Thoughts on this year's mazes (based on a 1pm run through off all four)
The Attic - started with this one, walked straight in. The pre-show for The Attic sets the tone well. This one was packed with actors, and was non-stop scare after scare, one of the dolls gave me a good scare as I genuinely thought it was just a prop until she moved. The group I was with in The Attic was absolutely terrified and it made the experience even better. Probably the best this maze has ever been. The only downside is there was no devil at the end (despite the "he's gonna get you"/"he's coming for you") - if you hadn't listened properly to the pre-show or been in it before you wouldn't know he was supposed to be there - 9/10
Darkest Depths - this was the second maze I did, and there was just me and a group of four in this one. The pre-show to to this lost it's effect a little with me because you could see the actor in the Smugglers Inn moving in front of people even when it was dark, so you knew he was going to be in front of you. Again though, packed full of actors (quite intense at one point there were about 4 actors ganging up on us!) Smells are great in here and the kraken at the end is fantastic, his tentacles actually whack you with some force, at least yesterday they did - 9/10
Altonville Mine Tours - the third maze of the day. The oldest, but the best by far. The mine/lift shaft scene at the start had me genuinely terrified like I never have been before in there. Again, there was probably an actor around nearly every corner of the maze, the guy two people in front of me ended up on the floor because one of the actors forced him against the wall. The actors were really going for it with the touching, and the blocking of people so it split them up from the people in front. So claustrophobic in here but honestly in my opinion this maze is the strongest it's ever been. The strobing towards the end is so intense and it really brings out the horrific look in the actors costumes during that section. I'm gonna give it 9/10 also because I didn't see the shotgun ending. However, I don't think I've ever been as scared in a maze as I was in here yesterday (including all the previous years of this maze itself! DO NOT go in here if you don't like intensity, because they're really going for it in here this year).
Freak Show: Toxic Junkyard - a lot better than last year, but by far and away the weakest maze. I had two good jump scares, but the fact I did it in the day meant I could see the actors and where they were coming from. The fact most of it is enclosed is great this year and I like the section with the foam machine and the things that you have to move out of the way to get through them (not sure what they're called). The chainsaw finale had 4 chainsaws but is so lacklustre because they're behind the fence and then you know they're going to come through so it loses the effect. The beginning of the maze was also a major dead spot on actors, but apart from that, it was alright. Would probably be better in the dark - 6/10
Didn't wait any longer than 5 minutes for any maze, so try and do them as soon as they open, or at least the first three anyway.