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Scarefest 2016

I Got Little Delta to do House of Monsters. for a fiver per person, it was price just right. It was a humorous fun maze, that reminded me a lot of trick or treat, style of entertainment. Very spot on for a Junior maze (8+).

As mentioned before, it is a set piece walk though, with monsters designed to a kid world. the only really classic scare maze part was the end. All in all, Towers is on to a winner with his one for the junior scarefesters.

I am going to talk about it in more detail so i will spoiler it.
Starts with a crazy vblogger (No, not sandbrook) going on about the horrid monsters.
set piece one, got rid of the vblogger quicky, and gave context to the walk though the maze, with a riddle to work out
Set piece two, Dracula's daughter, using a basic magic trick, to scare, then the kids have to spell out a word to move on.
Set Piece Three. a friendly gardening mummy, with affect borrowed from Ice age 3D
Set piece four werewolf with a hate-rid of materlan.
set piece five. Frankie re-enlargement and line up for escape.
Escape, a good old twisting corridor run, with actors jumping out.

The only negative, control screens too visible in the last two rooms.
 
At the start of mine tour when they tell you what and what not to do. They have now added
"Do not ! Go through any ! Curtains. The creatures will follow you so do not go through."
For those on the Saturday meet that ended up in places they shouldn't have been ;)
 
Am I the only one who didn't think much of the Altonville mines? Yes the themeing was good.

First section outside was with the safety instructions and I got chosen to wear a hard hat. We were sent around the corner where we were greeted with a guy with a phoney American ascent. The first room I got a nice young female scare actress who pushed right up against me, I quiet like this bit and for a man of my age I wasn't complaining ;) We were directed into the lift shaft room, where we were all grabbed and dragged off into different groups. I appeared to be left on my own where I was left to negotiate the maze on my own, I think I did go through a few curtains, but it wasn't clear where I was supposed to be going. No scare actors or anything jumping out at me. Finally met up with everyone in the last room and a scare actor who instructed us to run as there was supposed to be an explosion. That was it for me

I don't know if they did this last year, but the safety announcements at the beginning of all the mazes, were all professionally pre-recorded and played over loud speakers, these were a lot easier to understand than previous years and were a lot more professional than having the entertainment team having to shout.
 
Altonville Mines terrified me in ways I've never been scared before. I'm perfectly fine with being separated from groups or physically manhandled, infact that's how I prefer the mazes. But when I'm dragged backwards at an alarming pace with a flickering light on my head and the fear of being pulled over without being able to see, that's an entirely different ball game.

I must have done at least half the maze by myself with nobody else other than actors before catching up with the group ahead of me, so I had plenty of time to take in the theming and allowing the actors to concentrate their efforts onto me. For the most part, they did a superb job. I felt very alone and vulnerable which is something even Sub Species at its best has been unable to throw at me. The costumes were superb and the theming is so much better than I had anticipated, particularly towards the end.

The whole experience feels geared up to be a supreme, tension building theatrical maze rather than a brutal assault on the sense ala Sub Species. It does such a grand job of being such a different concept up until the finale, or should I say, lack of. All the feelings I'd had instilled whilst navigating the maze apprehensively and isolated came crashing down, and I left feeling somewhat disappointed even though for the most part, I enjoyed it. Why build the atmosphere of a theatrical experience when it doesn't deliver a grand finale, which they've proven with its predecessor in the form of Molly Crowe is entirely possible.

Sub Species was once again on form, although I didn't get quite the same buzz about it that I'd had last year. I didn't come out dripping with adrenaline and wanting to run straight back in for seconds. I fear it was down to the actors dampening their routines a little that may have caused this, although the costumed aliens put on a much better show than last year.

TotT is now drier and blander than a stale biscuit. Having it ramped down for a 12+ audience has sapped what very little essence came with it, particularly as some of the more notable elements felt substantially more boring or even just scrapped entirely. I won't be bothering with a repeat run through this year I feel, and I'm heavily contemplating whether or not I should even bother next year.

Finally, House of Monsters is a delightful treat. It's clear that's where the budget has been ploughed into and they've done a wonderful job. I expected to enter the building and it be very clear that Wobble World has once resided there. Other than the transition of flooring in the pre show, this worry was nipped very rapidly. The concept is of course a re-worked version of the Dungeons, and some of the characters (I'm looking at you, vloggy child and Venom) feel hideously under-developed. However others, particularly the rather fashionable werewolf are a stroke of genius. Yes, it is aimed at children and yes, it does have an underlying vibe of being ripped straight from a cheesy American family horror movie. But what Towers have done here is a wonderful treat and hopefully proof that no matter how stale some aspects of Scarefest appear to be, there will always be creative juices flowing that will surprise and delight us.
 
