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Archive for the category “Do It!”

20 Nov 2019

The Emerald City Rooftop Bar

WHAT: The Emerald City Rooftop Bar
WHEN: 24 October 2019 – May 2020 (4:00pm on)
WHERE: Queen of Hoxton (1 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3JX)
PRICE: Free Entry

OUR RATING: Do It!

Credit: Queen of Hoxton

Travel down the yellow brick road to The Queen of Hoxton’s newest rooftop retreat – a cozy winter escape and hidden bar far far away from Kansas. We had the fortunate opportunity to attend this immersive event’s launch a few weeks ago, but luckily for our readers this emerald realm is open for free all the way to May 2020.

After entering the venue we climbed the themed yellow brick road all the way to the rooftop, where we were met with a snug and spellbinding viridescent hideout with Dorothy’s house dropped upon the evil witch herself all inside QoH’s famous rooftop WigWam. Afterwards, we found ourselves in the outdoor and bar spaces, complete with fire pits, beautiful lights, and entertaining roaming witch characters.

Credit: Queen of Hoxton

We immediately headed to the bar area, excited to try some hot alcoholic drinks to keep the cold away. For those less adventurous the venue offers familiar drinks – pumpkin spiced mulled cider and mulled berry wine, both of which can be spiked with additional liquor. We instead opted to try two of their spiked hot chocolates. While we were slightly underwhelmed by their Bad *itch Hot Chocolate (dark hot chocolate, chocolate liqueur, activated charcoal), we thought the Wicked Hot Chocolate (white hot chocolate, chocolate liqueur, matcha powder) was a unique and very smooth drink. Our favourite drink, by far, was the hot buttered rum (mulled with cinnamon, peppercorns, butter, rum, and fudge), which we had a really hard time not ordering again and again. Just thinking about it gives us fond warm memories!

Credit: Queen of Hoxton

If hot alcoholic drinks aren’t your thing (what??), they also serve up some cold green drinks, such as the Green Lady (egg white, gin, lemon, orange liqueur) and the Emerald Bellini (vodka, passion fruit, orange, Prosecco, salted caramel and popping candy rim). We weren’t a huge fan of the latter drink, but thought the fun and flavourful rim was well worth it.

Credit: Queen of Hoxton

We also tried some of the Kansas-inspired food QoH had to offer, including meat and vegan burgers with black charcoal buns, and beef or pumpkin pot roasts with collard greens & cornbread. We weren’t overly impressed with the burgers and chips, but thought the pot roasts were quite yummy and perfect for a cold night, albeit a bit pricey.

Credit: Queen of Hoxton

For the remainder of this Autumn/Winter, QoH will be celebrating the season of the witch with a variety of free events on this emerald rooftop, including witch academy classes, feminist witch storytelling, a winter witch craft market, and green eco-events such as pickling workshops and a clothes swap.

Final Thoughts: We can’t wait to return to The Emerald City with some mates and sit down in the gorgeous green glen of their WigWam sipping mug after mug of hot buttered rum. We might skip the food this time, but for a free immersive bar experience, this is sure to keep you warm this winter. And don’t forget to get some of their marshmallows to toast over their open fire pits – a nostalgic and perfect addition to your night out.

P.S. For better burgers, head over to The Old Bengal Bar for some fun and juicy ones!

Posted in Do It!, Drink It!, Eat It!, Nightlife and tagged , , , ,
06 Nov 2019

London Halloween Parties 2019

In addition to the many haunted attractions we attended this Halloween season, we also let our hair down for a few nights and attended some of London’s most unique Halloween parties. Obviously there were dozens upon dozens of events this year, but here are our thoughts on a few to get some ideas on what to visit next season, as we’re sure they’ll return with a vengeance in 2020!

Credit: The Mansion London

WHAT: Halloween Ball at the Mansion
WHEN: 26 October, 2019 (9:00pm – 4:00am)
WHERE: Loft Studios
PRICE: £24-150

OUR RATING: Chance It!

