Built 125 feet underground, Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker in Brentwood serves as the terrifying location for the site-specific haunt attraction The Bunker Below. Built in the 1950s as a potential government headquarters in case of nuclear attack, this decommissioned bunker is now a tourist attraction and museum focusing on its Cold War history. And yet, there’s something sinister lurking in the depths of this bunker – and we here at Storefront City decided to descend into the abyss to see what was on offer.
Credit: Storefront City
Starting the night off right, our WhatThreeWords – Scare.works.slice (how fitting!) – brought us to an eerie parking lot overseen by a few creepy statues. After a short walk through the woods, we came upon a large marquee protected by an armed man in camouflage, and it was here we learned the premise of the haunt and what we were here for – we were to be unknowing test subjects! The top secret military organisation we had walked into was conducting research into fear, only to discover an audio recording that drives its listeners mad and shows them their deepest and darkest fears, a recording known as The Signal. And thus, we as subjects were not only exposed to this Signal, but forced to undergo its terrible effects as we tried to navigate the treacherous depths of the organisation’s fortification – three floors and numerous tunnels of absolute terror.
Credit: The Bunker Below
We were struck by how large the space was and how unsettling the nooks and crannies could be. These rooms are deceptive – is that a motionless mannequin or a monster waiting to drag us to our doom? The combination of walkthrough scares and specific scenes was impressive, as was the ability of the actors to shock us one moment (cue intense jumpscare running at our faces from before static performers) and make us laugh the next (circus games anyone?).
Credit: The Bunker Below
Some scenes did seem specific to the bunker itself, such as those highlighting the military credentials of the haunt in which we had to duck and cover, but overall scenes were picked from all genres – butchers, clowns, dolls – you name it, they have it, and you WILL be scared!
Perhaps most unsettling were the complete blackouts, which rendered forward movement almost impossible and made the threat of some ghoul popping out at you from beneath a trundle bed all the more likely. The layout of the bunker also becomes confusing, we think intentionally so, which means extra vigilance is necessary to plot your escape.
Credit: The Bunker Below
Final Thoughts: The Bunker Below is a truly unique horror event, and we loved some of the more slow-burn elements throughout. Its well-timed scares, long moments of intense darkness and silence, and the now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t aspects were welcome frights compared to the types you usually get at scare attractions. Granted, the experience only took about half an hour to get through and seemed to fizzle out at the end (also, we really could have done without the sermon against the use of social media), but a majority of the vignettes and highly themed rooms really hit home runs, and we will forever remember the crazed cafe, the terrifying tunnel, and the eerie labyrinths inside this horrifying bunker. We can’t wait to see what The Bunker Below has in store next year!
We were beyond excited this year to try a renowned scare attraction we’ve never attended before – Fear at Avon Valley Scream Park, which won at the 2022 ScareCon for Best Scream Park UK. Consisting of 5 scare attractions, an extra exorcism experience, a huge entertainment stage, and various carnival rides and food stalls, Fear presents a well-branded and fun scare festival atmosphere, one we’re so happy to have experienced this year!
Credit: Storefront City
Fear started the event off amazingly, with a simply done but fun entrance into the park. We went into the gaping mouth of a deranged clown and were spat out of a tunnel and into the festival grounds. Fear is unique from other events we’ve attended as they have a handful of characters throughout the park, the ‘Terrifying Titans’: a group of horrible clowns and creatures whose faces are all over the park’s branding and who come to life in front of you. You notice the extreme care and thought that went into the creation of this park, and how brilliantly threaded together all the characters and stories are. Not to mention the grand and energy-packed fire shows happening every hour or so and the totally creepy stilted scarecrows eying up their next victim – what a thrill!
Besides the five haunts, we participated in a new experience this year, The Exorcism, a short theatrical production of a priest’s attempt at an exorcism. This kind of reminded us of Le Theatre Noir at ScreamFest, but it was far better executed. We’re not sure the extra fee and the long wait were worth it for the short performance, but there were some really creepy effects and a lot of effort put in from the cast, not to mention a nice change from your usual maze-like haunts. Speaking of which…
Credit: Avonvalley.co.uk
X4: A complex series of tunnels were discovered deep underground during routine excavation work at site Alpha-Vixen One. Hidden deep within these tunnels, the discovery of a lifetime was made, altering the course of humanity.
Combining clinical and mutational horror, X4 delivered an amazing experience that threw us into unknown territories. Starting in a very convincing lift, science has gone terribly awry, which is clear from the vacant, robotic expressions of the staff you first encounter. Slowly, dizzyingly, you are led to new levels of disorientation, including a total smoke white out, all the while terrified from every direction by ghouls of this unwelcome place. With high immersion levels, this maze is impressively and continually horrifying.
Credit: Avonvalley.co.uk
Vita Nova: Omega Industries has initiated its quality of life programme, Vita Nova, restoring order to the Republic of England. Society will be reformed, it will be born anew. All non-conformers will be detected, and they will be ameliorated.
Vita Nova was one of our favourite mazes of the night. The most terrifying part was that each person must go through the maze alone – something we didn’t expect when parks usually bundle people in groups of 7-10! We entered an intake room with another group of people, but then one of the creepy actors pointed at us one at a time to go through the doors, and everything became very real. The actors in this were superb, and the maze’s tactics to keep people separate were terrific. This had so many fun elements, from being locked in an enclosed space with no clear way out, crawling spaces and sliding, and genuinely frightening smiles from all the cast. A great maze!
