Fright Nights 2014

[Mark9]

Going back to the music, like I said there's every chance it was merely a place holder piece while they wait for the actual track to be commissioned/decided upon.

 

As for RnR, I really think Thorpe's heart is in the right place with this system, and its important to realise the "perfect" system doesn't exist yet because it still lacks extensive testing. Thorpe aren't stupid, if they really believed the system worked and worked well, they would have rolled it out all day every day by now. For the time being though, they're just collecting crucial data for its evolution.

 

The crux of it is that Queue times are absolutely crippling the park when it hits peak, and while we can go all blue sky and talk about how they should invest in more cars, staff and maintenance, the reality is Merlin can't and won't give them that sort of budget. Its easy to sit in an office and go "Yup lets make virtual queue lines with these rules." but until its put into practice no one will ever know how well its going to work.

 

We're not talking about building a roller coaster here, where the laws of physics tell you what can and cannot be done, we're talking about something that has high psychological implications, masses of fluctuation and great levels of unpredictability. In my opinion - It's going to take a while for them to come up with a system that works, but they need to start with it somewhere.

 

This post deserves far more appreciation then its getting. It should be pinned to the top of every Thorpe Park topic. Absolutely perfect and spot on.

[adam_sparks1]

"So, to sum up tonight FRIGHT NIGHTS experience: It was a great improvement on last year (even though last year was amazing). Cabin In The woods has had some lovely new additions. Studio 13: The Motel was purely stunning and is definitely one of the best mazes there this year, and yes the chainsaw is still there!! My Bloody Valentine was exactly the same as last year, which still makes it a brilliant maze. We would rank FRIGHT NIGHTS 10/10 based on the 3 mazes we witnessed tonight and the roaming actors. We still have to see whats new/changed in SAW: Alive! and The Blair Witch Project."

Theme Park Collective

What is this Motel stuff... I've seen a bit on it but have no idea what it is.

[JamminGamer]

I think "The Motel" is the name of the film being shot in Studio 13 by the Director.

[J.S217]

No expert but how did Theme Park collective get in?

[ATF]

No expert but how did Theme Park collective get in?

They didn't. The owner of TPC is the guy on Instagram who posted the Studio 13 picture (****yofamz). I know/knew him well, and he happens to be quite a big liar. He does have a ride op friend at TP though, who probably sent him the picture.

Trust me, I know him well.

[Glitch]

They didn't. The owner of TPC is the guy on Instagram who posted the Studio 13 picture (****yofamz). I know/knew him well, and he happens to be quite a big liar. He does have a ride op friend at TP though, who probably sent him the picture.

Trust me, I know him well.

Reasons why I always dislike TPC videos.

[RubyRed95]

So cabin is even better this year- darker and more disorientating with wayyyy more smoke it seemed. Love it- going in again in a bit haha

[Cal]

Looks like the same ride announcements as last year have returned! - http://instagram.com/p/t8Qs2QMTes/?modal=true

 

I did like them last year so I'm glad they've returned but I'm hoping there is new/better queueline music this year.

[StevenVig]

Interesting shot I managed to grab from one of the marketing videos, anyone know where this would be? I'm presuming Cabin in the Wood's, but dont remember a very blood stained corridor scene?

 

[Altitude]

Hmm I would assume CITW yeah. I don't think anywhere except for that and Studio 13 would have a fire exit that looked like that?

[Henrymid]

I'm at the Fright Night preview with TPJames and we have done most of the mazes and they seem pretty decent overall. The Cabin in the Woods was good but was lacking intensity. The Blair Witch Project was okay but I thought being able to see surrounding light slightly ruined it, but it was an amazing use of space.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[adam_sparks1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2z6v90FUQA&app=desktop 

Well this looks like a brilliant maze! Really good footage of Studio 13, I like the fact they are still using the strobe effects. The ending looks extremely more intense than Asylum as it seems to be longer of a chase with the chainsaw! Cant wait for Sunday! 

[TPJames]

Went to the fright night preview tonight to see a few familiar faces and celebrities!

I don't think there could have been more than a couple of thousand on park, as the mazes peaked at 45mins max; and when one was 45mins the others were 5(with the exception of studio 13 not going under 45 all night).

Ride count:

Slammer-1

Samurai- 1

Saw- 1

Swarm- 1

Detonator- 1

Stealth- 2

Rush- 1

Maze count:

Blair witch project- 1

Studio 13- 1

My bloody valentine- 1

Cabin in the woods- 1

-The rides were pretty much walk on all night, except for when we got jumped by a whole group of celebrities who decided to take up a whole train, however the queues were non-existent all night.

-Rides on FULL CAPACITY, 2 trains on coasters!!! I'm sure the park expected it to be busier, as all rides were walk on and going half empty.

-Did not get in Saw alive due to it breaking down and re-opening with a 45minute queue later.

-Amazing effects on tonight, flamethrowers on saw, mist on nemesis and stealth and effects in mazes were amazing.

