Well it's been a while since I did a trip report of any type really so I'll do a Scarefest review.
Carnival Of Screams
The first year this maze arrived it stole the show, it was imaginative, scary and well thought out. Sadly it hasn't aged well for me. Last year it was the same but with less actors & no real scary ending (Gorilla) this year it's the same yet again only smaller and lacklustre. Apart from the trommel it was the same yet again. It wasn't all bad the guy at the beginning was good but it all felt 'half-arsed'
It wasn't worth the money the first day (31st) but it was worth it
just the following day at £2.50.
4/10
The Sanctuary
The reviews of this maze were positive as a whole and so I had high hopes for it, I tried not to get too sucked in on the hype so as not to be disappointed if It wasn't for me.
It was good, it was definitely the best themed maze there and made use of the Ruins very well. The story was inspired and well thought out. It had it's moments of pure genius like 'Stage 2' I was unfortunate on both runs to be standing under one of the sprays and so got soaked each time. Stage 2 was well thought out and definably took the mazes into a more modern direction.
We had two runs on this on two different days, both days we were at the back so really did miss out on all the commotion up-front which let it down a bit sadly. The second days run was definitely better than the first as we saw more effects. The actors in the maze were also good as well.
The only thing missing - I feel - was the ending. It tried to compete with ToTTs which it sadly failed at. There was so much potential to make a really twisted and really mental in keeping with the theme but it just seemed an anti-climax. The only level of panic was trying to get out when the two groups met and it was more confusion than anything.
Nice addition but for me it needed a better ending.
6/10
Terror Of The Towers
This is where my review becomes
slightly hypocritical.
It was pretty much the same as last year, but last year I loved it! The thing with me and mazes is I love atmosphere and I love it when Alton are clever. I don't often get 'scared' in a maze - although it has been known - I love the ambience, guest reaction & theming. I especially love loud noises and music, THAT gets my blood pumping, hence why I love the video at the start for the bass it produces and of course the crème de la crème of ToTT - The strobe maze! It is has been year-upon-year the best part of any maze. I cannot express how much I love it. The combination of strobes, Ruby Quest being belted in all its bassey glory, whipped up with actors who really know how to make genuine fear, their manipulation of the strobe breaks is just fantastic every year.
Always strong and always great (mainly for the maze)
7/10
Terror Of The Towers - The Gloves Are Off
On the final night (1st November) we joined a few regulars to experience my first ever 'final run-through' and boy was it EXTREME! I have never felt violated before in my life. It was out-friggin-standing! The actors started out quit in your face but all the actors from all of the scenes carried on with us throughout and the tension built and built. There was water thrown at us, I had my glasses stolen from me and she ran off with them and then we got close to the maze.
Well, it took us all about 5 mins to get into the maze because of all the smoke leaking into previous scenes so we couldn't see a damn thing. When in the maze you could not see in front of you, they'd pumped it FULL of smoke and ALL the actors came in the maze and pretty much raped us all! the screams from guys and girls was deafening and disorientating combined with ZERO visibility was truly frightening. I was with a maze noob and she was stolen from me and split up - as were the whole group - and all the actors just went nuts with us. I was grabbed, tickled, licked the whole nine-yards. It was the most memorable experience I've ever had at Alton. Even at the end when we'd all left, the whole acting crew came out for one final scare before running out into the park to scare the stragglers left in the park. I cannot express into words just how amazing it was.
I feel a sense of sadness though because I have a feeling I will never experience a run-through like that again which may be the basis for comparison for future maze experiences. But at least I will have the memory.
1.6billion/10
Zombie Scarezone
Meh!
The Park
Well, there wasn't really much effort to be honest. As mentioned before atmosphere for me is high priority. The lighting is the worst it's ever been, it was non-existent, they didn't even try.
I found it hilarious that they stopped Nemesis for 5mins whilst the ride-ops climbed the lift to turn on 2 red lights which made NO difference. It was like lighting a candle in pure daylight. It was like them making a joke and proving a point.
I understand lighting can cost quite a bit, but in the right places it can add a great deal. The health & safety 'nanny state' approach of Alton is too extreme. They light up every morsel of the park and rides 'just in case' it's a real mood killer and there's no advantage to riding the rides in the dark, because they're NOT. Scarefest is the only time of year I'll queue for Air because it's great in the dark, Th13teen also is good. But everything else is just flood lit!
I would be forgiving if they'd put the yearly budget towards something spectacular, but this years Sanctuary was not enough to excuse the poor effort around park. 2 years ago they tried and it made a big difference, Oblivion looked brilliant and so did other rides.
Year-after-year they get a budget and year-after-year the event gets more popular increasing revenue. I feel that Scarefest is now coming under the latest Merlin greed - Offering as little as they can get away with whilst making as much profit as possible.
Exhibit A - Chessington
(Courtesy of Crofty) Shows just what lighting can do
The ONLY saving grace is that next year they're building something fantastic, but I don't see how the rest of the event calender needs to suffer because of it.
Speaking of which...
'Ultimate' Fireworks
I had high hopes this year, mainly because of the sentimental value the fireworks hold to me as of last year. But they were very disappointing this year. The audio was a mess, the fireworks lazy & soundtrack was not as good as other years. It was a real let down to the 3 days.
As a firework enthusiast it was - again - oozing the 'Merlin way' as much effect with minimal cost. The fireworks were repetitive, not timed well, uninspiring & they missed a perfect opportunity to tease about SW7 having plastered the park & the Towers with logos. Thorpe Blast they dragged a fire truck over the lake and made wonders with lights and audio before blowing up said firetrack in homage to what was to come next year. I loved the Th13teen section a few years back and it shows what they really can do when they put their minds to it. The display was off the shelf yawns.
As the countries 'Number 1' Theme park they should be trying to out-do themselves year after year, instead of churning out the same old stuff each year.
As a whole I was disappointed with the event because it could have been so much better if they had put their minds too it. But, as annoying as it is to say I still enjoyed it because of ToTT extreme and other various factors.
One last comment: If you're going to charge for mazes they should be the best of the bunch and for me they weren't. I was happy to go through once had I not seen the reduced price November 1st (£5 for both) I don't mind paying for premium if it is indeed premium, but when their free maze stands up and beats the others, there's no incentive to really pay the extra.
Now, I'm going to close my eyes and listen to Ruby Quest (The strobe maze music in ToTT) and reminisce of that experience and draw a line under 2012 and start a fresh for 2013 and SW7.
;D
