Tulleys Shocktober Fest Scream Park 2015

[Jack]

I'm going to tulleys on the 13th and I am so excited, I have heard a few reviews from mates and online and there seems to be mixed reviews of al the mazes, this is the order of my most anticipated mazes, I'm interested to know what yours are:

 

1-chop shop

2-the colony

3-the cellar

4-coven of 13

5-pandemoniums 3D carnival

6-hellements

7-creepy cottage

8-haunte hayride

[MachoMachine]

Would anyone happen to know how much it costs to get a taxi to/from Crawley station to this? Buses aren't too often and I'd like to try and get all the mazes done so staying as long as possible would be great! Unless anyone thinks I could get all the mazes done (with fast track) by 10:30

[MattyMoo]

I think if you went early on in the month you'd do them all by 10.30 with fast track Fast track queues last night were about 10 mins.

[MachoMachine]

Yay fab! I'm going into this knowing little to nothing about the event (so I can keep it a surprise  ) thank you  

[Mer]

The nearest station is Three Bridges (which is also more of a mainline station/more services than Crawley station), a quote from here: https://www.roadrunnersonline.co.uk/ (who I normally use when I get a taxi), says £8, Uber says between £6-£9

 

I really need to get back here...it's literally down the road from me yet I've only been twice in my life  

 

EDIT: Posted that at the same time as Amarghh, apologies if I may have given something away with that question, have removed it incase  

 

 

[MachoMachine]

4 minutes ago, Mer said:

The nearest station is Three Bridges (which is also more of a mainline station/more services than Crawley station), a quote from here: https://www.roadrunnersonline.co.uk/ (who I normally use when I get a taxi), says £8, Uber says between £6-£9

 

I really need to get back here...it's literally down the road from me yet I've only been twice in my entire life  

 

EDIT: Posted that at the same time as Amarghh, apologies if I may have given something away with that question  

 

 

 

Thank you! Night's looking cheaper than I expected now!

[Jack]

Amarghh- don't go to Crawley station, it's further away and Crawley town is such a ****hole I'm embarrassed to say it's my home town

[Matt 236]

Visiting here for the first time on the 29th this month.

 

which mazes should be given priority?

[jessica2]

Great review MattyMoo! I'm going on the 14th and am super excited

I have no idea how busy it will be on that date, and I wanted to ideally get on all of the haunts (with Hellements being at the bottom of the list), any others you think should have less priority? Any recommendations on the order to do them so that we can do as many of them as possible? We won't be getting there til about 7 (opens at 6.30) and can stay til the end. Thanks!

[jessica2]

3 hours ago, Jack said:

Amarghh- don't go to Crawley station, it's further away and Crawley town is such a ****hole I'm embarrassed to say it's my home town

Isn't three bridges closer?

[MattyMoo]

33 minutes ago, jessica2 said:

Great review MattyMoo! I'm going on the 14th and am super excited

I have no idea how busy it will be on that date, and I wanted to ideally get on all of the haunts (with Hellements being at the bottom of the list), any others you think should have less priority? Any recommendations on the order to do them so that we can do as many of them as possible? We won't be getting there til about 7 (opens at 6.30) and can stay til the end. Thanks!

 

I would've thought all 8 should be do-able but yes would definitely leave Hellements out of the lot - I'd perhaps stay away from Hayride until later in the evening, so stick to the area that has Chop Shop, The Cellar, Pandemonium and Colony, and do Colony last from those 4 as you end up in the bottom area of the "park" then when you exit it  (it is HUGE). Couple more photos on my Facebook from the evening - you'll have a blast!

[jessica2]

1 hour ago, MattyMoo said:

 

I would've thought all 8 should be do-able but yes would definitely leave Hellements out of the lot - I'd perhaps stay away from Hayride until later in the evening, so stick to the area that has Chop Shop, The Cellar, Pandemonium and Colony, and do Colony last from those 4 as you end up in the bottom area of the "park" then when you exit it  (it is HUGE). Couple more photos on my Facebook from the evening - you'll have a blast!