Credit: Avonvalley.co.uk
The Core: After the fall of the UK government and years of national civil unrest, the New World Order has risen and the Republic of England stands victorious. But a rebel alliance has formed, hiding on the edge of society. But unbeknownst to them, a far greater danger lies beneath their feet.
This was the most immersive maze we’ve ever been to. Upon entering the attraction we were instructed to don waders and put all our personal effects in a bag – ready to enter the sewers. Torch in hand, our group was submerged in a subterranean world quite literally underground, with water up to our knees and creatures behind every wall and vent. We didn’t find this maze too scary but some of our group-mates did – we were more in awe of the entire concept and just wanted to continue exploring despite the creatures lurking there!
Credit: Avonvalley.co.uk
House of Clowns: The circus has arrived, but murderous accusations have faced the troupe and the inhabitants will do whatever they can to get this house of clowns back on top. And they want you to be the star of the show.
We do love a good clown scare, and House of Clowns does the trick. With a pulsating soundtrack, extremely enthusiastic scare actors, and a confusing series of chambers, you’re likely to lose yourself in the madness of the big top if you’re not careful – especially due to the dazzling use of unexpected strobes. Now, this being said, clown mazes are almost de rigueur in the world of scares, so we’ve seen many of these effects before, meaning our initial shock is somewhat lessened. Nevertheless, clowns are bloody terrifying, and these are no exception.
Credit: Avonvalley.co.uk
Malefica:After being destroyed in a mysterious fire, a church is returned to its former glory. But something isn’t quite right; strange noises have been heard deep within the church, and volunteers claim to have seen something moving in the shadows.
We had high expectations for this haunt, having won a ScareCon award in 2022 and been nominated for several others. Granted, we were at the back of a very large group so we missed a lot of the best features and scares of this maze, so for us this wasn’t very hair-raising. The sets were detailed and we loved some of the rooms, and the acting again here was high quality. But we can’t help comparing this one with the similarly themed maze at Dr Fright’s from a few years ago, which was second to none, so while this was an enjoyable maze, it wasn’t our favourite of the night.
Final Thoughts: Fear at Avon Valley is a thoroughly enjoyable, well-executed, and downright scary experience that we loved. If you can, we’d highly suggest you purchase a Fast Track pass, as without this the wait times in line seemed to average 30-45 minutes (helpfully displayed on the main screen). Our only criticism would be to point out that the wait time for The Exorcism was quite long and risked eating into time spent in the mazes. With some of the most intense and creative scares available, if you’re into Halloween you need to get yourself over here right now!
We ventured back to Yorkshire this year to start off our Halloween scare-season, and what a start it was at Yorkshire Scare Grounds’ Face Your Fears. This almost hour-long experience takes you through many scare zones and attractions during a long dark walk through the creepy woods of an historic 24 acre estate in Wakefield. Having given this haunt a ‘Chance It’ back in 2019, we came to see the new and improved haunt this year and were amazed to see what they had in store for us!
Face Your Fears is cleverly designed, with a creepy path in the woods taking you through completely different scare attractions, but all the while feeling like a total experience from start to finish. Whilst we’ll give you the flavor each of these terrifying experiences, we don’t want to spoil the thrills and chills too much.
Credit: Fear Masters Studios Entertainment
They | Them: A crazed scientist unveils his latest invention – the teleportation machine.
Less “Beam Me Up”, more “Chop Me Up”, these experiments have gone horribly wrong indeed. Enter a world of genetic confusion, where some of the dear doctor’s subjects have become hopelessly jumbled with others. Animatronics and actors complemented each other well to deliver short, sharp shocks of terror that made this maze a perfect introduction to the world of Yorkshire Scare Grounds.
Credit: Fear Masters Studios Entertainment
Human Safari: Deep in the misty jungle danger lies ahead. Hunters are on the prowl for fresh meat to satisfy their bloody thirsty lust.
Run for your life! The hunters are after you in this most dangerous game. Dashing between the protection of hunters-hides, you’ll need to dodge more than just bullets with these wiley adversaries. Warning: prepare to get wet! Whilst perhaps weaker visually than some of the other zones, the uniqueness of the experience was startling (in a good way), with our good-natured group adding more laughs and screams as we cantered towards safety.
Credit: Fear Masters Studios Entertainment
Whitechapel: Take the trail of terror through London’s East End on 1888 where crime, murder & prostition is rife. Killer on the loose.
Wending your way through the hidden back-alleys of East London, this intricately designed and long section of maze plunged you into a different world. Integrating outdoor and indoor sections flawlessly, as you pass between the various establishments (apothecary potions or unknown meat butchered to perfection, anyone?) you’re accosted by the denizens of this cursed city. Maybe you’ll even run into the infamous Ripper himself! We really appreciated the sheer numbers of actors, which is a huge improvement from 2019, each one unique, highly enthusiastic, with equal measures of terror and humour. The set dressing was also studied in terms of the Ripper’s crimes, with the designers doing a great job at eerily recreating a crime scene from Hell.
Credit: Fear Masters Studios Entertainment
Dollhouse: We dare you to explore the dark hallways of this life size dollhouse. It’s haunted hallways inhabited with tormented toys & deranged dolls.
Dollhouse was one of our favourite attractions this year – who doesn’t love creepy dolls? This was such an intelligent re-skin of their hotel haunt, and we highly admired the makeup and costume elements for the actors in this one. It was a fully realised concept, and many of the actors inside really did give us a scare. We’re still giddy about the horrifying life-size killer teddy bear! What was great in this attraction is one never knew what inanimate creatures were actually going to jump out at you!
