Alton Towers Scarefest 2024 Review

It’d be generous to say that reviews of Scarefest 2024 have been mixed so far. Previously surreptitious cost-cutting now feels more overt; add on the current price tag, and the unsurprising result is that expectations are largely not being met. I’m therefore immensely grateful to say that I was on the receiving end of some very good luck the day we visited.

The weather was what October dreams are made of: low-lying mist and fog enveloped the park, adding a gorgeous haze to the lighting, and creating an irresistibly eerie atmosphere around the ruins and the exterior theming of the rides.

This luck extended to some of the mazes: ‘The Attic: Terror of the Towers’ and ‘Altonville Mine Tours – Tiny’s Revenge’. We were two in a group of four in the former, and the only two in the latter. Consequently, the scares were consistent, plentiful, and relentless – for the scareactors, it must have been like shooting fish in a barrel. ‘Compound’ was solid, despite some of the interior being brightly lit (distractingly so), and I can scarcely find the words to describe how galling I found ‘Daz Games: Panic Reloaded’. The concept of an attraction where you’re encouraged to exit as quickly as possible feels fundamentally at odds with everything I hold dear as a scare fan.