Reviews |
2011 Reviews
On a dark and cloudy night of October 14th, 2011, the Terror Attractions team crossed the threshold of Hawkshaw Farm Park to enter Scare Kingdom Scream Park, created by AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group`s Scream Parks UK division.
I didn't even have time to call my solicitor to give him my last will and testament before we were accosted by the weird but wonderful scare actors Crazy Mavey and the ghostly monk; who's piercingly shrill voices mocked and ridiculed victims passing through, making our initial entrance uncomfortable and incredibly uneasy.
Shortly after this ambush our group were forced to meet Lucifear to hear the mirrored 'Angel of Death' pronounce the general rules through an excellent mixture of audio visual media and live performance from an old hag. This was a completely unique way of introducing the rules of a terror attraction which we certainly had not experienced before, the mirror effects were superb and a scare in itself.
Onwards and outwards, yes, OUTWARDS! All seven of us walking in single file with hands latched onto the persons shoulders in front, almost looking like seven scared penguins in wellington boots, waddling down to the beginning of the attractions "Voodoo Bayou" and ""Day of the Dead" which are set in an immense corn field maze, making it the ultimate dark trail. In these two similar attractions we found ourselves shuffling like lost souls through the small and winding mud paths, following the story of the murderous serial killer Delphine La Laurie, and afraid that she was going to attack any minute and use us as a human sacrifice. The storylines were well thought out and scripted, and the makeup and costumes were theatrical, bizarre and beautiful. The journey in-between sets seemed a little too long and repetitive at times, however the setting certainly did bring a chilling atmosphere to the performance, driving the audience out of their comfort zones and into a surreal and dangerous new world.
As soon as we thought that we were safe and sound, we were dragged into the next terrifying attraction "HMS Hell", an ocean liner which disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle along with its crew. This was undoubtedly a much more terrifying attraction than the earlier two. The dark enclosed tunnels and narrow passageways were claustrophobic leaving us exposed and defenceless against the haunting ghosts of the ships lingering past. With strobe lighting and sinister surroundings, we were scared at every turn by the most fear-provoking actors who relished our screams and played into our deepest nightmares.
Once we had made our escape, we were quickly thrust into... .I want to cry even mentioning it... .Blood Bath II! This completely insane and terrorizing attraction sees the merciless Dr Van Der Blood and his sadistic followers carry out gruesome experiments on human subjects. Scare Kingdom definitely saved the best till last! Blood Bath II makes you feel completely vulnerable; you are constantly filled with fear as there is no safety or space anymore, the actors touch you! We were impressed with the chosen background music which wasn't your typical scare attraction music, with its fast dance/techno beat which gave us a surge of panic throughout. Without giving too much away Blood Bath II is intelligent and inventive, using all of the human senses to achieve the gritty realism that had everyone screaming for their lives. Honestly, I have to admit that I actually wet myself a little bit!! Its fast pace and frequent scares made us confused and disturbed. This is a horror masterpiece that pushes the boundaries of the modern day scare attraction.
After nearly having a heart attack in Blood Bath II I was very thankful to see the new Bloody Mary's bar, and got myself several Scare Kingdom Ale's and checked if all my limbs were still attached.
Scare Kingdom Scream Park is a must see for those who dare.
Terror Attractions rating : 10/10
If you’re looking for somewhere to go this Halloween, look no further, I have just the place, and Scare Kingdom truly does have something for everyone.
When you first enter it looks like an ordinary Fun Fair with a ghost train, spooky dodgems and waltzers but this isn’t even half of the story!
All year round Hawkshaw Farm Park is nothing out of the ordinary but now the spirits have been set loose and have taken over.
For children (and those of a nervous disposition) the friendly Witch Pink Hazel awaits and audience with you as she takes you on a journey in search of a spell caster to help wake up the magic mirror.
For the slightly braver there is a trip into the cornfield for ‘Voodoo Bayou’ and ‘Day of the Dead’. Two creepy tales to follow through the mazes with the added atmosphere of the wind rustling through the corn it is definitely enough to put a shiver down your spine. Depending on how brave you are feeling these can be done by day or in the dark.
For those of you counting down the days to Halloween and waiting for a good scream, may I direct your attention to ‘HMS Hell’ and ‘Blood Bath II’.