Perhaps the most chic event we attended, the Halloween Ball was definitely a very artsy and multi-layered event. Guests did not take the fancy dress requirement lightly – we saw the best costumes this year here and literally every single patron put at least a bit of work into them, which made it a great participative event.

The most memorable aspect of this event was the macabre art exhibition by Y. Wildi, with amazing handcrafted skeletons around the rooms in a creepy and beautiful setup. We also enjoyed the free tarot reader, a photobooth and some yummy food, including the all-essential candy floss. We were also super thankful that there were three different dance floors so that we could select which ones fit our fancy: pop/mainstream, electro and Latino. The electro was even visited by sax player Tolik and djembe player Paolo Forcellati – some really great music!

Artwork by Y. Wildi

There were, however, quite a few letdowns at this event. The marketing promised fire shows, cage dancers, a Beelzebuth walking performance and a real backyard graveyard, none of which we saw no matter how many trips we took walking around the entire event space to find them. Admittedly, we didn’t stay the entire night, but after staying for four hours one would think we’d see at least some of the elements we were promised. Overall, however, it was something we’d go to again if some of these elements were better incorporated into next year’s event.

Credit: Apocalypse Events

WHAT: Carnivale: The Dark and the Damned
WHEN: 31 October – 2 November, 2019
WHERE: Bunker 51 (3 Herringham Road, Greenwich Peninsula, London, SE7 8NJ)
PRICE: £5-30

OUR RATING: Chance It!

There were so many options for events to attend on Halloween itself, but, in the end, we chose an event that was a bit more local to us, had the perfect carnival theme and, most importantly, promised two scare mazes as part of the entertainment! We couldn’t resist.

The large underground nuclear bunker where this event was hosted was really an amazing space – we’d love to produce something there ourselves! The space was very fun, allowing guests to wander through a series of small carnival games, such as basket toss, hook a duck and Zolda – these came at a small extra fee, but if you won you got a drink ticket, so very worth it for the prizes and fun of it all. The best part of the event, hands down, were the mazes, which completely went above and beyond our expectations. The first maze, Freakshow, took us up and down and all around through the lost souls of the carnival, requiring us to crawl, climb, and squeeze our way out through the natural architecture of the bunker’s smaller spaces. Send in the Clowns was an amazing amount of fun and used a ton of gimmicks we hadn’t even seen in any of the professional mazes we attended prior to this. Unforgettable moments included a crazy clown on a zip wire, a balloon room, and even a slide!

However, there were a few aspects we weren’t too happy about this night – the event opened almost an hour late and the music was not very good whatsoever (and with only one dance floor we couldn’t explore any other options). This may not have been the best choice to celebrate Halloween night itself, but if Apocalypse Events put their heads into a more professional maze attraction we would definitely be first in the queue!

Credit: The Clapham Grand

WHAT: Twisted Circus Halloween Festival
WHEN: 1 November, 2019 (10:30pm – 3:00am)
WHERE: The Clapham Grand (21-25, The Clapham Grand, St John’s Hill, London, SW11 1TT)

OUR RATING: Skip It!

Twisted Circus returned for its sixth year with death-defying acts, crazy characters and a raveyard dance floor. We attended this party after another event at The Clapham Grand so were able to stick around to witness this sold-out happening. Loyal readers to SFC might know that we aren’t the most keen guests for ‘twisted’ acts such as sword swallowing, wax pouring, and body stapling – all which were front and centre at this event. The performers were really into their acts and involved with the guests, which we definitely appreciated. We also enjoyed some (but not most) of the music, especially the remixes of popular scary songs, fun circus snacks, and a really sweet clown stilt walker.

