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Scarefest 2014
- Thread starter ImUrNemeis
- Start date
Scott
Former TS Team Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
This! So much this!
I was literally gonna write a post saying exactly the same thing basically! It's awful in our opinions as by spending money no doubt even bigger crowds would attend. However, if Merlin can see that they are able to reduce budgets every year yet still see crowds flock to the event and give it good KPIs - why would they even bother spending more?! I know it's not what we want to see, but if the crowds keep coming, they will simply shave more money off until the KPIs drop.
Look at Thorpe - it had an abysmal year and a new concept event was launched. Admittedly not much more budget was supposedly given but at least something has been tried and is being built upon this year.
All I can suggest is if we don't like it - touchscreen it.
djtruefitt
TS Team
Yep, the only way they will get more money is if the guest feedback is terrible, or guest numbers drop dramatically.
However they will be losing a fair amount of money this year by removing Carnival, as they can't sell Fastrack and there won't be any photos at the end. Unless of course they plan on putting fastrack on the paid mazes and adding photos to them.
However they will be losing a fair amount of money this year by removing Carnival, as they can't sell Fastrack and there won't be any photos at the end. Unless of course they plan on putting fastrack on the paid mazes and adding photos to them.
Dave
TS Founding Member
It's not a rumour it's been stated in planning documents, there isn't a ban on all lighting it's just limited. CBeebies is next to Farley lane which is well lit anyway so I would imagine isn't felt to impact much on the overall pollution levels. Park wide though would cause huge light pollution complications.
James
TS Founding Member
Surely there are technologies available that they can use for park lighting, to get around light pollution issues.. It's not like they use lighting all year round either. Although I guess it's hard to judge without knowing the restrictions on lighting and what they can/cannot do within those boundaries.
TheMan
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- NemiLerVion
I am about his biggest fanboy. Having a maze with a recognisable character that people can actually interact with was incredibly clever and he was a fantastic actor. Way over the top, perfect for the role! He remembered people who visited regularly and really for me set a standard. I am a fierce critic but that maze, story, and Dr.K was truly fantastic and a highlight of any Halloween experience I have had. Especially in Extreme maze form, or last run-through guise.
However, even I think The Sanctuary, without Dr.K especially, just makes no sense.
Merlin. You have a phenomenal team at Alton Towers and your attitude towards them is nothing short of an absolute disgrace.
You just do not know how to utilise properly talented creative people, give them a bigger budget and they'd probably make you more money you fools!
ScottPBE
TS Member
I doubt it'll make you feel much better but it's still a lot more than we get for a Halloween event at BPB which isn't even being extended into a weekend event despite Halloween falling on a Friday this year.
I remember the buzz all of the staff had at Towers for Scarefest in 2007, we were all very excited about it but it was a new fresh idea for Towers at the time and everyone hoped that it would become a huge success story with exciting new maze lineups and ideas every season, obviously it hasn't panned out like that which is a shame.
I have to say though, I am glad Towers haven't gone down the same route as Thorpe by using popular film titles to brand/theme their mazes, but it'd be nice to see something different.
I remember the buzz all of the staff had at Towers for Scarefest in 2007, we were all very excited about it but it was a new fresh idea for Towers at the time and everyone hoped that it would become a huge success story with exciting new maze lineups and ideas every season, obviously it hasn't panned out like that which is a shame.
I have to say though, I am glad Towers haven't gone down the same route as Thorpe by using popular film titles to brand/theme their mazes, but it'd be nice to see something different.
What's to say that they haven't changed the storyline so another doctor, one which is equally as recognisable, has taken control.. been more crazier or obsessed than before and that they are a fantastic actor too?
Amazingly there's more than one 'good' actor in this world.
Benzin
TS Member
That pathway gets busy enough after dark, it wouldn't be a good idea for it to be shut as well as the Gardens/Skyride, forcing more pressure onto the main pathway...
Slugjc
TS Member
Right ok here it goes..................................................