Credit: Fear Masters Studios Entertainment
Twisted Tooth Fairy: Disgraced Doctor D. Cay, the demonic demented dentist from hell, opens up the appointment book once more.
What a fantastic idea! While we’re not the biggest fans of the blood and gore elements of haunts, this was definitely a theme we don’t think we’ve ever seen a whole haunt based upon, and we saw a lot of new creature and makeup concepts as well. Amazingly, the waiting room also smelled a bit like antiseptic and menthol – astounding levels of immersion here. Again there was great dedication from the actors, and particularly creepy featureless faces with gigantic bloody smiles – the stuff of nightmares.
Along our route through these haunts we also came upon two “scare zones” in the woods, one an area of the undead with smashed vehicles and police cordons, and a deadly circus path complete with clowns who apparently have a love for wooly hats – ours included!
Final Thoughts: Yorkshire Scare Grounds Scream Park have really upped their game with this year’s Face Your Fears, and we were thrilled with the level of quality from the haunts and the actors, as well as the amazing balance between inside and outside scare time. We also love how long this attraction is open throughout the month, as well as their accessible price point, which all culminates in this being a must-do for any haunt season. And if you can’t make it in October not to worry, they also have haunted attractions for Christmas and Valentines day!
Looking for a laid-back but adventurous night out in London? Look no further than ZSL London Zoo’s late-night experience for adults only. Take this amazing opportunity to unwind and explore the world’s oldest scientific zoo where the usual crowds and kids are replaced with a super chill atmosphere complete with a wide array of street food, music, pop-up bars, keeper talks, and fairy-lights galore.
ZSL London Zoo is massive and you’ll want to arrive early to experience it all. The world’s oldest (scientific) zoo established all the way back in 1828, the truly remarkable collection spans all the major continents and species, from ferocious lions, to tropical rainforest-dwellers, and even the tiniest of leaf-cutter ants. And you’re not just here for the animals: an array of other entertainments are on offer, including street food, cocktails, and live music. Once you have your drink in hand, why not take a wander and listen to the fascinating animals talks, including for more elusive creatures such as the mysterious Komodo dragon.
Credit: Storefront City Team
Upon entering the zoo, we were immediately presented with an array of choices, from animal talks to meeting the keepers, to a variety of entertainment options. While a majority of attractions we’ve been to lately have converted to a more digital lifestyle of QR codes and apps, ZSL London Zoo is still pretty old school, asking guests to take photos of the zoo map and programme. While we honestly do have issues with all the apps these days, we thought this way of navigating around the zoo by constantly referencing a photo on our phones was also a small annoyance, but we just decided to put our phones away and see where the zoo’s paths took us!
Perhaps a highlight for us was the sheer activity the animals were displaying. These crepuscular behaviours (twilight-activated) meant that the lions were roaring away, bats were ducking over us, and monkeys were more playful than we’d seen before. Aside from the animal antics, live performance pervaded the night, with an acoustic set in the since repurposed and historic Lubetkin Penguin Pool. If you’re even more adventurous, an upgrade is available to spend the night at the zoo amongst the plentiful wildlife in one of the lodges.
Credit: Storefront City Team
One of the only grievances we had at the zoo was the limited supply of free water throughout the park. We weren’t allowed any of our water bottles going in, and once we were inside the park we had to pay to fill our bottles with cold fizzy water — very strange. It wasn’t until a few hours into the event that we finally came across a free water fountain. Since we were there in the evening and only for a few hours this wasn’t a huge problem, but we can see this being difficult for those braving the odd London heatwave during the daytime while trekking hours through the park. However there’s always plenty of shelter — we got caught in a bit of a downpour but visited the indoor birds, nightlife, and creepy creatures exhibits while we waited it out!
Credit: Storefront City Team
Final Thoughts: It’s been awhile since we’ve been to a zoo, but we were constantly awed at how quiet everything was without the crowds and kids, and instead with the sights and sounds of nature fully immersing us all evening. If you want to come to the zoo and don’t have a child, this is the ultimate way of experiencing it, with very affordable tickets and a lovely atmosphere. And if you want to upgrade, you can add a private guided tour or even a champagne experience! After our evening with thousands of animals, we can’t see ourselves going back to a zoo any other way!
Storefront City is back for Tullys Shocktober Fest!
We made sure for Tullys to be our finale Halloween haunt this year and we even brought some mates this time to experience it with us. It was definitely a fun event, but we have to admit we didn’t enjoy the haunts as much this year. The main problem? The batching. The batching was, not to mince words, horrific this year, and the queues completely crazy. We had a much different time than when we went in 2019. Despite arriving at opening, the queues were so long the entire night that we ended up missing three attractions this year!
But we’ll get into that rant a bit later. Let’s cover the good stuff first!
Tulleys Shocktober Fest is an absolute must to visit with a whopping TEN attractions — eight scare mazes, a haunted hayride and a twisted circus act, not to mention the amazing atmosphere surrounding the whole event. We may have gone at an interesting time (it was half term so the park was swarming with audiences much younger than us) but there was still an amazing spooky and exciting atmosphere with roaming characters, many bars, an astonishing variety of food, and rides and music stages. If it wasn’t giving us a theme park feeling in 2019 it was now — there was definitely not enough time in one night to do everything!
The Cellar Imprisoned Our Scare Factor: 3/10 Atmosphere Rating: 7/10
Storyline: Those that dwell in the Cellar have not been forgotten, they have been locked in.
