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Scarefest 2015

Thought I'd offer my opinions of scarefest given that it was my first visit.

Molly Crowe:
First scare maze ever for me and I thought it was good. It had the best queue line atmosphere of all the mazes in my opinion. Just hearing "Molly's behind you..." made me nearly cry with fear. The maze itself was good. I don't think it could have had a huge budget, but I'm guessing most of it was spent on sub species. The briefing was rushed a little, and I saw no reason for this as it was walk on with very few people joining the queue. I thought the storyline was good.
I wasn't expecting the reason for wearing the hood to be to protect your eyes.
I thought the actors were excellent. I was lightly poked in the eyes when i entered the maze. The finale was very good, though I would have liked it a little longer.

Would I do it again - yes
Would I pay - no
Would I do it extreme/alone - yes

End games:
Definately the best maze of all of them. Good queue line audio, but was drowned out by the Darth Vader breathing noise (though I'm aware that that has been removed now) but I have no idea what that had to do with the maze. The briefing video was amazing. It was clear and perfectly set the maze up.
had a problem now that my friend was really scared after Molly Crowe and didn't want to go further. We were last into the second room. I was expecting to go in a line like the other mazes, but it surprised me that we would be split up. I didn't mind this though, but I know some people wouldn't like it.

I would have perfected the room with the doors if more than two opened. They only took 1 person the other way, and I think it would be better if more were taken. The actors were very good. Sometimes quite forcefully pushing you against the wall.

The crawl tunnel worked quite well IMO. I had an actor blocking my way who told me to go the other way. Thought it could have been slightly better, maybe having actors hitting the outside of the tunnel for some jump scares. Was totally alone in this section as well.

I had the human ending, where I was chased out by a man with a chainsaw. Possibly the scariest thing I've ever experienced. I think the body on the stretcher at the end could have been used better, maybe putting it in the middle of the room and it not moving all the time, only when someone is near.
Did like the "wanted for murder: Elsie hamble" posters at the exit. Not sure if it was intentional, but a nice nod to the boiler house.
Did anyone get the "alien" ending? If so, what happened?

Would I do it again - yes, at least twice
Would I pay - definitely
Would I do operation lockdown - maybe if I had someone to go with

terror of the towers:
Good maze. Loaded with actors who were very good, but I think if they were allowed to touch it would have been better (it was used very well in the other two mazes). Got asked my name by the actors, they didn't leave me alone until I told them and kept blowing the back of my head. I think the photo op was pointless on the maze. Didn't see anyone even look at their photo. I think that using a video to brief you is good, wasn't used for Molly, but probably wouldn't have worked (with the maze being set 200 years ago). Would have worked better, but you could hear the safety warnings from the previous room which ruined the effect. Not as good as end games, but better than Molly Crowe.

Would I do it again - yes
Would I pay - maybe not. A little cheaper then yes
Would I do it extreme/alone - yes

dark apocalypse:
The better of the two scarezones IMO. Actors were very good, couldn't work out why a zombie would need a chainsaw though :p. Quite intimidating when they had you against a wall. Did like the phalanx announcements played through the area, but possibly too much smoke.

nox infernus:
Actors were good, though perhaps the wraiths could have done more. The people in green were very good. Made rita's tunnel less depressing and used the space well. The green lights and smoke were very effective theming, 13 looked amazing.

overall:
Very good event. Excellent actors and a great atmosphere around the park. Very good audio, especially on towers Street and Molly Crowe. Will be visiting next year. Would have really liked to be able to download the music, but hopefully towers catch on to this way to make money soon. It's what merlin is good at.

haha. thanks. So - the reason behind the heavy breathing was purely to make it sound like gas mask breathing - with the SubSpecies and Phalanx link. Due to Darth now OWNING that sound - it's hard to make it sound unique. So - yes - it's gone now.
 
Particularly geeky question... did anyone collect the scarefest pop badges? I have 3 Phil's, 2 from nemesis' enterence, one from ripsaw.
 
I was lucky enough on Sunday to go through the ending it sounds like theyve been having tech difficulties with... it pooped me right up!

I ended up at the front for this ending and it really did make me back away when I first saw it, down at the end of the shipping crate was something huge lit up in red, moving its arms and I had to take a seriously hard look to work out if it was getting closer (it was!) I kind of want to experience it again as all a bit of a blur as I say, i really backed off back in to the rest of the group blocking them too. As it got closer my friend opened the door to the left so the light came flooding in spoiling it really, you could see the arms on strings etc, i remember it being very skull like and huge disproportionate arms... perhaps the door out could be covered with another "porch" or something to hide the strings.... reminded me of something they might have bought rather than made such as...


To answer a previous Q... yes there were traveller's there, I've always avoided the day after hearing about it on here but we had no choice, it was mostly kids and young teens, the kids were awful pushing in and foul language to anybody questioning their actions etc. but thankfully wasn't as bad as heard it would be and saw no real "trouble" as far as I'm aware.

