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Scarefest 2023

From the pics and vids ive seen on social media tower street looks really well decorated and themed. Interesting to see what the scare attractions are like this yr
 
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Did they allow touching in the mazes last year? I don’t recall them having that.

Daz Games and Burial Grounds are listed as ‘you may be touched’. Not sure on others
 
I have just done The Invitation and the three mazes. I will write a proper review later along with one of Burial Grounds when I have done that. I have never been to Scarefest before.
The Invitation is no better than The Terminal.
The Attic is great. I was on my own at the front and it was very suspenseful.
Darkest Depths is not scary, but the theming is very good.
AVMT did not deliver in scares. The theming was OK. It is the weakest maze in my opinion.
 
zeock said:
I have just done The Invitation and the three mazes. I will write a proper review later along with one of Burial Grounds when I have done that. I have never been to Scarefest before.
The Invitation is no better than The Terminal.
The Attic is great. I was on my own at the front and it was very suspenseful.
Darkest Depths is not scary, but the theming is very good.
AVMT did not deliver in scares. The theming was OK. It is the weakest maze in my opinion.
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You not doing Panic then?
 
Hearing good things about the event as a whole tbh. Daz Games in particular (weird because people slagged it off before it had opened, purely by its exterior) and AMT revamp.

Although seems like nothing in The Invitation has changed? Which would be a big disappointment as the response last year was so bad
 
OButler said:
Although seems like nothing in The Invitation has changed? Which would be a big disappointment as the response last year was so bad
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A friend did it today, the audio experience is the same but there's a small scare section afterwards with a jumpscare. There's different theming in the queue line as well, plus new actor costumes.
 
Just got back the hotel after a looooong day. Gonna drop an overall review with spoilers ahead.

Overall I'm pretty impressed with how operations handled everything today, especially how with how busy it was. I spoke to a couple of Ride Ops saying it was at capacity which I'm not surprised with.

Curse of Alton Manor was busy although broke down while we were on it. After a second reride the Op said it was the longest queues he'd seen since opening day. Overall I think the Curse updates were subtly, but exactly what the ride needed, filling out the Hide and Seek Scene which was lacking before.

We did One Shots for AMT and Darkest Depths and Burial grounds today, while going back for Daz and the 4 again tomorrow.

AMT has always been a bit of an apple of my eye and usually I'm glad to see it back as I love the theme. I was surprised at its intensity this year. If your at the front you get grabbed into the maze, which surprise surprise was me. Unfortunately though overall, I think it's been downgraded, and am now firmly on the "Needs Axing" team. I didn't understand the story. I kept thinking there's going to be a big reveal for Tiny standing at the end of a corridor or something but because I didn't hear the preshow, I didn't realise Tiny was the actor who pulled me through into the maze. I think the hillbilly introduction worked far far better than the sherrifs and I'm so gutted with the removal of the elevator scene. There's also a lack of skin snatchers, naturally and their replacement is just not as good.

I won't go into as much depth (hehe) with Darkest Depths, it's just never been that interesting to me personally and I always find it quite tame. It's good as an introduction though and I kept saying to my partner, who doesn't really do scare mazes, that it's no worse than any dungeon.

Burial Grounds is the clear winner so far this year. We went in late in the day, after 9, and had a small group. It's brilliant in the dark. The theme is on point, there's loads of scares and in the dark when you can hear Wicker Man going too, it hits. It's also surprisingly long, and also free. I can't believe Merlin did that.

Anyway, looking forward to Daz Games tomorrow as I've heard a lot of good things.
 
Scarefest 2023 Review
This was my first Scarefest.
The atmosphere was good on Towers Street. The entertainment seemed decent. There was a lot of theming in that area. The lighting park-wide was good.
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  The Invitation
The theming in the queue was decent. The story is partially explained to you as you go up a lift and the experience starts. It is even more claustrophobic than The Terminal.
There is a vampire who wants to drink blood. There are a few water effects, simulating blood. At the end of the attraction, as you take off your headphones, there is an attempted jumpscare.
It is no better than The Terminal at Thorpe; absolutely nothing happens.
2/10
The Attic
The queue is atmospheric. There is an introduction explaining the theme. The theming throughout the maze is excellent.
There is a good use of effects in the introduction at a certain point. The story of the governess is conveyed effectively. The windows open, and wind blows through. There is also a fireplace effect. You then go up into the attic. It is mainly narrow and dark, but there are a couple of larger scenes. There is a lot of suspense. During this attraction, I was at the front on my own. The actors seem to come out of nowhere. It was the scariest maze out of them all for me. What generally happens in the maze is that the governess pleads her innocence, and the children ask you to protect them. In certain sections, the actors stand at the end of the corridor and run to a different part of the maze to scare you again. This is a brilliant use of scare tactics, and it makes you question your eyesight. At the end of the attraction, a person in a demon mask appears and disappears multiple times around corners.
This maze is near-perfect, but it needs a better finale. It is by far the best maze at AT in my opinion. I generally prefer suspense horror over any other type of horror, and this maze perfects the suspense aspect.
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9.5/10
Darkest Depths
This ride may not be intense, but it is fun.
The different scents were brilliant, from a sort of musty smell to a smell of sick. The kraken is a good effect. At multiple points, you are told to 'abandon ship' due to the kraken, which is revealed at the end of the attraction.
This is the maze with the best theming at AT. The storyline is conveyed well, although it does not seem to have a proper ending.
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7/10
Altonville Mine Tours: Tiny's Revenge
I had high hopes for this.
The introduction is good, and it was actually my favourite out of all the introductions. Then, the lights turn off, the Deputy Sheriff is killed, and you go into the maze. Unfortunately, not much happened. The theming was not anything special. There were a lot of narrow passageways. One of the actors stroked my face, which was good. However, there weren't many places for the actors to hide, and therefore, the scares were limited. The new chainsaw finale was rubbish, especially as it was outside, so you are not boxed in. The story also was not made very clear.
Overall, this was a major disappointment and the worst of the three mazes.
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5/10
Burial Grounds
The theming is great. There are a lot of effects, including fire, and the actors gave it their all. They did not like my Thorpe Park Fright Nights hoodie. This is roughly as intense as Darkest Depths in my opinion. This attraction surprised me with how good it was. I like the 'progression' of this attraction; it becomes more ominous as you go through it. The tunnel is good, and it is hard to see where you are going.
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8.5/10
Overall, this was a great first Scarefest!
 
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They really need to market Daz Games: Panic better. It is literally the best thing at Scarefest this year but unfortunately it looks as though a lot of people are not bothering with it because they either don't know who Daz is or are not convinced about the premise of the attraction.

Shame it's not included on the multiple maze tickets as I really think more people need to experience it.

The exterior looks awful & it's been really poorly marketed, but once you get in there it's just pure chaotic hilarity, and I loved it. First maze since Sub Species that I exited and immediately wanted to go back in again for another go.

Yes it's nothing overly special but considering the tripe they've brought out in the past few seasons (*cough* The Invitation *cough*) it is one of the best things they've added in years.

A shame it's been themed to a YouTuber, I feel it would have been better received if it had an original theme.
 
Daz panic games sounds awful, just watched TPWW review and it sounds like it's been cobbled together with a very low budget. The gap between Scarefest and Frightnights is widening
 
Relife said:
Daz panic games sounds awful, just watched TPWW review and it sounds like it's been cobbled together with a very low budget. The gap between Scarefest and Frightnights is widening
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Don't take their thoughts for granted, all other reviews I've heard have been very positive. The saying "You can't please everyone" comes to mind here.
 
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