So, my thoughts of Scarefest following Saturday's visit. I really enjoyed the 2015 event so had equally high hopes this year. Overall I feel that these expectations were met.

Scare Mazes (I had one run through of each):
  • Terror of the Towers - this was one of my worst ever runs through the maze. The route has changed slightly this year (it is shorter, more than likely to free up space for Altonville Mine Tours) and overally the maze has been toned down. It is now only rated as four pumpkins and it really shows. I was at the front of the group and only got one real scare when someone jumped out in front of me. Now normally the strobe maze at the end is the saving grace of TotT but this year even it was poor. The strobes were all wrong (they were on for too long meaning it was continually bright and a lot harder than normal to even see which way to go) and the actors did not seem to be getting in your face as much. For me the TotT strobe maze has always been the highlight of pretty much any scare maze I have done so this was a shame. This has to be the last year of TotT in this form, it needs a total shake up with a new overiding story and new set pieces.
  • Sub-Species - the stand out maze of 2015 by far. I once again really enjoyed this although didn't find it quite as intesne as last year; that may have been because I knew what to expect or that it has been toned down a little bit. Either way it is still a brilliant maze and my favourite at Towers.
  • Altonville Mine Tours - the new maze for 2016 and I really wasn't too sure at what to expect. First of all it should be pointed out that the theming in this maze is very impressive, even more so when you consider that this maze was done on a limited budget. I found myself looking at theming details more than focussing on the maze experience at times! I found the maze more creepy and unusual than scary. I also thought that the story could have been conveyed a little better; I was at the back for this one and felt like a missed out on a few bits of key dialogue which left me a little confused at times. However it is far better than Molly Crowe and I think there is room for improvement (the finale was a tad poor despite the good lighting effects). This is a maze I would like to try again.
Scare Zones:
  • Dark Apocalypse - wandered through here a couple of times and it was pretty much the same as last year. Needed more actors though, there were only two or three.
  • Freak Show - not at all scary (unless you don't like clowns I suppose) but visually very impressive. A big improvement on whatever the one in Dark Forest was called last year.
House of Monsters:

Now then, this was the gem of Scarefest. It is of course aimed at younger families but I really enjoyed it and it's exactly what Scarefest has needed for a number of years now. As others have said it is comparable to a dungeons like experience and lasts around 20 minutes - good value for money if you ask me! It was funny, interactive, fun and once again very well themed; you had no idea that you were where Wobble World used to be. The variety of characters in the attraction is good and there is a solid storyline that's easy to follow. Yes it is a little cheesy at times but that's part of the fun!
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Park atmosphere:

I didn't notice any additional theming around the park this year and it's the same verdict as every other year when it comes to Scarefest at Towers - if you are not on Towers Street or in/around one of the scare attractions you'd never know an event was taking place.

However there was another big improvement in park lighting this year. Nemesis is looking stunning lit up in red (it's just a shame about the white lights needed for H&S on the lift) and Oblivion has new orange lighting. Lighting has also improved in Katange Canyon. We're not yet back to the high standards set in 2010 but are slowly getting there; if improvements continue over the next couple of years then it will be fantastic!

Also there'a a lovely new IMAscore soundtrack playing on Towers Street!
​
So overall I am happy with Scarefest 2016. There is a lot more good than bad and it is clear that Towers have looked at what didn't work last year and improved upon it.

:)
 
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Some of my overall thoughts on scarefest, followed by my detailed review of the mazes. Terror of the towers felt better than last year, but is in desperate need of a refresh. Sub species didn't fail to entertain and frighten, and I enjoyed the new scenes. Didn't think much of skin snatchers, good concept and introduction, but really lacked a proper ending. House of monsters was the highlight of my day, and was enjoyed by both thrill seekers and children. Dark apocalypse was fun, with one of the actors not letting me out of the scarezone. Freak show had decent theming, but just wasn't scary in any way. In terms of lighting, the park looked much better this year, with galactica, front row, in the dark with no headset being one of the best rides of the day. EDIT: after writing this, I realise that it's quite long. Sorry :)

More detailed reviews below, but contains spoilers:

terror of the towers:
I found this maze much better this year. Last year, I was at the back of a large group, and the actors didn't seem to know what they were doing. This year though, I was leading a small group. The wee parts of the maze though, when I couldn't see anything at all because of how thick the mist was. Nice to see a bigger variety of smells in the maze this year. Actors were good, especially the one who hid in the box by the piano.

I understand though that the reason I was actually scared in some parts though I'd because I was leading, and if I was elsewhere in the group it would have been very similar to last year. I think this maze is in need of a major overhaul, but people have been saying that for years. An issue that I found was that after we watched the pre show, we didn't know whether we were supposed to wait for an actor or go on. Also, I think some of the effects were lost due to the mist.

skin snatchers:
This was my least favourite of the three mazes, and that's quite a task considering TotT beat it. In fact, I enjoyed dark apocalypse more. Maybe I just had the wrong actors and a bad run through, but it was disappointing in my opinion.