 

thanks for the advice! Will do that. In a group of about 10, with most of those new to mazes, so I think they could want to start small (creepy cottage?) but we'll see! Hopefully we'll fit everything in  Are many of the mazes conga line, or only a few?

[Jack]

4 hours ago, jessica2 said:

Isn't three bridges closer?

 

Yes I said Crawley is further away, sorry if that wasn't clear

[MattyMoo]

Most of them were officially "conga line" but once in there no one seemed to care Creepy Cottage is a good start, but even that did provide me with some proper jumps

[MattyMoo]

Could this thread be moved to the UK Attractions area for more visibility? :-)

[MachoMachine]

Just come out of Tulleys and it was so fab!! I'll write a lil review of each attraction when I get back but for the meantime here's me and my long lost family 

 

[Coaster]

I had high expectations for Tulleys, yet it exceeded them in almost every way.  I'll post full reviews but they won't be online until Monday at the earliest.

[MachoMachine]

Here's my spooky dooky review from tonight. Contains spoilers!

 

[MattyMoo]

Ah mannn, your review makes me want to go again Amy!

 

What is the proper name for the black squishy things? They were used to good effect in Coven & Cellar - with Coven, it made it look like everyone was just floating heads because of the laser!

Chop Shop was by far my fave - as I said elsewhere, ended up split up from my group and then was sandwiched between two chainsaw guys haha - and that part of the maze is very disorientating, for sure - went round in circles a few times "WRONG WAYYYY PIGGYYYY" still rings in my ears

[MachoMachine]

I think they're just called inflatables but??? They're so squishy and scary! The laser effects were fab, it hurt my eyes In a good way <3 

[Coaster]

Please be aware the following will contain SPOILERS.

Having heard a lot of positive reviews I was incredibly excited for my first visit to Shocktober Fest at Tulleys Farm, and it did not disappoint!

Here is my review based on my experiences on Saturday 8th October;

 

Haunts (in the order we did them);

 

Creepy Cottage

Knowing that this was the tamest maze I wasn't expecting much from this, but I was wrong!

Obviously the intention isn't to terrify you with this attraction, however it creates a creepy atmosphere throughout with very well themed sets and good audio.  There were a few jump scares, as the maze has been designed with this in mind; there are plenty of places for actors to hide, and the layout allows for actors to appear multiple times.

One thing I really liked about this maze was the mix between live actors and moving props - there were skeletons coming out of coffins and jars, and plenty more animated scenery which added a lot to the enjoyment of the attraction.

 

Overall, Creepy Cottage is a great maze to start the event, and does its job fantastically.

6/10

 

Hellements

Hellements seems to get mixed reviews, so I wasn't really sure what to expect.  The attraction is essentially a "blind man's trail", which sees you navigate the layout using a rope as you are blindfolded.

I found that the walkthrough lasted a very long time, and was very disorientating with a mix of atmospheric audio and special effects including wind, water and fire.  The highlight for me was the fire effect at the end, however the wind was also very effective.  The uneven flooring made it more difficult to navigate which was good, even though I did nearly fall over! 

 

I enjoyed Hellements a lot more than I was expecting.  Despite the fact that I like to see theming in attractions, I feel that in an event with eight haunts it's good to have an attraction that is completely different to the others, and as such it's worthy of a place in the lineup.

5/10

 

Coven of 13

Wow!  Coven of 13 was the main new attraction for this year, and I thought it was fantastic.

The haunt has a continued theme of witches throughout, and is very inventive in terms of the effects and locations used.  There is a perfect mix of indoor and outdoor sections which worked really well, as the outdoor sections acted as "fillers" for the larger indoor scenes.

The first scene was one of my favourites; it made great use of laser effects which offered hiding places for the actors, as they could jump up unexpectedly.  The chair scene worked really well (an actor sat on the chair falls under the laser beam) - this is one of many examples of the creative thought that has gone into this attraction, and the fact that this was combined with one of the "squash tunnels" made it even more fun!

