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Hi guys. Scare season has well and truly begun here in the UK; theme parks have embraced the Halloween spirit, scare parks have opened, and YouTube and social media are filled with nothing but scare event vlogs and reports. Two popular UK events, based at two of the UK’s most popular theme parks, are Alton Towers Scarefest and Thorpe Park Fright Nights. These events are similar in some ways and different in others, but they are often compared due to them both being based at Merlin theme parks. So I’d be keen to know; which event do you prefer? Are you an Alton Towers Scarefest person, or are you more of a Thorpe Park Fright Nights fan? I’m not a scare fan at all, therefore I have done neither and can’t really pass judgement, but I’d be really keen to know which you prefer if you’ve done both!

So Halloween is over, and sadly its closed season Though with last month being October, I thought it would obligitary for me to write about some of my Halloween Highlights and re-live some of the happiness for the following months of depression and vodka which is the closed season.. (I would do photos but then I realise most of my pictures are sh**) Best Theming/Costume Design Honourable Mentions: The Final Cut, Skin Snatchers, The Colony. Winner- The Welcoming Even though I did have my criticisms about this maze, it for sure had some of the most beautiful theming I have seen in a while and it was the absolute highlight of the attraction! The actors inside used the large sets to its advantage and because of this- The Welcoming I think more than deserves this award. Most Improved Attraction Honourable Mentions: Coven, Creepy Cottage (the cast in the cottage were insane this year) Winner- Platform 15 Platform 15 was my least favourite maze of last year, as it just bleeded dull with little to no actors or anything whatsoever going on.. Though this year sees the maze being actually being my favourite at the park as the actors swarmed the maze with scares, and the new village scene is just fab. The infamous tunnel section is back though, but some actors with torches this year provided this previously dull section into a tension filled one.. The maze still has a few niggles, but overall I think Platform feels like the most complete maze at Thorpe, and with the cast this year I have to say this is easily one of the best mazes I have done this year.. Most Original Concept/Theme Honourable Mentions: The Welcoming, Coven. Winner- The Legend Of Crank Jack Crank Jack has a very simple concept, though it just works so well.. So for those who have been hiding under a rock, Crank Jack sees guests crawling through a massive crawling section which is both confusing and jumpy with the large amount of panels for actors to jump out, and they can come from the ceiling too! The non crawl sections also are jumpy and confusing with countless dead ends and trigger-happy clowns with perhaps the most annoying horns.. The idea and excution is far from elaborate, but it works, and it works incredibly well too! Worst Maze Dis-honourable Mentions: The BrotherHOOD, Festino's Festival Of Freaks, VIXI, Saw Alive. Loser- Dead And Breakfast Dead And Breakfast felt like a massive shadow of itself this year with the witty improv and some of the brilliant scares completly stripped from the maze.. For example last year this maze had a Bunker scene, where this year you just walk straight past it.. Its the exact same with kitchen scene and even the elevator effect from last year is now gone.. The main maze itself lacked scares (I got like 1 jump scare throughout) and the nicely themed sets generally felt un-used.. Dead And Breakfast is a maze that could be (or was) brilliant, but this year it just fell incredibly flat IMO, heck even the chainsaw finale at the end felt poor.. Most Intense Maze Honourable Mentions- Chop Shop, Big Top Winner- Sub Species: The End Games What haven't I said about Sub Species? The maze is seriously something completely different in that actors have so much freedom to do what the hell they like with you. I was alone for long periods with it, they shoved me and stalked me throughout, and overall I was on edge for the entire experience. The experience is very varied in that you get darkness, open rooms, claustophobic tunnels, and just pretty much everything the maze can throw at you. Sub Species is just insane, even in its third year it still continues to shock me every year! Best Event Winner- Tulleys Farm Shocktoberfest Now, its really a combination of stuff that comes to making up a event for me- the operations, roamers, the mazes, the atmosphere, ect. Tulleys Farm I feel like has overall the whole package with its great operations (from my 3 visits) and its amazing atmosphere and roamers. The roaming actors make Screamland or Fright Night's roamers look poor, and the music and overall atmosphere of the place is just amazing. The operations are also fairly decent too, with queues being resonable (no crazy 3 hour queues) and roaming actors seemed to show up in the queues to entertain guests which was nice. And of course the attractions themselves are a pretty good selling point of Tulleys, and after tonght I have to say I actually think the lineup is incredibly strong. All mazes felt like they had quite a few actors in them, and in some mazes (Twisted Clowns and Cellar) the actors seemed to swarm some sections which caused back to back scares! Overall Tulleys is by far the most fun I've had this Halloween, and I can't wait to get back next year! You have reached the end of this blog, I congratulate you, you poor soul! Anyway what events and stuff have you done? Anyway happy Halloween (I know I''m 4 fuc**** days late) and happy off-season! May the next few winter months be depressing.. (Bar Winter Wonderland, which fu** that, I don't want to take a loan out..)

