A brand new event for us we’ve had our eye on this for a few years just never quite made it. A massive thank you to the team at Scare City for having us for their VIP launch. This event is a true gem and here’s our review from each zone.
Before the experience began you have to sign a disclosure which is the first time we’ve ever done anything of the kind. But we can understand why. There are lots of steep stairs, hills, tight spaces etc. Although the actors don’t typically touch you they do get close and the location is physically demanding.
First Half:
Contained – 9.5/10
A war-themed zone and this is probably a weakness for me really. The masks, sounds, smells and the actors themselves absolutely nailed this zone. The finale was truly very close to my absolute limit. It’s been a while since I’ve almost tapped out. It was loud, disorienting with the strobes, the masks were so grim & it was very tight. The ending is by far a standout moment for me of the whole night.
The Hollow – 7/10
This was a fun yet eerie little zone. Located outdoors and the characters you met along the way were brilliant. They picked on you, followed up and their costumes were wildly impressive. Not necessarily the greatest in terms of jump scares but it was the ideal follow-on from the first zone.
Settlement – 7.5/10
I loved the theme of this zone and we had a really smart tactical scare with one actor jumping out of the back of a van. The apprehension of what was around each corner & vehicles alone set such a tense atmosphere. This was the first encounter with some chainsaws too & the actors were not messing around either.
Puppet Master – 9/10
Now as I can’t really stomach anything that’s toy-oriented, dolls or creepy girls. These are great weak points again for me. This zone absolutely played into the hands of those fears perfectly. The initial actress we met on the way in was outstanding one of the best we’ve probably ever seen she had us all on tender hooks. The giant teddy midway through gave me one of the comical yet horrifying jumps. The sets in here were everything you would have a nightmare of. Stacked shelves to shelves with dolls and eerie little doll clothes on the wall. Truly standout zone entirely for the atmosphere built up and the creepy set being so beautifully done.
Infirmary – 8/10
Completing the first half of this event in this maze was interesting as it was presumably the strongest hospital theme we’ve done. The initial room where you sit down did give us a giggle there’s something quite entertaining about Ant having his appointment ripped up, screwed up and thrown at him. The nurses within the zone were sickening with their masks. The setting and design of this again really held it. It was a zone that played with your mind and just made you feel uneasy without any substantial jumps.
Satan’s Soiree:
This was a VIBE. It was lovely and compacted with some roaming teams, a DJ & fire-breathers etc. The food options were incredible we opted for What The Cluck? And it was absolutely scrumptious!
Second Half:
Castellum – 7/10
A strong start to the second half. It was rather light inside but still delivering strong scares and with those two things blending you know it’s a promising zone when that’s the case. There were down windows (my biggest jumps) & actors popping up from all areas. It was fierce, long & extremely fun! The setting and building alone were absolutely ghostly but as a nerd captivating too.
Abyss2.0 – 3/10
Probably the weakest of the night in terms of scares but it held the broad intense mood throughout. Truthfully, we had one drop-down in here which gave a little scare. It was the strobes and rope holding this maze up. It was definitely the weakest of the evening.
Carnivalley – 6/10
A brilliant use of what I believe were former game stalls from the Camelot theme park days. These clowns were everything you’d desire from clowns. They had humour, gave admirable jumps from the initial appearance, prowled you and even had little water pistols to squirt you with. The setup again was radiant it’s exactly how a clown zone should be.
The Slaughter House – 8.5/10
This is a proper finale. The initial maze section was a good way to build up the intensity of what’s to come. Once coming into the building it was apparent this was going to be an intense one. I mean who doesn’t love a good old slaughter theme with a gigantic pig man! I had two of the most drastic jump scares in here. The actors were on their top game in this maze they just cornered you and absolutely made you squirm. It was the perfect ending to the tremendous zones.
Overall:
The easiest way to define this experience is a light trial with a twist of pure horror throughout. It’s truly fantastic and I can’t even believe we’re so late to the party. The way this event is laid out is absolutely flawless with the two halves and the little breaks between each and the batching of the groups was spot on. Each staff member we met along the way was lovely too. As for the actors, I’ve never known the consistency to be so substantial amongst them all and whether they made you jump out of your skin or simply pestered and stalked you. Nobody in the group is safe is the one way to describe the experience. The visible sets were really impressive particularly in the Puppet Master section. But the thing which makes this event is the site of a theme park that once gave families happy days out the derelict buildings it’s all so mysterious regardless of the added scares to it.
Again, a tremendous thank you to the team for inviting us to check this event out. Safe to say it’ll be a firm visit for us each year now. You HAVE to experience it for yourselves it’s just truly wonderful!
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Thank you for reading and welcome back to the scare season blogs!