There was a short outdoor section before we entered a house.  Like many of Tulleys' haunts, the theming was superb in here, and the strobes were on a good flash rate which created a sense of chaos whilst still allowing you to see well enough to appreciate the props/actors.

Finally, the last scene was really clever, utilising a wind effect combined with an actor in the centre; a great end to an outstanding attraction.

 

Coven of 13 amazed me in every way; it's creative, entertaining and a lot of fun, yet still manages to provide plenty of scares.

8/10

 

Pandemonium's 3D Carnival

Our next maze was Pandemonium, which is a clown maze with a twist; the second half features 3D glasses.

The sets were well designed throughout, and interactive both with the actors and guests; simple things such as giving the actors a swing to use added to the overall fun of the haunt, as did the moving clown props.

I was worried that the 3D element would be a gimmick but it worked really well IMO - the paintwork was really good, and the actors even had 3D paint on their faces which created a brilliant effect!  One of the last rooms was really good with two clown props that moved slightly, and then an actor dressed up as a clown - really effective.

Another good thing was that the actors had props, for example one of them holding a doll and then slamming it against the wall.

 

Overall Pandemonium was an immensely fun maze with lots of different elements, though it was definitely more fun than scary.

7/10

 

Chop Shop

After hearing a lot about this it was my most anticipated maze of the event, and whilst it was fun, I did feel that it could be improved.

The first half of the maze is immensely themed with an incredible amount of detailing for a scare attraction; you're navigating through a car repair workshop which requires you to walk round cars, through small spaces and everything was thought of in terms of decoration.  The actors were good in this section, building up the anticipation for the second half.

 

After a while the theatrical side is dropped in favour of an intense, loud and very fun second half.  This section consists of corridor after corridor of white walls covered in blood, whilst guests are terrorised by some 8 actors, all with chainsaws!  I found this to be a lot of fun, however the scare factor did wear off after a while.  I also feel that in a maze so reliant on chainsaws, it lacked a proper ending; we weren't chased out on our run-through, with the final corridor feeling like a calm walk to the finish rather than the intense final it should have been IMO.

The second half could do with some small items of theming, for example body parts scattered around and writing on the wall; just something to add some difference to the otherwise same-y white walls.

 

I really enjoyed Chop Shop.  It's a maze of two halves, and is truly groundbreaking for the UK, however I feel that some improvements are necessary for it to be the "outstanding" maze it could definitely be.

7/10

 

The Colony

The Colony was the longest walkthrough at the event, taking nearly 15 minutes to complete.  Despite this, we were entertained the entire way through due to a fantastic mix of indoor and outdoor sections, as well as some extremely creative set designs; like many of Tulleys' attractions there were lots of small touches which added to the overall experience, for example a bee hive with an air cannon, and the chicken run!

There were no large open spaces which, combined with the great use of scenery, meant that the actors had an abundance of places to hide and surprise guests from.  I also loved the use of real bonfires throughout this attraction!

My one disappointment came from the final; when you have Chop Shop using 5+ chainsaws, and a few on Haunted Hayride, the chainsaw finale in The Colony felt like a bit of a cop-out.  Don't get me wrong, it was executed well, however I feel that there should be something else when chainsaws are so prominent in one of the event's other mazes.

 

Overall The Colony is a great attraction with outstanding theming, which despite being long managed to hold my interest throughout the entire duration - but I would like to see a revised ending for next year.

7/10

 

The Cellar

This was easily the most unnerving haunt of the event for me, it just went on and on through so many different scenes!

The first scene takes place in a garden with one particular effect surprising us a lot - however it hadn't quite reset in time and therefore was visible as we entered the room which was a shame.  That was the only downside though as the maze was atmospheric with phenominal sets in places, for example the cobwebs in the house!  The actors were on top form and there were loads of places for them to hide, with small enclosed spaces adding to the feel of unease throughout.

There was loads of dangling theming throughout, which forced us to interact with it as well as giving the actors yet more places to hide!  This was one of my favourite things about The Cellar, as when combined with the small spaces and dark lighting, it really did make you feel vulnerable.