Scarefest is a event that has somehow lured me back every year despite the painful drive and the overpriced maze tickets.. The event I think just feels so much more complete and well rounded than Fright Nights, and the mazes on offer feel longer and more fleshed out than the Thorpe offering. The atmosphere is solid as always, and Nemesis in the back row at night is perhaps the most orgasmic experience of my life.. Thirteen is also a great night ride. Anyway you're probably not here to listen to me ramble about how good the rides are.. ONTO THE MAZES! This review will contain spoilers, and sorry for the lack of photos- I sadly lost my phone in Sub Species! Freakshow Scare Zone: Freakshow for sure isn't anything to scream about, but its a fun little addition that brings a lot of atmosphere. The actors were for sure more funny than scary, but with it being near the entrance- thats probably a good thing! Terror Of The Towers: Stale enough yet? Well its back again- completely unchanged too! Look its not a bad maze per se- it has great theming, a long length, and a disorientating and intense finale, though next to the others, it falls flat.. The conga line approach also feels boring after the other three, and actors seemed a little hindered compared to the others as they couldn't touch you or be as intimate as Sub Species or Skin Snatchers.. 5/10 Skin Snatchers: Skin Snatchers is by far one of the best themed mazes at the park, and the theatrical approach at the beginning really sets the scene for the very jumpy and dark sections towards the end of the attraction. The actors inside like last year were lively and gave some pretty nice touch scares, and the maze built up a lot of tension throughout. My only niggle had to be the maze seemed a bit sparse on actors in the first section (especially in the gas mask room) though the strong second half made up for it. The new finale this year I thought was pretty funny and witty, though I think perhaps it wasn't utilised or executed as well as it could of been.. In this I mean we just casually walked past it, and I feel like the actor could of really caused panic if it was timed better.. 9/10 Sub Species: The End Games: Sub Species is one of the most hands-on and intense experiences I've ever seen, even in its third year it still shocks me how incredibly chaotic and intense this attraction is. The maze from the word go sees actors one-by-by dragging guests through one of the three doors, and from that point on, you traverse through everything from a genuine maze section, to pitch black darkness, to crawling tunnels. Actors inside are not afraid to push/shove you, and the actors try constantly to isolate you throughout the maze which amps up the scares even more. The ending is simple, but effective, and by that point I was desperate to get out! Its rare for me to be breathless from exiting a maze, but Sub Species is for sure one of the best mazes (if not the best) I've done this year. 10/10 The Welcoming: Be Chosen: The Welcoming is new for this year, and with a £8 upcharge, I had high expectations. The first half is very open as actors dance around the beautiful sets that resemble a village, this opened up the maze really well and actors seemed to know how to pop up from nowhere! The maze in tone slowly gets darker as it goes on, and the scares ramp up before you're instructed to put on your hoods. The hooded section was fairly short from memory, but it did well in building up the tension. The finale sadly fell a little flat, and our group just kinda walked out like "is that it"? I think with a killer ending The Welcoming could be a brilliant maze, and its easy to see that tons of effort has gone into theming this maze as some of the sets at the start are beautiful. Anyway The Welcoming is not as relentless as Sub Species per se, but it has great theming and some great scares, it is a shame though about the finale being a massive anti-climax.. 7.5/10 Conclusion I think Scarefest is by far a must visit for die-hard scare maze enthusiasts as it does house some of the most intense mazes in the country IMO. Yes I do think it is a little overpriced, though Sub Species was worth every penny. I sadly didn't get to experience House Of Monsters because I'm broke.. Though it seems like a fairly decent attraction for families. Oh and cheers to The Sub Species team for finding my phone in the end, I was so scared in Sub Species I dropped it without noticing draw me like one of your french gerstlauer infinity coasters

Screamland at Dreamland Margate is a fairly new event (only in its third year) though its managed to become well known in its first year for beautiful theming and creative scare tactics. In its second year (last year) the event seemed to get panned by a few, and I feel like last year the event kind of went under the radar, though the "Paradise Foundation" proved that Screamland weren't running out of ideas, and all the mazes (bar their mirror maze) all proved to be well themed, and full of scares that completely caught me off guard! When 2017's lineup was announced, I think a lot of people were shocked.. The Paradise Foundation has departed in return for two new mazes, which is certaintly a move I didn't see coming. Nevertheless, what would 2017 bring to the table for Screamland? *This will contain spoilers* Punchinello's Revenge I overall had a dire run through of the park's Mirror Maze last year, though this year the actors inside made this a really fun short sharp shock. The opening saw a mini puppet show which set the scene greatly, before we entered the mirror maze to find a crocodile and the baby.. YES, I'M NOT JOKING, there was a jump scare involving a actor dressed as a crocodile.. 