Credit: The Clapham Grand

Ultimately, however, we felt really let down by the event, having thought that the acts would be a bit more immersed in the event itself. Worst of all, the MC was absolutely atrocious, constantly making terrible rapping attempts and, worst yet, horribly sexist and inappropriate comments about all of the female circus performers. We finally got sick of all the disgusting and unnecessary harassing commentary and dreadful MC-ing and left the party early. We’d go back to The Grand, but not for this event!

Final Thoughts: There were so many options for Halloween parties this year, and to be honest, we’ll probably try a completely different batch next year. However, we’ll definitely keep a look out at all events hosted by The Mansion, Apocalypse Events, and The Clapham Grand, because while none of the events were perfect, we did enjoy ourselves a bit at each, and we’d like to see what they have in store next!

P.S.: We actually attended The Rocky Horror Picture Show at The Clapham Grand the same night as the Twisted Circus party, so stay tuned for that review coming soon!

Posted in Do It!, Nightlife and tagged , , ,
02 Nov 2019

Face Your Fears

WHAT: Face Your Fears
WHEN: 11 October – 3 November, 2019
WHERE: Yorkshire Scare Grounds Scream Park (Hell Lane, Heath, Wakefield, WF1 5SG)
PRICE: £17-21

OUR RATING: Chance It!

Credit: Yorkshire Scare Grounds Scream Park

Our Overall Scare Factor: 7
Overall Atmosphere Rating: 6

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 particularly great 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.

P.S.: On your way to Yorkshire, you’ve got to check out Dr. Fright’s Halloween Nights for some more scares.

Posted in Do It!, Outdoor Attractions, Performing Arts, See It! and tagged , , , ,
30 Oct 2019

The Howl

WHAT: The Howl
WHEN: 5 October – 2 November, 2019
WHERE: Mead Open Farm (Stanbridge Road, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 9JH)
PRICE: £10-50

OUR RATING: Chance It!

Credit: The Howl

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.

Credit: The Howl

Toppers Twister
Our Scare Factor: 3/10
Atmosphere Rating: 5/10

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.

Credit: The Howl

Squealers Yard
Our Scare Factor: 5/10
Atmosphere Rating: 5.5/10

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!

Posted in Do It!, Outdoor Attractions and tagged , , , ,
28 Oct 2019

Phobophobia 13

WHAT: Phobophobia 13
WHEN: 25 October – 2 November, 2019 (6pm-10pm)
WHERE: The London Bridge Experience (2-4 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2SY)
PRICE: £31-60

OUR RATING: Chance It!

Credit: The London Bridge Experience

This year, we returned to The London Bridge Experience for Halloween and their latest iteration of the attraction, Phobophobia 13, after attending a similar event several seasons ago. With the term phobophobia meaning the fear of phobias and the sensations associated with those phobias, and mentions of monsters, clowns, snakes, insects and more, we were quite excited to see what the most central to London Halloween maze had to offer.

We remember creepy performers and hospital beds rolling down the street as we queued up last time for the event, but this year they had a much different approach – karaoke? With lyrics projected onto tunnel walls, a very entertaining Steampunk gent invited the crowds to sing along with popular songs. Most of the line seemed to enjoy it during the long wait to enter the attraction, but it mainly had us really confused how karaoke – and not even Halloween themed karaoke – had anything to do with the attraction, nor did it prime us to anticipate anything scary!

Perhaps due to the popularity of the event, the organizers chose to put everyone in groups of ten to enter the maze – this is by far the greatest number of people in a single group we have experienced, and in our opinion much too large to be able to traverse a haunt properly.

Credit: The London Bridge Experience

There are two parts of the maze, an upstairs themed space, which we assume changes drastically depending on the theme that year, and the lower London Tombs, which itself becomes part of the maze. While the first intake room with snakes was a bit of a miss (and we wonder how pleasant for the snakes involved), we soon entered a seance calling forth a victim of Jack the Ripper; a thoroughly unsettling happening. The upstairs as a whole was a bit hit or miss, with the most unappealing part of the night being a hillbilly wedding where a character physically and somewhat sexually harassed one of the men in our group. Perhaps it was supposed to be creepy and funny, but it was just really off-putting!