The final scare was a simple idea which could use some work; the strobe went off after we had walked past, meaning that it didn't have the effect it should have done.

 

The Cellar was my favourite walkthrough attraction of the event - it had everything, atmosphere, scares, theming and a decent duration.

8/10

 

Horrorwood Haunted Hayride

WOW!  I have never come across a scare attraction like this before!

 

The Haunted Hayride takes place on a trailer pulled by a tractor, and takes you past loads of huge scenes throughout, as well as some smaller ones.  Despite taking approximately 20 minutes there were NO dull sections, it was so entertaining!  There were many creative set pieces throughout, for example the spider at the beginning and the toppling boards.

The humour in this attraction was fantastic, with actors jumping onboard the trailer and terrorising guests; jump scares were triggered both from actors and theming, with the use of fire in multiple places adding to the fun!

The final section consisted of two actors with chainsaws jumping on board which was very intense, and hysterically funny!

 

Overall Horrorwood Haunted Hayride is an phenominal attraction.  It's so unique and different to anything you'll come across at other scare events, and it truly pushes the boundaries of what can be done at a scare event.  In my opinion it's worth going to Tulleys just for this.

9/10

 

 

Overall event

Tulleys isn't just about the mazes, as there is also plenty of street entertainment on offer as well as two live stages.  The atmosphere throughout was brilliant with music blaring out, as well as roaming actors (the "popcorn people" were really good!) and Halloween decoration throughout.

 

The event is different to any I've been to as it's not located at a theme park; despite this it (IMO) surpasses the quality of any other event I've been to, it's just so entertaining in every aspect and I would highly recommend it to scare fans.  Shocktober Fest is the best scare event I have ever been to, and we hope to be back next year!

 

Photos

 

Chop Shop has one of the best maze exteriors I've ever seen!

 

Pandemonium;

The Colony;

 

The Cellar;

 

Live music;

 

Thanks for reading

[Jack]

OMG! Last night was amazing!!!

 

1-colony - this was literally amazing

2- chop shop

3- coven of 13 

4-the cellar 

5- creepy cottage

6- pandemonium 

7- hayride

8-hellements , I know a lot of people don't rate this but I still went in with an open mind, now I see why its not liked, it was fun but just not scary one bit

 

 

 

And I saw a Thorpe actor with his gf, was going to say hi but didn't know his name. 

[MattyMoo]

I think your top 2 is the same as mine - trouble is, all the mazes (with the exception of Hellements) were really good!  I'd love to know how long we were in Colony for but we just couldn't believe the size of the thing and different elements to it! Awesome. Can't beat the smell of a bonfire too

[Jack]

Tulleys full in-depth review 2016

 

WARNING! Contains Spolilers WARNING!

 

All of these are reviewed in the order we did them.

 

HORRORWOOD HAUNTED HAYRIDE - Our first attraction of the night was the hayride the queue was empty, the 3 popcorn girls in the loading bay were a great, fun start to our night. One thing I do have to say about this one is that the trailers are very tight so the actors were stumbling over our legs and trending on our feet the entire time, nevertheless they were very interactive. I wasn't scared once on this one not even with the chainsaw finalé. I think I was expecting way too much from this attraction, it was still great fun, the air cannon and pyrometrics really made me jump, but it was just a live theatrical performance. 

 

Favourite scene - I have 3 that I really love but the winner has to be the finalé with the pig and 2 chainsaw creatures. 

(The 2 runners up being "purdy boo's husband" and "Alice in wonderland")

 

Rating - 5/10

 

 

CREEPY COTTAGE - this is a little gem. I wasnt too excited before this one but I loved it, the squishy floor, the little cut throughs for the actors. Even though there was only 4-5 actors it was very fun and I got at least 3 decent jump scares inside. I was a little embarrassed to say that an animatronic skeleton in a bath made me jump! Not a finalé as such but a great maze with some very creepy audio.

