Scarefest memories

[Spookle15]

One of the best memories I have of Scarefest is the first year I went.

Field of 1000 Screams was the first maze we ever did. I have never actually found the area where this was, I just know it was by the hotel, no idea where. Me and my brother had finished in the park just after 9, and we had tickets for both that and the Boiler Room for some time around 10pm. Went through the maze and various things happened, then we ended up in a little tent with other people and one of the characters told us to get down and hide, so I crouched on the grass behind a bale of straw and I looked up and my brother was still standing, I motioned for him to get down and he said "you don't need to do what they say". Next minute we were told to run so we moved quickly out, all of a sudden we heard the noise of a chainsaw and we all took off through this field.

My brother was at the back and all of sudden I felt this yanking on my hair as he grabbed hold of my ponytail and proceeded to run ahead of me! I've never seen him move so fast. Apparently the "guy with a chainsaw" was after him. I've never let him forget the whole "you don't need to do what they say" incident.

It was a great introduction to AT during Scarefest.

My other favourite was last year in Sub Species, where I got told twice by the same character to go "that way" which ended up being a dead end. I escaped once but she caught me and guided me to this passage which again was the dead end. When I heard she was with someone else, I sneaked past her and continued on my way!

 

[kydog1299]

For me, 2013 Carnival. I don’t think it’s on the quality level we seem to be getting from the mazes now, but it had something about it. For me it had the humour, scares, finale, intro, theatrics, everything. It was a real shame to see something so ‘light-hearted’ but scary, leave the line-up. It was really unique.

Another for me would be the finale to Molly Crowe, the updated finale in 2013 to The a Sanctuary (with the Kelman voice-overs in the strobes), and the lighting package in 2010.

 

[kydog1299]

Sorry for the double post, but it got me thinking about people’s ratings for the mazes since 2007. Where would you put them? (Based on your experiences, the themes/theming, the backstory, audio, the actual experience inside, etc.) I’ve rated mine based on the entirety of their stay (so taking into account every year, and the variations in experience that brought).

For me (1 being best)
1. The Attic
2. Terror of the Towers: WLW
3. Carnival of Screams
4. Altonville Mine Tours
5. Sub Species
6. The Sanctuary
7. Darkest Depths
8. The Haunting of Molly Crowe
9. Boiler House
10. Project 42
11. The Welcoming (Didn’t get to experience)
12. Field (Didn’t get to experience)

Sorry if any were missed! Didn’t rate Room 13 as also didn’t experience!

 

[ChristmasPud]

I think
The Attic
Darkest Depths
Terror of the Towers WLW when it was new (before being shortened and rerouted a bit)
Sub Species on a good day
Altonville Mine Tours
Carnival of Screams when it was new
The Sanctuary
Boiler House (version with the twins)
Field of a Thousand Screams (I only did its last year)

There's not a maze on the list that I didn't enjoy and have a really fun memory of! Although I do remember the longer the mazes would hang around the weaker they'd get. Like I remember Carnival losing something about in its second year, although I think it got improved again a few years later (I didnt go that year)

I got a soft spot for Terror of the Towers in 2009, it was my first scare maze and was a such long building experience that I loved every moment. Seems very simple in comparison to what's come since, but to explore the ruins like that was awesome and so many different scenes I just loved it. When it was shortened a few years later it just didn't feel as good. But I got a great memory of when it was the only maze in the ruins and queuing at night.

I also love the Attic and think it's probably the most creative maze ever done in the ruins, it's not super long but for the surprises, beautiful detail and atmosphere I loved every moment. One of the few times a 'storytelling' maze has really worked for me.

 

[Spookle15]

It's hard for me to rate the mazes as they do tend to merge in my mind. I only ever experience them once a Scarefest and if they change from year to the next, it's difficult for me to remember the differences.

I do remember loving the very first year they did the Mine Tours, the first character in my group was amazing, his accent was spot on and also his interactions. I had hair clips that day that were skeleton's hands that glowed in the dark, and just as we were about to enter the mine, they started to glow and he made a comment about the "little glowy things" and tried to mess them up. It's never been as good as that first time because the actors since then haven't been quite as convincing.

The Sanctuary was just so different and discombobulating but in a good way. After a few years though, the room inside the Sanctuary with the strobe lighting and the water spray in your face, I had to close my eyes as it was just too much of an effect. Loved Dr. K in the opening scene of that though. I don't like the feeling of being lost and separated that's why Sub Species is a toughie because sometimes I'm on my own and sometimes I have to be the leader. I also don't like crawling through tunnels and things especially when people are pushing me backwards!