Ive looked at the comments on here and I have read what is on their website. To be honest its not surprise they haven't changed anything. First of all its merlin and second. If people were still raving about the attractions why change. TOTT, The sanctuary, have always had good right ups by people I know and if the feed back is positive it would be hard for them to come up with something better/ if it isn't broke don't fix it. Yes Dr K isn't their........................................ its nothing to get to upset by. Nothing a script change cant fix. As thefatone said he isn't the only actor that can bring something to the part.
When I did the mazes back in 2011. TOTT, boiler house and carnival of screams. I enjoyed them immensely. I went to the Yorkshire Scare grounds in Wakefield that year too (Although a night in Wakefield is scary enough) It had the same advertising as the leaflet given to us at the Towers Hotel. After I visited both I sat down with my Girlfriend and we both said. No matter what the story line is they are all the same. People jumping out at you things moving when you go near them. No matter what they do they are limited to what they can actually do in the maze themselves. H&S, wusses etc........ So ill say it again if they think it isn't broke why fix it and spend money coming up signs and all that jazz that goes with it. Lets face it you are only doing the same thing just with people in different costumes.
Lighting is also the issue in this thread. Lighting the towers like it daylight will kill of any atmosphere that the place has. Soft coloured lighting and the moon and stars is all the place needs. Yes they could use some sort of Gas light look effect around the place, and the lights they used could be better. But does it really need it?
Haunted Hollow. I love this little path, I wish they would use it better. Just a couple of actors will do. Nothing big nothing drastic. An undertaker or too would be ideal. I think they should use the queue line for the haunted house more. They could make for a brilliant short maze. Then a ride on the old girl itself with all duel nonsense turned off.
Scarefest can be better then what they are doing. and for the people who love a maze they could have changed/ done a new one for you. That I can agree on. But I for one just go for the rides in the dark. The way I look at Air/Thirteen and rita changed when I rode them at night. Nemmy/Oblivion/Smiler all change there character too. Its just better being there after sun down and seeing the place dark and dingy. Lets not forget how amazing the house itself looks at that time of year.
Ive looked at the comments on here and I have read what is on their website. To be honest its not surprise they haven't changed anything. First of all its merlin and second. If people were still raving about the attractions why change. TOTT, The sanctuary, have always had good right ups by people I know and if the feed back is positive it would be hard for them to come up with something better/ if it isn't broke don't fix it. Yes Dr K isn't their........................................ its nothing to get to upset by. Nothing a script change cant fix. As thefatone said he isn't the only actor that can bring something to the part.
When I did the mazes back in 2011. TOTT, boiler house and carnival of screams. I enjoyed them immensely. I went to the Yorkshire Scare grounds in Wakefield that year too (Although a night in Wakefield is scary enough) It had the same advertising as the leaflet given to us at the Towers Hotel. After I visited both I sat down with my Girlfriend and we both said. No matter what the story line is they are all the same. People jumping out at you things moving when you go near them. No matter what they do they are limited to what they can actually do in the maze themselves. H&S, wusses etc........ So ill say it again if they think it isn't broke why fix it and spend money coming up signs and all that jazz that goes with it. Lets face it you are only doing the same thing just with people in different costumes.
Lighting is also the issue in this thread. Lighting the towers like it daylight will kill of any atmosphere that the place has. Soft coloured lighting and the moon and stars is all the place needs. Yes they could use some sort of Gas light look effect around the place, and the lights they used could be better. But does it really need it?
Haunted Hollow. I love this little path, I wish they would use it better. Just a couple of actors will do. Nothing big nothing drastic. An undertaker or too would be ideal. I think they should use the queue line for the haunted house more. They could make for a brilliant short maze. Then a ride on the old girl itself with all duel nonsense turned off.
Scarefest can be better then what they are doing. and for the people who love a maze they could have changed/ done a new one for you. That I can agree on. But I for one just go for the rides in the dark. The way I look at Air/Thirteen and rita changed when I rode them at night. Nemmy/Oblivion/Smiler all change there character too. Its just better being there after sun down and seeing the place dark and dingy. Lets not forget how amazing the house itself looks at that time of year.