100/10 cos crocodile 4.5/10 Festino's Festival Of Freaks Festino last year had quite a large space to work with and the maze had tons of theatrical scenes and oversized props that gave tons of scares and laughs throughout its long length. Sadly this year the maze has been reduced to a white marquee, and I can't help but feel like the maze is a shadow of its former self.. The intro was something akin to last year, though as soon as the scene ended we were pushed into the strobe filled main maze. The maze itself gave a few good scares, though sadly most of the unique props and scares are gone from last year. To its credit though the maze is very disorientating, and our group did circles around the maze a few times, though sadly the maze even with this still feels shorter.. The ending also saw no finale, which left me a tad disappointed with Festino overall.. Festino overall is a fairly disorientating maze that is well acted, though sadly it feels weak compared to its last incarnation, and the maze feels a little run-of-the-mill for the event.. 6/10 The BrotherHood Oh.. Hooded Mazes, they can work so well (Molly Crowe) but they can be so dull (Hellements/VIXI).. BrotherHood overall sadly felt more like Hellements in its first half with little to no scares, and due to the lack of sound or anything else this section actually was even more DULL than Hellements.. The second half redeems it though with the removal of the hoods and some great scares with torches, and generally a few really strong jump scares that worked better than anything the hooded section was trying to do.. The Brotherhood overall I think was a massive mixed bag of a maze in that the first half is pathetically dull, but the second half gave some of the best scares of the night! 5/10 The Final Cut: They Came From Outer Space The Final Cut returns very similar to last year with some brilliant concepts and some very intricate theming that immerses you in from the start. The use of the squish bag at the start, the Little Shop Of Horrors reference, and the loud but effective finale make the attraction strong. Scares were overall very intense, though I thought the maze felt more rushed this year, and some of the monologue and improvisation from last year seemed to skimmed past which was a tad disappointing. 8/10 Dead And Breakfast: Under New Management Dead And Breakfast sadly felt a tad poor on my run through with a lot of missed opportunities across the board.. In this I mean scares and actors felt sparse across the maze, the improvisational more actor led scenes are pretty much gone, and special effects such as the lift or the bunker room are seen completely un-used which is a shame.. Towards the end you briefly see Fag Ash Lil again, and she sets up the finale.. Shame the finale is beyond cliche, and the actor using it didn't really attempt to chase or startle us, we casually walked past it.. Anyway I think its time Dead And Breakfast bites the dust, as something wasn't right about this B&B on my run through.. 3/10 The Legend Of Crank Jack Crank Jack is a example of a maze using simple, but incredibly effective tactics like the crawling section at the beginning. This section seems to go on forever, and scares come from all angles- including directly above you! The "pop goes the weasel" eerie audio also makes this section even more creepy as you wind through the incredibly twisty layout. After the crawl section you're back on your feet, and holy god is the second half even more confusing with its countless dead ends and its Clowns who seemed happy to torment and blast horns in your ears! I gotta say Crank Jack really had me on my toes throughout with its confusing layout, and overall the maze can give off some great scares in form of loud horns and many holes and secret doors for actors to come out of nowhere! Overall I was very impressed with Crank Jack- for being in a small white marquee, this maze packs a lot into its small space, and the scares were easily some of the best of the night. 9/10 I also managed to get a audio recording of my second run through of the maze, so if you wanna hear pop goes the weasel for 5 minutes, enjoy! The Atmosphere/Roamers Overall roamers at the park were alright though sadly I feel like they lacked the amazing improvisation and interaction of Tulley's street team.. In this for sure the Clown Girls who walked around on stilts were impressive, though some of the freaks/clowns roaming about didn't even interact with guests.. Anyway Dreamland has a solid atmosphere, and I feel like fire breathers at the entrance really *excuse the pun* heated up the atmosphere! Operations I feel like operations were solid and the mazes had reasonable queues for a peak night (no 200 minute stupid waits) and the batching generally seemed very good in very un-linear mazes like Crank Jack which was nice to see (no stacking of groups or over crowding) Scenic.. IT WAS OPEN! IT DIDN'T BREAKDOWN! Overall Scenic is a fun classic, and oh god does it look beautiful.. Well it does next to the drab town of Margate anyway.. Conclusion: I think this is a very rocky year for Screamland, though I think there is some hope (Crank Jack and The Final Cut) which shows some of the prettier sides of Screamland.. Anyway I think for 15 quid the 6 mazes and Scenic plus the fairground rides are completely worth it, and if you live near-by, this is a must visit. Though I think some big changes are due next year though, as I think overall the event is not as solid as last year.. 10/10 my photography is only the best..

