Scare mazes come and go and while some survive for two or more season, there have been some mazes that only survived for 1 year despite being great. In this blog post we look at some of the ones we wish had stuck around a bit longer.
Studio 13 – Thorpe Park 2014
Studio 13 was a simple maze. It had no gimmicks or anything that could be used as a USP. It was housed in the building that now houses Jungle Escape and it was themed around a movie set for a film called Motel. You went through different areas of a film set, from reception to hair and make up to the finale film set scene. It was creepy and wasnt forceful in its scares but it was well themed and had some great placed scares as well as some amazing characters. We were gutted it didn’t return for another year as they could have changed it up every year with a different style of slasher film being made each year, but they decided to scrap it.
The Haunting of Molly Crowe – Alton Towers 2017
I’ve never been a fan of hooded mazes. They aren’t usually scary to me, but out of all the ones I’ve done (and it isn’t that many to be fair) The Haunting of Molly Crowe is probably the best. The entrance was where the current entrance to Altonville Mine Tours is, but instead of entering round the corner, you actually entered where Altonville Mine Tours exits and the maze was housed in the towers. It had an interesting story that worked very well with what happened while you followed the rope. The ending of this maze was unhooded but for many was the scene that stole the show.
The Tunnel – Tulleys Shocktoberfest 2014
Reading back through various reviews, The Tunnel seems to have been themed around a mine and was where The Colony/The Wreckoning is. According to the reviews, as you went through, each tunnrl you entered got darker and darker and they seemed to play with lighting in clever ways to disorientate and surprise. It was only about for the 2014 season before being rethemed into The Colony.
Torment – Gunwharf Quays 2017
This is one where it probably shouldn’t be on the list but it is. It only opened for one season in Portsmouth’s Gunwharf Quays. There was an attraction built by the same company, called the exact same, but we aren’t sure if the mazes are the same or not as we didn’t get to visit Jersey when it was open, which is why its on the list. Torment was a fantastic attraction. From the go, the sets were stunning, the actors were amazing and everything worked. There was a great mix of scares and they seemed to come from everywhere. It really all came together to become something quite special and it was the highlight of the 2017 season for me.
Bad Trip – Dr Fright’s 2013
Again, this is one that we didn’t get to experience for ourselves. This one was suggested by the lovely ScareTRACK when we asked on social media, but love the concept and idea. According to reviews, guests were told to take a pill before entering the attraction. What then lay ahead was a hallucination of scares and surprises that left people dazed, confused and thrilled. It really played havoc with all the sense and provided what sounds like a really awesome experience.
The Street – Shepton Mallet Prison – 2018
A scare attraction with 80s vibes set in a prison, I mean, what wasn’t to like. The sets were great, the acting was good. What it lacked in scares it more than made up with theatrical moments. The location of the attraction, being in Shepton Mallet prison really helped with this and added a touch of fear that you may not get from a marquee. I was genuinely quite upset that it didn’t return, but it was the first time I got to meet to grand daddy of scares, Michael Bolton.
Vulcan Peak – Thorpe Park 2018
Before you judge, hear me out. Vulcan Peak was….. terrible, lets be honest. It was probably the worst maze Thorpe Park have done in recent memory. That being said, this one maze managed to do something in 2018 that no other maze could. It stood out! Admittingly it stood out for the wrong reasons, but everyone was talking about it. Thorpe Park had also been struggling with first year syndrome. Platform 15, Walking Dead: Sanctum/Do or Die, Blair Witch (returned version), Big Top, they all suffered with it and got better in the 2nd year. Could the same have happened with Vulcan Peak? We will never know.
Commentaires