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UK Scare Attractions Reports

Scream Park Entertainments Ltd. (and Farm Park Entertainments) are run by teams that were founded at Tulley's. They run actor training primarily - as well as offering consultancy etc. Not sure about the business model at Mead Open Farm - if they're a partner or not.

They're also involved as staff training at a few other scream parks across the UK
 
Lofty said:
Scream Park Entertainments Ltd. (and Farm Park Entertainments) are run by teams that were founded at Tulley's. They run actor training primarily - as well as offering consultancy etc. Not sure about the business model at Mead Open Farm - if they're a partner or not.

They're also involved as staff training at a few other scream parks across the UK
Click to expand...
www.scaretour.co.uk

Review - Tulleys The Howl

Tulleys the Howl is a brand new scream park concept brought to life by the team from Shocktoberfest
www.scaretour.co.uk

There used to be some cross advertising, with each event also promoting the other as it’s ‘sister event’ via their own websites.

They’ve still not bothered to change the page titles for pages of the website that were cloned from Tulleys.

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Their privacy policy page suggests they’re operated by “Tulleys Halloween Attractions.”

859BAD98-3991-4FC1-A3BB-3804C67A541B.jpeg


Here is a full list of events / attractions operated by Tulley’s Halloween Attractions, as well as Shocktober.

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www.halloweenattractions.co.uk

Tulleys Shocktober Fest, Halloween Fright Nights & Kids Halloween Fun

Tulleys Shocktober Fest Halloween Fright Nights & Kids Spookfest. Voted The UK’s No 1 Halloween Attraction
www.halloweenattractions.co.uk
 
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It's worth mentioning that apart from The Howl, they're all based in Crawley...

They're also involved with Frightmare.
 
It used to be on a farm, but this year they've changed venues. Hear mixed reviews - but, their socials are banging 👌🤣

Take a look and thank me later :D
 
Night at the Manor, Drayton Manor (23/10/22)

Before starting on the halloween event, just want to mention the park itself. Haven't been for a good few years, making this my first visit under the new ownership. Looping have certainly made their impression already with Adventure cove and Vikings. Both areas are very good and makes the park look a lot tidier than beforehand, to the point of there being no trace of G-force left. Jormungandr is just a polished turd but rest of Vikings is superb. Loki is tamer than expected but just as disorientating onride as it is to watch. Thor is fun during the day but really warms at night and will overshoot the hump when parking. Park was dead with almost everything walk on all day. it got busier in the evening but it was still only the 3 mazes with significant queues.

Apocalypse was on top form all day, but it is definitely time for it to be retired. Only one car in operation and other minor cosmetic issues, you can tell it's in it's last week of operation with managenment just running it down for months. Whole surrounding area between top entrance and Accelerator is in need of a refurb as well. Not sure what they have planned (if anything) but removing Apocalypse will certainly free up a lot of space. Despite only one car running, the quiet day meant it was still mostly walk-on all day.

The indoor scare maze was converted into a family friendly Dungeons-style attraction during the day which families seemed to enjoy. Lots of interaction for the kids and actors were fab. I only went in to see what it was like (and to see the maze with lights on!), the entrance host even warned me I wasn't the target market for it.

Halloween event however wasn't exactly disappointing, just could be majorly improved. Night rides on Apocalypse and the Vikings area was great, no issues there. Could easily turn Vikings into a full Walibi Holland style scare zone though, with a few more actors and fog cannons placed around the area.

Castle of screams (the aforementioned indoor maze) was very good. Certainly atmospheric and used the available space well. Could use being longer though, space in the last building and exit path could easily be used to lengthen the maze.

Haunted express was certainly a novel idea of using the miniature railway and headsets to create the attraction. as with most mazes, storyline didn't really make sense but whole experience was good. it needed both elements though, just the train ride or just headsets wouldn't have worked.

Hunt for Zebediah was crap though. Granted that it was limited by location with it being outdoors in the zoo area, meaning they couldn't do much without disturbing the animals. 4 actors in whole attraction without any additional theming elements just isn't enough though. The wide pathways meant you could see absolutely everything coming and give the minimal actors a wide berth if you wished. The entrance host though was fantastic, very amusing and enthusiastic with going off script to interact with the group, definitely the only highlight of the attraction.
 
