Forgot to mention this earlier and it's very ~ambiguous~ but when I was at Scarefest last year I was sat on a table in Woodcutters next to Andrew Porter who has created Slasher and some other mazes. He was talking to Towers staff about their 2014 lineup. I didn't really catch much except him saying they were the best traditional mazes he'd been through. These 2 new mazes line up with his thoughts...

As well as the Escape Room experience, there are two other 'VIP' experiences available at Scarefest; the extreme version of mazes returns, along with the chance to experience the mazes alone, and there's a 'RIP tour', giving people access to all 3 mazes during the day, plus some extra experiences between experiences the mazes.  

 

All details from TST:  https://towersstreet.com/news/2015/scarefest-vip-package-details-released/

 

EDIT:  The prices of the extreme mazes are £20 in a group, or £30 to 'Maze it Alone'.  

is there an age limit on the extreme mazes this year?? and if so, how strict are they with the age limits?? 

is there an age limit on the extreme mazes this year?? and if so, how strict are they with the age limits?? 

If there is, it's usually like 12+, but it's just a recommended type thing. However, for Brave it Alone which takes place after park hours you have to be 18+.

ah ok, thanks. I thought the extreme versions of the mazes in alton also had am 18+ age limit. I guess not, which is great news :-)

ah ok, thanks. I thought the extreme versions of the mazes in alton also had am 18+ age limit. I guess not, which is great news :-)

I'm pretty sure any of the mazes in normal park hours are accessible to anybody, some maybe liable for a fee. Not 100% though purely because I haven't looked too much into it, but it seems logical it wouldn't be. The passing at Thorpe wasn't 18+ so there shouldn't be any problems.

Couple of pics from yesterday
lighting mounts in the moat



A look inside the misplaced door

A workman taking what looked like metal cable frames into the towers. (either that or doing the birdy song)

A closeup and less blurred look at the metal cable framing

A couple around the crates with some horrendous lens flairs but I was uber hungover so this was how the world looked on Sunday.

Another construction update: Some pics from today
Overview:but with some new construction.

Close up of that new wooden structure:

The Tunnel:

Now near the entrances, The conservatory seems to have a structure in it:

Ohh a blast from the past:

What's that sitting on top of Burger Kitchen?

Yup I think it's Molly's Crow

Two new scare zones have been introduced: Nox Infernus (or something like that) and Dark Apocalypse, both themed around Zombies.

If there is, it's usually like 12+, but it's just a recommended type thing. However, for Brave it Alone which takes place after park hours you have to be 18+.

The recommended minimum age for the standard mazes at Towers is 14.

For both the paid Extreme mazes and the Maze ALONE! VIP extras the age limit is strictly 18+.

The Extreme mazes are taking place after park close (9pm onwards) while the Maze ALONEs are taking place before the mazes open to the general public (I have ToTT booked Alone on Sunday 25th October and have been advised to be at the entrance to the maze for 12:45pm)

The recommended minimum age for the standard mazes at Towers is 14.

For both the paid Extreme mazes and the Maze ALONE! VIP extras the age limit is strictly 18+.

The Extreme mazes are taking place after park close (9pm onwards) while the Maze ALONEs are taking place before the mazes open to the general public (I have ToTT booked Alone on Sunday 25th October and have been advised to be at the entrance to the maze for 12:45pm)

But you do see younger kids (10-14) occasionally going in with parents, The staff do say that it isn't really suitable but it is, as Dan said, a recommended min age, not a hard fast rule.

TowersTimes have reported that Alton Towers have increased the age restrictions to their scare mazes to 15+ and it is understood that this will be strictly enforced.

Alton Towers have also posted the following in a comment on their Facebook page:

Due to their extreme horror content, only guests aged 15 years and over will be permitted to access our 2015 Scare Mazes.

It is as yet unclear as to how this age limit will be enforced.

They can't unless they're going to start asking for ID.

Can't say I'm surprised they're putting out a strongly worded release, there are always people that will think whatever rule/advise/recommendation doesn't apply to them and they bugger things up for the majority.

It seems very strange to be strictly enforcing this rule, I wouldn't have classed any of the past Scarefest mazes as unsuitable for people younger than fifteen - unless they are seriously bringing up the scare level this year.

I agree with the age limits though..I was 15 last year and went on sanctuary and was completely fine, whilst my 12 year old brother did it and cried his eyes out. he left before we even got to the marmalisation room...and he's not really nervous with scare attractions or anything at all. there's obviously a valid reason for the age limits, even if different people are scared of different things..

