So far then:

• Glitch goes back to The Cellar

• New fire and dancers show/experience

• The Carving is basically now The Carving Backstory - called that one a mile off...
  

Not exactly banging my gong, and that's from a Tulley's fanboi.

Here's hoping the first actual NEW haunt is decent and original....

On 9/11/2026 at 3:16 PM, MattyMoo said:

So far then:

• Glitch goes back to The Cellar

• New fire and dancers show/experience

• The Carving is basically now The Carving Backstory - called that one a mile off...
  

Not exactly banging my gong, and that's from a Tulley's fanboi.

Here's hoping the first actual NEW haunt is decent and original....

Yeah the announcements definitely didn't spark too much excitement. Hopefully the new 2 mazes are better in person than they sound on paper! I guess the Fuel Girls might be the most exciting new thing to me so far! Hopefully preview night delivers

I went to Tulleys for the first time in 5 years last weekend. I make it no secret I'm not a big fan of Tulleys, having done 3 visits in the past which never blew me away, but I thought I'd give it another go.

In short, I'm still not huge on it.

I like Purgatory, and the small groups and lanterns does really differentiate this. The effect of the lanterns is lost when the maze is designed so that you use the same space multiple times and can see other groups' lanterns.

Doom Town is nice, but nothing special in my book. Looks nice, but very Tulleys.

The Appleton stuff was meh.

Wastelands felt nowhere near as good as when I first did it.

The street performers remain a highlight, but with the place so busy, your interactions with them become limited.

The highlight, but a country lightyear, was House of Hades, the new show this year. 20 minutes of pure spectacle, and enough to make the ticket price justifiable.

My issues with Tulleys' mazes remain. Many are too long with not enough actors to justify the length. I know that's by design, but it doesn't work for me. With so many mazes, there's too many similarities between them. So many mazes feature actors yelling at you in made up languages, and have doors left open ajar for you to walk through. It's just tiresome.

I went on the cheapest night I could book and it was still like £45. Other nights go up to like £70, which is extortionate.

I don't see myself returning any time soon.

Just visited Tulleys myself, and my opinion definitely differs.

Anyway Appleton Farm and Sawmill I was a little eh on, the farm had some good new set pieces, and I liked the sets and the actors present, though felt it lacked actors for its duration. I also would like a more punch ending for farm, even if Sawmill is "meant to be the ending".

The sawmill was a bit better in regards to actor density, though I think the sets felt quite tired, mostly as a lot of it has been used before. I think the Farm one has more potential with its mostly new sets, and the gruesome parts! But yeah that space seems to be a struggle for them.

Cellar Returning is mixed for me, I personally feel maybe it was time to throw new life into the event, though after experiencing it, it might have some of the best scares at the park! It does seem to be fully rebuilt? And some new set pieces towards the end really help, I do still dislike the strobey cage room, feels so random lol. Overall though, strong.

The Fuel Girls's House of Hades might be the best thing this year at the event, it feels HHN coded, honestly a absolute must do for any guest visiting. The stage and bar area around it I feel is quite nice. I think that show might be enough reason to visit to be honest.

Obviously you have some older favourites, like Coven (which I would like some new scenes added soon to spruce it up), you have DoomTown which has a new room this year. Overall quite actor dense and some nice jumps, a few jump scares with acting lunging at you out in the open, rarely behind doors. A couple of moments embracing comedy too, that was fun! I do think it might be one of the strongest sets on a scale that challenges Universal even.

Wastelands is old now, but I don't think we've hit the expiry date yet. It's still pretty full on, and works pretty well in my opinion. The vibe of that little area always brings joy. Electrick was fun, I enjoyed some of the UV stuff added, the theming is a little skeletal so it helps! Obviously very strong scares in there!

Finally Chop Shop I think is very much on its way out. Despite great actors Inside, I think it feels a little like a relic of the past. The theming of the exterior and first 1/3 is on par with current standards, but the ending is definitely no longer the shock that it used to be, I think it's time for a more squealers yard style thing. But then I guess Appleton Sawmill kinda blends in a bit too well.

(PS I forgot some stuff)

Purgatory is fun, though like Tenement, I do think having a throughput disaster maze In a VERY busy event was a little ballzy, if not silly. I do appreciate it's difference to other mazes though, it feels eeriely quiet in there, with more psychological stuff. Definitely not one that is in your face.

I did Hayride and loved it as per usual, and skipped Hellements and Cottage.

Overall I do think the park has some diversity in scares. Wastelands Chop, Appleton, and Electrick have more verbal human language used. While DoomTown, Coven, and Cellar have the kind of noises and grunting. While Purgatory performers seem to be on the quiet side.

I do think the cost is actually surprisingly reasonable as you break down current scare events. The Howl is the best value in my opinion, but let's say my friend who came last minute today, who paid £52 She managed 10 mazes, that is £5 a maze? like is Thorpe or Towers much better value? Arguably worse. It's definitely pricey, but I think the industry is just expensive lol.