Last night we headed to The Howl for our annual visit. A massive thank you to the team at The Howl & Ed Hopkins PR for having us. Let’s have a chat about what’s on offer.
The Shed:
Always the first maze of the evening was The Shed. A low-lit and very loud environment. This is a well-themed maze with plenty of fun hidey spots for the actors to pop in & out of. The finale is always fun especially with what can only be described as a leaf blower. As a maze, it’s fun and a nice way to start the evening.
Squealers Yard:
The meat factory is like a maze often full of disgusting set pieces and strobes with chainsaws. This is exactly as described. Again the sets are fun there’s lots of hanging bodies and gore. During the outdoor section, some of the higher points of the actors gave a few respectable jumps. The finale was as rough as ever with the harsh strobe and chainsaw.
Full Moon Manor:
This is one of the strongest themed mazes as per usual. It was sad that the lift effect didn’t work as it did last season. However, the actors were giving it their absolute all. It felt so packed out with actors. There was a true highlight jump scare which included a fireplace it was a smart jump. The finale was sauna themed I believe and it was incredibly tough to see through which gave the actors a field day in scaring. Overall, it’s a real fun maze not necessarily the jumpiest but the theming alone is stunning.
Shriek Easy:
Brand new for 2025 is Shriek Easy a very exceptional style maze. There are a lot of initial interactions where the story was played out and explained in a very imaginative way. This is another really strongly themed maze that’s packed with actors. Prior to the scare maze section beginning there’s an interactive section which decides which door you go through. It was a really fun and unusual experience. Once in the scare maze section it felt quite traditional in the likes of scares and lightning etc. The finale wasn’t substantial but unsure if that’s where we were within the group itself. Upon exiting you enter a genuine bar-like space. This holds the cards for the most unusual unique scare maze this season but it absolutely worked. Hopefully, next season the finale will be made stronger.
Howl Valley High:
Quite similar to last year zombies don’t typically do a great ordeal for us. However, it’s definitely a fun maze with some really okay scares. The entire build-up to the finale never fails to disappoint. Something about these actors this year that just hit differently too. Their energy was just unmatched. Even when we’ve clocked the actors taking their breaks out the side door of the maze on the way over they remained in character and gave some pretty decent jumps as the left. It’s one of those mazes that is great fun but just not the most perfect in terms of the jump scares. But that’s absolutely fine given how much fun can be had inside and watching the actors do their thing alone is worth the experience.
Noxious Alley:
Somehow we ended up completely missing this maze unfortunately! Last season this was super fun too.
Roaming Team / Live Entertainment:
Wherever you were there was always at least 1 roaming character to interact with or get terrorised by depending on their actual character. The street team are always terrific at The Howl they put so much energy into assuring guests are always engrossed in their character. The live entertainment including the band on the small stage and the DJ are always a vibe.
Overall:
The Howl is always a pleasant event to visit. This year felt a tad different to previous years but it was the opening night. Either way, it’s always fascinating to see how the mazes compare to the prior year and they weren’t overly busy either. The actors all gave it their best and worked well with the batching. A firm favourite is the brand new maze: Shriek Easy and the unique theatrical style builds up to the maze section. The theming across Full Moon Manor never goes underappreciated either. It’s an event you have to experience this October!
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Thank you so much for reading…