The tension mounts as you wait outside and listen to the screams of the victims inside. These are two fantastic attractions with two very different stories. The visuals and music add to the gruesome experience to be had. A friendly warning – you will definitely get up close and personal with the people in your group for Blood Bath II .... and the residents within it. Be prepared to warm the vocal chords and stretch those calf muscles. But don’t worry as you conveniently escape in to Scare Kingdoms fully licensed bar and what better way to defuse and debrief than with a pint of Scare Kingdom Ale specially made for them by Thwaites the brewery. It’ll warm the cockles – if you managed to escape with them that is.
The characters, costumes and music at Scare Kingdom are all individually handpicked and come together beautifully to give you one of the scariest experiences you will ever have. In its third year running things are truly getting bigger and better for this place and I really can’t wait to see what is in store next year!
2010 Reviews
Halloween may be out of the way but one of Lancashire's largest scare attractions is back and is bigger and better than ever.
This year, Scare Kingdom Scream Park is home to three separate horror attractions, Unhallowed Hill, Tingler's Toy Factory and Hellfire Hall.
If you enjoy fear and fun and have never been to Scare Kingdom, then dig out your wellies and warm clothes and head on down for a frighteningly good time.
For those who have been before, it's worth a visit to see what's new although the surprise and novelty factor is not as prominent. But you can't blame the creators for that, as every year they strive to add more to the experience.
For the past few years a spooky trail has been hacked out amidst the cornfields of Hawkshaw Farm Park, Clayton-Le-Dale, which is home to Mrs Dowsons Ice Cream.
We made our way down to the start of the corn maze, in the dark, with the sounds of screams and chainsaws ringing in the distance.
Previous years have seen visitors issued with wind up torches to guide the way, but not this time. Once inside, the creepy characters leap from within the corn when you least expect it, and here you will come face to face with Professor Octavius Highgate, and the restless spirits who lurk amidst the harvest.
Next stop is Tingler's Toy Factory where twisted toys and creepy clowns await those brave enough to grace the devilish den.
The final destination is Hellfire Hall where terrifying treats await visitors venturing inside. Just make sure you hang onto the person in front of you as you are plunged into darkness, cooped up in a cage before an electrifying end...
Younger visitors can enjoy a daytime trip to Trick or Treat, a 30 minute stage show.
The actors are top notch in bringing the freaky characters to life, or death, with authentic clothes, make-up, props and great scripts. This year's spooktacular runs until Saturday.
Scare Kingdom is now in its second year of operation and comes back in 2010 with three all new evening attractions – how’s that for keeping your line up fresh?
Arriving at the venue for the preview night we were presented with a large, well lit, car park and a nicely themed Waltzer ride pumping out some suitably scary music.
All three attractions are taken one after the other, in a set order. There is no going off to do the attractions at your own pace, which means if you happen to be caught in a queue because of a stop then you have really no choice but to wait it out, there was no option to jump a queue and come back later.
But, with that said, the ticketing system relies on timed entries so the promise is of no wait during your visit and this is what you should get. The entrance is though a nicely themed room that is actually used for entertainment for children during the day, but acts as the “waiting room” come night fall. After a few short minutes our time had come...
Your journey begins at the end of a long winding path populated by the odd character, but a little to open and obvious to be scary. But the real fun begins as you end up at the first attraction – Unhallowed Hill.
Unhallowed Hill is a corn maze, and a big one at that… possibly the longest one we’ve witnessed.
The opening scene set up a strong story, but after this either we missed something or the story just wasn’t continued throughout the attraction. A few obvious scare tactics were missed and a few areas appeared empty. Although the ending was a clever play on a popular implement and had us running for the exit.
Unhallowed Hill started and ended strong, but with such a long way to walk and nothing going on between scare scenes this, for us, was the weakest of the attractions.
Following this you are presented with a building façade covered in toys, but not the type you’d find in Toys R Us, these have been, well, altered in some way... The toys in here aren’t happy toys
Tinglers Toy Factory is an enclosed maze, not completely dark, but has some dark narrow passageways. What it does have are some clever effects and great actors – special mention to the Jack in the Box… spring up and be counted!
The maze isn’t too long, but it certainly holds a more immersive story and sets the scene and mood for what was to follow.
Hellfire Hall is the third and final attraction and you can definitely say they’ve saved the best until last. Housed in two marquees you enter through a cellar door. The marquees could have been better “disguised” but once inside you don’t think about that – you don’t have time to!
