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Scarefest 2024

Matt N said:
Regardless of what your personal opinions on Sean Evans may be, he is still entitled to his perspective and his opinion is still as valid as anyone else’s, in my view. You may not personally agree with him, but in my book, that doesn’t make his opinion on the event wrong or any less valid.
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It’s not as valid though is it because he’s doing it, by his own admittance, “for influence”.

Fine with him having his own opinion, but the idea it carry’s the “same” weight as someone, not doing it for clicks, influence, financial gain etc is just wrong.

“I’m not on a list now so I can say whatever I want. And deliver my honest reviews and honest content. Hex was underwhelming. The event was underwhelming. And we’re off to another event now, that I’m genuinely more excited about visiting. Than what Alton towers have put on today”
 
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RIPCorky said:
Still amazes me that people expect every inch of Alton Towers to be decorated for Halloween....
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As someone who holds that expectation, I can explain that "every inch" of the resort is not something anyone in their right mind would expect, what people mean when they say that is that they want the whole resort to feel included in the event all it would take is one or two odd bits of halloween decor per area.
For example, this
scare141031.jpg
It would then just need something else down the bottom end of X Sector, and maybe some fake cobwebs on the entrance archway to make that whole area feel like a cohesive part of the event.
That is generally what people mean when they say they want the entire resort to be decorated, they simply want it to feel like a halloween event.
 
Britford said:
As someone who holds that expectation, I can explain that "every inch" of the resort is not something anyone in their right mind would expect, what people mean when they say that is that they want the whole resort to feel included in the event all it would take is one or two odd bits of halloween decor per area.
For example, this
scare141031.jpg
It would then just need something else down the bottom end of X Sector, and maybe some fake cobwebs on the entrance archway to make that whole area feel like a cohesive part of the event.
That is generally what people mean when they say they want the entire resort to be decorated, they simply want it to feel like a halloween event.
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I know Towers will look at it for “It’ll cost us xyz to do this, with limited return” but if they are fairly light-touch with environmental props but I think it has the potential to be really cool looking. Which means more opportunities for word-of-mouth marketing.

Loads of theming features they have in-storage, the ghost projections in the trees by Mutiny Bay, the skeletons dancing in the front window of the Towers, as well as props they’ve used for Mardi Gras and Festival of Thrills that are no doubt sitting unused. Some would require more setup than others, but if it can be done in an afternoon by a person or two, then it could really add to the event. Even if it’s just two or three additional set pieces away from the scare attractions.

Speaking of setups though, are there any really cool lighting packages on any of the major coasters this year, aside from Reborn?
 
Britford said:
As someone who holds that expectation, I can explain that "every inch" of the resort is not something anyone in their right mind would expect, what people mean when they say that is that they want the whole resort to feel included in the event all it would take is one or two odd bits of halloween decor per area.
For example, this
scare141031.jpg
It would then just need something else down the bottom end of X Sector, and maybe some fake cobwebs on the entrance archway to make that whole area feel like a cohesive part of the event.
That is generally what people mean when they say they want the entire resort to be decorated, they simply want it to feel like a halloween event.
Click to expand...

I see what you mean now and I love these skeletons on oblivion and the rapids again, not sure if that would create the illusion it’s open mind. Do the rapids waterfalls switch off at night completely? I do feel the area around the dungeons they have done this with the pumpkin and eyes balls and the mazes theming spread out quite well.

As for the YouTuber he came back from universal, he’s a big horror fan and slightly forgetting Scarefest is aimed more towards family’s now. However AT does offer several style of mazes for all ages, still has one of the best set ups/hubs on the lawns from any Uk Halloween event I’ve seen. To be honest I don’t see many parks around the world that quote have a “Halloween Hub Area” quite like towers and with its setting? Why does it need need to be drastically changed or compared when the layout works so well as it is? I believe it was 5 or 6 years ago I remember attending and it had absolutely nothing like this in place. I think so many families will really appreciate this area being kept with all the food stalls, bar, seating, shows & atmosphere. Im sorry you can’t beat AT at night with the unique castle backdrop, lighting, Towers Street and main Hub area.

Absolutely slate Merlin all you want I have no problem with that but I think a-bit of credit is due here for management and all the creative teams involved here, criticism fine but there a more professional and productive approach.
What you can see is there is a passion and army of hardworking individuals who have created this event and it does show there many areas they didn’t have to bother but they did.

Including all the decor we have Hex back, Waterfalls back, The Hearse looking the best it’s ever looked, Forbidden Valley the best it Ever looked and so Immersive at night now, Updating lighting across the resort and more permanent lighting. Along side this The Curse and Sub Terror if you haven’t been to the park in a while and a Scare Zone and Roaming actors still in areas they kept and listened to feedback after they were missing for years! it’s arguably definitely an improvement on the recent years before and is going in the right direction no?

It’s worth noting he’s mentioned “he’s off the list now” whatever that means but potential resentment here?
 
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Shows that people currently just expect the park to be crap and assume it was an 8pm close.

It always was 9pm. Even if we were back at the hotel before then anyway.
 
Danscott22 said:
I won’t ruin anything, but Compound is incredibly, incredibly intense. If you didn’t like Sub Species, I would definitely avoid this

Also can confirm it was a 9pm close, it wasn’t extended either, it just always was 9pm
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Unfortunately I never did Sub Species, my first Scarefest was it's last year and I only did Darkest Depths as my first ever scare maze. I'm terrified but also incredibly excited, and will just have to stay calm and enjoy it as much as I can.
 
It’s the nature of the beast that the grass will always seem greener where you aren’t.

The UK parks will always be put in a less prosperous and exciting light than those abroad for us simply because they’re “home”, if you like. Going abroad will always have an air of “excitement” about it that you don’t get from going to a UK park, and I think that at least partially contributes to the often glowing perspectives people have of foreign parks compared to UK parks.

If you looked on a Spanish forum, the conversations about PortAventura are likely similar to the conversations we have on here about the Merlin parks. If you looked on a German forum, the conversations about Europa Park and Phantasialand would likely be similar to those conversations too. You’re always hardest on what you have at home and what you’re most familiar with, I feel.
 
I thought that Compound was good for Towers' standards. The sets were decent, and, although the maze wasn't extremely intense, I enjoyed the actors dragging me around, and there is a conveyed storyline. However, there wasn't really a finale, and the actors were a bit disappointing.
Scares: 7.5/10
Actors: 5/10
Fun Factor: 7/10
Theming: 7/10
Storyline: 8/10
Total: 34.5/50
 
RIPCorky said:
I would be interested to know which attractions you believe are world class at Alton Towers, because for me the only ride you could lift out of the park and slap in any park in the world is Nemesis (pit included)

I don't believe it is too much to ask for every ride in the park to be open at the same time.
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Easy answer: The Wickman is world class, Hex is still a world class dark ride, Nemeses like you mentioned, The smiler is so unique and still classed as very worthy to travel from across the pond not just for the theme but how well they packed in and engineered many elements without feeling colossus sick? There’s not many unique big scale haunted houses out there apart from Disney and very few others. I think the curse is quite a good contender and unique story to European standards, including its beautiful setting in the woodlands most parks have to fake this. You could also argue oblivion is because it was one of the first dive coaster concepts worthy to travelling for? Oh and I also know Americans love Sub terror because Disney alien encounter closed and there nothing else like it around?
 
No-one is coming over from the states to ride Sub-Terra, or Wickerman for that matter. If they do, it's simply because they happen to be in the same park as Nemesis.

Wickerman is a decent ride with some good theming, but to say it's world class is a bit of a stretch.
 
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