Favourite Scarefest Attraction

[Thameslink Rail]

So we're coming up to 15 years of Scarefest (and 20 years since they first added a scare maze). As well as wonder what they have in store to terrify us this time, let's reminice about some of our favourite scare mazes and find out what our favourite is.
As well as the nine I have included in the poll (which I chose based on longevity), other attractions they have run are:
Terror of the Towers (2002)
Terror of the Towers: Bloodfest Banquet (2003, 2007-08)
Room13 (2006-07)
The Haunting of Molly Crowe (2015)
House of Monsters (2016-18)
The Welcoming: Be Chosen (2017-18)
Project 42 (2018-19)
Freakshow: Toxic Junkyard (2020-21)
And that's before all the scare zones and other attractions.
So what's your favourite?
Since I haven't been doing them for long, my favourite is Darkest Depths because of the set design (I'm not too fussed about the scaring itself).

 

[Danscott22]

Carnival of Screams for me. It was the first one I did (and it was free!). It had a good length, was quite trippy and just all round seemed high quality to me. Mine Tours is a close second as it genuinely terrifies me. Sub Species was great when you got a good run but it was far too inconsistent to be top two worthy for me.

 

[Matt.GC]

Field of 1000 screams, hands down for me. Not the most terrifying of mazes, but very unique and the bus ending was excellent.

I do really miss them having mazes out by the hotels. It made it feel more like a resort wide event.

 

[Burner]

The Sanctuary, hands down. Incredibly well done, I don't think they've managed to top it. The theming was immersive and creepy, it really felt you were in a Walter Freeman/Nineteen Eighty Four inspired nightmare at some points in the maze. I loved how the deeper you went into the Towers, the more depraved the characters and the theming became. Also, how could one forget the Marmalisation Chamber? I can still smell the pig exploding when I think of it.

Shame such immersion wasn't carried over into The Smiler. The Ministry of Joy storyline had so much potential.

 

[Nerdsticks]

Field of 1000 screams, hands down for me. Not the most terrifying of mazes, but very unique and the bus ending was excellent.

I do really miss them having mazes out by the hotels. It made it feel more like a resort wide event.

Indeed, they stayed open rather late too (I really want to say they shut at 00:00 but I'm not 100% on that), meaning you could have plenty of time in the park for night rides and come back for the mazes. It's a shame the Boiler House's final incarnation was its' worst in the park, as the version they had out by the Hotels was great.

 

[Matt.GC]

Indeed, they stayed open rather late too (I really want to say they shut at 00:00 but I'm not 100% on that), meaning you could have plenty of time in the park for night rides and come back for the mazes. It's a shame the Boiler House's final incarnation was its' worst in the park, as the version they had out by the Hotels was great.

Boiler House by the hotels was indeed excellent. The official closing time was 11pm the year I did them. We didn't get back to the Monorail until about 10pm but with the queues for both the mazes we came out of 1000 screams at gone midnight. It was excellent, a full day on park, night rides and then 2 late night mazes back at the hotel. It really felt like a special, resort wide event.

 

[venny]

I recall at the time it felt very strange to have an event where most of the event was both an upcharge and not even in the park itself. That said, sat in that field by the hotel waiting for those two mazes was a unique experience.

I’d have to say either Bloodfest Banquet or Field were my favourite. If anyone caught the first weekend of Bloodfest Banquet you’ll know just how theatrically driven that experience was, which they then dialled back because of poor throughputs. It was perhaps one of the most story driven and rich mazes I’ve experienced.

Field just had a feeling of total isolation given how dark and far away from the rest of the resort it was. The bus finale with the zombies clawing at the windows was another excellent piece of theatre and a great climax to the maze in its second year.

 

[Matt.GC]

A lady we went in with actually wet herself running out of the back of that bus. Seeing the silhouette of the driver being dragged out by zombies and them creeping towards you, getting closer every time the strobe lights activated was one of the most exciting experiences I've ever had in a maze. Every single one of us was clawing at the back of the bus to be let out in terror. As soon as the back door opened, everyone legged it! Fantastic fun.

 

[Hazza]

Shame such immersion wasn't carried over into The Smiler. The Ministry of Joy storyline had so much potential.