Ahh the Boiler House, I LOVED that maze, intense, cramped, worked amazingly well with just the two main actors, sorry that had gone.
If I were in charge of Scarefest, this is what i'd do:
- lighting, lighting and lighting!!! Coloured lighting over the resort with the red lighting on Nemesis, some blue lighting over Air, lighting over Sub Terra, etc.
- put the smoke machine back at the end of Rita launch strip
- Duel - bring back Duel Live, go to town on that area and Haunted Hollow with lighting, smoke machines and actors. Make Haunted Hollow a walk through attraction
- Keep TOTT but bring back past story lines, with the chef, the oven , where the customers are the dinner!
- Bring back Boiler House, put it in the Towers ruins like Sanctuary but have orange glowing lights pulsing by the windows and smoke pouring out of a chimney to make it look like a boiler house. Adapt the story to include more characters, make it an "extreme" horror maze
- Yellow lighting over the Smiler and Orange around Oblivion hole with lots of mist
- Hex live
- Halloween music over the entire resort
- I was going to suggest changing some of the menu items in the restaurants to "halloween" themed stuff, but to be fair, some of their offerings are scary enough
- Actors on the entrance to Towers Street
- Keep Zombie Scare Zone as this is a decent walk through, just needs to be a little longer thats all
Just some of my thoughts anyway.
If I were in charge of Scarefest, this is what i'd do:
- lighting, lighting and lighting!!! Coloured lighting over the resort with the red lighting on Nemesis, some blue lighting over Air, lighting over Sub Terra, etc.
- put the smoke machine back at the end of Rita launch strip
- Duel - bring back Duel Live, go to town on that area and Haunted Hollow with lighting, smoke machines and actors. Make Haunted Hollow a walk through attraction
- Keep TOTT but bring back past story lines, with the chef, the oven , where the customers are the dinner!
- Bring back Boiler House, put it in the Towers ruins like Sanctuary but have orange glowing lights pulsing by the windows and smoke pouring out of a chimney to make it look like a boiler house. Adapt the story to include more characters, make it an "extreme" horror maze
- Yellow lighting over the Smiler and Orange around Oblivion hole with lots of mist
- Hex live
- Halloween music over the entire resort
- I was going to suggest changing some of the menu items in the restaurants to "halloween" themed stuff, but to be fair, some of their offerings are scary enough
- Actors on the entrance to Towers Street
- Keep Zombie Scare Zone as this is a decent walk through, just needs to be a little longer thats all
Just some of my thoughts anyway.
Slugjc
TS Member
Danny
TS Contributor
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Does Hex really need to be live? Unfortunately I never got to experience it, but it still doesn't sound as if I missed out on the greatest addition in the world. Even with a huge budget, I'd still make other looked over elements of Scarefest a priority than spending yet more money on actors who perhaps could be a better resource elsewhere.
Rob
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
So, Scarefest. Such a brilliant and iconic event. The team at Towers have always been fantastic at putting on some of the best mazes in the business in terms of theming, length, scares and story. And the park is a perfect setting for such an event. I may not have been to many but it is the best Halloween event that I have experience and the mazes are better than those at the vastly overrated Halloween Horror Nights at Universal.
You would think an event like this would grow year on year. It would be refreshed. There would be new mazes to look forward to. It's only natural that successful events get bigger year on year is it not?
Well Merlin and Towers have given us the answer to that question, and it's a big fat NO. Instead the event has got smaller. We have gone from three mazes for as long as I have been to the event to measly two. But maybe we can let them off. With a maze being cut it must been that one of the remaining mazes, most likely TOTT, is recieving a full makeover with a new story, layout, theming and scenes. At least that's a positive, something to look forward to and gives a reason go and visit. Hang on what was that you just said? Both The Sanctuary and TOTT are remaining pretty much them same? Oh. Well that's awkward.
All in all it is pathetic. I think it's fair to say that we all knew and probably accepted that a fourth maze was unlikely, despite it being what the event is crying out for. The most likely scenario was either the same three mazes with TOTT being completely revamped or one new maze to replace one of the current mazes, most likely Carnival. The fact that we have lost a maze with no replacement is awful for so many reasons.