I think it was the Boiler House that started that long tunnel of air you needed to push through really hard to get to the end. The first year was OK, but then it seemed to get harder to get through and I'd start to feel a bit panicky. Elbows helped. I'm sure that effect moved into another maze at some point.

The Haunting of the Molly Crow never seemed to be that popular, but I scored it highly on the survey I took that year. It was simple but different. I think one of the cast kept getting fed up with me though as I kept losing the rope and they had to place my hand back on it all the time!

I definitely like the storytelling mazes, less scares and more just focused on really good theming and a tale to tell. I absolutely loved Darkest Depths and also the Attic. Both were really good, actor driven and they looked like money had really been spent of them. Should have gone through Darkest Depths again, it was amazing.

So from memory I think it would be....

1. Darkest Depths
2. The Sanctuary
3. Altonville Mine Tours
4. The Haunting of the Molly Crow
5. The Attic
6. Sub Species
7. The Boiler House
8. Carnival of Screams
9. Terror of the Towers: WLW
10. Field of 1000 Scream
11. Project 42 (little or no memory)
12. House of Monsters (perfectly fine but not for me)
13. The Welcoming (MEH)

 

[RicketyCricket]

Sub Species in its debut season remains the best horror maze I've ever done (including Universal HHN). Had a perfect run through which went on forever, including a face to face encounter with the big Alien thing which was cool.

All the others have been fairly forgettable tbh. Was really looking forward to Field Of A Thousand Screams which looked brilliant out in the field on the hotel grounds but remember it being a letdown.

Molly Crow was the best one in recent memory.

I'm not too local so my Scarefest visits are mainly for walk on Nemesis night rides.

 

[Spookle15]

I've just remembered another thing.D anyone remember when Duel had actors inside? Duel strikes back or something?

Me and my brother were coming up to the room with the cemetery scene. As you turned the corner to enter this area, on the right hand side there was a woman in the shadows, she leapt out and grabbed my brother's shoulder and he absolutely yelled in surprise. We could hear her laughing as we carried on past the gravedigger and into the other section.

You had to be there but it was hilarious. We don't know if she should have touched him but it was so funny.

 

[jmc]

Field of 1000 Screams still remains the best maze for me.

It was so unique and great fun. I remember being chased through clothes lines full of sheets by zombies really felt like you were in a horror movie.

My personal favourite experience of Scarefest however was in the original Scare rooms, they really went all out for that.

Two moments stick in my mind.

After a good few scares already, a girl in pyjamas knocked on our door asking to come into our room as she was in another scare room and her friends were frightening her. She sat on the bed for a good 20 minutes just chatting to us, until some creature stormed in the room and dragged her out by her hair. That really tricked us!

Another was one actor coming into the room, doing their bit, and leaving. What we didn’t realise was two actors actually came into the room and one went straight for the bathroom, and hid behind the shower curtain until I went in the bathroom and jumped out at me.


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[Ben]

I have a couple of good ones:

Room13 in ATH, a small but very clever maze, some great props: cages, boiling cooking pots, wardrobes to climb through. Plus the exit was a chase into the Dragon Bar - win.

Field (the last year) where the finale was on the bus, was GREAT, the claustrophobic space and proximity of actors creeping in has never been bettered for me.

Field - ? year - back from park at 9:30, in queue at 10. Probably in maze 11-11:30ish. Then into Margs. Not long after the actors came into Margs, post shift, for a beer. Met with cheers and plenty of drinking. Really good fun.

 

[Alolan Diglett]

What was the maze that came out into the Alton Towers bar called? It’s been too many years for me to remember. I was one of the few people, way back when, that got to experience the Scare Rooms and remember doing this and the Field maze before retiring to the room.

 

[Burbs]

What was the maze that came out into the Alton Towers bar called? It’s been too many years for me to remember. I was one of the few people, way back when, that got to experience the Scare Rooms and remember doing this and the Field maze before retiring to the room.

I believe it was Room 13.

 

[RicketyCricket]

Forgot about Room 13, think that was around the same time as Field Of 1000 Screams. Although I'm sure one year The Boiler Room was used in that space?

 

[John]

Field launched in 2007, I never did Room 13 but my scarefest map from back then indicates it was running that year.

Boiler house arrived in 2008 in a tent near the hotels. It was very different in it's first year, the Hamble twins in their masks followed the year after - I much preferred the first version. In 2010 the field was replaced by Carnival of Screams, still near the hotels, both mazes moved to X-sector the following year.

My overriding memory of those early scarefest meets is booking the last possible timeslot for the Field, rocking up an hour or more after park close and then queuing an hour for it in the freezing cold.