They did have that storyline however due to the crash they had to remove that storyline as it was damaging to the brand of Alton towers

My fav maze has been Altonville mine tours because of the immersion it creates. The first maze I went into (The attic in 2019) was terrifying and I loved it at the time, everything from the lighting, set and creepy doll masks was done to perfection, creating a atmosphere of dread and coldness. However when I went into Altonville (2021) the set was just as detailed as the attic however it felt more claustrophobic gave me a real sense of attack from the residents of the mine. The actors were so much more lively and energetic in Altonville from the start to the end whereas in the attic there is a slow build up to the frantic finale. However masks (not Covid masks) in both mazes creeped me out to no end with the cracked dolls face from the attic and the stolen skin from Altonville. In my opinion they are both excellent mazes (Don't take my word for it, I have only done 4 mazes including Toxic junkyard and Darkest depths, I'm uneducated in the scare maze scene).

 

[GaryH]

Field of 1000 screams for definite. About 10pm after a day in the park, walking around a corn field with the moon shining down in your small group.

Car crashed against a tree with a blood covered man walking around you, zombies in the corn, running into a shed to take shelter before being chased out and keeping it to a single deck bus.

All being told to get at the back as the driver tries to start the bus. Lights go out, strobes, the front doors have opened, zombies crawling towards you over seats and the floor, before last minute you all pile out of the small emergency exit door at the rear.

I don’t think anything to this day has topped that for me. And I don’t think it ever will.

A very close second was bloodiest banquet. The story line and acting was great with plenty of time between groups. The ending though, with all the creatures around the table eating body parts before your given 10 seconds to get out before they eat you…. Great fun

 

[LLCorkscrew]

1. TOTT 2002
In part, for nostalgia. It's probably not as elaborate as some of the more recent mazes, but it was still an impressive set up - and of course was supported by Lynton v Harris, a scare master. I loved the variation of ghouls - an alien, the doorman - Mr Slice, skulls, zombie puppets, a headless guy, and several ghostly maids - it was just great fun and wow 'Sanctuary' by Midnight Synndicate - I don't think you could find a more fitting soundtrack for The Towers. I think the variation gave it a bit more "re-rideability" too. Esmerelda is still to this day the best actress/character I've seen in a maze.


2. TOTT 2003 - Bloodfest Banquet
A bit more attention to detail than the first with the Bloodfest Banquet theme, more interaction/ audience participation, although I felt like something was missing versus the 02 version - perhaps fewer jump scares, and of course, less variation. This version featured Esmerleda and The Master who both smashed it. Its return in 2007 was very weak in comparison, although '08 was substanially improved and was actually one of the most technically adventurous mazes I've seen them do - so many different scenes and soundtracks, all set up to trigger at specific points.


3. Altonville Mine Tours
I genuinely think this is my favourite of the later mazes. Great concept, attention to detail, and the use of "Most Beautiful Girl" is genius. It does make your skin crawl a bit too - I'm genuinely nervous walking down those tight corridors. I think the ending lets it down though, and I think it's one of those mazes where an actor following you would genuinely frighten people.

4. Field / Boiler House 2008 / TOTT What Lies Within / Sub Species
All very strong mazes.

Generally, I enjoy them all, although I don't rate Sanctuary as high as most - it'd be bottom half for me but of course it's all very subjective.

 

[Poisson]

SS:TEG easily the best maze I've been in at Towers, violent, confusing and a bit mad. Need another maze like it

 

[Skyscraper]

SS:TEG easily the best maze I've been in at Towers, violent, confusing and a bit mad. Need another maze like it

Well if you can get to Thorpe, they have announced a maze with similar intensity and setup to SS:TEG.

 

[Poisson]

But that would require me to go to Thorpe

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

I loved the Zombie scare zone in the dark. The only paid maze I did was the boiler house in the black hole tent.

 

[tech]

the use of "Most Beautiful Girl" is genius

Seriously. Listen to that song anywhere, any time after experiencing Mine Tours and you’re instantly straight back there

 

[djtruefitt]

It was a hard choice for me. I really loved the Sanctuary, as it was so wonderfully done, it was creepy, weird and scary all at the same time. I always remember my foist visit seeing the videos of Dr Kelman and then actually seeing him in person round the corner. The atmosphere built up perfectly.

Elsewhere I loved the carnival, it was totally different to standard mazes, it used clever scares and effects rather than the usual scares, such as dot room, the puppet, etc. it had some very clever effects.

Finally I really loved sub species in its original form, before it got boring, less scary and far too predictable. Going in there in it’s first season when you could get lost in there for ages. Going back and forth, to dead ends etc.

However in the end I voted for the Sanctuary as I really did love that maze.