Credit: Tulleys Entertainment Group
We were smart to do this one first last time — we waited until the last second this year and were definitely in a group of 15, missing all the scares. We remember this to have been one of the best and scariest haunts at Tullys, which definitely made this year disappointing. But the haunt is still detailed, with different room sizes and a dark and dank feeling throughout that made it feel like a cellar. There was also a creepy toy room that had a great performer in it. We wish we could have enjoyed this haunt more!
We loved the glow in the dark 3D theming of this maze again this year, especially with its disorienting must-have tunnel and tons of crouching areas and play with space and depth. We enjoyed crawling up and down the steep areas and seeing the wandering eyes upon the walls that kept moving due to the 3D glasses. But, once again, we were in a huge batch, and we didn’t see a single character in full-clown-getup, just everyone with circus makeup. Except a cool jester — can’t forget him! The worst part of this event? The completely unsanitized and reused 3D glasses. Yuck.
Storyline: The year is 1998, after the explosion ripped through the world, bringing an end to civil life.
Credit: Tulleys Entertainment Group
Wasteland Penitentiary still has the best outdoor set design in the park, with the steampunk-esque metal designs huge and detailed and setting a statement when you head towards the haunt. This was a super lengthy labyrinth, with the prison theme throughout well reflected and a few good jumps. A very consistent maze that doesn’t seem to have changed since last time, but still does what it needs to.
The Island Our Scare Factor: 4/10 Atmosphere Rating: 10/10
Storyline: Something more than man. Something more than animal. An evil scientist’s creations are loose on The Island and they will protect what is theirs.
Credit: Tulleys Entertainment Group
According to Tulleys this maze was new for 2021, and while true it was a re-skin of their previous haunt The Wreckoning. But, instead of adventure and pirates we got evil beasts of every shape and size, with very creative takes on creatures everywhere we looked. And since the 2019 set design was a favourite of ours, it was again, with amazing details everywhere you looked. The length of this maze was astounding — we must have been in there at least 15 minutes if not 20, and felt like explorers the whole way. While not exactly scary, there were still tons of crazy elements, including spongy floors, fire, air compressors, and huge sets — definitely a maze not to miss.
The Chop Shop Our Scare Factor: 2/10 Atmosphere Rating: 2/10
Storyline: You better be careful now, Billy-Bob and Billy-Joe are real handy with a reconstruction.
Credit: Tulleys Entertainment Group
We wish we would have skipped this one this year in favour of another we didn’t have time to see. Unchanged since 2019, this maze was not very creative, filled with blank walls and blood spatter. It was “turn left, turn right, chainsaw, rinse, repeat”. Quite short too, but we were happy to leave it.
Storyline: Explore the abandoned backlot at the Horrorwood Film Studios.
Credit: Tulleys Entertainment Group
Another unchanged maze but we still love this one. It may not be scary but it’s a ton of fun. They fit about 30–40 people on each tractor as they take you on a ride through Horrorwood Film Studios. There were a few jumps and loads of funny moments, with some great interactions with the actors. Was it worth queueing 80 minutes? We’re on the fence, but this is a unique experience at the park and we love-love-loved the creepy ending (we don’t want to completely spoil the surprise). The speaker system could do with a revamp (or at least a turn-up) if nothing else though!
The Village Coven of 13 Our Scare Factor: 5 or 6/10 Atmosphere Rating: 9/10
Storyline: A witch confirmed, tried and convicted; Death upon her was afflicted.
Credit: Tulleys Entertainment Group
This was another of our favourites last time, and it remains a favourite this year too! This is a lengthy maze which we appreciate, and every scene in the coven is different with a level of detail unrivalled at other scare attractions we’ve visited in the UK. There was a new final part of the room (or we don’t remember it) that we loved, especially the sensory detail. An absolute great and immersive haunt that will leave you reeling.
Circus of Horrors
Storyline: Blending horror and burlesque with bizarre and unbelievable acts performed to live rock music.
Credit: Tulleys Entertainment Group
We didn’t attend this this year, instead using our final minutes on one the other haunts, but our two visiting friends enjoyed it and loved the mix aerial, burlesque, and horrific stunts.
Critique: We didn’t get to Hell-ements (a blindfolded rope maze) or the Creepy Cottage this year, since we ran out of time and tried to focus on seeing the mazes we know we loved in previous years. As mentioned before, we arrived at opening and stayed until we were kicked out but still missed out on so much this year due to the amount of people in the park.
Don’t get us wrong, we had an amazing time. The haunts have such a level of detail you don’t see elsewhere at smaller attractions in the UK and the atmosphere is electric. But we didn’t enjoy the haunts themselves as much this year. We’re used to going in groups of 6–8. But it wasn’t 6. It wasn’t 8. It wasn’t even 10 or 12.
15. We were batched in groups of 15 this year. And no, this wasn’t for the hayride, this was for every single haunt. The park was packed and we waited anywhere from 45–80 minutes for each attraction, so yes — batches any smaller than 15 and we wouldn’t have even been able to get more than two or three haunts in because the queues would have been even more outrageous. Nonetheless, with groups of 15 we somehow drew the short straw almost every haunt and were at the back, and missed out on the majority of scares in every, single, haunt. Such a pity. Whilst we freely admit it is total speculation, we suspect there was an effort to make up financially for losses incurred due to last year’s cancellation, with a much higher cap on the tickets sold. Even if it meant raising prices, fewer people per entrance slot would have added to the audience experience. Also, don’t think that Fast Pass will spare you the queuing — these lines were just as long.
