Slasher Review
On the 20th of October, we headed west to Walsall Scare Maze for their annual Halloween season event. As we have said time and time again the reason we always go back to Walsall Scare Maze is the ability to deliver an amazing narrative through theatrical scenes and one of the most talented scare families in the country. And "The Haunting Of Amelia Birchill" was no different. It showcased a fantastic opening scene, great scares and a finale that screamed perfection. We also headed to Walsall Scare Maze so Dan could attend his second booking into the infamous ENOLA Clinic. Last year we said ENOLA was more intense than extreme, this year they upped the force and delivered a 100% "wtf just happened" show and we couldn't have been more proud of the teams and casts behind both attractions
Stalker Review
On a dark Sunday night, we found ourselves back at Walsall Scare Maze for The Haunting of Amelia Birchill, the most unassuming attraction hidden behind a bar. Honestly, if you didn't spot the sign outside, you might miss it. But if you sleep on Walsall Scare Maze, you are a fool. Walsall Scare Maze is one of the most thematically perfect and well-created attractions in the country. And The Haunting of Amelia Birchill was no exception.
Right from the start you are thrust into a preshow after a quick photo opportunity and into a Victorian seance room complete with a table adorned with Tarot cards. Dim lighting bathes the room in an eerie glow and the medium takes centre stage calling forth the spirit of Amelia Birchill, the titular girl haunting the estate. Now some have made mention of this being close to The Curse at Alton Manor, but rest assured The Haunting of Amelia Birchill stands on its own and to be honest, Curse could learn a lot from this attraction.
After the first seance room which featured the welcome return of some effects from past shows it was time to enter the depths of the house itself, starting with the staff of the house who all had their own nuances and traits that bring each character to life and no character felt reused or hashed together. Every cast member right from the off gave exactly what we expect from Walsall Scare Maze and that is character development in buckets and fully realised members of the house.
Now it has to be said there is a lot to see and experience in The Haunting of Amelia Birchill and it's a mammoth task to try and remember it all, so from here on in it will be memorable snippets. The first was the Cook scene, aggressive and violent yet strangely welcoming at the same time. The scene in the living room where we were encouraged to go looking for Amelia, But it would just happen to be that it would include having to go into the depths of the cellar, where if you know Walsall Scare Maze well, it is usually where things get physically and metaphoricly dark. Another favourite scene that makes a welcome return is the library scene which features the dank smells that again Walsall Scare Maze is known for. Going in deeper we find ourselves in the recesses of the walls of the building adding a lovely level of claustrophobia to the mix before finding ourselves around a bed with the crazed Amelia providing a screaming attack on guests. There is so much more to mention but we would be here for a long time, what I will say is the finale which we won't go into detail upon in case this show comes back was one of the finest moments of Walsall Scare Maze history to date, the shear assault on from the cast within this final room was just PERFECTION and it can't be understated, from the set design down to the choreography of the final scene was just mental and left us all applauding the efforts gone into this final moment, we were also in quite a large group but it didn't matter, every effort for a scare was taken and achieved with pure professionalism and the first thing that was said upon exit was...The BEST show to date that Walsall Scare Maze has created.
After surviving The Haunting of Amelia Birchill it was time for myself to leave Dane and Abby and head over with equal amounts of trepidation and excitement in heart for the 18+ Extreme attraction ENOLA...
ENOLA for those that do not know is NOT a scare maze and this can not be expressed enough.
It is an 18+ Extreme Attraction/Experience that has been designed to test your limits and in some cases push you beyond them. Also, there is a signboard that features a hefty list of what could and most likely will happen to you. Read it thoroughly and understand what you are literally signing yourself up for.
I started the experience outside showing my ENOLA Tattoo to the nurse host whom outside of the attraction was most encouraging and welcoming, this role like the rest of the ENOLA Cast is played to absolute perfection and once you walk past the door you will soon see, well for me at least on my run, that any semblance of a welcoming attitude soon drops away as the experience truly begins from the moment you sit down. I did the usual holding my waiver up to the camera, accepted my fate and began my second round of the ENOLA clinic drug trials.
ENOLA like many intense or extreme experiences are always best gone through blind so for that reason I won't go into detail about exactly what happened in each room,and there is a lot of them, but what I will say is the cast will push your limits, at times you will be screaming, laughing and possibly even regretting life choices, but if you see it through to the end I promise you its so worth it. Now I will say my tattoo was what I believe spurred on each cast member to try to get me to safeword but so far it has not happened. What I will say is if you choose to experience ENOLA, trust the cast, they are professionally trained to go the extra mile and push limits, you will get sworn at, you will be manhandled and you will be mentally and physically pushed to go past boundaries, but although it can be painful in sections and uncomfortable in others, I totally trusted the entire cast and there is the reason ill be back again and again as long as the ENOLA clinic stays around and I hope its here for the extended future to come.
Thank you to every single member of the Walsall Scare Maze family for delivering not just one but two exemplary shows, there is a reason we always come back to Walsall Scare Maze and now ENOLA too and that's because it truly is one of the best that this country has to offer and both attractions will stay with me long after simply because they are that memorable. Never sleep on Walsall Scare Maze, you will regret it if you do.
Walsall Scare Maze has now finished its Halloween 2024 season but if you wish to view their website you can do so at https://www.walsallscaremaze.co.uk/
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