-Cabin in the woods was much improved to last year, felt longer and the scares were brilliant. Well themed too and saw the character which was chosen on facebook by the public!

- Blair Witch was interesting... I thought it was an amazing use of space however the actual experience itself wasn't great. I liked how it was a walk through the woods and there were a few good scares. The final hut was good aswell.

- My Bloody Valentine was better than I remember, got the tunnel route which was quite scary and people infront got split from the rest of their group . Very fast paced and much better lighting this year meaning theming was visible. Also audio in maze queue

-STUDIO 13. What can I say? This was brilliant! 1000000/10(if that's even possible). I commend thorpe for making such an amazing maze, the theming was brilliant and the fact that it felt like a conga maze but was actually free flow made it great aswell! The scares were amazing and the maze was absolutely fantastic. Can't wait to do it again, the finale was brilliant aswell. The only downside was the long wait, but it was worth it! The maze was very popular and I can see why!

Total Rides and Mazes: 12.

Can't wait to go again, amazing event and if you are considering going to it, go! The roaming actors were great aswell(when there were some) as they made a photo frame and would suddenly scare everyone! Get down to this event, thorpe you have created something amazing I loved it!

[J.S217]

Blair witch 7/10

Cabin in the woods 6/10

Saw alive 5.5/10

MBV 4.5/10

S13 2.1/10

[adam_sparks1]

-STUDIO 13. What can I say? This was brilliant! 1000000/10(if that's even possible). I commend thorpe for making such an amazing maze, the theming was brilliant and the fact that it felt like a conga maze but was actually free flow made it great aswell! The scares were amazing and the maze was absolutely fantastic. Can't wait to do it again, the finale was brilliant aswell. The only downside was the long wait, but it was worth it! The maze was very popular and I can see why!

Do you still go through Studio 13 in groups of around 10? Or is it a constant flow of people? Wished it was hands on shoulders personally but I hope it isnt constant flow and is groups of like 8-12.

[Marc]

Do you still go through Studio 13 in groups of around 10? Or is it a constant flow of people? Wished it was hands on shoulders personally but I hope it isnt constant flow and is groups of like 8-12.

It is still similar sized groups.

[TPJames]

Blair witch 7/10

Cabin in the woods 6/10

Saw alive 5.5/10

MBV 4.5/10

S13 2.1/10

Better be sarcasm.

Do you still go through Studio 13 in groups of around 10? Or is it a constant flow of people? Wished it was hands on shoulders personally but I hope it isnt constant flow and is groups of like 8-12.

It's basically a conga line but you don't have to have hands on shoulders. You get stopped at various points in the maze where you get talked to as a whole group. Think there was exactly 10 of us in our group. I would recommend going near the front if you want the best scares though as that's where I went and it was brilliant

[Cornflakes]

Just got back from AP preview, so I figured it's a good time to share my thoughts.

 

My Bloody Valentine is still crap.

 

Saw Alive is Saw Alive. (It's crap)

 

Cabin in the Woods has taken a nosedive, far too well lit in many sections of the maze, showing off the cheap theming. Not good.

 

Studio 13 was a pleasant surprise. Had two runs through it, one as it opened and one near the end of the night, first run through was not good, felt very rushed and Asylum like, just strobes and screaming. Second run through was so much better, although story is pretty much non existent (as it is with every Thorpe maze) the actors did a great job at playing their characters, the strobes were still annoying though, the maze would benefit greatly if they were just replaced with some more atmospheric still lighting.

 

Blair Witch Project was the best maze of the night, rather than throwing a bunch of scares at you in quick succession and to little effect, Blair Witch utilises long periods of silence to build tension for the next big scare, the lack of music and the maze taking place in pretty much total darkness really contributes to it, however as with every other maze, it would be nice to see the actors given more complex scripts to better showcase the story, rather than just having them scream at you. The groups on Blair Witch are also far too large, cutting the groups down to around 3 or 4 people would really add to the tension and creeping sense of dread created by the maze.

 

Definite improvement on last years event, however as usual, storytelling is absent from every maze. Shame.

[Coaster]

Just back from a fantastic preview event!

 

Cabin in The Woods and My Bloody Valentine are both fantastic this year.  The new lighting in MBV means that you can actually see the actors and well themed sets, and Cabin has also had lots of improvements which add to it a lot!

Studio 13 was a bit of a letdown for me - I enjoyed it but it didn't have any sense of fear, nevertheless it was fun.  There didn't seem to be many actors though so maybe I got a bad run through it.  Blair Witch was much improved.  Saw Alive was the usual, although again it was slightly lighter which is really good as you can see the theming.  The maze as a whole still doesn't do much for me though, and I'd say it was the weakest maze today.

 

Full reviews coming tomorrow.

[Matt 236]

Here's my report of. my trip to a Fright Nights

Studio 13

Whilst I prefer the Asylum, this maze has quite dome original features to it and is a decent replacement. Liked the introduction scenes and scares here. Chainsaw is the same but oh well.

