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Scarefest 2013: Discussion

Carnival was badly received in 2011 and the least favourite in 2012

in 2010 for a lot of people it was better than Boiler House (not everyone), don't think TotT has ever been anything other than the most liked maze.

People do have differing opinions though, i found 2008 Field to be dire but loads loved it, and 2009 field was only saved by its finale as the first 3/4 where boring.
 
I cannot say that I didn't enjoy 1 maze last year, they were all brilliant. I did Carnival in 2011, and it wasn't too bad, but then I have no idea what it was like in 2010. Boiler was just terrible. It just felt like the same thing, the same scenes over and over and over before you got out.

Carnival 2012, was nothing short of brilliant, except the fact the finalie was the worst out of any maze I've been inside, and the fact at parts you couldn't call it a scare attraction. But, I did have some extremely good jumps inside, and so did the others in my group.

The Sanctuary, well, was okay. I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected to. However, when it opened this year, I find it almost on the same level as ToTT. Maybe the new actors brought out the best in it, who knows?

ToTT, is just fantastic. Everything about it is intimidating. But now, it's getting somewhat consistant and predicted which is expected, as it was been the same for a number of years now. I hope, they do something to it this year, if not next year for certain.

But, I cannot say which maze was the 'worst' in terms of theming and story, they were all top notch. However, I do have to say Carnival was just a little bit lower on the 'scare' table than Terror of the Towers & The Sanctuary '2013 version'.
 
Along with Duel: Live they really should make Hex: Live a reality and an official Scarefest attraction (from what I've heard of what staff have done with Hex in the past, it works well).

They are both cheap and easy things to do. All you need is a handful of actors and some costumes. Very easy and simple to do. It would make the event feel like it's expanded quite a bit, pull in a lot of guests to visit both attractions and Alton Towers have had to spend a very minimal amount of the budget.

I just don't get why they do not try things out like that. It's crazy.
 
They won't use the Ice Tent (the top one), as I believe it was condemned a few years ago. They'll more than likely use the Goalstriker building, which they did last year.
 
Jonathan said:
They won't use the Ice Tent (the top one), as I believe it was condemned a few years ago. They'll more than likely use the Goalstriker building, which they did last year.
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I thought that. I circled it anyways just incase they did actually use it. I'm just trying to find all possible places!
 
I guess that, if they wanted more space for Carnival, they could always use the Goalstriker building and possibly the hospitality tent next to Spinball along with it... However, it would mean that the path would get blocked off or you would get a big break in the middle of the maze.
 
Some photos from Today:

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There are electrical boxes and points added, not sure why
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The wires from these just scoot off across the grass.
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regarding the ice tent, it is currently in the process of being removed so they defiantly wont use that. You can see in this bad iPhone photo that they have started removing the far side of the tent.
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I know the electric points are being used for the new Bravo Band show. Not sure why there are wires around though.
 
I think it's pretty categorical now Diogo and I won't be coming to the Scarefest meet, and very unlikely to go Scarefest at all. As I put before, our preferred way of doing it is to arrive Thurs night and have a full day on park on the Friday where its quiet and we can get a lot done. On 18th the park closes at 5pm. And the waterpark isn't open late enough to occupy the rest of the evening. I can't stay late on Monday 21st as I have commitments Monday termtime evenings. Even if the Scarefest meet was the middle weekend, on the termtime Friday the park still closes at 7pm. Not worth the 150 mile drive at this point, because of which we like to make a proper break of the trip, for the event where the main draw is rides in the dark.

kydog1299 said:
PS: Don't get angry over an event, which for 1. Hasn't even kicked off, and for 2. None of us know about yet. Because face it, none of us know at the moment if some of the mazes will have changed, do we? Even if they haven't, like I said, it's not for us enthusiasts, it's for the general public and visitors. Stop moaning, and think of the positives. Were lucky to get events like this with the amount of cuts and money loss recently.
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1) The announced closing at 7pm in week 1
and
2) The announced closing at 7pm in week 1
Now I realise that technically speaking thats only one reason, but I thought it was such a big one it was worth mentioning twice.

And in the present economic climate, Alton Towers are lucky to have people willing to spend the quite significant amount of money it costs to visit the park and stay on resort - to make that choice to go there over going somewhere else (where before they may have done both). They need to pump the money into the big events like this, as they did with Alton Towers Live! because people will make the effort for the specials. It's only two weeks in the year this can happen.