Tulleys good.

Wastelands > Doom Town > Horrorwood Hayride > Chop Shop > Coven of 13

All of the mazes I did were fantastic... just because it's at the bottom of the rankings doesn't mean it's bad.

Circus of Horrors was amazing too, and CarnEvil Coaster was a ride. Live bands were also highly impressive.
 
Thekingin64 said:
Night at the Manor, Drayton Manor (23/10/22)

Before starting on the halloween event, just want to mention the park itself. Haven't been for a good few years, making this my first visit under the new ownership. Looping have certainly made their impression already with Adventure cove and Vikings. Both areas are very good and makes the park look a lot tidier than beforehand, to the point of there being no trace of G-force left. Jormungandr is just a polished turd but rest of Vikings is superb. Loki is tamer than expected but just as disorientating onride as it is to watch. Thor is fun during the day but really warms at night and will overshoot the hump when parking. Park was dead with almost everything walk on all day. it got busier in the evening but it was still only the 3 mazes with significant queues.

Apocalypse was on top form all day, but it is definitely time for it to be retired. Only one car in operation and other minor cosmetic issues, you can tell it's in it's last week of operation with managenment just running it down for months. Whole surrounding area between top entrance and Accelerator is in need of a refurb as well. Not sure what they have planned (if anything) but removing Apocalypse will certainly free up a lot of space. Despite only one car running, the quiet day meant it was still mostly walk-on all day.

The indoor scare maze was converted into a family friendly Dungeons-style attraction during the day which families seemed to enjoy. Lots of interaction for the kids and actors were fab. I only went in to see what it was like (and to see the maze with lights on!), the entrance host even warned me I wasn't the target market for it.

Halloween event however wasn't exactly disappointing, just could be majorly improved. Night rides on Apocalypse and the Vikings area was great, no issues there. Could easily turn Vikings into a full Walibi Holland style scare zone though, with a few more actors and fog cannons placed around the area.

Castle of screams (the aforementioned indoor maze) was very good. Certainly atmospheric and used the available space well. Could use being longer though, space in the last building and exit path could easily be used to lengthen the maze.

Haunted express was certainly a novel idea of using the miniature railway and headsets to create the attraction. as with most mazes, storyline didn't really make sense but whole experience was good. it needed both elements though, just the train ride or just headsets wouldn't have worked.

Hunt for Zebediah was crap though. Granted that it was limited by location with it being outdoors in the zoo area, meaning they couldn't do much without disturbing the animals. 4 actors in whole attraction without any additional theming elements just isn't enough though. The wide pathways meant you could see absolutely everything coming and give the minimal actors a wide berth if you wished. The entrance host though was fantastic, very amusing and enthusiastic with going off script to interact with the group, definitely the only highlight of the attraction.
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Not sure how the audio didn't make sense - you boarded a train, the headsets tune into the frequency of ghosts, you visited some resident ghosts and reversed the audio to escape the ghosts. It literally tells you the story when you're on it ;)

Visited Fear for the first time in 5 years... that event is just IT. They know what they're doing and do it ****ing well. Everything about the park is slick and their new additions The Core, and The Exorcism are just obscene. The Exorcism is my favourite scare experience I've ever done, tense, atmospheric and powerful. Just superb work that puts all UK theme parks to shame.
 
I went to Fear on the 29th and as a local I've been every year and seen it grow. I echo your comments Lofty, had two runs through each maze and the only one that I would say is weak is house of clowns. Otherwise every maze is strong, actors are amazing, great atmosphere and worth every penny.

Doug and his team deserve every award, praise and money they make for this event. The Core is such a fun and unique to the UK maze and the Exorcism is such a great bit of scare theatre with tremendous acting. I already cannot wait to see what they do now that the New World Order story is complete.
 
The Howl - Visited a couple of years back and 5 of the 6 mazes haven't changed since then which was disappointing. There was a new American High School themed maze which was the highlight.

