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Scarefest 2024

H

Hazza

TS Member
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Belvoir Manners
The last few years for Scarefest have been disappointing and the event is starting to feel stale. Last year there was a glimmer of hope with the scare zone 'Burial Grounds' which was received with glowing reviews and 'Daz Games Panic' which was received mixed reviews with some loving it and some disliking it. What could 2024 bring to help make the event feel exciting and scary again? Looking further into the future, the potential Universal park will most likely be bringing Halloween Horror Nights over to the UK, will this pose a threat to the event or will it help cultivate new ideas as Alton Towers get ready for the competition?
 
I can't imagine that AVMT will leave this year because of its retheme last year.
The Invitation needs to go.
Darkest Depths is fun and well-themed, so that can stay.
The Attic was by far the best maze for me last year, but I seem to have been lucky. Considering that it has existed since 2019, the same year that Darkest Depths was introduced, I wouldn't be surprised if it stayed or if it left the park.
Burial Grounds was an excellent new addition last year, and it needs to stay.
On the topic of new mazes, a maze similar to Sub Species is a must. I don't trust a Merlin park to execute a chainsaw maze effectively, since the actors handling the chainsaws are usually not very aggressive.
 
Scarefest used to be a highlight of the year, but they've absolutely shot themselves in the foot with it. I recall that the reason we keep seeing the same mazes inside The Towers is because - once removed - they won't be allowed to house new ones in the building. Hence why Mine Tours returned more or less identical.

I'd love to see something huge, but realistically, there isn't much space they can put anything else. Sadly I think this might be another dud.
 
AVMT reeeeeeeally needs to go, worried the “retheme” is going to stop that but it was so light touch and was incomprehensible story wise. Bin it!

Quite fond of Invitation and enjoyed last years ending, add a beginning and you’ll have a solid attraction! Fun to have something a little different.

A second scare zone would be nice, something more open to compliment the more linear Burial Grounds.

Panic is one of the most exciting Scarefest attractions since Sub Species, hope it returns with a retheme though, I never want to see that pre show again
 
mo237 said:
I recall that the reason we keep seeing the same mazes inside The Towers is because - once removed - they won't be allowed to house new ones in the building. Hence why Mine Tours returned more or less identical.
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There's nothing to suggest that's the case. The mazes in the Towers are all temporary structures, so don't require planning permission.

They did try to get permission to leave elements of them in place permanently, and that has so far not been permitted. But there's nothing to stop them swapping mazes in and out of the ruins, as was always the way it was done. If anything, leaving mazes as is permanently is more of a problem from the permission point of view.

It is much more likely that the mazes aren't changing because developing and installing new mazes is costly and involves financial risk.
 
Squiggs said:
There's nothing to suggest that's the case. The mazes in the Towers are all temporary structures, so don't require planning permission.

They did try to get permission to leave elements of them in place permanently, and that has so far not been permitted. But there's nothing to stop them swapping mazes in and out of the ruins, as was always the way it was done. If anything, leaving mazes as is permanently is more of a problem from the permission point of view.

It is much more likely that the mazes aren't changing because developing and installing new mazes is costly and involves financial risk.
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My bad; had seemed to recall because they couldn't get permission and since they left them up anyway, they were in trouble - just a case of misremembering!
 
EarthlyKnight27 said:
Sometimes I wish AT decided to revive/reuse past scaremaze's they had (Like the Sanctuary for example) like a look back on prior events ya know?
Also, wouldn't surprise me if Nemesis gets a scaremaze/attraction this Scarefest.
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That's very unlikely to happen (I'm sad about it too) because it could be seen as lazy by the general public. If they revived a old maze with a new tagline and layout it would be more likely but I don't think that would ever happen. Also, The Sanctuary will never be revived as the press would have a field day. I can see the headlines now: 'Halloween attraction based on crash at Alton Towers reopens'.

The only mazes I could see going are The Attic and Darkest Depths as they are now the oldest (If you count Mine Tours retheme as a new maze). One could hope the Invitation goes as well. I'm hoping for more than 1 new maze next year replacing two old mazes, and 1 more scare zone. I don't want any more 'experiences', I just want 1 or 2 new intense scare mazes included in the combined ticket.
 
Sorry to double post however the latest news from the park (That's important to this topic) is that Mardi Gras and Festival of Thrills have both been cut from the event calendar. Does this mean that more money will be invested into Scarefest and hopefully putting some fuel under the event after being dead for the last few years?
 