Tulleys, oh Tulleys.. Being on the scene as early as 1998 with Creepy Cottage, and then throughout the years adding more and more, Tulleys has really evolved as of recent into one of the best scream parks in Europe. Now with 2015's massive changes, and the fairly large Coven last year, this year I think is more of a slow down year in terms of growth in the event. Anyway with the re-do of Hellements, and the 3D transformation of the Twisted Clowns, how would 2017 fare for Tulleys? (This will be spoiler free, though I have put some more details in the tags for those who want to be spoiled.. I'm also sorry for the photography, and you cannot sue me if I kill your eyesight with the quality of these ****ty photos..) Creepy Cottage Dating back to 1998, the cottage is the oldest maze at the park and its by far the smallest- though do not underestimate it, as the cast were rocking it on Preview Night! The actors in here caused a lot of suspense, and the suspense was usually followed by a great jump scare. The maze is also nicely themed too, and the layout is very tight which gave the actors even more fun in tormenting us. The Cottage is by far one of the more low-key mazes in the lineup, and its by far not the best maze the park has to offer, though if the cast keep this up, its gonna be a great year for the attraction. 7/10 VIXI- Hellements V2 Being a "new" attraction, I think a lot of people are gonna ask whats new in VIXI. Now I'm gonna say that for the most part this is near identical the to last year, though there is a new section or two that mixes up the formula a little.. The actors in the rope section seemed a lot better than last year, and the cast here made this a bit better than Hellements IMO. -5/10 Coven Of 13 Coven I think with a few more large-scale scares could be a icon maze for Tulleys, though sadly on my run through the actors were more creepy than scary. I also think the swamp scene needed a actor or two more, as I think this brilliantly designed section could of been put to use better.. The maze though looked just as (if not more) beautiful than last year, with the cottage section, and the swamp scene is awesome. Overall I think when the cast begin to find their feet, this could be great this year. -6/10 Chop Shop Chop Shop remains fairly similar to previous years, and that IS a good thing. The cast in here seemed to be in full force as actors from the first room got scares thick and fast. The finale remains the fast, fun, and chaotic feast that it was last year, and the theming in the exterior and inside the first half also continues to be impressive. -8.5/10 The Colony The Colony is back, and it feels longer than ever.. Overall the first half of the maze was generally fairly slow in getting scares, though in the second half the scares were actually pretty brilliant. The actors were using the beautifully themed sets to their advantage, and in some sections scares came pretty relentlessly. The ending is something that I've been debating about since its debut though.. Yes the ending got me and my group running out of the attraction, though it really does not fit in with the tone of the maze.. Also when you use a object constantly in a maze (Chop Shop) makes the use of it in The Colony slightly feel like a cop out.. 7.5/10 Haunted Hayride The Hayride has some new scenes this year, and the attraction remains just as fun and as jumpy as previous years. Various highlights include the pole dancing Nuns, The movie-based scene, and the good old chainsaws at the end. -8/10 The Twisted Clowns After testing the waters with Pandemonium last year, Tulleys have made their Clown Maze fully 3D, and for the most part I like it. The maze feels even more disorientating than last year, and the layout led to our group getting lost quite a lot. The only thing I dislike is how this maze on my run through seems to have had adopted a conga line style, which didn't seem to fit the style of the maze. Anyway this maze remains fun and lively like previous years, and I liked how this year they attempted a finale. - 7/10 The Cellar The Cellar has been running strong since 2009, and for the most part this year is no exception. I do think some of the cast might of not found their feet yet though as some of the scares in the second half/finale were a tad on the slow side. Though it is preview night, so this is probably just the cast getting used to the endless amount of scare opportunities that the maze's layout brings. Though when actors were on form, the scares were intense. - 8/10 Roamers/Atmosphere/Other Sh** So as always the roamers here were brilliant. Some of them scared the crap out of me, some of them made me laugh, some of them are just plain entertaining! The roamers along with the live music gives the farm just such a crazy and fun atmosphere that makes Tulleys feel special. Heck I could go along to Tulleys without entering a single one of the haunts and enjoy it. Along with the 8 haunts this year also saw an unadvertised 3D cinema experience. This was fairly odd, and the experience itself felt a tad half baked (I can see why it was chosen not to be advertised..) I think if it returns next year, maybe give it a few actors? And some special effects to make it feel less like a DIY project plonked on a high standard Scream Park such as Tulleys.. Thoughts/Conclusion Overall I think 2017 is another great year for Tulleys. Chop Shop, The Colony, The Cellar, the new scenes on Hayride are all massive reasons to visit. Yes this year hasn't seen all too much changed, though I think with Tulleys it didn't really need to.