The best part of the night was once we got through the first half of the maze and entered into the tombs, which are such an amazing setting for a haunt. However, there was a downside – here we were asked to put our hands on the shoulder of the person in front of us. Little did we know then, but the rest of our group were so terrified that we basically jogged the entire way through the maze in order to keep up with everyone in front of us – thereby missing most of what the lower part of the tombs had to offer.

However, what we did experience was quite hair-raising, with actors emitting terrifying shrieks and groans, and emerging out of the most unassuming places. Another huge difference with this maze compared to the others we’ve attended this year is that not only did these actors touch us, they grabbed us, and two creatures completely physically overwhelmed one of the girls in front of us who had gotten cut off from the rest of the group (again, since everyone was basically running, there is only so much we could all do to hang on and keep up!) Since we’ve gone to so many no-touch mazes this year already (usually our preference), having the actors touch us was so surprisingly terrifying.

Credit: The London Bridge Experience

Final Thoughts: In terms of haunts, we can’t say that Phobophobia 13 has been our absolute favorite this year. However, if you are limited to London it is by far your best option for a scare maze in the centre of the city. The experience is possibly contingent upon your group attitude: if they decide to run through the maze, the price of admission might be considered a tad steep. If, however, they are willing to absorb the terrors within like a fine Amontillado, best savored, you will have a far better adventure.

P.S.: If you are able to travel a small while outside London, Tulleys Shocktober Fest is where you want to head for a night of trepidation and terror.


Posted in Do It!, See It! and tagged , , , ,
25 Oct 2019

Dr. Fright’s Halloween Nights

WHAT: Dr. Fright’s Halloween Nights
WHEN: 17 October – 2 November, 2019
WHERE: White Nurseries (Clay Lane, Earls Barton, Northamptonshire, NN6 0EP)
PRICE: £16.95-33.95

OUR RATING: Do It!

Credit: Dr. Frights Ltd

Welcome to HorrorTown – an indoor township of terror buzzing with four scare attractions, a food stall, a bar, and an electric atmosphere uniting them all. This haunt promised to be a mix of fun and fear – and boy was it! There was such a great feeling to this place, and while there were a few patrons that threatened to ruin the experience for us (shrieking children and drunk adults), we definitely soaked up the Halloween atmosphere at this scream park’s 10th anniversary.

Credit: Dr. Frights Ltd

There’s Something in the Woods
Our Scare Factor: 8/10
Atmosphere: 8/10

Storyline: Take a harrowing journey through the dense, dark woods that surround St. Agatha’s boarding school. Discover the terrifying presence possessing the nuns and students that live there. 

This maze was a great start to our evening – we trekked through ‘the woods’ and ended up at a creepy Catholic school, with real scares along the way. There were some significant jump scares and so many parts where we didn’t know where the actors were appearing from. The best moments were when we questioned which bodies and shadows were real and what were just props, with all aspects having a great sense of timing and an amazing grasp of light versus dark. It will take us a while to forget terrifying screaming nuns!

Credit: Dr. Frights Ltd

Hollywood Horror: Director’s Cut
Our Scare Factor: 6/10
Atmosphere: 8/10

Storyline: It’s time for you to take a trip through some of the most iconic moments in horror cinema.

It was so much fun to see classic monsters from the cinema – creatures from scary movies of our childhood – returning in front of our very eyes. There were some wonderful interactions between music from the films and the characters themselves. Iconic moments included reliving the movie house scene in Scream and some really disturbing mimicked laughing from Pennywise the Clown. Super sinister!

Credit: Dr. Frights Ltd

Redneck Redemption
Our Scare Factor: 2/10
Atmosphere: 4/10

Storyline: Mumma Beef’s gang has evaded capture and taken up residence in an abandoned mining town. Encounter murderous, blood fueled hillbillies on a rip rollicking journey.

