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so...has anyone been to this? considering going tomorrow. was just wondering what the "phobophobia" show entails. it says it's for adults only, and is extreme...should I expect something as extreme as face it alone at Thorpe, or is it just a scarier version of the normal Tombs show? cheers!

On Sunday the 9th of October 2016, me and a few other forum members (and a few other non-forum members) set out on a venture to Thorpe Park Resort. However, this was not just any ordinary day at Thorpe Park; Fright Nights had kicked just two days prior to this visit, and we were all extremely excited to get into the six attractions that the park had to offer. Before the mazes opened to the public for the evening, we had the pleasure of experiencing a behind the scenes tour of Saw Alive and Cabin in the Woods (special mention to Shannon, our fantastic guide for the tour). It was very intriguing to see all of the detail and effort that goes into the making of the attractions, especially in Saw Alive, and I will definitely be purchasing another tour for a different two mazes next year! But now, onto the reviews! SPOILER WARNING - THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Cabin in the Woods - 7.5/10 Cabin in the Woods was the first maze of the night, and was definitely one of the better attractions the park this year. Returning for it's fourth year, I was worried that the maze would feel stale and boring after such a long period of it being here. I was very wrong indeed! We managed to loop around the maze twice, and got to go into every room that the maze has at the start of the maze. The theming in each room (excluding the blackout rooms with virtually no theming) was great and the actors throughout were trying their best to squeeze every scare out of our relatively small group of just four people. The second half was much weaker unfortunately. The elevator scene wasn't working with no actor behind the glass, the rotating tunnel will never work again which is a real shame, the actors were lacking, especially the finale where there was only one or two. Overall however, this maze is still going strong, despite a weaker second half. I do feel though, as much as I like it, it is time for a change. Containment - 6/10 Containment was poor last year, very poor in fact, and I was quite reluctant to hand over £8 for an attraction which I did not enjoy at all previously. But due to the great reviews it had been getting, I felt obliged to try it out and see whether it had improved or not. To cut to the chase, it was good! Massively improved on last year, with some returning rooms, some new rooms, and completely new puzzles to get our brains ticking. The narration at the start of each room was a great addition; it explained the fear in each room and was a rather nice touch. The actors in each room were spot on, especially the clock room with two actors who were both funny and scary at the same time. Whilst we're speaking of scary, the attraction as a whole wasn't all that scary. It's a good bit of fun and provides something different instead of another standard horror maze, but if you're expecting a terrifying escape experience then I recommend you look elsewhere. Overall, Containment is a good and unique addition to the lineup, however take it as a puzzle-solving escape room, not a terrifying horror escape room, in order not to be disappointed. Platform 15 - 3/10 I knew when Thorpe released the video of Zombieboy being the "curator" of Platform 15 for publicity, I knew it was going to be bad. Little did I know, it would be utterly dreadful. It does have some moments of light though! The Scottish (but not really Scottish) tour guide at the beginning was definitely the best part of the attraction; he was an excellent actor! The walk up to the train with the fire and the flashing lights was also quite cool. After that, it goes very quickly down hill. The graveyard scene is very sub-par and the tunnel and finale has got to be one of the worst I've seen in a horror maze. It's basically a crap Molly Crowe ending, without any movement or any chase. For a new attraction, Thorpe should be ashamed with the end product; it is disgraceful. The worst part is the actors are all clearly trying their hardest, but even with their endeavors, it is very close to being the worst maze of the night, and the year! The Big Top - 9/10 The Big Top last year was diabolical, and when I heard it was returning I was not ecstatic. I went in with low expectations, despite the general consensus I was getting from people who had done it saying it was a lot better. So, we went in, experienced it, came out, and I can safely say after four runs in the maze, it is very very good! Everything has been so greatly improved: the fortune teller, all the other scenes, the ending, everything! The strobe maze is by far the most intense strobe maze I have ever done! The slow pattern they've been put on means it is extremely difficult to see anything in the tent at all, and with actors bursting out from every direction with your impaired sight, it leads to a terrifying outcome! The chainsaw chase ending, despite it's unoriginality, is very effective when working properly and has left me running for the exit each time. I only have a few bugs with the maze. Firstly, each time I've been in I feel it's lacked actors, especially in the strobe maze. Secondly, some scenes are too open (in particular the clown wash and the cage), and finally, the only major one, when it is light outside, light streams into the tent, completely ruining the strobe section of the maze and ruining the atmosphere. Overall though, I thoroughly love this maze; the best I have experienced at Thorpe in my 3 years of visiting Fright Nights. Saw Alive - 5/10 Saw Alive is never a strong maze, yet usually I do enjoy a good run through of it. This year though, the highlight of the entire maze was seeing Amy's seashell in the corner of the bathroom scene! The theming is top quality in this maze, the best on park. However, the actors need to at least try in order to make this a half-decent maze. The actors on our run, did not. The minimal 5-6 that were in the entire maze clearly wanted to go home after a long evening of scaring people, and none of them seemed to really care that we were in the maze at all. A lot of them just stood there and snarled as we walked on. It's definitely time this maze moved on, with either a complete re-them, or the complete removal of it. Blair Witch - 2/10 Blair Witch, new scenes for 2016, can't be much worse than it's predecessor? Well, clearly it can! With the addition of a few nice looking red lights, nothing seemed to have changed with Blair Witch. There were no more than 6 or so actors in the entire thing, all of which made the same pig snort noise whenever we past them. There was no audio playing in the maze and we also had numerous queue jumpers before we could even get inside. To put it bluntly, Blair Witch is s#!t. I would avoid this maze at all costs if I were you! Before I conclude this blog entry, I have a few more small details to add. The Experiment 10 roamers that we saw a fair few times were excellent! One of them knew my name, which was rather confusing to me at the time but I did realise that somebody who I sort of know and have on Facebook is working as a roamer this year. Theming around the park did exist but was quite minimal; I do like the headless monk on the bridge! Overall, Fright Nights is a good event this year, however there is still a big gap for improvement in the attractions and around the park as a whole! That's the end of this blog! Thank you all for reading

