We’ve been visiting Alton Towers Scarefest since 2016, but only really got into scare mazes around 2018/2019. But I thought I’d rank all the mazes at Scarefest we’ve experienced up to the best we’ve experienced over the years!
The Invitation:
I love to find the positives in scare attractions as much as I can. However, I really did struggle with this one. You sat in individual cubicles with headphones on, separated by a thin, cage-like barrier. It truly was horrendous. Thankfully, it didn’t last too long. The audio was everything except scary; admittedly, it had good surround sound, and that’s about it. But I don’t really want a vampire down my ear talking about “licking fingers”. Weird ASMR (I’m not saying ASMR is weird), but this was, in my opinion, a bizarre attempt at scare-season ASMR.
House of Monsters:
This was brilliant and so much fun—a little family maze, interactive but comfortable for socially awkward people like us. We laughed a lot, and the actors were always brilliant. The set pieces and scenes were stunning, too. It was great in so many ways, and we really do miss it.
Edge of The Forest:
It pains me to rank this maze this low. However, my second and final run through this year was dreadful. The serious lack of everything was really unfortunate. The prior experience was radiant. But I think this maze has possibly seen its day, and it’s not an example of Alton Towers’ finest work when it comes to scare mazes. They can 100% do a stronger maze in this space in the future; I know they can.
Project 42:
This was a really fun scare maze. I personally find aliens horrifying and have always done so since I was a young child, so this played into that fear very well. Again, using the SBNO Sub Terra building at the time was smart, and that odd poppet of catching a glimpse of something from the ride, like the giant egg, was great. The characters’ makeup was disgustingly creepy here, and the scares were great. Of course, Sub Terra has reclaimed it now, but it was a tremendous scare maze.
Altonville Mine Tours:
It remains many years later and has seen some enhancements, mainly in the storytelling. However, it is a reasonable maze; I won’t lie. It’s intense, dark, confined, and the actors never fail to deliver. But again, I do think the day has arrived, and there’s definitely room for something fresh and more exhilarating. That’s not to say we wouldn’t miss the mines, because we would, but we’re not willing to keep spending on the same maze we’ve paid for for years now.
Darkest Depths:
The most beautifully themed scare maze Alton Towers has done, in my opinion. In both locations, it stayed astonishing. The smells, sets, and actors were incredible throughout. Again, it’s another one I miss. The Kraken at the end never failed to impress, no matter how many times we ran it.
The Freak Show: Toxic Junkyard:
Everything they did with The Freak Show, from the scare zone to the maze, was golden. This whole theme and characters were all phenomenal. It was so much, and that chainsaw gag finale was always brilliant. Again, I really miss this maze and would love to see them do it again.
The Attic:
I absolutely loved this maze and still miss it. The way you legit head up the stairs to The Attic, and where it is located, brought the maze even more to life. It was eerie, and the sets were all so daunting. Not to mention, the characters you came across here were vile, especially the dolls. You’d have to crouch through the fireplace, and the finale just got hotter and hotter the closer you got to the devil. It was brilliant on so many levels, and I truly missed it.
The Final Exhibit:
Honestly, I wasn’t sure anything could top The Attic, but this maze truly is something exceptional. It packs so much history under one roof, with so many terrific scares. The maze’s thoughtful design is truly remarkable. There are moments in here that have you on edge, not knowing what’s real. You really do need multiple run-throughs (I know it’s costly) to truly appreciate the detail and history in this maze. It’s also stunningly long.
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Thanks for reading!