Cabin

Still my favourite maze at Thorpe which has some improvements, the maze is longer and has more scary features, plus I found the control room (though nothing happened). Shame the tunnel didn't spin and the intro wasn't as impressive with the flashing lights.

Blair Witch

Being so we hat of a disapointment last time, this Walkthrough is much better thus year, with a better pace, more tension and overall feel of a story.

My Bloody Valentine

It's alright, probably the weaker of the mazes this year, the story intro is no longer there and it didn't seem to give as much of a Chase.

Saw Alive

Didn't do this as it kept breaking down (why are attractions named Saw always breaking)

Event was surprisingly good, pretty much all the rides were open, little queues on most rides and the park looks good at night (only second to Blackpool). My only major criticism is they needed more scare actors as I didn't really any when I was on park.

Also night rode the following/

Inferno

X

Colossus

Saw

Rumba

Samurai

Storm Surge (yes and never again)

Maze ratings

1- Cabin 8/10

2/ Studio 13 7/10

Blair Witch 7/10

MBV 6/10

[J.S217]

Better be sarcasm.

 

nope I wanted something more than Asylum V2 

[adam_sparks1]

nope I wanted something more than Asylum V2

Even if it is Asylum V2 , I don't see a problem with it. Most people thought Asylum was and has been their best maze ever and if in Studio 13 they have just improved apon it with a different genre we can't complain

[J.S217]

Never have I seen behind the scenes with strobe lighting 

[RubyRed95]

Review of tonight- Minor Spoilers, but nothing people don't really already know!

Studio 13- not really a fan tbh, preferred it to The Asylum cause the theming was better and I enjoyed the introduction. There was no real sense of fear though, not too many actors and we bunched up with another group at the end so no chainsaw. Didn't love it or hate it, it was okay, though I was never much a fan of The Asylum either, which I get is pretty unheard of but oh well gotta give it a 6 based on my experience though, expect it would've been better if it were quieter cause the actors and staff seemed to be really hurrying us through. Did anyone else find it REALLY short too? Like MBV short? Also what was with that woman doing your hair at the beginning? I mean I get why It was there but it just caught me really off guard and was just odd to me I just burst out laughing xD 6/10

My Bloody Valentine- different experience to last year- felt less like a chase and more like a casual stroll- but still didn't get to do the tunnel as it was stuffed full of kids who looked way too young to be in there haha xD got a bit lost walking round in circles for a bit and the Harry Warden characters had some good jump scares. I stand by what I said last year though- too short. Wayyyy too short, at least that route. 5/10

SAW: waited ages for this because the ratio of normal guests to fast trackers they were letting in was appalling. Loved the theming as always, got some good jump scares too. I actually got lost in the final scene which was so so odd to me as I never knew that could happen- we were just going round in circles for ages! So weird! But all round I was surprised by how good my run through was. 7/10

Cabin: still my undisputed favourite maze of all time. I love it. The free flow aspect really allows actors to interact with guests on a level that they just can't in the other mazes, they can really mess with you! My boyfriend and I were completely split up and I was held in one room for a long time! Found some new rooms and LOVED the added scenes. Ending was different too! More dark and disorientating in places, especially the final corridor where there was so much smoke you couldn't see your hand in front of your face! Really lively actors climbing walls, pushing us around and getting right up in our faces. Some great queue line actors too! Aside from the fact that the spinning tunnel didn't spin, I can't flaw it and ended up going in three times haha! May seem a little too kind but for me it really is 10/10. Sidenote- I really do find those people in white masks very very disturbing!

Saw a few roaming actors and happened to bump Into Ollie Murs which was... Interesting, though I'm not a fan haha. Did SAW, Colossus and Nemesis in the dark- shame to see my beloved Detonator down for a bit overall fab event!

[TPJames]

 

Studio 13 was a pleasant surprise. Had two runs through it, one as it opened and one near the end of the night, first run through was not good, felt very rushed and Asylum like, just strobes and screaming. Second run through was so much better, although story is pretty much non existent (as it is with every Thorpe maze) the actors did a great job at playing their characters, the strobes were still annoying though, the maze would benefit greatly if they were just replaced with some more atmospheric still lighting.

 

I have to disagree here, I feel that the strobe lighting does a great effect and means that the actor can scare you while you can't see anything. There may have been too much of it, but at points it was really great(like in the body bag room we felt like the whole rooming was moving around us while we were going through and really led to confusion). I only experienced it once right at the end of the night though, was less busy at this time so maybe they didn't rush it or something?

I have to agree about the length of studio 13, would have been nice if it was a bit longer as it felt shorter than Aslyum however my run was fairly long and I have to say I really did enjoy it. The chainsaw men finale was really good in my opinion and much better than the one on Aslyum last year. The maze overall did have a storyline, however it wasn't particularly clear as to what it actually was but I did understand it. The storyline was much better than the other mazes as on all of the other mazes no story was explained to you in any way watsoever so it didn't feel like the maze had a story at all(especially with MBV).