So its that time of the year again... NO NOT CHRISTMAS. Anyway its getting nearer and nearer to the Halloween season.. So this means I'm gonna get a crap ton of travelling to do! Anyway I'm going to review quite a lot of events this year! 1 Of October, Tulleys Farm Shocktoberfest: Tulleys always finds a way into my calendar. With it being located at my local farm its quite a no brainer, new for this year includes a 3D revamp of there clown maze, and a entirely new maze based on witches! Not forgetting the returns of classic like Haunted Hayride and The Cellar, and the return of the incredibly dull Hellements.. Meh. 8 Of October, Thorpe Park Fright Nights: After the train crash of last years event.. The event returns! This year inlcudes a new maze loosely tied into DBGT, and a revamp of The Big Flop! Overall the event seems to look better than last year! Well.. We Hope! 15 Of October, Screamland Margate: After the sheer rave reviews from people I had to get myself over to Screamland! This year sees return of last year's great mazes, as well as two new mazes! Overall Screamland last year seemed to be one of the best events in the UK, and I suspect this year will be no different! 22 Of October, Alton Towers Scarefest: After the massive success of last years event, I had to get myself back to Scarefest! Sub Species is a good enough reason alone to go back, so with the addition of a new maze and the return of TOTT, it was a must. So there you go, the Halloween season is very near! I wish everyone a happy Halloween, and good month of getting sh!t scared!

Beware this review may contain mild spoilers! So Tulleys Shocktoberfest is back! Overall being located at my local farm Tulleys is a must each year, this year sees two new attractions and a bunch of classics return! Creepy Cottage Even though being the smallest attraction at the event, Creepy Cottage is still a strong attraction. The theming and the eerieness of the attraction is really what makes it, plus a few actors make this attraction a little gem. Overall a fun start to the event- 6.5/10 PANDEMONIUM'S 3D CARNIVAL Overall very similar to other incarnations of Tulleys yearly clown maze, Pandemonium's was pretty fun. The maze like Nightshade Circus from last year shared a lot of scenes, but the 3D element towards the end made the maze even more confusing! Overall the maze was pretty good, but more funny than scary like usual-7/10 Haunted Hayride So the infamous hayride returns! The Hayride seemed to have a lot of work done to it this year, with a ton of new scenes! Overall the Hayride is fairly similar in tone to previous years, the attraction can sway between laughter and utter terror! The Hayride is just as impressive as usual, though we missed the twerking nuns -7/10 Hellements Hellements has always been decently dull for me, but this year it was actually pretty good! The scares where pretty effective, and the group where pretty desperate to get out! The effects are fun as always, the fire was as hot as ever, and the wind tunnel was so strong our hoods nearly fell off! Overall a improvement from last year-6.5/10 Coven Of 13 So Coven was quite a disappointment.. Some of the special effects where good and well executed, but the scares not so much.. The scares where piss-poor, and the maze lacked actors in places.. The maze had some pretty good theming in some places, so I'll give some credit.. I think Coven could be great once actors settle in, But Coven was somewhat poor from Tulleys- 3/10 The Colony The Colony was a mixed attraction for me last year, but the actors where surely rocking on preview night! The Colony last year lacked actors and was quite spread out, but this year the maze seemed to have a lot more actors than previous! The Maze still has a long length and great theming, but the scares throughout the attraction seemed to come thick and fast! One scare in particular was a very loud car horn which had me jumping outside my own skin! Overall the attraction is now a highlight of the event, and is well rounded maze which seems to go on forever-9/10 The Chop Shop The Chop Shop returns! The Maze still has a beautiful facade, and chainsaws galore! The Pacing is really the thing thats makes the Chop Shop, you'll go from hillbillies teasing you to being attacked with chainsaws at all angles! Overall actors seem to constantly re-appear, and the amount of hiding places and shortcuts for actors also make scares for actors pretty easy! A very impressive attraction-8.5/10 The Cellar The Cellar is the crown jewel of Tulleys. It is yearly great, and seems to never get old. The Cellar is a long, well themed, and very great with scares. The Maze itself at points seems to flood with actors, some scares being back-to-back! Overall a classic which always seems to be a highlight of the event every year-8.5/10 Roaming Actors: Tulleys is famous for its great roamers! This year is no different, the roamers are really something special at Tulleys! Had a few conversations with some of the roamers, and there really are brilliant-10/10 Conclusion: Tulleys has had a mixed year, some mazes being as good as ever, some being improved, some new additions completely failing. Overall I think the good outweighs the bad, if you live near the area it is definitely a must visit! Also to note its only preview night, so there is still time for stuff to change!