Also, all the scare actors must have attended the exact same acting session. We were so tired after the first of couple haunts when every single actor makes the exact same unintelligible voices and then throws their hand in your face and withdraws. Yes, very scary, but not when every single actor does this exact same thing! Each haunt should have had mannerisms and sounds specific to the haunt, while in this case they all sounded and acted the exact same and it got a bit boring.
Final Thoughts: We’re harsh critics. If you love haunts, you should definitely attend Tullys. Will we attend next year? We’re not sure. If we’re free early on in their season and they’ve made a change or two in their attractions — definitely! But we won’t go this late in the season again if the queues and batching stay how they were this year.
We knew we wanted to take a drive up to Leicestershire to see some of the many haunts the area has to offer. We chose to start our Halloween-month-of-mayhem off with Screamfest, a new one for Storefront City. While this did provide a somewhat entertaining night, unfortunately for us avid haunt-goers it was just a bit of a letdown.
The general ambience of Screamfest is a bit of fun — it’s got your usual large event space with quite a few food trucks, a music area, several hangout zones and some fun fair rides. We quite liked how it was all laid out. It did seem like the space welcomed a ton of people to sit down in between their experiences and have a fun pint (of Hobgoblin no less!), but the enchanting spell wasn’t quite strong enough to pull us in. Unfortunately, while there were some of the usual walkabout scare actors, they honestly weren’t very impressive or scary — we’re still a bit annoyed at the It impersonator — very committed in his role but just the simple addition of a clown collar would have been useful to show he wasn’t obviously wearing a mask….
Storyline: Creed Farm provides fresh meat of the highest quality. Come on down and experience the harvest for yourself.
Credit: Screamfest
This event is apparently new for 2021, and after going through all the haunts it was rather obvious — it did seem more fresh compared to several others. Now, that may just have been the fact that the haunt was completely based outside in their corn maze, but in reality this did in fact have a bit more effort put into the ambience, storytelling and costumes. The main evils were of course the scarecrows of the corn maze, and we definitely experienced a few jumps! There were also some really funny puns, and as always we appreciated the dichotomy of fun and terror.
The attraction did start off with a dark follow-the-rope experience for a few minutes, and while an actor did try to scare us during this, there was no usual attempt to entice the rest of our senses like in customary follow-the-rope attractions, which seemed like a grave lost opportunity. However, our main grievance with the rope part was that there was absolutely no hand sanitiser at the end, which really should have given us a hint of things to come with the park’s complete disregard to this being a supposedly post-pandemic event.
Storyline: Come on down to the Zombee Zoo, the best day out in all the south! Have we got some sights for y’all. Zombee Zoo celebrates its 2nd anniversary…and we’ve only had 362 days worth of zombie disasters!
Credit: Screamfest
An incredibly unusual take on the zombie genre, this maze mixed its source material, combining traditional zombie apocalypse with the oddly pervasive fear of the Deep South. Be prepared for winding passages, lots of ducking, and oddly bizarre (and hilarious) costuming (including, for some reason, an eggplant).
The assortment of characters is downright strange and whilst not particularly scary, there is good attention to maze detail. A creative concept, some of the scares were definitely on the more fun side — and one is left quite sad for all the captured and helpless zombies that had been rounded up for our entertainment.
Le Theatre Noir Our Scare Factor: 2/10 Atmosphere Rating: 4/10
Storyline: There’s no people like show people…until the coven takes over. Take your seats. The performance is about to begin.
Credit: Screamfest
Another new scare for Screamfest this year and it was painfully obvious! We absolutely loved this concept — we were so surprised we were in for a theatre in the round experience and, honestly, this was the only memorable event of the night. A completely different haunt, this time we were purely spectators sitting to watch a performance. There were some really fun effects and great light illusions, with amazing movement from some of the performers.
But in the end the concept was simplistic — we could have done with less sparks and more storytelling. We luckily had a good seat but with unraked seating and the scare actors mainly performing to the centre of the few middle people in the front row, most of the audience got left out, and in the end we were just left thinking, “That’s it? What was that?”
While standing in other haunt queues we heard similar reactions from patrons who were disappointed and confused by the experience. We really hope that Screamfest keeps the theatre in the round haunt with their attention to the light and water effects, but with perhaps more thought given to the immersive and storytelling experience.
Love Hurts Our Scare Factor: 2/10 Atmosphere Rating: 4/10
Storyline: Welcome to the Diced Heart Pub. Owned by Professor Heart, he wants you to find his (well, actually your) soulmate at one of his famous speed dating nights. Just pray you’re not one of the rejected.
Credit: Screamfest
With very interesting theming and a novel concept, “Love Hurts” should have had you winning the dating game. With some engrossing effects, including slopes, ducks, and water with smells, the overall experience was made difficult by the enormous batch sizes that let to queueing within the haunt itself. In fact, more importantly, batch sizes proved an issue the entire night, with numbers far exceeding those of pre-pandemic times. Not only is this likely not particularly safe (no social distancing to be seen), but it makes the experience less intimate and places an undue strain on the actors. It is fantastic attractions have recovered so well, but thought must be given to audience experience as well as the bottom line.
An absorbing idea from the outside, one questions what the interior had to do with it. And unfortunately, the payoff at the end seemed slightly anticlimactic to us, with a commonly used effect that was a tad off for the theme of the maze.
