April 17, 201213 yr comment_136496 I back Merlin 100% in their decision to scrap the maze. Its not penny pinching, its damn logistical common sense. They were blowing around £1000+ a day to keep something that probably rarely peaked 2000 guests a day. The frequently small queues meant it did a very poor job at being a filler attraction, and it was one of the very few attractions with no upsell opportunity whatsoever once the photo got scrapped. No queueline shop, no fastrack due to short queues, no photo, no interactive games (like water squirters) and required more disposable effect replenishment than most of the other rides in the park. Naturally fright nights is better, because there's no way one director could possibly direct all of those mazes. Whoever is in charge of Saw Alive should have been fired or demoted a long time ago. They probably haven't even seen a Saw movie in their life. The maze had a ridiculous amount of potential to let you be dragged into the Saw world - people being picked out to sit in traps, multiple pathways based on your decision, more encounters with billy etc. The maze itself if you took out all the actors is actually pretty damn impressive, with a really great attention to detail. But the GCSE drama students running about inside just ruin the atmosphere.
April 17, 201213 yr comment_136497 Hmm, I've not been this year when it has actually been open to see what it was like, but last year I remember having to queue even on quiet days. It would so suit daily opening but only for a few hours a day - costs would fall dramatically but people would still get the experience in their day. It gets knocked, and I can see why when it is compared to both other mazes and it's own potential, but it has often been the most talked about and laughed about thing on the way home between whatever (non enthusiast) group I have visited with. I want experience based attractions to be the future and I'm sad to see this fail.
April 18, 201213 yr comment_136498 all they need to do for last week of fright nights for saw is bring tobin bell and co into the maze that would be wicked anyone agree
April 18, 201213 yr comment_136499 Surely making something like this a permanent "ride" should have been obvious it was never go stay busy. Firstly the film franchise is now over, secondly people only do it once its not like you want to do it every visit. I did the maze once over multiple visits over 2 years. Lastly I was never sure what people covered in blood jumping out at you like zombies had to do with the Saw movies, it just seemed very confused as to what it was supposed to be.
April 18, 201213 yr comment_136523 No queueline shop, no fastrack due to short queues, no photo, no interactive games (like water squirters) and required more disposable effect osphere. Errr there is a photo...
April 18, 201213 yr comment_136526 Ah, fair enough. Was going by the couple of people here who said it had been removed.
April 18, 201213 yr comment_136528 Nooo! I always liked going in it, it's not the best but I still found it good fun! Although I had noticed that compared to usually there were barley any actors in it last time I went in, and they were always running to try to be in two rooms at once. Yet the maze is still advertised on the website! Typical Merlin...
April 18, 201213 yr comment_136529 Nooo! I always liked going in it, it's not the best but I still found it good fun! Although I had noticed that compared to usually there were barley any actors in it last time I went in, and they were always running to try to be in two rooms at once. Yet the maze is still advertised on the website! Typical Merlin... I don't see how that's Merlin's fault at all?
April 18, 201213 yr comment_136530 I like how two things can instantly displace the new found love (in the shape of a B&M) of a couple of enthusiasts (N.B. not just on here)... Oh Thorpe...
April 18, 201213 yr comment_136535 Never been in the maze; doubt I ever will. For the record, photo is advertised on the website: CLICKY I have to hold my hands up and say it was very hit and miss when I walked past it on my breaks; although I never saw it fill it's first extension, which was disappointing. I get asked a lot about SAW: Alive when it's closed, so I do feel that it is something guests will miss, but again, it was on a notable decline. Personally, I'd rather see SAW: Alive revamped to something like, dare I say, Hocus Pocus Hall. With animations and a walk through without the actors based around SAW. That way I feel it could appeal to more people, including myself, but it's just a suggestion. Shame it's going for now; but bring on Fright Nights I guess. Peak time for SAW: Alive!
April 19, 201213 yr comment_136564 There has always been a photo opportunity present within Saw: Alive - The worlds most extreme live action horror maze
April 19, 201213 yr Author comment_136566 Not always, when ive been on it this year there was a couple of days the photo wasnt there.
April 20, 201213 yr comment_136655 I don't see how that's Merlin's fault at all?Surley Merlin have control over Thorpe park's website, therefore telling them to remove Saw alive from the list instead of altering the opening times to say only October which no-one will see?
April 20, 201213 yr comment_136662 Merlin don't micro-manage their parks, so no they'd have next to no say in something as small as this.
April 20, 201213 yr comment_136663 When I went on a Sunday a few weeks back they had no photo op, was pretty much a walk on too. Was kinda gutted because its the only real opportunity you get to have a proper group photo without having to hunt down a picsolve guy. Anyone able to confirm the fate of the mazes actors yet by the way? Were there any of them walking around THE SWARM island today, or are they all absent? Do you think they were offered various jobs around the park instead?
April 20, 201213 yr comment_136668 Anyone able to confirm the fate of the mazes actors yet by the way? Were there any of them walking around THE SWARM island today, or are they all absent? Do you think they were offered various jobs around the park instead? They were made redundant, with a promised invite back for Fright Nights.
April 20, 201213 yr comment_136669 Sadly, it is the nature of the industry. An actor will constantly be in an out of work; not that it makes things like this any easier.
September 20, 201212 yr comment_141448 Now that Fright nights is almost here: Thorpe park promised us that they would be improving Saw alive for Fright nights at the time that they closed it. What do people think/hope will happen to it that improves it?
September 20, 201212 yr comment_141453 I'd imagine that it is probably improved effects and refurbished/added theming if needed. I'd also imagine that there will be some better quality scares. Now this may be too much to ask from Thorpe but seeing there is a new entertainments team, and they have promised an improvement I'm only adding two and two together.
September 20, 201212 yr comment_141456 The question is...how many spiderwebs etc did they have to clear out when they recently went back inside for the first time in months...! Looking around an untouched, 'abandoned' Saw Alive certainly would be intriguing. Hopefully all has been sorted after the fire earlier this year and it provides some good thrills.
September 20, 201212 yr comment_141458 Hopefully all has been sorted after the fire earlier this year and it provides some good thrills. The fire was last year.
September 20, 201212 yr comment_141467 The question is...how many spiderwebs etc did they have to clear out when they recently went back inside for the first time in months...! Looking around an untouched, 'abandoned' Saw Alive certainly would be intriguing. Hopefully all has been sorted after the fire earlier this year and it provides some good thrills. Thinking about it, it would actually be pretty cool if they left it how it was! Especially the outside with all the overgrown plants etc.
September 20, 201212 yr comment_141475 Am I right in thinking that, although Thorpe said it was due to 'improvements being needed', the reason for the closure was due to declining popularity / cost of attraction? The Entertainments budget seems largely to go to FN - Sun Scream must surely have a big cash injection from Dr Pepper, and the club nights (at least the over 18s one) and the Mash Up event at Easter are due to Ministry of Sound a lot? So I'd have thought that the majority of the budget will go towards FN, as using this logic, the only event(s) Thorpe would have done was the 'Premier Screaming' of Swarm (and the under 18s club nights)? Do feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here by the way, but this is how I've always thought it has worked out. Anyway, back to the point, as there's a large FN budget regardless, and the ride's teams are being 'given' mazes this season (so that they do the batching in effect?), I'd expect there to be more money for actors. Even if there's roaming actors, no doubt there'll be plenty for the mazes as well. So really, I'd only expect more actors in Saw Alive than there usually was, and possibly the odd new effects / audio - though I'd love to be proven wrong.
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