Watched the condensed Circus of Horrors show, similar to what they used to show at Thorpe Fright Nights in the Pirates 4D theatre. Was very good and have since booked to see the full show.

Warwick Castle - Went to the after dark event and it was very disappointing. Considering the creepy castle setting, they could do a lot more with this. Both mazes were crap.

Think next year I'll make sure only to visit the real elite events tbh.
 
Screamfest - Burton on Trent was great fun last night. The whole event seems to have had a makeover. With more food options, a new layout, more atmospheric theming items around, and brilliant brilliant roaming actors this year. Honestly hats off to the actors roaming around, they really set this event apart with their interactions, more on them later.

Insomnia returns as one of the best story driven mazes there is in the UK, focusing less on the house with the red door (or whatever it was) and more on the classic creeper in the wardrobe. We had a really good run yesterday, we spent enough time in the pre show rooms to grasp the story, but were then batched into small enough groups to really enjoy the maze.

Creed farm is not the best version of a maze they've had in that location. I think it really misses the tractor ride element. Dia de las muertos is my favourite variant of this maze, I'd love to see them bring it back. But still a solid maze, and being chased through a corn field, never fails to give you that sense of being dropped into a classic horror movie

Love hurts looks to be in it's final year, previously a favourite of mine, however this year it was just OK. Didn't seem to have the level of detail it had been given in previous years, of particular note was the lack of smell pods. :(

Freakout was insane! I've never had such a good run through that maze as I had last night, it was absolutely stacked with actors, everywhere you turned, sensory overload.

Can't really remember Hillbilly Joes... It was raining most of the night, so we were taking advantage of the bar and sheltering in it's marquee between mazes, think we'd had a good few beers and several Southern Comfort chasers by the time we did this one... Which brings me back onto the roaming actors, there was a lot of them, and they were mingling in the bar brilliantly, one would interact with you, move on and within seconds another would come along. We were having so much fun with them the mazes almost seemed secondary!

Great to see Project D there too!!!! Who knew San Miguel and Biscoff doughnuts went so well together?
 
A bit late, but we did a few this year (Including Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando, which is outside of the scope of this thread).

We loved Tulleys and the Scarefest Mazes at Alton, but I really want to talk about XScream Escape which is an escape room site near Thorpe Park, with rooms built by team who worked at Thorpe. No Shipping Containers!

Three good rooms, one of which has a very nice spin on the traditional escape room if anyone is interested in adding some escape rooms to the end of their day at Thorpe.
 
Tonkso said:
but I really want to talk about XScream Escape which is an escape room site near Thorpe Park, with rooms built by team who worked at Thorpe. No Shipping Containers!

Three good rooms, one of which has a very nice spin on the traditional escape room if anyone is interested in adding some escape rooms to the end of their day at Thorpe.
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Well this is extra lovely to hear, given my involvement with XScream!

I also think I was the one who ran your rooms too, small world 😂
 
Oh ****, that was you!? Should have known you'd potentially be on here, not many people talk about Plopsaland in casual conversation.
 
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On this thread i would like to review Pasaje del Terror at Pleasure Beach. It honestly is everything i wanted it to be and more, it felt legitimately scary at points (and this is coming from a Veteran Scare Actor).

The attraction uses some really clever scare techniques that even a scare attraction enthusiast would probably get surprised by. The bed scene, the Scream scene, and the Michael Myers Asylum section were all brilliant. The attraction has a few show style effects (eg the one in the Asylum section) which makes it feel unique, but unlike The Dungeons, its a true scare maze with a constant free flow. The attraction was paced perfectly with the final half being practically relentless, by the time we hit the finale we were a little relieved! I believe its one of the oldest scare attractions in the UK, dating back maybe even before Tulleys, and certainly before Merlin's Halloween offerings. I believe it is by far the BEST permanent scare attraction in the UK that i have tried, and i would pay £12 for it over any dungeon.
 
So what scare & halloween Events are on peoples agendas this 2023 season? UK and further?

what events are new to the scene? not just adult scare maze events but general halloween seasonal events - zoos, museums etc

What events are you trying out for the first time?
 