Freakout on Tour Our Scare Factor: 1/10 Atmosphere Rating: 3/10
Storyline: The funhouse was the first step…now experience Hell’s favourite attraction…on tour! It might be time to run away from the circus! Freakout is back but not as you know it…
Credit: Screamfest
Horror and clowns just seem to go together, so we were really excited for this one, especially as funhouse theming can lead to some serious scares through misdirection and illusion. When you enter, you are greeted by a set of several doors — does the choice effect your experience? We don’t know, but clearly the clowns were out for us at every corner.
We felt that, in truth, there were very few creepy clowns in this maze. At least one had a freaky feel about him and made us jump (a testament to a good scare actor and makeup), but the rest relied on saying “hello” loudly, which isn’t particularly scary. In terms of theming, in the main a hall of mirrors and red/white flaps were the extent of it.
Final Thoughts: If you’re a local and have a few nights to experience the haunts that Leicestershire and the surrounding area have to offer, then yes, absolutely go, you’re bound to have an entertaining time. However we think other attractions are more worth your time and money, and this one probably isn’t worth the multi-hour drive from London.
N.B. from Alicia: A day later and honestly the two most salient memories I have are of one uncomfortable sexual comment one of the in-haunt scare actors made to me, and then another similar comment one of the roaming “scare” policemen made to me, which I then ignored him for and because of this he said that it was no wonder I didn’t find a date at Love Hurts. Now, haunts aren’t normally completely politically correct and obviously come with their numerous problematic imitations of cultures, and both these comments were very tame, but I still just found them in poor taste, especially in the UK’s current climate regarding police and women.
P.S.: Looking for a different slightly more haunted experience nearby? Look no further than Whatton House of Horror.
The Path to Purgatory awaits at an English country house and garden in the heart of Leicestershire. Designed by award winning scare attraction creators Area 51, this 40 minute, 1 mile walk through extensive and terrifying gardens is truly an immersive experience not to miss!
Alicia: Whatton House of Horror was a surprise find for us as we started planning our Halloween ventures. Knowing already that we’d like to attend one of Leicester’s more well-known multi-event haunts (this year it was Screamfest), we wanted to fit in another event with our long journey. Fate brought us to Whatton House — and who ever thought the road to Hell could be so much fun?
Upon arrival we were pleasantly greeted by many of the staff there — we were one of the last groups to arrive for the night and must admit we were really spoiled by that fact — we were able to attend just the two of us — smaller batches always intensify and improve the experience in our eyes. Provided a lantern to guide our way, we knocked on the gate to Purgatory and were tasked to walk amongst the inhabitants on the terrible journey to Hell.
Credit: Whatton House of Horror
Every so often on the journey we were met with a stunning vignette with a character attempting to entrap us in their world, and in between these mini-stories we were able to walk along the beautifully strange path wondering where the next creature would pop out and what would be in store for us next. Is that one of the many strange statues belonging to the garden estate, or were our eyes tricking us? Even though we were constantly on alert, these devilish creatures were always able to completely blindside and terrify us.
We don’t want to spoil the night for you, but ultimately this event started our Halloween season off with a bang. All of the characters were incredibly thought out and costumed — some with fabulous makeup (some, yes, could have done with a bit more), and all with absolute commitment to their craft. Thinking back, it’s actually incredible how many scenes were so memorable, with a lovely dose of humour to bring even more impact to the scares.
Adam: I can easily say that Whatton House of Horror is, in equal measure, entrancing, terrifying, and a spectacular piece of theatre. So often with haunts and scare parks, it is forgotten that narrative is at the heart of any good performance, instead sacrificing substance for cheap thrills. Nothing could be further from the truth at Whatton House of Horror, a spine-chilling road trodden side-by-side with spirit folk.
I do not wish to spoil the surprises along the way, but the dedication of the creative team to their craft is impressive, the realism of each encounter enhanced by the natural and eerily lit surroundings. Whether a sinner or saint, all are judged by an array of vicious (and sometimes humorous) creatures stalking the deadly night.
Before or after your adventure, an excellent array of goodies are available to fortify your spirit. Snobby Burger and the Wood Oven Pizza Company have kiosks, as well as abundant ice cream and seriously creepy cocktails. Just make sure you always look behind you — you never know who (or, indeed, what) might be following close behind.
Credit: Whatton House of Horror
Final Thoughts: Eversy theatrical event nowadays brands itself as site-specific or immersive, just words to put on some marketing material and some decorations strewn about. Whatton House of Horror was truly an immersive event that knocked it out of the park when utilizing the space around them. From ponds to statue gardens, Hell’s inhabitants were at home here, and we could tell the creators of this event really cared. This is a Halloween event not to miss, and completely worth the journey out to Leicestershire if you’re not local!
P.S.: We’ve got plenty of Halloween reviews coming, so keep your eyes open — next up: Screamfest!
Welcome to Yorkshire Scare Grounds Scream Park, a 24-acre estate where visitors travel through the dark woods of Yorkshire to come across five different mazes as they try to make their way to safe harbour. We had no idea that we would be gallivanting in the woods as part of the experience to get from one maze to another, with the concept being one complete journey through contrasting terrors rather than just going to disparate haunts – definitely a refreshing concept after all the mazes we’ve been to this year. Because of the nature of this haunt, we’ve given the attraction as a whole a scare factor and atmosphere rating rather than each individual maze, although some mazes were without doubt better and scarier than others, as we’ll highlight below.
