The Halloween Adventure Scream Park 2013 Review

Fright Nights at Stockeld Park in Wetherby was part of their ‘Halloween Adventure’ event, running Tuesday 29th – Thursday 31st October 2013. The evening featured three scare attractions: two mazes and a woodland walk, and was produced by AtmosFEAR! Scare Entertainment.

I'm unsure as to whether this event will return in 2014, but just in case it does, I would like to point out that my review contains details that could potentially be perceived as spoilers.

Upon arrival we were very pleased to hear spooky music floating around the park. This, combined with creepy lighting under a few trees, created a lovely atmosphere which I would have happily stood around and enjoyed for a little while. But we had to press on; the first of our three experiences, Fear Forest, operated on a timed entry system.

Fear Forest

We were greeted at the gate by a security warden who warned us of the horrors lurking in the woods. This actor was superb and he certainly got the crowd warmed up. We ventured into the woods and encountered several actors on our way. All of them were able to engage with the group effectively. The scripts/characters were entertaining, with good use of humour, and  some great physical elements as well (particularly on our encounter with Mr Punch). This was a very different type of attraction to what I’m used to. Not scary for me, but very enjoyable. This was Halloween family fun as it should be; spooky, exciting, and a little bit magical.

Torchure

The Torchure maze was a more familiar format for me, but once inside, I was surprised by the simplicity of the layout. A great example of how you really don’t need elaborate sets or special effects to get amazing results.

The concept was very clever: this attraction was housed in a marquee and featured a very basic maze, total darkness, a low roof for added claustrophobia, and actors wearing masks. That was it! We were plunged into darkness as the actors got into position, and then, with the use of torches on their faces, they delivered target and impact scares at various stages along the way. The masks were great but I think this attraction would have worked just as well if the actors were wearing make-up (a testament to how effective this format was). Each time darkness fell, we had no idea when or where the actors were going to strike next.

I was also pleased to see that the actors made an effort to target all members of the group. Everyone enjoyed themselves. Overall, this was a fun, scary experience, which worked on a very basic level yet achieved excellent results.

All Hallows Evil

Housed in a hedge maze, this was an exciting experience which we were able to move through at our own pace and encounter scary characters along the way. The actors were unnerving and entertaining- we particularly enjoyed meeting the chainsaw clown, who actually chased us at one point!

I could have done with a few more characters in here though; the number of scares we got compared to the amount of time spent in there was quite minimal, but the ‘what’s around the corner’ anxiety made this fun till the end.