We are so surprised that this maze lives in the same attraction as the three other great mazes, as this one was a severe let down. Unlike the others, this maze was very open and bright, and we could see all the other guests moving around us as well as many scenes and…hillbillies…coming up – which meant that nothing was a surprise to us, not to mention the extreme cliche of the entire theme.

Credit: Dr. Frights Ltd

Killer Clowns on a Spaceship
Our Scare Factor: 7/10
Atmosphere: 7/10

Storyline: The killer clowns are back! And this time they have gone intergalactic! All you need to know is they want you dead. So your mission is simple… escape!

With the absurd movie an inspiration for this maze we expected it to be a bit bizarre and fun – and indeed it was! The labyrinth certainly wasn’t your typical clown and fun house theme, but rather a few clowns meets ridiculous sci–fi equipment meets … techno music! There was an amazingly effective use of strobe lights in this haunt, as they turned down the frequency of strobes and thus aided actors in moving about in surprising and intimidating ways. With the nature of the maze and the fun music playing on the speakers, we ended up in quite a hilarious mood in this one, dancing during the drop to Benny Benassi’s ‘Satisfaction’ in order to get past a crazy clown – definitely a memorable moment!

Final Thoughts: With an awesome mix of chills, laughs, and totally mad theming and characters, Dr. Fright’s is completely different from anything else out there. Now running for 10 seasons, this is one horror series you can’t afford to miss.

P.S.: Need another haunt to get your blood pumping? Try Hallowscream at York Maze for some more terrifying encounters.

Posted in Do It!, See It! and tagged , , , ,
24 Oct 2019

Cursed Presents Fright Fest 2019

WHAT: Cursed Presents Fright Fest 2019
WHEN: 17 October – 2 November, 2019
WHERE: Wat Tyler Centre (Pitsea Hall Lane, Pitsea, Basildon, SS16 4UH)
PRICE: £18-34

OUR RATING: CHANCE IT!

Credit: BCM Productions

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.

Posted in Do It!, Festivals, Outdoor Attractions, Performing Arts, See It! and tagged , , , ,
21 Oct 2019

The Mansion Halloween Ball

WHAT: The Mansion Halloween Ball
WHEN: 26 October, 2019 (9pm-3am)
WHERE: Secret Location
PRICE: £24-150

OUR SNEAK PEEK RATING: Do It!

Credit: The Mansion London

As the nights darken and autumn breezes chill the bone, an array of ghoulish events present themselves to adorn your ever-filling nocturnal calendar. There are haunted houses, hayrides, and your more typical club nights. And then there’s the Halloween Ball, devilishly conceived by the exquisite minds at The Mansion London.

The location is top secret until 48 hours beforehand, but given the extravagance of The Mansion London’s previous events, we’re sure that it will be suitably one of a kind. With three dance floors, an art room, two lounges, and VIP areas, this is one huge setup! Each dance floor will feature a different genre of music, including chart toppers, house, electro, and Latin from the likes of DJ Amin Sane, DJ Fabrizia, and DJ Carlitos, whilst live musicians on sax and djembe will make this experience truly unique.

Credit: The Mansion London

What sets the Halloween Ball apart from other events though is the sheer variety of unique entertainment throughout the space. Live fire shows, a seriously spooky graveyard, a ravenous werewolf, a mysterious clairvoyant ready to read your destiny…the list of acts is endless!

Credit: The Mansion London

Get dressed up for this one – fancy dress is mandatory and there’s a chance to win flights to New York for the best costume. And, of course, no costume would be complete without a nightmarish makeover, with makeup artists on hand to give you that final spooky touch.

Watch this space for our upcoming full review after the event!

Posted in Do It!, Drink It!, Nightlife and tagged , , , ,
20 Oct 2019

Hallowscream

WHAT: Hallowscream
WHEN: 11 October – 2 November, 2019
WHERE: York Maze (Elvington Lane, York, YO19 5LT)
PRICE: £22-40

OUR RATING: Do It!