Very excited that this part of the theme park season is fast approaching. Tomorrow I'm flying to Los Angeles where I'll visit Universal Halloween Horror Nights, Knotts Scary Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest. Never been to any of these parks before and I cannot wait to be there getting stuck in. In terms of mazes I'm most excited for Monstruos and The Last Of Us at HHN and the new slasher one coming to Knotts.

In the UK I have plans to visit The Howl and Fear at Avon Valley. It will be my third year on the trot visiting the Howl, I like the event a lot and after seeing how much it grew between 2021 and 2022 I can't wait to see what's in store this year. My favourite maze is The Shed, it feels so dirty and real in there like it's a genuine part of the farm you've discovered and are walking through. So many great close quarters scares in quick succession too. It will be my first time at Avon Valley and with the hype the event has built over the last few years I'm intrigued to see how the mazes are. It's a fair trek from my house so I'm going up with some mates and combining it with a weekend away in bath.

What will you be up to Chainedbanana?
 
Might do the Amhurst Fort event as my friend lives in Rochester! Not sure what other UK events I'll do, am intrigued by the Blackgang Chine event - its just getting there /staying etc.
 
I plan on HHN next year hopefully, but for this year i plan on Shocktoberfest (as an actor and a guest later in the run), and Fright Nights. I would like to experience the amazing looking stuff up north, but honestly i never get the time.
 
For those who do not want to read my long rambly trip report:
Here's my verdict on Thorpe's stuff this year, mild spoilers.

STITCHES:
Stitches i went into with a fresh virgin mind, and i am glad i did. If i had to describe it, it is basically a scare maze that plays with the psychological aspect of mazes. It has a lot of gore, a lot of creepiness, and the actors all have disgusting costumes. Some of the costumes are beyond disturbing, and the atmopshere is creepy. The dim lighting and the heavy use of smell pods just ice the cake. The use of smell pods are very well done here, and it really is immersive when you can smell the putrid smells. The theming is also really good (the first room is lush!). I really enjoyed the length of the maze, and the idea of the ending. In a small group (our second run through) it is brilliant, but in a normal group of 10 per se, the reveal just kinda falls flat. Maybe with three actors in there? Overall a very good maze, maybe my favourite. It has such an eerie and creepy theme, and overall manages to be a perfect compliment to the more brash Surival Games.

SURVIVAL GAMES:
Survival Games is wild. While in the queue we watched two actors dragging people into the maze group by group. This was very fun, just the spectacle of seeing the actors drag willing patrons into their doom was very fun, and horrifying when it becomes you. The maze was intense as usual. You get dragged, pulled, and pushed as you make you way through the arena. It is a short maze with minimal theming, but when you have a hoard of agressive actors pushing you in different directions, who cares? It is honestly such a brilliant maze, which now feels more complete with a good old fashioned finale. It works all too well in this maze. My only critique is that it is very inconsistent. I always find my group can literally have opposite opinions to each other. This can be damning if you get a bad runthrough, and you have to pay £10 to get back in.

TRAILERS:
I gotta be honest. I usually do not like this maze. I find it really segmented, too well lit, and generally not scary. Today though, it was great. The cast really brought it alive tonight, it seemed they were really good on numbers tonight in Trailers, actors were everywhere and anywhere, more often running on high energy. It still is my least favourite maze of the bunch, but the maze was brilliant tonight. I really enjoyed the doll room and the one way mirror in the Big Top section, they were both brilliant scares.

THE CROWS:
I loved this! They have basically created a mini maze with this. I loved the indoor sections mixed with the outdoors, the lighting, and overall the crazy hiding spots that the crows use. Maybe we can see a full scale maze next time around?

DEATH DOORS:
I really enjoy this one. Sure it is completely inconsistent, the door concept is impractical at times, but it just has a real element of fun to it.

Lucifer's Lair:
I love this. A bunch of show's, some good roaming actors, and a good atmopshere. This is exactly what Thorpe needs! It really gives a good hub area, and somewhere to make it feel like a Halloween event.
 
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