The maze starts strong, with the introduction and queue line audio really setting the atmosphere. We walked straight in, but I can imagine that queueing for this would be horrible with the white walls. The first area (with the helmets) was alright, but not much to write about it. I did like how they gave people helmets to wear, but perhaps if this maze returns maybe give one to everyone in the group (I understand there would be issues with this, but I'm sure they could be solved as it makes the maze a little more interactive). The first and second introductions were good, and the actors giving them were brilliant. Loved that the actors seemed to get more and more insane at every stop. Really set it up for a thematic experience unlike the other two mazes.

But unfortunately, this was as far as it went. Without any real reason, we were just thrown into the first room of the maze by the sister, and then there was a skin snatcher. The actors seemed much more violent than in sub species, with actors pulling my hair, putting their arm around my neck and dragging me through the scenes, and pushing me into walls. My dad got thrown on the bed by one of the actors.

One room I did like in skin snatchers was the room with the plastic suits. It built a lot of tension up, but I think it could have been massively improved by having an actor in here, maybe someone putting their arm through a whole in the wall and grabbing people's arms.

Then the maze just ended, no spectacular finale that could have so easily been delivered. Even a simple chainsaw has a huge impact in sub species, so they really cant blame budget. Once you get used to the actors, the maze stops being scary, at least in TotT and especially sub species, the actors vary what they do to scare you, in skin snatchers they just rely on you being scared of pain. That's all there is to the maze. I'm fine with people with chainsaws, actors jumping out, but this was a different kind of fear. This was actors throwing you violently about until your scared of being hurt, which isn't enjoyable.

As a positive though, the masks were good and the maze was well themed. I just hope they improve this a lot for next year, if it returns at all.

sub species: the end games:
Even though I did it last year, it was again my favourite. I knew what to expect, so I didn't particularly find it scary. But it was fun, which is the whole point of scare mazes really, and theme parks in general. The same introduction (would maybe like to see this tweaked a little next year just to make it a little different, but I'm happy for this maze to return in its current form), and the perfect atmosphere is set.

I walked through to the room with the door, and stood in the centre and waited for the countdown. I thought I knew what to expect, but no, "not you, ratty, stand by that door"...

Before the countdown even started, the door I was leaning against was pulled away and I was dragged backwards through the next room. I never saw the actor, before I could turn around they had gone, but I had an excellent view of the main door opening and the rest of the group starting the maze.

Next, I came across the dark room. At first I thought I was alone, but as it turns out, I wasn't. My hand was removed from the rope, and I had to struggle through the pitch black room without accidently walking round in a circle. Unfortunately though, I was now far behind my group. One of the actors grabbed my hand and told me to escape quicker while running with me through a couple of rooms. Then a came to the tunnel, which seemed much shorter this year.

Then my favourite part of the maze. A single actor blocked my path and stared straight into my eyes, without blinking once for at least a minute, maybe two. Some of the group came behind me, and the actor wouldn't let any of us pass. Someone then saw that there was another tunnel, and the two people behind me went through it. I realised the actor wasn't planning on moving (or blinking) any time soon, so I turned to leave. People familiar with doctor who could think of this like the angels, knowing that if you look away, something will happen. The second I turned around, he jumped on me and dragged me to the next scene.

And we all know how the finale goes. One of the best mazes towers have ever done, with a very simple, yet effective ending. One minor thing this year is that you could hear the chainsaw from outside the maze, so people doing it for the first time wouldn't have had the same suprise. I did enjoy watching people run out though, especially one person who tripped on the way out and rolled across the grass, to the amusement of everyone watching.

freak show:
good theming, but not scary. It's one of those things that would scare you if you were scared of clowns, but I'm not. The actors were good in here, but limited by the theme. Some of them interacted well with guests. overall, it wasn't great.

dark apocalypse (and my favourite actor of scarefest):
so, some background first. My brother convinced me in the morning to put some face paint on, so I looked suitably like a zombie for this. One of the phalanx officers told me I need to get out, but then asked me if I felt ok. He noticed the face paint, so asked me if I'd made contact with the infected. Going along with it, I told him I'd been walking round forbbiden valley all day, so he told me that I had to be screened and tested before he could let me leave the area. He didn't lie, every time I tried to run out he blocked my path with the chainsaw. 25 minutes later I got away while the smoke machine went off.

Unfortunately, after rides on galactica and nemesis, I had to go back through the scarezone, and he recognised me again. This time though, I managed to run past him, but he got annoyed when I managed to walk the other side of the barrier. "Hey, that's cheating. Get back into the zone, you're infected" and when my dad stated talking to me, "I'd advise against making contact with it".