There’s no doubt about it: London seems to have it all. But, it’s a common mistake of Londoners not to venture beyond the city limits and miss out on all that the country as a whole has to offer. This Halloween, we’re travelling north to York Maze and the award-winning Hallowscream, an entire park dedicated to this dark season. With a thrilling and chilling five mazes, ample food and drink options, and spooky surroundings, if Halloween is your thing then Hallowscream is THE place to be.

As soon as you line up to enter the park, you know you’re in for a scream. Watch out – monstrous characters stalk the waiting area and aren’t afraid to spot a scared victim amongst the crowd. Soon after being admitted, you are given a primer on all things Hallowscream by a most unusual character. We won’t spoil it for you, but the level of technical expertise (which we’ve only ever seen in the US before) immediately sets Hallowscream apart from the competition. After being rapidly spewed out into the park, the terror begins….

The Singularity
Our Scare Factor: 6/10
Atmosphere: 9/10

Storyline: A scientist creates a human/robot hybrid, hoping to bring peace before the world becomes broken in a war between robots and humans.

What a way to start the night! The details and the set for this maze were so astoundingly unique – lasers, distinct zones, and plenty of hidden corners. The makeup/prosthetics for the androids was amazing and the acting was superb. It’s immediately apparent that a great deal of effort has been put into narrative – something sorely lacking from other mazes we’ve been to – and to see such dedication to storyline bridges the gap between a simple horror maze and a fully immersive experience.

2078
Our Scare Factor: 7/10
Atmosphere: 9/10

Storyline: The scientist we learned about during The Singularity makes a return, but this time shows us a future of a “post-Trump” nuclear apocalypse were society has broken down and everyone has become sick with radiation poisoning.

This maze was again completely immersive, moving from a science fiction time machine to a creepy corn field and finally to a world when Trump takes over everything – yes even the NHS – and society crumbles. There were really unique water and fire elements on top of more great acting. The tension ramped up as we traveled through an infected world towards possible decontamination – the only question was could we make it?

The Flesh Pot
Our Scare Factor: 4/10
Atmosphere: 5/10

Storyline: A butcher slaughters the drunks and whores of York, skinning them alive, selling their joints in his shop, and blending the rest of the bits into his pies.

Your typical maze and story, and very similar in concept to many other mazes around the country. The makeup, yet again, was fantastic and the characters had consistent elements that helped create the world around us, but it was a bit one-noted compared to the other mazes we had just experienced.

Corny’s Cornevil
Our Scare Factor: 7.5/10
Atmosphere: 9/10

Storyline: Corny, the famous circus clown who was killed by the butcher from The Flesh Pot, haunts his twisted and sinister house of fun.

Not only does this rival Tulleys great 3D circus maze, it probably beats it. You begin the maze as one should – with a hall of mirrors and continuing into almost every sort of funhouse element you can think of. There were interactive moving floors, endless optical illusion rooms – we weren’t sure which way was up or down or more importantly – out! The actors in this maze were particularly great, knowing exactly what movements make creepy characters, especially clowns, work in an experience like this.

Barnageddon 3D
Our Scare Factor: 3/10
Atmosphere: 6/10

Storyline: An industrial accident plunged the brave workmen of Dunnington Lodge into an underground chasm, where they now work on into eternity.

We were really looking forward to this maze as it’s on all the ‘best maze’ lists we’ve been reading while making our plans on what to visit and review this Halloween. There were fun 3D glasses, but we were a bit confused at what the theme in this was, and the acting, makeup, costumes and set pieces just weren’t on a par with the other mazes. There were some redeeming elements, however, such as the first toilet room (look out for that smell!), a great water element, and some really creepy masks towards the end!

Final Thoughts: Not only are Hallowscream’s mazes truly thrilling, but the atmosphere around the entire event, from the queue and food stall theming, to the quirky horror inspired fairground games, fully immerses you in the spirit of the season. The best Halloween event we’ve experienced in the UK by far!