Welcome, to the Haunted Reviews, Mwoarhaha 2016 has provided me with a vast number of park trips and adventures. A trend which has continued happily for the Halloween season. Due to excessive number of events done and trying not to bore you with maze review after maze review, I thought I would try and compact my trips into just one report. Where I intend to focus mainly on the best bits (and sometimes the worst). Xtreme Scream Park/ Beginning with a bang. This was my first event and it certainly did not fail to disappoint. Despite its fairly remote location and its budget not being massive I was highly impressed with this event, from the interaction and portrayal of roaming actors to the scattering of spooky theming. Pie Factory was by far my favourite maze, down from the consistency of actors and scenes throughout and the fact some scenes worked fine without any actors as they helped build up the suspense and fear factor. Apart from The Dungeon which I wasn't a fan of, was strongly impressed by all mazes there (a total of six). Stilton House Hotel and Hunted are honourable mentions. Scarefest It may surprise some of you that prior to October this year I had never been to a Scarefest event before (although I tried and failed last year). And finally losing my Scarefest virginity finally happened With no regrets attending. All three maze offerings were of acceptable quality, Terror Of The Towers being surprisingly good despite being a largely established maze. Sub Species was my preferred maze, which I liked the split elements and the preshow which was of good quality. Altonville Mine (or Skin Snatchers) seemed the weaker one and looked like it had potential, but I feel we may have just experienced a poor run through which was a shame. Aside from the decent park lighting, the amusing flash mob and acceptable theming, the addition that Pleased me the most was House Of Monsters. A family based attraction which was more funny than frightening, the use of scenery and acting proved and was certainly an entertaining attraction that was worth the £5. Particularly liked the Skeleton and vampire actors and was certainly 15 minutes well spent and reminded me of Shrwk's Adventure in a few ways but maybe better. Night rides are cool too Fright Nights No Halloween would really be complete without at least a visit or two to Fright Nights, especially being one of my local parks. The event celebrated it's 15th anniversary by bringing back some of the park's popular roaming actors from deceased mazes including the Freezer and Experiment 10. This is always one of the things I like about Fright Nights and would like them to add a scare zone one day. Big Top was much better this year. The flow was better, the acting was consistent and it generally felt more of a maze than a few disjointed scare zones. Face It Alone was as enjoyable as always but cannot help feel last year's was better. Whilst I've tried to remain positive, this is where it sort of dwindles. The park was rammed on literally each attendance. Whilst some may see this as a positive thing, the crowd handling certainly has room for improvement. Three and a half hours for Platform 15 just can't be justified, as the queue was barely moving and not even completely full. The maze itself however was better than expected and offered something different and unique from the rest with its location and plot line. The long tunnel was one of the stronger elements which I thought built up suspense rather well. Cabin is still cabin, acceptable but rather stale now. I can't comment for the rest as I never got to try them . Howl O Ween Despite possibly saying I probably wouldn't go I visited anyway (call that unacceptable if you must). The only reason I visited was because it was on the way for other scare attractions and night rides never go a miss. A round on tomb blaster, Carousel later and a final night ride on Fury ended the season. Didn't manage any mazes as they're the same as last time and Vampire was dead. The theming however was quite good though. Acceptable theming! Tulley's Shocktoberfest Tulleys is somewhere I've been wanting to go for a while now and was finally able to do so this year. Though lacking the exterior theming and roaming actors, this event certainly impressed me which provided a sufficient of mazes, eight to be precise. The Horrorwood Tractor ride was certainly my favourite with it's interactive scenery and theming elements and vast range of different actors appearing throughout from scary cowboys to mad scientists. Certainly more of a ride than a maze and clearly better than Zufari. Other mazes that impressed me included the Colony and its large length and variations, The Cellar with its haunted theme and Pandemonium with its use of 3D elements. Hellements was the only maze I wasn't taken with as it seemed weaker than rest, though Creepy Cottage was rather on the short side though. Only other negative was the location as a whole looks very temporary and the use of temporary loos but that can't be helped given the location. Legoland Brick Or Treat Perhaps not a Halloween event in the traditional sense but still appropriate. At the end of each year Legoland holds themed