Tight, no, very tight, dark and narrow passageways lead from one room to the next, there is no time (and it’s also the case in Tinglers Toy Factory) for scene setting, this is bang, bang, wham and out the door! Elaborate sets, moody lighting and some great surprises lead you out the exit wanting more. Although the maze was just the right length we wished it just hadn’t finished when it did!
It was a great way to end the night and the acting talent inside was definitely the best we witnessed all night. Our only problems were the long walk to and during the corn field maze, the “captured” feeling you have once you enter the attraction itself and the safety notices read out before you enter (they really gave the game away in some cases).
Would we go back? Definitely. Would we recommend it… Definitely.
Home to the famous Mrs Dowson’s ice cream, Hawshaw Farm Park on the A59 has, for the past two years, been subject to the visionary ‘imagineering’ AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group.
This year, their vision for Scare Kingdom Scream Park is based on the mythical tale of Morbius Blackscar, the tyrannical self-proclaimed King of the Undead Realm, who has returned to his kingdom to wreak havoc on us unsuspecting mortal folk.
Tis the night of ‘All Hallows Eve’ – the night the dead are said to walk… and walk they seem to, as I arrive to scareactors and visitors alike, the latter having entered into the ‘spirit’ of things by dressing in costumes of all shapes and sizes ( and scariness!) as befits Halloween celebrations today. Finally, the UK is catching up on our American cousins by taking Halloween seriously – not just as a time where the kids can dress up and go trick or treat, but where the adults can also have some ‘seriously’ scary fun too!
And that is very much what this theme park is all about. This year there are more attractions than last year and there is even a waltzer for those who like to scare themselves dizzy in other ways. I approach the entrance and already, as busy as it is, there is a much better system in place than last year, with ticketed timed entrance to the attractions – so much better than other places where you can, literally, on this special night of nights, be standing in queues for up to an hour. Outdoors, hotdogs, burgers and chips are being sold. Perfect fayre for this cold and wintry night.
The Wicked Witch Café is open for business, it’s busy, but I can still get a seat. Hot drinks ordered (sorry no alcohol on the premises, which is a good thing I think), my husband and I sit and wait with eager anticipation. Actually, I am a bit of a scaredy cat, honest, but I do love the idea of being scared. After a very short wait of only ten minutes or so, our timed entrance is called and we join the queue of approximately 8-10 others. We are led into an ante room where the ubiquitous (and necessary) health and safety issues are read out to us. No turning back, they say, if you want to change your mind, this is the moment.. I decide to stay!
We are advised to hold onto each other’s shoulders as we are led through the dark (no torches please) towards the cornfield. This is the first attraction and despite it just being ‘a cornfield’…I have distant memories of The Children of The Corn a la Stephen King. Winding our way through the well prepared track ( they have put bark down, good idea, given that the days before it had poured down relentlessly) we reach the first ‘station’. A deserted ice cream van takes on a more sinister tone as we are met by Professor Octavius Highgate who talks us through the first story line.. ‘people have gone missing in here’, he says, with just the right amount of menace. We are invited to watch a vcr (recording) where others, in ‘Blair Witch ‘ style filming, recount their expedition into the corn fields. There is much flickering of film, lost voices in the mist and a growing sense of ‘something out there’ waiting! The film is cut off, unexpectedly – well of course. And so, off we go, into the corn which towers above our shoulders.
I am second from the back – I refused to go last – well we all know what happens to the person who is at the back… don’t we? Those in front are laughing, making jokes even.. don’t they realise ! Seriously, this laughter / fear sets the tone for the entire trek round the field as we giggle nervously in what I feel is ‘fear’ induced hysteria. As we come upon each individual character, and there are many, we are invited to stop, wait a while, listen to each of their stories, as harrowing as this is and then pushed on further into the field of corn.
This is not just ‘jump out and scare you ‘ stuff, this is well crafted and expertly acted by all the scare actors, for this is what these guys are. You can tell they have been rehearsed until perfect and the costumes, the props and the overall sense of unease is great stuff. All the while, as you traverse along, there is, in the distance…a chain saw buzzing! Not only do you stop and listen to the terrifying tales of each character, there are the odd surprises along the way, as people weave in and out of the corn alongside tracks and literally sidle up beside you – out of nowhere - and talk to you – far more scary than someone jumping out and shouting ‘BOO’ for example. It is this and more that makes this work so well. Ultimately towards the end of the corn maze, we are literally running for our lives ( well, we are made to believe this) as ‘chainsaw man’ and ‘pumpkin head man’ ( horrid!) lurch after us, coming from behind in the maze. Believe me, you run!