P.S.: Need another haunt for the Halloween season? Check out our review of Tulleys Shocktober Fest.

*All images credit York Maze

Posted in Do It!, Festivals, Nightlife, Performing Arts, See It! and tagged , , , ,
11 Oct 2019

Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019

WHAT: Tullys Shocktober Fest
WHEN: 4 October – 2 November, 2019
WHERE: Tulleys Farm (Turners Hill Road, Turners Hill, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 4PE)
PRICE: £12-150

OUR RATING: Do It!

Storefront City is back from hiatus and what better way to kick off our return than to review a scare attraction celebrating our favourite holiday of the year – Halloween.

The last time we reviewed a haunted attraction was Thorpe Park’s Fright Nights. It’s good to know before you continue to read our review that as producers of immersive haunts ourselves and avid haunt-goers when we lived in the US, we have relatively high expectations and aren’t super easy to scare – although we try to put ourselves in the zone no matter the haunt!

Tulleys Shocktober Fest, with its wealth of history and huge playing space, is a must to visit with TEN haunts – eight scare mazes, a haunted hayride and a circus act.

We attended early in the season in the haunt’s second week of operation on a weekday. Since we absolutely had to experience every single maze, we arrived super early. The mazes open half an hour after the park itself does, which gives you time to walk around and get a feeling for the place. The park has a really smart flow as you go from haunt to haunt and encounter bars, food stalls, rides, and live music stages, with the smell of bonfires comforting you along the way. There are also really convenient boards that display live queue times, but on the night we went the queues were only between 5 and 20 minutes long. We were worried for no reason!

The Park has a truly spooky atmosphere – roaming characters who convey a rich mix of creepy and humour. Now for the haunts:


The Cellar
Our Scare Factor: 7/10
Atmosphere Rating: 8/10

“Those that dwell in the Cellar have not been forgotten.

We had read that The Cellar was one of the best and scariest haunts, so we decided to beat everyone to it and get to it first. This haunt was highly detailed and themed (the dank, miserable interiors oozed with terror), with interim rooms just as interesting as the main rooms, which really explored what you can do with different sized spaces. While we ultimately didn’t think it was the scariest maze we’ve ever been to, it was definitely one of the scariest at the park.


Twisted Clowns
Our Scare Factor: 6/10
Atmosphere Rating: 8 or 9/10

“The Clowns are here as you expected. An unhappy band of souls neglected. ”

We were very wary of the concept of a 3D maze, but man did we misjudge this maze from the outside! The 3D glasses you are given help the UV paint pop, making both the images and the actors jump out of nowhere. The rooms are slanted with a great funhouse feel. This also had one of the best executed Spin Tunnels we’ve ever experienced because the UV paint and 3D glasses really did make you feel like you were dizzily floating in space. The only downsides to this maze was that it was a bit too short and that it missed out on a few classic funhouse themed tricks we’ve seen before, but ultimately this was super memorable. Not for coulrophobia sufferers!



Wasteland Penitentiary
Our Scare Factor: 5/10
Atmosphere Rating: 5/10

“Beyond the explosion ripped through the world, bringing an end to civil life.”

When we first approached the outside of this haunt we were kind of blown away (some entrances weren’t themed at all, which was a really strange inconsistency in the park). There was even a real blacksmith working away on one side of the apocalyptic wasteland space while characters roamed around. However, the haunt itself was extremely underwhelming and one of our least favourites. But if you like a haunt that’s basically prison bars along most of the way with lots of banging about, strobe lights, and loud metal music, maybe this is for you.


The Wreckoning
Our Scare Factor: 5/10
Atmosphere Rating: 9/10

“These are stranded souls who have sunk to the depths of despair & depravity.”