We started our creepy trek through the woods, navigating our way through the dark trails of trees, never sure when or where anything would jump out at us. This was hands down the scariest factor of the haunt. Since there were no seen boundaries to the woods, the opportunities for things to come at us from any which way seemed endless, and we found ourselves checking for things behind us constantly, and when things did come at us, the jump and scare factor were quite high!
Credit: Yorkshire Scare Grounds Scream Park
We came across the first maze, A.I., where we met a variety of cyborgs. Truth be told, this maze was not a great start. We’ll hand it to the actors, they were trying very hard, as was seen in all of the mazes here, but they just didn’t quite pull it off. It really felt like a school group was trying to put on their end of term scary theatre project without much being put into it. There was definitely an attempt at scenic elements and a nice interplay between real and fake cyborgs, but it was ultimately underwhelming and had us worried about the quality of the mazes that lay ahead of us.
Credit: Yorkshire Scare Grounds Scream Park
We next came upon The Sewer – Mutation, which had much more outdoor elements than the previous maze. The mutants were…interesting. Not much set design to go along with this one, but its outdoor nature made it a bit creepier, and even when we thought the maze was over and we were back “safe” in the woods, we found the mutant creatures had still not had their fill of us.
Credit: Yorkshire Scare Grounds Scream Park
Witchcraft – Bloody Mary is definitely where the attraction started heating up. This maze was quite extensive and took us through a very old and dilapidated village, encountering various characters warning us not to say Mary’s name and then later the witches themselves. Some of the small huts we had to navigate through were admittedly way too dark – this made walking a bit difficult, but it also added an obvious terror element as we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. There was also a really terrifying scene with two Mary’s, one which we assumed couldn’t be real until she moved toward us – certainly a great jump scare. We genuinely liked the set elements and characters in this one, and it surely didn’t hurt that we both are actually surprisingly superstitious of saying Bloody Mary three times – which both of us refused to do despite the characters hinting we should. That’s just one step too far for these horror fans!
Credit: Yorkshire Scare Grounds Scream Park
Next on our journey, we checked into Hotel Hell – Undead Vacation. But this wasn’t your typical weekend away, for as soon as we stepped into the faulty lift and were plunged into blackness we knew our stay would be far from welcoming. With numbered hotel room doors and highly themed interiors full of scare actors waiting to terrify you, this was definitely one of the scariest haunts of the night. We’re pretty sure that it’ll be you served for room service!
Credit: Yorkshire Scare Grounds Scream Park
Insane clowns – we love the idea! Clown Asylum mixes these two concepts effortlessly to give you a twisted and winding series of corridors where heavily made-up jesters might just snatch you away to join them. Many of the actors were cleverly placed in this maze and gave us some shocks, especially in the pitch black areas that left you wondering which way to turn.
At the end of this maze we were finally spat out into safer territory – at least after surviving one last chainsaw attack – to a hub of food at the end with a nice little Halloween shop to go along with it. We didn’t really stick around, but the characters roaming about seemed to be having a good time, and it gave us particularlygreat delight than one seemed to be dressed as Hoggle from Labyrinth.
Final Thoughts: While a bit underdone than we were hoping for, all in all we definitely think the walk through the woods concept of this attraction is one to experience, with a few good mazes along the way to make it more than worthwhile and a wonderful interaction between actors and a ton of animatronics. This park is also really great in that it is open more nights than any other attraction we’ve been to, even several Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and even Sundays, and quite lengthy as well, taking an average of 40-minutes to get through. If you’re in the Yorkshire area this is for sure a fun night out.
From the twisted minds that brought you Tulleys Shocktober Fest comes a more contained scare park with an ample selection of mazes to chill your blood. The Howl may be smaller than the Fest, but rest assured that it’s a superb introduction to haunts that are both well designed and (for the most part) frightening.
Mr. Topper is not a clown that deals in laughter, he prefers screams.
Clowns, clowns, nothing but clowns! While missing the 3D glasses from Tulleys, this maze was still quite a bit of fun. Highlights for us were a remarkably whimsical room with balls and a slide and a crazy rabbit on a bike – a great mix of creepiness and laughs, but not super scary.
Squeal, piggy, squeal! Did I forget to mention that it’s you they’ll be hunting?
The content of this maze is usually our least favourite at haunts, but this version had quite a bit to offer with lots of interesting places actors could pop out from, including the riveting use of space in the interior of a van guests had to walk through. This maze appeared to have a ton of mazes within it and was probably one of the lengthier experiences. We had a hilarious time making our way through a room of fog – the group in front and behind us were also getting lost and the actors probably thought we are all idiots – hilarious!
Credit: The Howl
The Shed Our Scare Factor: 1.5/10 Atmosphere Rating: 5/10
So where do unwanted ‘arrivals’ go? Why, The Shed of course.
Unfortunately the timing was incredibly off with our group. Perhaps there were either too many people in front of us, or perhaps the group ahead was too slow, but whatever the reason our group missed out on most of the scares we assume were in this maze. We instead came upon a lot of empty rooms – although because they were empty of actors we had the chance to appreciate the lovely scenery and lighting. There were also some surprisingly cool chainsaw effects near the end!
Credit: The Howl
The Attic Our Scare Factor: 2/10 Atmosphere Rating: 6.5/10
What happens in The Attic after dark is too gruesome to imagine.
We really appreciated the narrative of this maze, which began with us being welcomed into a hotel and navigating some really frightening and extremely well-themed rooms before climbing up to the haunted attic. The characters were genuinely fun and very well thought out, and with such a complete concept from beginning to end this turned out to be a very well executed maze.
