thorpe can start getting their mazes right again and have a combination of 5 great mazes and some good scarezones that would be what fright nights has always missed imo. It would create one of the best scare events out there potentially. The only issues I can see with that is how much all that would actually cost with actors, and if they have the resources to spread across both top mazes an scarezones. If I had to choose, I'd take 5 great horror mazes over the scarezones, but maybe they could, time will tell on that. Another point to make is I hope they continue their current direction and leave IPs out again. I CAN'T handle anymore Walking Dead, Living ****emare, standard attractions. Now as for the mazes... The Freezer: Whether anyone likes mazes being brought back or not, it's no secret Thorpe seem to have completely lost the ability to actually create good mazes in recent years. They've only actually had 1 or 2 good ones. Now I never did the Freezer but I did do The Asylum, and it was the most intense horror experience I've ever done (over HHN) by a long way. It makes perfect sense to bring back the maze that started it all for it's 20th anniversary year and would create a HUGE craze around it. The kids nowadays won't have done anything like it before. Noor do I really trust Thorpe to make a maze near it's level to make the 20th anniversary what it should be (please don't take that as a challenge and just bring the Freezer back ), nothings come even close since the closure of The Asylum in 2013. Oh and not to forget that amazing queue line soundtrack. If the Freezer isn't brought back, then a massive ultra intense maze using the same entrance corridors, and exit chainsaw run out needs to take it's place. Jungle Escape has no future imo. This is so unlikely but if this lot actually want to have a good event, this is an excellent option that is also a VALID option. They could do this if they wanted to! As for other mazes, I've always despised Platform and I really hope 2020 was it's last year. Blair witch I've never liked either since it's first year and I'm pretty sure Roots of Evil was very similar. So I'd like to see them both go and be replaced with some more intense indoor mazes, which I think work much much better than the outdoor ones Thorpe have had. New maze 1: I agree with what JoshC said about a maze on the beach within a Marquee. Something like The Curse would work really really well, and if they wanted to the could even do a FN2011 and put 2 mazes either side. I don't recall reading about any flooding issues with mazes prior to 2015 Big Top so I'm sure this could work very well. New maze 2: Again as previously mentioned, the space where Lycan Thorpe was this year has proven to be a good place for a horror maze. They could re-use the shipping containers for an Experiment 10 (which btw, was an incredible maze Thorpe ) style maze, like they did for My Bloody Valentine in 2015, or they could go with a large marquee design like 2016-17 Big Top. However, I'm not gonna be like Jack Silkstone and start trying to influence a return of the Big Top (which wasn't that good imo), since I actually think with proper effort they could create something a lot better there. I really enjoyed Creek Freak Massacre in 2019 and would quite like to see that maze return as IMO it was a breath of fresh air when they brought that in after FN2018. Good maze, enjoy it, has a place in the events future for now. New maze 3: So assuming 2 mazes aren't put on the beach that leaves 1 space left, and I'd like to see potentially the space in front of the Saw Alive boat (where the massive queue is) for a permanent horror maze. For me a lot could be done with this, and has a lot of potential, again if effort is actually put into it (which doesn't happen a lot these days). Another thing, I'd like to see is more classic conga line mazes. The free flow multi-route stuff simply does NOT work, as by the end it's just a massive group up queue to get out of the maze, making scares absolutely pointless and ineffective. Mazes using that system can't handle the big crowds, just look back to Cabin in the Woods, Big Top, heck even the end of Creek Freak. The system allows for exploration, but doesn't lend to actual scares. I'd like them to move away from it. Line-up predictions: What I'd like to see: 1) The Freezer!! 2) Creek Freak Massacre 3) A new maze on the beach (Maybe 2) 4) A new maze in Lycan/Big Top/Do or Die's location 5) Maze in Saw Alive's location

Bit late, I know... I understand the reasons why they wanna charge so much for the mazes... However there's absolutely no chance I'm paying £10 for Platform 15 or Blair witch (or its new equivalent). Only mazes I'd pay a tenner for are Ex10 and Asylum. The only good thing I can see coming out of this event really is Thorpe hopefully carrying this improvement in parkwide atmosphere and theming into future events. Hopefully one day we'll see both better mazes again, and consistent Halloween Horror Nights style scarezones and park experiences that have always been missing. Oh and the fact they finally decided to ditch the IPs which have consistently proven to be inferior to their own idea experiences year after year. Thank god for that, hopefully no more walking dead🤞🏼

Damn... Ive been so busy and inactive on this thread so disappointed I missed the maze vote. As ive been all over old fright nights years recently. For me Asylum is easily hands down the best. Never did Freezer but it was only slightly different from what I heard Experiment 10 was alot better than Big top for me. However all the rest of the votes I'd say were bang on. Awesome little game shame I missed it

Well my guess is they were paid a stupid amount of money to do it.... Or they thought having an IP was worth it. We all know how much Thorpe love their IPs... And they nearly never pay off. This is another example of that.