As for the actual scarezone, about the same as last year. Makes more sense for the officers to have chainsaws than the zombies, and I liked it when the actors interacted with each other (the zombies trying to escape the zone and the officers pulling them back in). At least the theming wasn't surrounded by fences this time.

house of monsters:
the high point of scarefest for me. A maze that felt similar to Shreks adventure, which I enjoyed but disliked the ip. The only issue I saw in this was that maybe the groups were slightly to big. The maze was scarier than I thought it would be, I was standing right in front of the clock and I looked up and someone was standing there.

The second room was good too, I assume mirrors were responsible for the head twisting effect. Would have liked to have seen the other torture devices used for someone in the group (like in the dungeons). The rest of the rooms were all fun, and I liked how the entire group gold interact in some parts of the maze.

The finale was genuinely a little scary, I didn't expect actors to come from behind the posters. The actors were fantastic, in particular the werewolf. Very well done maze, I hope this returns next year. I'd honestly not mind if wobble world has to close if we get seasonal attractions like this.

general park atmosphere:
Didn't see much of the ancestors, but from what I did seem they added to the atmosphere of towers street. They welcomed guests, and I didn't see much else. Lighting across the park was much better, especially on nemesis and galactica. Galactica without the headset on the front row just as it's getting dark is one of the best ride experiences I've had at towers. Dark forest's lighting wasn't bad this year, and the towers looked good as usual. No roaming actors this year though. New music across the park really added to the environment, hope towers release it. New lighting in the air tunnel. Doesn't add anything though, multi colored lighting while people are wearing headsets is a little pointless, and has now earned the name "disco air" among people in my group.
 
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I found that with the TOT, that the actors seem to only be focusing on jumping out at the ladies and avoided jumping out at us me :D And one of the scare actors (a friend of mine) started calling out my name as I went past :eek:

I've not done the house of monster yet, but I've got a ticket for it in a couple of weeks time. I've also going to be back on park this Sunday (don't ask why, long story) and I'll be redoing the scare mazes :)

Edit:

The scare zones might not be as scary or good as the mazes, but they are great for guest with severe mobility disability like my wife, she can enjoy these as the other mazes in the towers are not accessible with a wheelchair. It gives her a chance to enjoy a maze without having to miss out on the fun. You wouldn't these scare zones to be any more scarier than what they are, otherwise it wouldn't be suitable form my wife's condition and other people alike.
 
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Mine tour was my favourite of the 3 scare mazes.
I liked the fact it relied on more than just jumpscares. We got seperated from the group as the people in front rushed through and we didn't see where they'd gone. We went a different way and the people at the back with the hat went the other so it was just two of us with no light.maybe that's what made it a better experience for me but there's something unnerving about having them stroke your face and say they're going to keep you. Then the girl literally tried to wrench mine and my boyfriends hands apart before cuddling me and treating me like I was her pet. When we finally caught up with the rest of the group they were just leaving the maze so we didn't hear any announcement about it being blown up, I was just relieved to be out! Gets a thumbs up from me!

Terror of the towers... I've seen some people say it's an improvement on last year... I've never done it any other years so I can't say whether I agree or not but if this year is an improvement, I'd hate to have seen it last year. It needs a massive overhaul.

I enjoyed sub species but I found mine tour scarier.
Despite getting seperated from my boyfriend in the first few minutes, I didn't mind it. I could still hear everyone else in the maze and kept finding other people from the group which didn't happen in mine tours. I found that the actors were more hands on in mine tours too but the ending of sub species was better.
 
I think Towers know that TotT needs work however because Molly Crowe was somewhat of a flop last year they felt the need to address that for 2016 and did not have the budget for a new TotT also (understandable, especially with the addition of House of Monsters). I expect the 2017 lineup of mazes to be Sub Species, Mine Tours and a new TotT.

:)
 
Might give it a go! Also has anyone done the trick or treat thing and know what sort of stuff you get it you complete it?
 
I too really want to give House of Monsters a go but had concerns about the age groups. It has an age rating of 8+ which is pretty good but am concerned its gonna just be all kids.

If it's like The Dungeons then it should be ok for a mixed group of 28 - 32 right?
 
PeteB said:
I too really want to give House of Monsters a go but had concerns about the age groups. It has an age rating of 8+ which is pretty good but am concerned its gonna just be all kids.

If it's like The Dungeons then it should be ok for a mixed group of 28 - 32 right?
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In the afternoon, I did see alot of families go in, but as it got later, it was mainly older groups. Not sure, but apparently the actors were toned down depending on the number of kids in the group. Wasn't a problem when I didn't the maze at 5:30 though. Probably about four kids in a group of around 15.
 
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