Having been to this attraction over the years (as a kid and teen), I thought it only right to do a report on my recent visit.
So to put the attraction into context, this is a seafront walkthrough attraction that has been at Scarborough, North Yorkshire for many years. It has changed and been modified slightly since I have been going, but from what I remember a lot of the scenes have remained the same. Traversing through quite a large building, the walkthrough includes scenes and characters from famous horror films along with live actors. As mentioned previously, I’d visited this place before. My first visit was in the late 90s/ early 00s with family, and I was ridiculously scared (wimp!). Very atmospheric and very busy throughput, so a traffic light system was in place. My second visit was with my sister - again scared but this time in a comical way, but much quieter. Since then, I’d been to a few Scarefests and pretty much come to know what to expect with these attractions. Still, with this most recent visit I was with my 9yo niece that changed the dynamic.
Anyway - the entrance. A hodge podge of dusty/ tacky effects with some awful animated screens slapped in for good measure (all the rage at the moment). Quite expensive for what it was (£6 per person) and the instructions were very extensive, being made to read them then be told them as well by the assistant.
Straight in, the scenes were looking a bit dated. Long story short, a lot of the rooms were largely unchanged with the odd prop added here and there. What really annoyed me was the timing of the jump scares - beforehand when I first went, the traffic light system enabled the scenes to reset so that when you walked into rooms there was something well timed to get a scare. This time around though, scenes were often going through the motions before you got in the room or were completely missed - we were often moving back and forth trying to trigger something but were left in silence. The light system was in place in some places but probably just there as a left relic.
Now one scene that was changed that had real issues was the Dracula scene. Beforehand, you were stood in the centre of a dimly lit room in eerie silence. Coppola’s Dracula figure would do a little speech then the room would go black, with a flashing light on the roof revealing a mummified figure of sorts. Now, Dracula still made a speech but instead of atmosphere you’re met with a clunky Nun with the mechanism showing going back and forth - no atmosphere or tension. Perhaps a trend mirrored by contemporary horror films?
The actor was utilised once - a guy dressed as Jason in an awkward stand off in the sleepy hollow scene. It got to a point where I was wanting him to follow us but we didn’t come into contact with him again despite it being a very quiet walkthrough.
I’d summarise this place as a cheap thrill but it certainly wasn’t cheap. It’s a place that is still going probably because there is nothing else around as competition. Could it be made good? Certainly! Change the lighting in parts, strip back the props ( less is more) and bring back the stop start approach so that the effects have the intended impact. Utilise the actor to be glimpsed here and there rather than stick around too long. And the Nun... she might be better off being thrown in the sea.
2/5
So to put the attraction into context, this is a seafront walkthrough attraction that has been at Scarborough, North Yorkshire for many years. It has changed and been modified slightly since I have been going, but from what I remember a lot of the scenes have remained the same. Traversing through quite a large building, the walkthrough includes scenes and characters from famous horror films along with live actors. As mentioned previously, I’d visited this place before. My first visit was in the late 90s/ early 00s with family, and I was ridiculously scared (wimp!). Very atmospheric and very busy throughput, so a traffic light system was in place. My second visit was with my sister - again scared but this time in a comical way, but much quieter. Since then, I’d been to a few Scarefests and pretty much come to know what to expect with these attractions. Still, with this most recent visit I was with my 9yo niece that changed the dynamic.
Anyway - the entrance. A hodge podge of dusty/ tacky effects with some awful animated screens slapped in for good measure (all the rage at the moment). Quite expensive for what it was (£6 per person) and the instructions were very extensive, being made to read them then be told them as well by the assistant.
Straight in, the scenes were looking a bit dated. Long story short, a lot of the rooms were largely unchanged with the odd prop added here and there. What really annoyed me was the timing of the jump scares - beforehand when I first went, the traffic light system enabled the scenes to reset so that when you walked into rooms there was something well timed to get a scare. This time around though, scenes were often going through the motions before you got in the room or were completely missed - we were often moving back and forth trying to trigger something but were left in silence. The light system was in place in some places but probably just there as a left relic.
Now one scene that was changed that had real issues was the Dracula scene. Beforehand, you were stood in the centre of a dimly lit room in eerie silence. Coppola’s Dracula figure would do a little speech then the room would go black, with a flashing light on the roof revealing a mummified figure of sorts. Now, Dracula still made a speech but instead of atmosphere you’re met with a clunky Nun with the mechanism showing going back and forth - no atmosphere or tension. Perhaps a trend mirrored by contemporary horror films?
The actor was utilised once - a guy dressed as Jason in an awkward stand off in the sleepy hollow scene. It got to a point where I was wanting him to follow us but we didn’t come into contact with him again despite it being a very quiet walkthrough.
I’d summarise this place as a cheap thrill but it certainly wasn’t cheap. It’s a place that is still going probably because there is nothing else around as competition. Could it be made good? Certainly! Change the lighting in parts, strip back the props ( less is more) and bring back the stop start approach so that the effects have the intended impact. Utilise the actor to be glimpsed here and there rather than stick around too long. And the Nun... she might be better off being thrown in the sea.
2/5