But having seen the lighting and atmosphere in the rest of the park outside of the specific Halloween additions degrade year on year since 2010, we can be forgiven, with the cuts to opening hours being the main flag, that this event is not going to be as big as it has been and thus unlikely the lighting etc this year wont improve on last year either. I dread to think how much worse it can get. It makes me cry inside thinking of how those huge white floods (why not at least colour them! It's only a piece of lighting gel that costs literal pennies) destroyed every small bit of effort in lighting Nemesis, Air and Thi3teen last year. And as for the excuse of 'health and safety' - Haunted Hollow was practically a blackout to walk along.

I don't mind if the mazes remain the same themes as long as they have some improvement to them. I can understand not having the budget for something new, but if what they have is done really well people generally will be quite happy as the extra maze ticket prices will be seen as worthwhile having forked out for. And has the potential for extra sales where people would like to repeat it and have another go.

Agreed also that 'Duel: Live!' would be great to see back again - we did it when it was Skelvins Creepy Zombie Something (I don't recall the name - theres the problem. Duel Live! is pretty clear). And it's lack of existence in 2012 likely contributed to that feeling once you were out of Towers Street and away from the Towers, it didn't feel like Scarefest. Even, as a suggestion if paying actors for a full day is too much, only do that in the evening - normal Duel during the day and a special Halloween live version after 6pm. It's the little things y'know?
 
Wonder what happened to the Big Top they originally had CoS in outside the hotels. That would look great set up on the lawn
 
I think the 7pm closing is a perfectly just reason for people not visiting if that is the week you can go, and i reckon the will see a further drop in attendance in that week.

I'm expecting very little from most of the event, with the exception of the mazes as the people who do the creative side of the mazes proved in their first season (last year) that they can do great things. Even though last years Carnival was the weakest of the three mazes it was still much better than 2011 and that's factoring in the fact it didn't get the finale they planned due to some H&S/ fire-safety issues.

But if i had the drive Diogo and Kelpie had i wouldn't bother for a 7pm close.
 
I would fear that a drop in attendance in the first week could result in a shorter event next season... 'Oh nobody visited then last year? Cut that week then'


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.
 
Yeah, it's a downward spiral. Cut the hours, reduce incentive for guests to visit offpeak, they won't visit offpeak, you cut the hours further.

No such thing as trying to make the event busier - Never heard of reduced entry after 4pm, or anything to entice local area in more for that week?
 
Dare I say cut the event to 2 weeks, BUT, 9pm close every night and lot more effort spent on the event perhaps?
 
The only week I can attend Scarefest is the first week, and if they close stupidly early then I can't see the point in parting with my hard-earned money. Looks like it'll just be Fright Nights for me this year!
 
Well I've just looked at the line up and I can say that, I wont be paying extra to through one. Did it last time I thought it was a HUGE waste of money. Apart from that I just want to go the park have a ride of a few rides in the dark, and come back the next day all ready to do it all again. This is what I think a lot of you need to start doing.

The same people come on here and its negative, negative, negative. You never see any news as good. Constantly give Merlin and AT a bad time about everything it does and has to offer. There was a time when the move from towerstimes accrued, when the theme park was great and everyone got on its side. Anything negative was met with a positive, sub-terra and the failure of last year was met with a smile nowadays...................... Oh my god, lets just take some time out.

What is this problem? Simple its those of you with an annual pass. Of course the place is going to be bad you all go too much. Take a year of, force yourself to stay away and arrive back in 2015. Get that excitement back. Just treat any news about cutback and blah blah blah as a sign o' the times. Things will pick up, they always do. There no need to angry about a scaremaze, about the park closing at 7. Take it on the chin, make the most of what they are giving you. Please lets try and the get the positives back in our lives.

This is a call to arms. lets see what scarefest is like first before we start punching tables and slamming doors. Wev aren't going to change what they are doing, but we can at least see what they have done before we slag them off.
 
Slugjc said:
There no need to angry about a scaremaze, about the park closing at 7.
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You serious??? The ONE time of the year, for Halloween (associated with dark) and Scarefest (in the dark) and when the park is open late (in the dark) and you can get to go on the rides - in the dark, yet they are closing at 7pm!!

Yeah some of what you say is valid and people who go all the time wont feel the "magic", but, shortening a halloween scarefest event to just 7pm is something to complain about!!!
 
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