 

Favourite scene - probably the squishy floor corridor, was very fun.

 

Rating - 6/10

 

 

COVEN OF 13 - I think coven has been a bit of a mixed bag so far, I had and amazing run through but I can see how some people wouldn't like it, I do think the finale could do with a few improvements but it was unique nonetheless. The fireplace section was really cool and I love how interactive the actors were, I had some really good jump scares in the indoor sections, especially the first scene. The outside and inside scenes really complement each other. it wasn't the scariest maze I have done, but there is just something about it that I love. 

 

Favourite scene - absolutely adore the first scene with the lasers and the inflatables around the legs.

 

Rating - 7/10

 

 

PANDEMONIUM'S 3D CARNIVAL - I was expecting a long curtains maze after reading reviews of the previous nightshade circus, but I didn't get that. I loved the second half of the maze, it was extremely disorientating and I hit my head twice. There was some amazing props but my only negative was that it wasn't scary. It was a real treat for the eyes and the corridors were extremely narrow. The mixture of props and actors was great also, there was a build up of 3 groups on our fun through though which meant quite a bit of standing still.

 

Favourite scene - definitely the one with the actor/prop (I actually couldn't tell) had the Air rifle.

 

Rating - 6/10

 

 

CHOP SHOP - this was my most anticipated maze of the night and I was leading this one, the first half was beautiful and really set the atmosphere. The second half was great! But I was expecting a few more chainsaws, I only saw 5, the actors without chainsaws created some amazing jump scares using the strobes to their advantage. The actors didn't use the cut throughs to their advantage but I got at least 6 jumps in this one. I absolutely loved it and in the final corridor I was cornered by 2 huge 6"6 men. Only other negative was stacking again but that's all.

 

Favourite scene - does the whole second half count? Actually the first half? I don't know ill just pick that scene with the chainsaw!

 

Rating - 8/10

 

 

COLONY - wow! The entire maze is just wow. At least 25 actors inside and it lasted over 15 mins. There was one part where it was so dark we had to feel our way around, I counted 3 inflatables which were all very powerful. Everything was just great, the inside scenes, the outside scenes, the finale was amazing. I was sent down one side by myself and the actor literally whacked the chainsaw right in front of my eyes making me fall to the ground. I can't fault anything about this maze apart from stacking again and maybe a little audio but other than that I adore it! I could write so much more but I don't have time. 

 

Favourite scene - 100% the chicken run, there was so many actor cut throughs and they used them so well. 

(An honourable mention was the bee hive bang aswell, that made me jump out of my skin)

 

Rating - 9/10

 

 

HELLEMENTS - I went into this expecting it to be reasonably better than people rate it, I had an open mind going in and I thought being at the back would provide more scares, oh my was I wrong. The fire and wind was amazing and I loved the flooring but it just wasn't scary, I could hear many other screams and screams but I didn't get 1 I only had a little whisper in my ear. The hoods also made it very hot under there making my athsma bad, overall it has potential but it just wasn't done well. Also another stacking problem where the group behind caught up with me.

 

Favourite scene - the fire was great, the only jump I got.

 

Rating - 4/10

unfortunately it won't let me write anymore so I'll do another of the cellar soon/tomorrow.

[Jack]

THE CELLAR - I think I built this one up way too much as it was pretty much just the creepy cottage with 5 times as many actors, I wasn't scared at all inside, even made jump, but I still love it. The theming is amazing but it was no where near as scary as I thought it would be. Some very narrow corridors Aswell.

 

Favourite scene - there was quite a few I liked, but the triangular corridor had to be my favourite with actors banging from both sides.

 

Rating - 7/10

 

 

Overall positioning

 

8th: Hellements

7th: Horrorwood Haunted Hayride

6th: Pandemoniums 3D Carnival

5th: Creepy Cottage

4th: The Cellar

 

3rd: COVEN OF 13 (bronze medal)

2nd: CHOP SHOP (very close silver)

1st: COLONY!!!!!!!!!!! Wow wow wow! (GOLD!)