We first visited this event in 2019, and it’s a whole different place now. For the 2026 season, it really feels refreshed, given how much has changed. The team has done a tremendous job, and we feel so lucky to work alongside them again across the season. I can’t quite define how extraordinary & beautifully put together these mazes and the whole event are. I’m a bit lost for words, so this blog may not be perfect, but you have to experience it for yourselves. Let’s have a chat.
From this point on, the blog will include spoilers. All opinions are from our own experience & not influenced by anything else.
Ash Hell Penitentiary & Institute Disembodiment of Justice – 4.5/5
Ash Hell has always been a brilliant scare maze since our first visit back in 2019. This year, though, the team has genuinely taken it to the next level. You have the fairly familiar cellmates and prison-like scenes, but with nuns and rehabilitation. It truly is wild, and that’s the best way to describe it. So many scenes play out theatrically yet are still absolutely scary. The actors in here lurk behind you (unless they are locked in their cells) when you’re leaving their scenes, and they keep coming at moments you least expect. The lightning makes everything feel even more horrifying. Throughout the mazes, there are lots of inclines, crouching, and tight spaces. There’s a lot to take in in this interpretation of the maze, and I never believed they’d top the former take on it, but this year has really made it shine into something else. It’s hard to describe; you need to experience it for yourself, but honestly, it’s become a maze. Between the animatronics and the actors, I’m not sure which scares the most.
The Pie Factory – 3/5
This definitely felt like the weaker of the mazes, especially in terms of scares; I’m not sure if that’s because we left second-to-last of the night. Of course, this theme comes up a lot across many events we’ve done, but the attention to detail throughout doesn’t compare. There’s so much theming in each room; there are scares from the least expected places & the actors you do encounter are brilliant. But it didn’t feel like there were many actors this time around & certainly weren’t half as many jumps as usual. The smells in here are grim, and the length is too. Of course, the animatronics can really give you a good jump on their own. Unfortunately, the rain dampened the finale with a chainsaw run too, although that’s completely understandable, given the conditions would have made it a slip hazard for everyone involved. So, by no means the weakest maze of the season, but for this event, given the enhancements across other mazes, it falls quite flat. Overall, Pie Factory will always be fun, but compared to the other mazes and their quality, it is the weaker one.
The Witches of Hard Luck Wood – 4/5
As you enter, you get a rather large glow stick, and honestly, you’ll be surprised by how well it lights the way. You’re heading into this maze to save the children from the witches, and the gradual build-up to the finale is quite intense, with lots of dark, forest-like scenes, camouflage scares, and, again, attention to detail that never misses. Lots of creepy doll sets. The camouflage in the sets is uncalled for; it’s one of the greatest scares and a recurring theme throughout all mazes. There are wobbly bridges as well. However, the finale was jaw-dropping. This was one of those moments when we were genuinely stunned by how entirely insane this room was. The giant doll animatronic was beyond mind-blowing, and the whole room just looked stunning. It’s an image we can’t shake. This is one of the most mind-blowing ways to end a scare maze, and it’s an unusual ending that doesn’t rely on a chainsaw gag or a huge, fierce jump scare.
Spores – 4/5
We had a brilliant time in this maze last year, and this year only delivered more. The actress holding the group so the people ahead could exit the bus was phenomenal. She stayed in character and kept the group entertained. On the bus, she stayed in character while the bus gave the impression it was moving, and it felt as if we actually were. Heading off, there are a lot of darkened spaces & it’s heavily outdoor-based. There are chainsaws and some really big jumps. The separation into the darkness toward the end is truly disorienting. It’s a brilliant scare maze and, by far, the strongest we’ve been to in that location across our visits over the years. It always surprises us just how brilliant this maze actually is.
Blutlurst – 4/5
Oh, this is just great. The stench as soon as you enter is utterly revolting, and the whole kebab shop scene is truly brilliant: the interaction, the floor breaking. It’s just fantastic. Heading into the maze, it genuinely feels like you’re amongst the nightlife. You’d honestly expect that lighter theme to bring fewer scares, but it just doesn’t work like that here—the smells as you pass through, and the scenery throughout, are truly outstanding. The set pieces are wild and feel so realistic. Some moments are sheer intensity, and the strobes are hectic. You can 100% understand how this maze wins awards. Each scene has its own uniqueness. The actors are brilliant, too; they bring the vibes, the scares, and the fun, all in one.
Circus vs Circursed:
This still feels more like a scare zone than an actual maze, so it’s hard to rate fairly. Again, I find clowns more fun than fearsome, and the more attractions like this we do, the more I enjoy them. The scenes in here, though, again running with the theme of the whole scream park, are phenomenal. I absolutely adore spotting the Tinker Boos from Pleasure Island in here, something a bit wholesome and nostalgic, like seeing my childhood ride, within my next love of scares. The clowns are brilliant throughout their costumes and masks are incredible. The monkey with cymbals is a highlight; it truly scared the life out of me. I wasn’t expecting a human-sized monkey. We love how long this attraction is; it keeps giving, and watching the clowns scare people multiple times in a few seconds is so impressive. It’s a brilliant addition to the line-up. Even if clowns aren’t something we necessarily find scary, this is certainly a brilliant attraction, and it’s a lot of fun to enjoy, with plenty to appreciate.
The Village – 5/5
This will always put me on edge before I even enter. The revamped entrance and queue line look absolutely gorgeous, and it’s lovely to see this kind of change for such a long-standing maze. As soon as you enter, it’s ominous. There are so many scenes you pass through that have you tensing, as you don’t know what’s real or not. We always find that the slow buildup and the way the sets are produced make this maze so sincere. Nothing happens, yet the way the maze is delivered is enough to terrify you without scares. The school scene never fails to have me scrunching up with fear of what’s going to happen. There’s at least one actor in each major room, or animatronics in the outdoor sections. Then the finale. I have no words; it truly is one of the most horrendous experiences of my life. We just made it out before the full-blown finale kicked in, with the lights out, then on. The scariest finale to ever exist. We love this maze beyond words; it always stays in our top 5 every single year.
Overall:
This season, Xtreme Scream Park felt like a completely new scream park, with familiar mazes. The group batching was excellent this year. As you enter the main area of Scream Park, you’ll see so much change: additional rides (upcharges), the usual blend of family rides during the day & so many roaming characters, shows, and some insane animatronics. Each maze felt revived to some degree, with Ash Hell, Blurtlurst, and Witches of Hard Luck Wood among the most apparent changes. We had so many jaw-dropping moments because of the sheer scale of the scenery, and some of the scares were unexpected, too. The characters throughout the event looked truly exceptional. Each maze had a QR code outside to scan for the full backstory, which we thought was brilliant. There are so many photo opportunities, and there are even nods to the park’s history of their mazes too!
Honestly, we’re speechless, to the point that this was a hard blog to write because we were so mesmerised. This scream park has always been extraordinary, but this season it’s become world-class and firmly in a league of its own, and it can’t be compared to any other, especially in the level of attention to detail and how strongly themed everything is, from inside to the outside of the mazes.
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Thank you so much to the team for having us! If you haven’t already, you HAVE to book your tickets. Book HERE.