Kudos to the members of Towers Street who happened to be in front of me and my friends in the Oblivion queue line who eventually managed to get some of the ones queue jumping that day to go back to the start and queue like everybody else has to! :):):)
 
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Several things from tonight:

The "darth Vader" breathing for Sub is still present in the audio. Not as good as Sunday's run through, but still a good solid run through nonetheless.

TotT felt much better this time round, actors were far more engaging and present throughout the maze.

Molly Crowe felt longer and the actors were much better. I'm still not the biggest fan of the concept and hope the maze is replaced next year (which it probably won't be), but it was a better experience than the first run through on Saturday.

Regarding the FV scare zone, nothing kills the atmosphere more than seeing the scare actors sitting down having a casual chat. I get its a quiet weekday, but it completely destroyed the tension and you could see the shock on their faces when they had to spring up to attempt to scare us. They might as well not bothered. Utterly shocking.

Other than that negative point, had an enjoyable evening tonight.
 
To answer a previous Q... yes there were traveller's there, I've always avoided the day after hearing about it on here but we had no choice, it was mostly kids and young teens, the kids were awful pushing in and foul language to anybody questioning their actions etc. but thankfully wasn't as bad as heard it would be and saw no real "trouble" as far as I'm aware.
I saw a couple try to queue jump oblivion, but they got sent back. Also had a couple of them push me quite hard whilst I was getting off nemesis. And I saw some threatening the actors in DA, but that was sorted by security. No really bad incidents
 
Had another good visit to Scarefest last night and did all three mazes again so here are a few additional thoughts from me!

Molly Crow was much better than on Saturday, the actors seemed more interactive which did make a difference. I'm still not keen on this maze though, it just doesn't do it for me. If they keep it next year which they probably will I think it could be improved with some more sensory effects such as additional smells in places and maybe some different flooring throughout the route.

We had a good run through on TotT with a very intense finale. Even if TotT is starting to feel rather tired now that finale just never gets boring and the maze is worth doing just for the strobe maze.

Sub Species was a immersive and intense as ever. I was sent on my own through it again and at one point ended up having three actors all over me at the same time. There were no chainsaws yesterday which was a shame but this issue is due to be sorted for today.

I really do urge anyone who has not been yet to visit Alton Towers for Scarefest this year!

:)
 
Went to Scarefest on Saturday.

Terror of the Towers new route was very good in comparison to last year and did feel more enclosed in comparison. This was the best maze in my eyes due to the depth of themeing and the actors were on top form. 9/10

Molly Crowe had an advertised 45 minute queue and it took nearly 2 hours! It certainly was not worth it, as I am not a fan of having the hoods over your head. They did do a good job of relaying the story to us, however it was quiet and the audio needs turning up a notch. However, its saving grace is the finale, it was truly Oscar worthy and was fantastic! 6/10.

Sub-Species - Just re-iterating what everyone else is saying, its a strong maze and really enjoyable. Some areas are a bit bland and need some themeing, but apart from that it was top notch, Ending was also very good! 8/10

Both of the scare zones were absolutely awful. In comparison to Scary Tales etc its a 1/10. It was not original and it didn't work. I could see Zombies still from the Skyride, they should re-open it as both of the zones are rubbish!

Here is a quick video I shot of Nox in Dark Forest.



Also here are some photos on my Flickr if your interested :)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/themeparkmania/albums/72157660121392122
 
I'm considering putting some of my videos (mainly dark apocalypse and nox infernus) online. Wasn't a great quality camera though. Videos are okay.
 
Particularly geeky question... did anyone collect the scarefest pop badges? I have 3 Phil's, 2 from nemesis' enterence, one from ripsaw.
Yeah I got them all, my little lad is over the moon
b17f7d9075146df9a1e6b6c437dac5b3.jpg
 
Towers have uploaded a video of inside ToTT.



Seems a bit pointless given that all you can see is pure darkness, the occasional flash of white light and a bit of a cage. At least you could see something in their Sub-Species video. I assume they used night-vision cameras.
 
It was the same with the towers tastic badges. People actually bought them. I got two for free, and I only had to write them a letter!
 
Seen more television adverts for fright nights at Thorpe than I have for towers (even though I live 20 miles from towers) are towers running any adverts ???
 
Scarefest 2015 Review
So I had a wonderful time at the meet over the weekend, and have only just recovered from the tiredness!

What a refreshing event this year has turned out to be. The lighting, the new mazes, and the best buzz of the season!

This season has obviously been very tough for the whole park team, and I had worried that Scarefest would be scaled back considerably to compensate. Thankfully this doesn't seem to have been the case.. and boy has it paid off.