Credit: The Howl
Red Our Scare Factor: 4/10 Atmosphere Rating: 6/10
Step into the woods if you dare. Happily ever after doesn’t exist.
We were really looking forward to this maze as it had a much less cliched concept than your usual haunt. The story was unique and the characters were very well realized. There were a few fun jumps and a return to a great effect we experienced at The Coven at Tulleys Shocktober Fest with fog and lasers, except this time we ourselves got to ‘go for a swim’.
Final Thoughts: In general, The Howl rates their mazes at a much – MUCH – higher scare factor than us. While we are admittedly more difficult to scare than your average guest, we still think these mazes were some of the more docile we’ve been to, and the much younger average age of guests at this event than at others we’ve attended seems to go well with this lower key scare factor. The mazes are definitely shorter, tamer, and less well executed than big brother Tulleys, but we really appreciated some of the more unique themed mazes like The Attic and Red and the great quality of the set builds. Definitely a top place for those experiencing haunts for the first time!
P.S.: If you don’t mind travelling a bit further north, Dr. Fright’s Halloween Nights offers a bit more fun and a lot more scare factor!
On the winding back roads of the Essex countryside, you come across a whimsical fairground, complete with big top. But beware: this isn’t your ordinary circus, which you’ll soon realize when the friendly-looking clown that’s rapidly approaching has something other than fun on his mind. Enter Cursed…
Credit: BCM Productions
Safe Zone Our Scare Factor: 6/10 Atmosphere: 7/10
Storyline: The infected are honing in, and you need to make it to quarantine. Will you arrive at the safe zone unharmed, or will you become one of them?
After facing judgement we were thrown into the outside ‘safe zone’ starting with a journey through a haystack maze. This was definitely one of the highlights of the night, as the haystacks and the actors created a chilling ambience, and it was really fun trying to decide in the complete dark which path to take and if we should venture under the haystack piles and face the wrath of the creatures in order to get out.
The only real downside to this maze is that after we passed the actors some of them broke character and started chatting and laughing, but it was still probably the most fun we had all night.
Credit: BCM Productions
The Institute Our Scare Factor: 5/10 Atmosphere: 5/10
Storyline: As Junior Reporter’s, you have been assigned to witness the execution of Andie Gard at Bridgegate Institute, the infamous serial killer… but inmates don’t take too kindly to visitors, so watch your back
The beginning of this maze was definitely scary as you witnessed the attempted – and botched – execution of a serial killer who escapes in front of your very eyes. Other than this, this was a very typical prison-style attraction with lots of metal bars and strobe lights, but the beginning certainly made it an entertaining adventure.
Credit: BCM Productions
The Haunting Scare Factor: 5/10 Atmosphere: 6/10
Storyline: This house has been left vacant for decades, and you are about to learn why. You’d be surprised how heightened your senses are when you aren’t able to see.
After experiencing Tulleys’ VIXI maze, the concept behind this maze was very familiar. We put on blackout goggles to venture into this hair-raising house – while a bit annoying for those who wear glasses, this was much better than the black hoods of Tulleys, as we could feel water, air, and other elements on our faces, which was certainly an interesting experience. We don’t think the two mazes were too different from each other other than this – it still seemed a bit too simple and missing out on lots of sensory opportunities (again, no smells!) but there was a tiny bit of touching by the actors which was definitely creepy! (Granted, they should have warned about this for those who have issues, but it was so slight to not be problematic for us – instead it was quite intriguing!)
Credit: BCM Productions
Abducted Our Scare Factor: 5/10 Atmosphere: 5/10
Storyline: A quiet drink in the local tavern leads to a chilling story about local disappearances. What will you do when you come face to face with the explanation? Running may be your only option.
The beginning and end of this maze were exceptional, with an immersive tavern-themed intake room and a crazy room full of alien-like nests and creatures protecting them at the end. We also enjoyed the slower strobes in this maze where we couldn’t really see what terrors we were headed toward at the end of harrowing hallways. Our special warning for this maze is to put your hats and any loose accessories away before you get extremely squeezed – do not take the warnings of claustrophobia in this one lightly!
Credit: BCM Productions
The Sewers Our Scare Factor: 4/10 Atmosphere: 5/10
Storyline: The Workshop was shut down, forcing business underground. Will you be able to navigate your way through the tunnel system and escape the butchers clasp?
This maze certainly had a genuinely fun theme perfect for the UK at Halloween, with old and eerie Victorian-style brick walls and tunnels you had to choose between. Unfortunately, while all the mazes at this park were short, this one was even shorter, and we were out before we really knew what was going, but it was gripping while it lasted!
Final Thoughts: This was for sure a special community-style event and we could tell the actors really cared and tried very hard to help you enjoy your evening. The mazes were admittedly quite short, but they definitely took amazing advantage of the space allowed in each of the maze marquees. The biggest disappointment was the theming of the main event green area, which is the hub into and out of the mazes. There was a small entertainment space and a single food truck, but the lack of lighting and any decorations really let this area down. We didn’t really want to hang around and enjoy the ambience as there really wasn’t any – this was the biggest let down of the night, and just a few small touches, from decorating the ped-barriers to adding some strands of lights or even a sweet stand, would have changed everything. But all in all the mazes and actors made this a night we would suggest you give a try, especially if you are local to the area!
P.S.: The UK has haunts galore this Halloween season. Why not try out Hallowscream at York Maze for some more chills and thrills.