Last year, a new, independent, scare company burst onto the scene - Twisted Attractions. Opening up in Birmingham in a disused nightclub, 'The Morgue: Live' caught the attention of many people, and got amazing reviews from the scare industry. Fastforward to May this year, and Twisted Attractions had moved to an old warehouse, bigger than the nightclub, with 'The Facility'. The reviews of The Morgue caught my attention, and upon hearing about The Facility, I really wanted to go try it out, but alas, I couldn't for a variety of reasons. After The Facility closed, it was announced that two new attractions would open in its place for Halloween - 'House of Insomnia' and 'Ward 78'. And, well, I just had to go try it out. And that's just what I did tonight, on the opening night! I arrived just before the 7pm opening and after a slight delay due to some actors being caught in traffic (to which they offered free tea or coffee whilst we waited), it was time for the scares to begin... NB: I'll give a review of both mazes in the order I did them - I'll do a non-spoiler review followed by a spoiler review (in spoiler tags). Ward 78 Ward 78 is very different to most scare attractions, in that it's designed to be done either by yourself or in a group of two. Essentially, the maze involves you going through a Victorian hospital ward where, of course, not all is well. The website describes it as follows: After being told the instructions and signing a waiver, I was given my candle (one of the electronic torch-like ones, not a real one!) and ventured down the hospital corridor... Non-spoilers: The maze involves a lot of tight spaces, loud noises and disorientation. Being by yourself already leaves you on edge and the actors take advantage of it; they like to bully you! After a while, my candle was taken from me, leaving me seemingly without hope. This actually turned out to be near the end of the attraction, which involved some nice trickery and a lot of special effects. Spoilers: So, all in all, a fun scare attraction. It makes good use of scare tactics and special effects, but I think it was a bit on the short side and needed a bit more to it. The entrance/exit. Image from ScareTOUR. House of Insomnia House of Insomnia is more of a traditional maze; you go through in groups, though there's no need for hands-on-shoulders. The vague idea is about a pair of twins in lived in a house who essentially went crazy due to mistreatment from their parents, lack of sleep and whatnot (from what I understood) at least. Here's what the website says... Non-spoilers: The maze starts with an introduction to the story, telling you about the Demurrer Twins. Very nice idea and from what I heard, very cleverly done, however, there was noise bleed from inside the attraction, making it difficult to hear. After that, we ventured into the maze. The maze is quite possibly the best themed maze I've done - lots of details and consistent storytelling theming about. Each scene follows from the previous and usually builds upon it. The maze is again very claustrophobic and makes great use of a small space. The actors are very well placed and each add to the story line - there's no 'random' actors or anything. The ending isn't particular special and is something that has been done before (indeed, I don't think it's a spoiler to say what the end is, since it's rather obvious from outside, but alas, I shall not say here...). Nonetheless, still very good. Spoilers: Overall, House of Insomnia was a very good attraction, again making brilliant use of scare tactics, tight spaces, creating a great story and some top-notch theming. I think the fact that people quickly ended up holding onto one another, even though you weren't required to have your hands on shoulders, shows how unnerving the attraction can be. In fact, the girl being me was seemingly clinging onto my shirt for dear life! Entrance to House of Insomnia - taken from ScareTOUR. It's hard for me to compare these two attractions to their previous ones, but I personally think that the creating of two attractions may have been a bad thing. The Facility was one attraction in the same place as these two, and had a Face it Alone feature as well. Instead, they've created two separate attractions, a Face it Alone one which feels like it needs to be longer and have more substance, and an 'ordinary' attraction which should go on a bit longer. Maybe it just needs more time to settle; who knows? However, I guess I shouldn't really complain when I really enjoyed both attractions! For anyone interested, the cost of both the attractions was £12 (though it goes to £14 on peak days) and I definitely think it's worth every penny! The main issue is of course getting to it, but if you're near Birmingham at some point when Twisted Attractions are running a show, definitely give it a try (they're about a 10-15min walk from Birmingham New Street train station). A link to ScareTOUR's review, where I got the photos from - http://www.scaretouruk.com/review---halloween-scream-nights-by-twisted-attractions.html So yeah, all in all, some great scare attractions from an independent company who only have good things for their future!

Pretty much what it says on the tin. Mine Is Detonator, still gives me many, many butterflys in the queueline! So which scares you the most?