fireworks to end the season with a bang, alongside a selection of kids Halloween activities in their enchanted forest area. This year's fireworks were themed to Nexo Knights (one of their current product lines) which featured audio dialogue synchronised to the fireworks. The display as a whole was good, although not amazing. Helped by it's audio plot line and glasses that turn the fireworks into Lego bricks (worth the £1.50). I particularly liked how the harbour area (one of the main viewing areas) was sort of turned into a pre-show before the main event as a result of the connected fountains and light being synchronised to the music. Apart from the lack of good nighttime lighting and the number rides closing at dusk, was a very good event. And this marks the end of another good Halloween season which has certainly been a good one (most of. The time). Didn't do Screamfest Burton and Screamland, but hopefully they can be done for another year. so, in brief: Best maze- Pie Factory Xtreme Scream Best non maze attraction- Haunted Hayride- Tulleys best fun scare attraction- House Of Monsters- Alton Towers Best scare event- Xtreme Scream Park Most improved maze- Big Top Thorpe Park Most awkwardly hilarious moment- Walking out of a fire exit on the Twisted maze at Xtreme Scream Best lit park- Alton Towers StormmSurge- Hellements- Tulleys Until next time, Farewell.

So to start the blog off, here's a joke The Conservative Party Anyway its sadly nearly Halloween, meaning the parks close for off season! So I guess its back to rocking back and forward in my room til march.. So I've reviewed a few events over Halloween, so I'm going to do some awards to recap my Halloween Season! http://forum.maniahub.com/blogs/entry/812-alton-towers-scarefest-2016-review/ http://forum.maniahub.com/blogs/entry/808-screamland-margate-2016-review/ http://forum.maniahub.com/blogs/entry/804-thorpe-park-fright-nights-2016-review/ http://forum.maniahub.com/blogs/entry/803-tulleys-farm-shocktoberfest-2016-review/ Anyway.. BRING ON THE AWARDS Best Theming/Costume Design Honourable Mentions- Dead And Breakfast, The Cellar, Altonville Mine Tours Winner- The Final Cut What haven't I said about The Final Cut? The theming is fab throughout, and the Sci-Fi costumes felt very well done. Especially if you're a film buff like me, its fun seeing all the references to classic Sci-Fi Movies. Most Improved Maze Honourable Mentions- The Colony Winner- The Big Top The Big Top last year was admittedly a plane crash. At first even I didn't want to admit it. The maze just did not work, the open spaces made scares a tad awkward, and it felt half-finished as well. This year the maze seems like a whole different attraction, with some changes the maze now sits as one of the best in Thorpe's offering. The maze itself feels much more frenetic, with the intense strobe section, to the well themed rooms towards the end. Worst Maze Dishonourable Mentions- Bloody Mirror, The Cabin In The Woods, Hellements, Donald Trump's House Of Horrors Winner/Loser- Platform 15 After doing some run throughs of it recently, I've came to the conclusion this is the worst of the year.. Whats the point of having a long attraction if nothing happens for 90% of it? It just drags on, and unlike The Colony for example there's not much to see for most of it.. The ending tunnel takes the cake for being the worst scene, its long, and you'll probably not see a actor! The theming is OK, but a lot of the attraction is just nothing.. Nothing.. Most Original Concept/Theme Honourable Mentions- Coven Of 13, The Final Cut Winner- The Paradise Foundation I love originality in scare attractions, it really sets a attraction apart from the rest, which is what The Paradise Foundation did! The Paradise Foundation is a gore infested theatrical journey through a controversial surgical clinic. Basically the idea is that the rich pay for the 'bliss' treatment, which involves the poor being surgically operated on to give there happiness for the rich. The maze throughout has a lot of gore, including disgustingly disfigured costumes that actors wear. The maze overall is something quite different to anything else I've done this Halloween. Most Intense Maze Honourable Mentions- The Paradise Foundation, Altonville Mine Tours, Chop Shop Winner- Sub Species: The End Games Sub Species breaks the boundaries of what actors can do in a maze. I was split up throughout, faced sections of the maze on my own, and was constantly manhandled and pushed by actors. The maze has a intense crawling scene, periods of complete darkness, and had me on edge throughout. Best Roaming Actors And Atmosphere Winner- Tulleys Farm Shocktoberfest The Atmosphere at Tulleys is unmatchable, with a range of brilliant roamers and two music stages, its really brilliant! Best Scare/Halloween Event Winner- Screamland Margate This award was very tough to decide. But I've decided Screamland was my favourite event of the season. The great atmosphere, the four brilliant mazes, and the heavy load of creativity in the mazes is something special. Anyway thanks for reading me ramble in this blog! Have a spoopy halloween frens and fellow geeks What events have you been to this Halloween?