For me a new scare zone is not a suitable substitute. Zombies is nicely themed but it's hardly something I have got excited about in previous years. It just doesn't provide any scares. I hope the new scare zone is more than a three pumpkin rating or else it will probably be another nicely themed bore fest. I do like the concept of the new scare zone, although it seems a more fitting theme for a maze rather than a scare zone. I'd imagine we may seem some old Storybook Land theming return.
It's all such a pity as the entertainments team at Towers are capable of creating some great mazes. They should be given freedom to let their creative sides run wild and come up with some great new additions to the event each year. Merlin should be ashamed of themselves for not allowing this.
Scarefest does indeed rely on its reputation. In the past I have always reccommeded the event to friends who have not visited before. Will I continue to do this? Will I hell. The reputation of the event deserves to take a big hit which is such a shame for those that do care and put their all into it. But it is the only way that the powers that be will realise that what they are doing is wrong, along with a financial hit.
I certainly don't plan to visit as much during Scarefest this year and will not be paying too many times to do the same mazes again and again. Rides in the dark will be taking priority.
It is just so sad that we can't see what is a great event grow. It is not how it should be. It is one of the busiest times of the year, a time when they could make a killing if they wanted to. Making the event smaller is not going to result in greater income. It is no coincidence that the most successful theme parks in the world are the ones that spend money on things rather than slashing budgets left right and centre.
You would think an event like this would grow year on year. It would be refreshed. There would be new mazes to look forward to. It's only natural that successful events get bigger year on year is it not?
Well Merlin and Towers have given us the answer to that question, and it's a big fat NO. Instead the event has got smaller. We have gone from three mazes for as long as I have been to the event to measly two. But maybe we can let them off. With a maze being cut it must been that one of the remaining mazes, most likely TOTT, is recieving a full makeover with a new story, layout, theming and scenes. At least that's a positive, something to look forward to and gives a reason go and visit. Hang on what was that you just said? Both The Sanctuary and TOTT are remaining pretty much them same? Oh. Well that's awkward.
All in all it is pathetic. I think it's fair to say that we all knew and probably accepted that a fourth maze was unlikely, despite it being what the event is crying out for. The most likely scenario was either the same three mazes with TOTT being completely revamped or one new maze to replace one of the current mazes, most likely Carnival. The fact that we have lost a maze with no replacement is awful for so many reasons.
For me a new scare zone is not a suitable substitute. Zombies is nicely themed but it's hardly something I have got excited about in previous years. It just doesn't provide any scares. I hope the new scare zone is more than a three pumpkin rating or else it will probably be another nicely themed bore fest. I do like the concept of the new scare zone, although it seems a more fitting theme for a maze rather than a scare zone. I'd imagine we may seem some old Storybook Land theming return.
It's all such a pity as the entertainments team at Towers are capable of creating some great mazes. They should be given freedom to let their creative sides run wild and come up with some great new additions to the event each year. Merlin should be ashamed of themselves for not allowing this.
Scarefest does indeed rely on its reputation. In the past I have always reccommeded the event to friends who have not visited before. Will I continue to do this? Will I hell. The reputation of the event deserves to take a big hit which is such a shame for those that do care and put their all into it. But it is the only way that the powers that be will realise that what they are doing is wrong, along with a financial hit.
I certainly don't plan to visit as much during Scarefest this year and will not be paying too many times to do the same mazes again and again. Rides in the dark will be taking priority.
It is just so sad that we can't see what is a great event grow. It is not how it should be. It is one of the busiest times of the year, a time when they could make a killing if they wanted to. Making the event smaller is not going to result in greater income. It is no coincidence that the most successful theme parks in the world are the ones that spend money on things rather than slashing budgets left right and centre.
Scott
Former TS Team Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
I'm more concerned that despite losing a maze, if the new walkthrough is popular and *if* we get better park lighting and theming elements to make up for losing a maze the general public will rave about the event again and two mazes (without a free maze) will become the norm as Merlin will know they can get away with the budget.
