Alton Towers Scarefest 2013 Review

The Scarefest event at Alton Towers is always one of the high points of my year. Last year really stood out for me due to the introduction of the Sanctuary- a scare maze that went on to win a well deserved award, and would later be listed in the top 13 Halloween mazes worldwide.

So with the Sanctuary returning for 2013, I was nervously anticipating another evening of stone cold terror deep within the Alton Towers ruins. And with the other mazes to experience, plus the added treat of riding my favourite rollercoasters in the dark, I couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

Carnival of Screams

An old favourite at Scarefest, this carnival/circus themed maze has been consistently well executed. The only difference this year was that the maze was free; in previous years, this was one of the paid mazes. The downside? Large queues after dark. The positive? You could go through as many times a you wanted! We only went through once, but believe me, I would have happily repeated the experience.

Queue line music and good exterior theming made for an effective build-up prior to entry, plus an encounter with a couple of creepy characters before the real horror began. The ‘living doll’ kicked things off. Reminiscent of those horrific, clunky coin operated laughing clowns, this doll really delivers a fright, and I chuckled when I saw one family exit the attraction immediately after their encounter with him. Go hard or go home!

The nightmarish funhouse format is an ideal platform for some serious scares; the uneven floor, flashing lights and twisting tunnels made us feel disoriented, adding another dimension to the impact scares inflicted on us by the scareactors, who were all superb.

There was one scene involving a room covered with polka dots, and a clown wearing a suit of the same pattern, completely camouflaged. The impact of the scare was extreme, but only for those near the front of the group who enter the room first. In scenarios like this it’s almost impossible to perfect the timing so that everyone can benefit; part of me wishes there could have been more than one actor in this room, so the scares could be staggered and take place in opposite corners.

However, actors in other rooms made a huge effort to target different members of our group. Following an unsuccessful scare attempt on the person at the back, the clown vowed he would later ‘get him’, and proceeded to do so further in. I was really impressed by this.

Flashing lights in other rooms made it a little difficult to see, therefore certain props, such as the hanging ‘body bags’, lost their impact slightly. And I never saw a clown in that room, even though I was sure there should have been one somewhere.

The climax of this maze was one of the highlights of my entire day; it featured a new character and a knife-throwing show. It was brief, but the actor was spot on. He was a deeply unnerving physical presence, with horrible jerking movements and full-on terrifying make-up. A spectacular final scare!

The Sanctuary

Nurses dressed in white, flickering TV screens and eerie music à la Medication time from 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'- you’re in the queue line for The Sanctuary, waiting for the doctor to see you. Every detail works towards setting the scene and convincing you to ‘buy in’ to your surroundings, which intensifies the overall experience. The theming of this attraction is exceptional and very thorough, inside and out. Even the propaganda posters dotted around the waiting area have been stamped with a Ministry of Joy logo.

As with last year, being greeting by Dr Kelman was a fantastic start. He made us feel nervous, uneasy, and instilled a chilling sense of dread.

Once inside, the real assault on the senses began. We moved into the living area of The Sanctuary, which again is so detailed you feel as though you’re in the middle of an asylum-themed horror movie. The scares were steady, and a strong, stale, clinical smell permeated our environment. The smells continued and intensified, as did the music, as we moved further in. By far the worst smell was in the marmalisation room; it smelt like rancid, rotting food.

Many of the scareactors used their bodies and voices in truly disturbing ways, and they delivered great target scares. The layout of The Sanctuary is ideal for this in certain areas; the actors can move freely yet are able to conceal themselves effectively to scare different members of the group.

Some of the patients begged us not to go downstairs, which heightened my anxiety as we reached the point of heading down there. Having been warned of the horrific experiments and treatments that took place within, we knew our journey was coming to an end; this is a great example of how a loose narrative made us feel more immersed in the action. Heading downstairs did, however, give us a chance to catch our breath and recover slightly, which isn’t good. Maybe an additional sound, such as loud screams from below, would have ensured our adrenaline levels remained high.

The Sanctuary is a unique experience, delivering perfectly executed scares in an environment so utterly convincing that you feel as though you’ve been transported. That’s a winning combination, and I hope it will return in 2014.

Terror of the Towers

Terror of the Towers returns, having swapped places with Carnival of Screams as a paid maze this year. This cut down our waiting time, which is always nice. As this maze is themed around vampires and other creatures lurking within the Tower ruins, there really isn’t a great deal of external theming needed. Just the creepy queue line music and the Towers themselves, lit up and looking decidedly ghostly beneath the stars. Old school.

The maze began with a brief found footage film to set up the back story about two explorers going missing in the ruins. As the film ended, a curtain lifted and we were encouraged to discover for ourselves what lies within. This video worked well, but as it played we could hear a staff member shouting instructions at the next group, so that did spoil it a bit.

I was surprised at how long it took for the first scare to happen; I started to relax a little when no-one appeared in the first section. I was still enjoying myself though, as the environment within this maze is fantastic, like getting lost inside Dracula’s castle. Dusty furniture, statues, creepy paintings, cobwebs; it’s a Hammer horror fan’s dream come true.

Moving into the next section we had to negotiate a tunnel with a very low roof, so much so that we had to crouch down and shuffle through. This claustrophobic effect was unnerving, and it worked well to unsettle the group.

When the scares began they were intense and effective. The actors’ costumes were very dramatic and their make-up was spot on. As they passed in and out the grand, gothic rooms, the atmosphere became almost theatrical, with eerie music and booming thunder sound effects bombarding us between the shocks.

The long corridor featuring several dark hooded figures was definitely a highlight. Sometimes the anticipation of a scare can be just as bad as a surprise one!

The maze climax was a strobe finish. Done to death? Maybe, but this was strobe done well. It had the perfect pace; fast enough to be a little disorientating, slow enough for the actors to be able to work with it. Which they did superbly. We had actors climbing the walls of the cage maze then jumping down into our path, their movements seemingly inhuman in the light, their demonic faces inching closer with every flash. It was quite a sight, and a spectacular end to the experience.

Zombies! Scare Zone

A more family-friendly addition to the Scarefest line up, this scare zone is a brilliant little feature. Set during a zombie apocalypse, the theming features abandoned cars, military style tents and sirens. The zombies in the scare zone stagger around, snarling and getting surprisingly close to guests’ faces. The staff at the entrance did let this attraction down a bit though. They were in military clothing, however they weren’t in character at all. I found this odd, given the fact that the staff over at Nemesis: Sub-Terra do such a fantastic job acting in character whilst operating the ride. It makes for a far better atmosphere. Maybe get them over to the scare zone next year.