This Blog Will Contain Spoilers And Sarcasm you've been warned! So back in 2015 Scarefest really got a kick up the arse! Scarefest has created some of the best scare attractions in the industry, but back in 2013/2014 the quality of the mazes where really plummeting.. Thankfully last year was one of the best years in Scarefests history, so I was itching to get back! So after a grueling 4 hour drive, a fun M1 Traffifc jam, and a posh meal at Mcdonalds, I was there! FYI I can't review House Of Monsters as I'm not a f*cking billionaire, hence why I purchased a meal from scrubby Mcdonalds.. Terror of the Towers: What Lies Within TOTT returns, and it feels a lot toned down from last year. Last year TOTT was actually quite brilliant, actors where crawling from everywhere.. This year seems to have some scenes cut as well, making the maze not as long as it used to be.. No don't get me wrong even with scenes cut its still pretty long, its well themed, and actors got a lot of scares. But overall TOTT is starting to get stale, I think a new story/replacement is in dire need, TOTT has long outstayed its welcome TBH-4.5/10 Altonville Mine Tours Altonville Mine Tours is new for this year, and I gotta say, I was highly impressed. The beginning involved some talking scenes with some great actors, they really got up in your face, and set the scene for the main maze. First off the theming was brilliant, the smell pods also seemed to be a little too strong as well! The attraction also made use of the Haunted Lantern technology, which they handed at the start of the attraction. The Helmets themselves where a nice novelty, the attraction didn't rely on them, but they where a nice touch. The scares inside where pretty strong, the masks looked pretty freaky, and the actors where not afraid to manhandle you! The touching was not as strong as Sub Species, but it was still pretty intense! My only criticism is that the finale wasn't as strong as it couldn't of been, mainly as the first half is so chaotic! All in all- Altonville Mine Tours is a strong addition to the lineup-9/10 Sub Species: The End Games Sub Species returns relatively similar to last year, but in Sub Species case, its a GOOD thing! Sub Species really pushes the boundaries on what actors can do, I was pushed, I was grabbed, I even faced the second half of the maze alone! The maze section in particular was a highlight, it wasn't ME who was choosing which way to go, it was a actor pushing me that way! The maze seemed to be actors a-plenty, and at points they even worked together to corner people or separate groups! The touching was insane, it wasn't a little grab, it was full on push from room to room! The chainsaw ending is cliché, but it was effective and left our group running! Sub Species is IMO the best maze in a Merlin park for a while, and the scariest maze I've done this Halloween! My run through was utter insanity, this is by far one of the best scare attractions I've done this year -10/10 Scarezones Even though the new scarezones are constantly compared to the old ones, I do really like how Alton are trying to do proper scarezones like they do in the US. Yes the old ones where better, but there where akin to mini mazes, not proper scarezones TBH. Freakshow was a vast improvement from last years Nox Infernus, the zone was pretty tight, meaning the actors where pretty interactive. I liked the circus-y type props around the zone, though the zone felt more fun than scary. The freaks where more making us laugh more than scaring us, but the zone was still really good fun! I sadly didn't get to experience Dark Apocalypse, but it looked pretty good! As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't bothered to cough up a fiver for House Of Monsters, but it looked pretty good, and most reviews of it are positive. Conclusion: Scarefest was a pretty good event this year, most of the mazes where really strong, and the scarezones and family entertainment really do shape up a well rounded event. Anyway, here's some crappy pictures taken by yours truly.. Nemmy Selfie in Freakshow More Freakshow I'll leave you on this note.. Smile. Always..