For the first minute or two of the maze we were a bit underwhelmed and really – what’s so scary about adventure music and pirates? But suddenly around halfway through the maze the entire world opened up and the set design was ramped up to the extreme. The maze was absolutely gigantic with lots of very beautiful little worlds and some really fun floor elements – definitely one of our favourites. Certain to shiver your timbers!


The Chop Shop
Our Scare Factor: 4/10
Atmosphere Rating: 2/10

“You better be careful now, Billy-Bob is real handy with a reconstruction.”

Maybe this was a bit of a self-fulfilled prophecy; we went into this haunt with low expectations and luckily so as it wouldn’t have lived up to any. The maze pretty much consisted of just white walls and fake blood and chainsaws. It was a relatively short scare – the scariest part was how real the chainsaws were but that’s really about it. Our favourite part of this maze was the full grown bloke behind us, terrified to get away from the chainsaws as quickly as possible.


VIXI
Our Scare Factor: 5/10
Atmosphere Rating: 5/10

“A torturous, painful and tormented moment before finality.”

During this haunt a black hood is placed over your head to encourage the idea of sensory deprivation. It was a good idea in concept, but not as well executed as we hoped. It was a relatively short haunt and didn’t really touch on many teases to the senses – there were some smart choices and nice experiences but really – nothing at all to play with the sense of smell? What? It just missed one too many tricks for us. 


The Village Coven of 13
Our Scare Factor: 6 or 7/10
Atmosphere Rating: 9/10

“A witch confirmed, tried and convicted; Death upon her was afflicted.”

Just wow – what a great atmosphere to this! Lovely woods and trees and then this absolutely riveting and somewhat terrifying trick they use with lasers and fog to make it look like the witches are emerging out of water to come and attack while you struggle through the set as if trying to swim away. Very surreal and very beautiful. An extremely effective atmosphere and use of the woodland spaces and a very nice change from the white wall interiors of some of the other mazes. Some of the actors really understood how scary quiet creepiness can be too, another nice change from all the banging and screaming.


Creepy Cottage
Our Scare Factor: 1/10
Atmosphere Rating: 3/10

“The occupants of this house would like you to stay for a very long time.”

We were warned in other reviews that this was the least exciting haunt, and those reviews were definitely right. There were some nice and creepy sounds and voices and a nice sensory trick but that was about it apart from some skeletons. Probably a good one for those first starting out though!


Circus of Horrors
Our Scare Factor: 3/10
Atmosphere Rating: 5/10

“Blending horror and burlesque with bizarre acts and live rock music.”

We actually attended a full performance of Circus of Horrors when they were in London. Gothic, crazy, and consisting of unusual feats of (impaling) swordsmanship, we liked the aesthetic, but some of their acts are most certainly gruesome indeed!


Haunted Hayride
Our Scare Factor: 5/10
Atmosphere Rating: 8 or 9/10

“Explore the abandoned backlot at the Horrorwood Film Studios.

An absolute must when you visit – it may not be the scariest experience, but there are definitely moments, and the acting is probably some of the best in the park. Fun, unexpected, and full of thrills, there are lots of great set pieces and a ton of interaction with set pieces and actors, with a lovely balance between creepiness and humour. We especially loved the scarecrow and pumpkin men set pieces and the actors who didn’t approach the tractor but instead stared at us from afar. There is also a hilarious and random ending with some nuns you’ve got to see to understand…or not understand….but funny to the extreme!

Summary: Go! Go with friends, go for a deadly night out, take your time exploring the whole park. Definitely go and see the clowns, witches and pirates and go for a nice hayride. Indulge in some not-too-expensive treats like choco-kebabs, fancy mac and cheese, or lots of other options in street food. Go go go, it’s the perfect combination of scary and fun – a great night out!

P.S.: For some more haunting fun, check out our review of Thorpe Park Fright Nights.

*All quotes and images credit Tullys Shocktober Fest

Posted in Do It!, Festivals, Outdoor Attractions, Performing Arts, See It! and tagged , , , ,

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