 

I personally think thorpes age limit of 13 (??)+ for their mazes is really stupid. if I did any of the mazes aged 13 or younger, I'd be absolutely terrified. but that's just me I guess

I did my first scare maze when I was 9, just sayin'.   I was scared to death throughout the whole experience, but I still did it.

 

A strict age limit is an interesting one, though one has to wonder how strictly they will enforce it.  I remember when I was 15/16, the only official form of identification I had was my passport, and I rarely carried it around with me (and I definitely wouldn't take that to a UK theme park for a day).  So it could prove tricky to verify someone's age.  There's also the problem that some under 15s may already have purchased tickets.

 

I expect this is more of a marketing strategy / psychological thing than anything else.  Upping the age by a year won't really give them much more lee-way I'd assume.  Will be interesting to see if Towers' give any more details about the reasoning behind it.

I'm 13 and love the mazes, they are one of my favorite things to do at a theme park.

Sadly I have already booked the mazes, so now I'm gonna get a refund, I'm really disapointed.

I have booked a hotel, so I might go off to screamfest burton..

For me the mazes are something I love,anyway a age restriction suprises me, wouldn't Merlin loose out on some money by restricting to 15+ ?

 

That is annoying, as a more than a few 12, 13, 14 year olds will want to go (myself included). I'm not going, but I would be pissed if I'd booked a bunch of stuff and it turns out I can't even go!

I have no idea how scary Alton's mazes are compared to Thorpe's, but if they're anything alike, that's atrocious! Thorpe's mazes I tried last year when I was 12, and though I was scared before I went to my first maze, I found them all rather funny. I just kept imagining all these hilarious things happening to me (like Harry Hill running at me with an axe in MBV).

As others have said, how strictly is this going to be enforced? Just by looking? I suppose annual passes have ages on them, but that's only a fraction of the amount of people going...

I agree with the age limits though..I was 15 last year and went on sanctuary and was completely fine, whilst my 12 year old brother did it and cried his eyes out. he left before we even got to the marmalisation room...and he's not really nervous with scare attractions or anything at all. there's obviously a valid reason for the age limits, even if different people are scared of different things..

 

I personally think thorpes age limit of 13 (??)+ for their mazes is really stupid. if I did any of the mazes aged 13 or younger, I'd be absolutely terrified. but that's just me I guess

The thing is, recommended age limits are fine, but a strict restriction is just silly.  I did my first horror maze when I was 11 and remember being distinctly unimpressed (as I was expecting it to be terrifying), I enjoy them now but they aren't scary enough to be worthy of such a high blanket restriction IMO.

 

It's also a strange move from Towers because as others have said, numerous people will now be unable to enter, causing them to make less money.

TBH I might just try "pretend" to look older, I am very tall, hopefully they don't ask for ID.

Who the hell carries ID at a blimming theme park!

I did Altons mazes in 2012 and only really enjoyed COF, thought the mazes were no where near as intense as Thorpes are. Odd but there must be a reason for it.

It's really silly. I have heard the mazes at Thorpe are much more intense, despite the lower age rating.

Thorpe's maze are WAY better.

TBH I've had more scares watching the X Factor than the Scarefest mazes!

TOTT is boring and dull, I  thought the Sanctuary was one of the worst mazes I did last year.

Scary tales being tiny didn't help it replacing one of the UK's best mazes,and Zombies was meh.

tott is probably way more tension-filled, and much better themed than any of the thorpe mazes but yeah.. it really isn't that intense. sanctuary on the other hand was insane on my run, but most people don't really seem to have had the same experience that I did .

overall though the thorpe mazes are way more claustrophobic, intense and agressive (I guess) than the scarefest mazes.. so I'm really confused as to why the scarefest mazes still have a higher age restriction than the thorpe ones..

tott is probably way more tension-filled, and much better themed than any of the thorpe mazes but yeah.. it really isn't that intense. sanctuary on the other hand was insane on my run, but most people don't really seem to have had the same experience that I did .

overall though the thorpe mazes are way more claustrophobic, intense and agressive (I guess) than the scarefest mazes.. so I'm really confused as to why the scarefest mazes still have a higher age restriction than the thorpe ones..

Thorpe don't have a age restriction,its  a recommendation.Alton in previous years has been a recommendation too.

This is the first time they have gone all out on a age restriction.