Scarefest highs
  • New mazes - MUCH needed! Last year was an absolute fart of an event for the mazes, and I believe I only did each one once. This year I had no expectations, and had planned only one trip to the park based on the preconceived idea that I wouldn't be interested after one run. WRONG. I'm now desperately clearing my schedule for any opportunity to get back and drag myself through Sub Species a few more times! Touching? YES.
  • Park lighting - it gets better each year, and it's appreciated. The changing of those hideous flood lights to more ambient blues and greens is always going to go down well.
  • "The buzz" - as has been noted, this year has been tough, and subsequent flat. Scarefest is the first time in the last 4 months that the park has felt alive. Superb!

Scarefest lows
  • Concentrated effort - just a little. The park felt as though the event was concentrated very much in the Ruins/Dark Forest area, with the odd spark elsewhere. That may be a consequence of the low ebb this season, but I believe the lack of anything opposite the conference centre towards X-sector doesn't help. The sound of carnival and story tales in recent years has really helped to set the scene and bring the infectious nature of Scarefest to life for guests entering the park and heading towards X-Sector. That said, the Trick or Treat doors by CBeebies Land helped to bring the spooky vibe to the area for families.
  • Molly Crowe - just a little. It felt as though something was missing.. but more on mazes shortly!
  • Where on earth was the Towers Street lighting? Massive sad point in the evening for me!

Mazes
Molly Crowe
So let's start with the weakest maze in my opinion. Great concept with a stunning finale (if a little 'off'), but the bag-over-the-head thing lost its effectiveness after a few minutes. The concept is well thought out, though the impact on Saturday's throughput due to technical issues (which I believe was sorted by Sunday) was quite tedious. I found it difficult at first to listen to the narrative being played through the maze as I was so focused on putting one foot in front of the other, though quickly realised I needed to concentrate. Half way through, I became desensitised to the bag, and was getting rather fed up with the heat, repetitive following of the rope, and the lack of visual stimuli. As a thought, I'd like the wardrobe or fire scene to be 'bag off' before 'bag on' again until the finale... but I'm no entertainer or creator! I also found that my eyes had adjusted FAR too well by the finale, and I was able to see perhaps too much by the time Molly Crowe actually appeared - a big old flash of bright light would, I'm sure, sort that out. I had thought the technology used would be put into place differently, though I'm not sure if that's because something wasn't working, or the lighting was off... (not wanting to spoil too much). As the weakest of Saturday I didn't opt to venture through again, and gave it a miss on Sunday.

Terror of the Towers
Oldies are Goldies! This old staple had a much needed refresh, and DANG was it needed. Last year I spent my total of one run through looking in all the usual hiding places, expecting scares that either weren't there or were there... and I wasn't scared. This year? The actors were working together, the route was brand new, there were changes in levels, the length was just as good, and the new entrance made for 'real' urban exploration. My only criticism is that music from other scenes could be heard elsewhere in the maze.. bit petty really. The finale as always was fantastically terrifying - I really hope this never leaves! Splashed the cash for a second run on Sunday and loved it :).

Sub Species: The End Games
Well. Wow. The absolute standout maze of the... ever? I've taken myself into many scare events since 2006 and in fact I truly believe Sub Species is the best maze attraction of the lot.
  • Themed well? You got it - old ruins are the best kind of sewers.
  • Great actors? Absolutely - kinda kinky being pushed up against a wall by a zombie!
  • Terrifying? Like never before - split up from my group twice and scared of my own shadow by the end
  • Disorientating? Very - tunnels, multiple routes, and being sent around in circles did the trick!
  • Nightmarish? Agreed - WHERE THE HELL DO TOWERS GET THEIR DISGUSTING MASKS FROM??? First the Hamble Twins, now the rotten aliens. Christ.
Credit where credit is due, and I'm not normally one to gush over something. Everything seems to be spot on with this! Throughput is wholly on the acceptable side, the length is just perfect (any more and I'm sure I might have curled into a ball on the floor crying), and the concept fits the end product. I didn't plan on spending too much money this year, but I happily raided my pockets for a total of three runs through Sub Species and each was as terrifying as the one before! This maze is the sole reason I've wiped clean my plans for Saturday and will be re-visiting Towers :D woohoo!

In all... Welcome back Scarefest. You lost yourself through stale and recycled mazes, and now YOU'RE BACK!! Here's to innovation, fresh ideas and very clear passion from the entire team from top to bottom.

I always spare a thought for the actors who spend hour after hour sweating and aching from their efforts; the tech team who run around like headless chickens to keep things running; the creative team for having the vision, and the management team who stay up all hours god sends to work out the nit-picky details. Thank you.. and see you on Saturday 8)
 
How much are the single maze tickets, and can they be purchased in advance? Already got a three maze combo ticket sorted but very tempted at this point to get a second ticket for Sub Species following all of the hype.
 
How much are the single maze tickets, and can they be purchased in advance? Already got a three maze combo ticket sorted but very tempted at this point to get a second ticket for Sub Species following all of the hype.
They are £8 and annual pass discount can be used.
 
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