Hazza said:
Sorry to double post however the latest news from the park (That's important to this topic) is that Mardi Gras and Festival of Thrills have both been cut from the event calendar. Does this mean that more money will be invested into Scarefest and hopefully putting some fuel under the event after being dead for the last few years?
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It doesn’t mean it for sure, however they have said to expect “new scares”.

What this amounts to is anyone’s guess right now, but another scare zone and 1 new maze plus 1 updated one would be a good start.

A hex / dark forest scare zone could work in fountain square, which would allow those who don’t want to experience it to walk around it. Or maybe along the back path from the towers to the back of Rita, but that would potentially clutter the Darkest Depths area.
 
As much as I don’t bother with the mazes (I usually just go for the night rides), I’d love to see at least one if not two new mazes replacing two of the current ones, along with another new scare zone (potentially up in Forbidden Valley?). Would not mind Burial Grounds returning as I thought that was great.

As mentioned above, I’d like to think that with Mardi Gras and Festival of Thrills getting the cut this year that Scarefest will be receiving significant investment. Even some extra decorations and lighting around the park would be a great start.
 
Really hoping for 1 or 2 new great scare mazes this year. There’s no excuse - their social media team must have seen the backlash from last years line up announcement (and the year before, for that matter).

Invitation has to go. Along with Terminal at Thorpe, it’s never been even close to good.

AVMT I have mixed feeling towards. Pre and post revamp, it’s lost its sparkle for a few years. However, every time I go to Scarefest I get one rare run through where the group is small and therefore I get tons of scares. If it revamps the intensity, I’m happy for it to stay for one more year, a good last hurrah.

Daz Games was fun and frustrating. I only got one or two scares the first time, then any run through after that I was purely focused on the game and getting out before the time ended. I don’t come to Scarefest to get competitive - I come to be scared! Happy to see it go. I know who he is and used to watch him, but I feel he’s pretty irrelevant to the wider public and a random collaboration that doesn’t fit in at all.

Attic, I loved a few years ago. For the last two years, I’ve rarely had good run throughs. Inconsistent number of actors really harm it. I think I’m ready for a new story in the iconic Towers.

Darkest Depths has surprisingly been my quiet favourite for the last couple of years. The theming and consistent scares mean I’m almost guaranteed a good run through every time, and feel I’ve got the most out of my money. Happy for it to stay.

Burial Grounds was a great addition, another scare zone is definitely needed.

Come on 2024, let’s have a great Scarefest!

Also, do we think there will be another maze leak incident like last year? If so, we know it’ll be accurate!
 
From the (very) early signs including todays news, it seems that Scarefest this year is set to finally have a good bit of investment and some new offerings… Be interesting to see what happens with AMT, The Attic, Daz Games etc
 
I mean Scott O'Neil says he wants to bring the full scale USA events I think especially the Halloween ones to the UK which obviously we won't get horror nights levels but fingers crossed scarefest may be as good as it once was especially since they cut Mardi gras and festival of cringe.
 
Has the time come for Merlin to look at paying for some IP to attach to their mazes and charging a higher price for Scarefest to justify it? The UK at large won’t be aware of HHN and the scale of it. Even getting a couple of franchises into their mazes would be a significant move and really start to progress this event. Don’t get me wrong, I have loved the likes of Sub Species and Mine Tours over the years but if they could get the rights temporarily to the likes of Scream, A Quiet Place (or whatever!) for a couple of their mazes it would be a really big deal I think. Even video game overlays (I did ‘The Last of Us’ last year and it was brilliant as a fan of the game and the HBO show) are an option.

Merlin are always going to be looking for an ROI so if they’re significantly spending on this event (despite it currently being pretty stale and yet still always rammed) it strikes me that prices will rise. A new maze of any description would be great but they might be able to more easily justify a big rise with something sat behind it?
 
I hope they bring Daz Games back again this year! Absolutely loved it last year was defiantly something different and quite intense at times! Fingers crossed!
 
JugglersDoughnut said:
Has the time come for Merlin to look at paying for some IP to attach to their mazes and charging a higher price for Scarefest to justify it?
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Of course Thorpe Park has done that a few times in the past and I could see them doing it again. But Alton Towers, no just doesn't seem the right place to have the horror film stuff, thats much more Thorpe's style.
 
jon81uk said:
Of course Thorpe Park has done that a few times in the past and I could see them doing it again. But Alton Towers, no just doesn't seem the right place to have the horror film stuff, thats much more Thorpe's style.
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Exactly, Towers does spooky, scary stuff best, not horror.
 
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