This Blog Contains Minor Spoilers* Screamland is a upcoming giant in the scare industry, and last year received rave reviews from scare veterans and the GP alike. I personally have never been to Margate, so my whole night was a complete 'new experience' to me..Yup Especially the completely rundown city of Margate, and some "interesting" graffiti on some of the walls.. Anyway the event was a grueling Hour and a half drive, so was it worth it? In short, yes.. Screamland was one of the best halloween events I've ever experienced, I'm not easily scared, but the event caught me off guard with some of the most creative scares I've ever seen in a maze. Bloody Mirror Bloody Mirror was the parks mirror maze with a few actors.. Overall it was the shortest/weakest at the event, but it was fun for what audience it was aiming for. I was a tad disappointed TBH, but the attraction is more of a good start to the event than anything else -3/10 or 100/10 if you have a big ego The Paradise Foundation TBH this mazes concept and theme disturbed me before even entering the attraction! Overall The Paradise Foundation is a well themed, theatrical, and terrifying experience! First positive would have to be the actors hiding spaces, they really came from everywhere. The maze itself is very disturbing, with a lot of the actors looking disfigured and the sets full of gore. I'm not easily grossed out but some of the actors costumes where quite disgusting, in a good way! My only negative comment I'd say about the attraction is the ending, its a cool concept but not effective as it could of been! All in all- The Paradise Foundation was a brilliant maze which had our group on edge throughout the experience-9/10 The Final Cut Presents..They Came From Outer Space The Final Cut was what I'd call perfection.. The concept was so brilliant, and so brilliantly executed. The first half is reminiscent of a theatre, with popcorn being thrown everywhere! The use of a inflatables was genius with the transition into the movies, and once into the film The Final Cut goes crazy from that point on! The maze has plenty of scenes involving Sci-Fi classics which where both funny and scary in equal measures! If that wasn't enough awesomeness for you.. I present the ending! The ending involved a scary alien and a girl with a gun! The ending was loud, unique, and left our group desperate for the exit-10/10 Dead And Breakfast- Murder Hotel Dead And Breakfast starts right after the awesomeness of The Final Cut, And oh god was the first half brilliant. Fag Ash Lil had our group in stitches with her fast-witted insults, She even called me a slag! Once inside your chased by Lil's new man, who has a taste for flesh! The maze had some beautiful sets, as well as some good theatrical scares making use of the brilliant theming that immerses you in. Lil's new man seemed to be everywhere, and caused a threat throughout the attraction. The attraction's finale was also pretty good, and was a good ending to a great maze-9/10 Festino's Forgotten Funhouse I've experienced some great Clown/Circus themed mazes this Halloween, but Festino has to be the best clown maze I've ever experienced. The creativity on this one was insane. The hiding spaces for actors where very creative, and at points you see a prop, next minute that prop would start moving to realise its a actor! The attraction's first half is very trippy and full of unique scares, and the second half was surprisingly theatrical! To meeting a knife thrower to a Bearded lady was pretty fun! The ending slightly disappointed me, mainly due to the absence of Pearlywhite! But three actors with chainsaws held our group hostage in a cage for a few minutes, which made up for it! The maze itself though was more fun than scary, but the maze's creative scares and scenes make up for that-8/10 Atmosphere/Roamer Actors Overall the roamers where pretty great. They weren't no Tulleys level, but I had some fun interaction with them. Though the atmosphere was buzzing-8/10 Conclusion: Screamland is a event which I recommend to anyone who likes scare attractions. The event is nothing short of brilliant, and even though Scenic was unfortunately closed, I still had a blast!

As spooky times are fast approaching I thought I'd create a little topic where we could express our creative ideas for potential mazes/scarezones etc. Not park specific either so go wild! The first idea I have is a maze for Thorpe Park, not too sure on a name yet so ideas are welcomed... UNTITLED A maze focusing and playing on the nostalgia of Thorpe Park. Taking you back in time to have your childhood memories distorted and warped into a mushy nightmare. Primarily the characters involved would be the old Rangers. Their severed heads would be scattered around and occasionally they'd pop out whilst the pitch changed carousel song would play, using old props to really create the immersion. Old uniforms and costumes would be used but not in a lazy way, more of a I'm gonna remind you of how things were kinda creepy way! Use some failures the Park has had previously and really grind them up, show everyone that the happy feel was in fact quite dark and twisted. I feel like they could really use dark humour in this too so everyone could enjoy (both new and old guests to the park) whilst still creating a horrific environment... Would also be 10x better than Dead End and less reusing items more taking advantage of lost childhood memories! Try and keep ideas unique and fun and constructive criticism is encouraged. This one's gonna be more of a serious topic so any joke ideas should be directed in the topic below, have fun!

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!