Finally we are out, and we all catch our breath and ..laugh well of course it’s funny – right? Wrong – I was terrified! We regroup and are sent onwards to the next experience and we are again given the usual health and safety talks at each point.
‘There will be small spaces, tunnels, you may feel claustrophobic, there are loud noises, water, characters may touch you – ever so slightly (!)…you have been warned..’ I also want to add here ‘turn back now, before it’s too late.. but I’m being dramatic. Tingler’s Toy Factory – a twisted cacophony of evil toys – rejects – are waiting. So, it’s a teddy bear, how scary can it be? Believe me, even if you didn’t have a fear of clowns (Coulrophobia) or other such innocuous childish things before you came in here, you will by the time you leave!
The worst thing ever, has to be that fear of confined spaces... in the dark... and with the screams resounding from... somewhere inside, as you crawl tentatively ( no-one’s in that much of a hurry any more to go quickly) towards – what – you just don’t know. And this too is the huge appeal for me – what is round the next corner, what is that ‘thing’ in the corner – a doll - is it alive ( in the real sense, as in a person in character) or a prop? After being dragged through by those in front, now gathering pace as we hurtle towards the end, I feel relieved to be back outside. It seemed to be over quite quickly, but time holds no real meaning once you’re in here, in the dark!
And so, the finale, the ‘dashing’ Lord Dashwood awaits in his Hellfire Hall. I recall last year’s Blood Bath attraction, (which I admit, I had my eyes shut for a good part of) was so scary I was shrieking like a mad person at the end. Again, we are led through dark tunnels, twisting and turning like a maze, strobe lighting confuses and terrifies at the same time, until we meet each character in situ. Again, that feeling of ‘is it real..is it a dummy?’... it's becoming harder to tell the difference until they move and start engaging with you. Each character does ‘engage’ as you walk through, they do their level best to get you to talk to them ..I don’t want to talk to you – leave me alone! – oh, was that me? And so we hurry on, and yes, some people in front are shrieking and pulling us forwards, quicker now, these people in front are scared – Im near the back…is my husband still there behind me..? I can’t tell?
Finally, we are herded into a cage, yes really, and told to ‘wait there’ – it’s just about light enough to see, everyone is huddled together now – and then – we are dropped – yes like a lift shaft ‘dropped’ from…well, not very far actually off the ground, but it feels like it and boy was I scared – again! Suddenly amidst our screaming ( not just me now) a door is opened and we are told to go.. you betcha..
Outside, in the ‘real word’ people are still arriving, milling around and everything seems ‘normal’. I have to say, as I looked around at the rest of the group we had gone through with, we all, and I do mean all – looked ‘shell shocked – that’s the best way to describe it. Silence - total unutterable fear.
Of course, after a few minutes we all regained our composure. And put on a brave face. ‘Brilliant - wasn’t it? someone said to me... Yes, says I – and it was!
Once again we ventured into Scare Kingdom Scream Park wondering what they would come up with to make it even better than last year, when we arrived we were ushered to the starting point of this journey into the unknown...
A short walk to the cornfield and we were met by a member of staff who read us the rules for this part of the journey and we were sent on our way.
We were met by many scary things lurking in the depths of the cornfield, and if I hadn't known that this was fiction, you wouldn't have seen me for dust, as the make-up and actors performances were once again, first class and very believable.
Next we ventured into Tingler's Toy Factory, these are the parts I hate as your are totally confined with nowhere to run! Here we came across all manner of toys coming to life, and for someone brought up on Hammer Horror films, some I would rather have not seen! To this point Scare Kingdom had maintained the quality of last year, but these were nothing compared to Hellfire Hall...
Inside Hellfire Hall were told that we were to be inducted into a club, and were led by various characters towards Lord Dashwood who awaited us. This was the most confusing and disorientating experience, due to the smoke and other effects, which meant you couldn't see the turns until you were upon them, causing misdirection.
Hellfire Hall was described as an intense scare attraction mixing extreme tactile effects with total darkness and claustrophobia with a shocking twist that is totally electric! believe me, they are not wrong!
Well done Scare Kingdom, we had a brilliant night, see you next year.
Always up for a new experience and keen to get some inspiration for next year, we visited the nearby Scare Kingdom to enjoy AtmosFEAR!’s Scream Park. Jason Karl, co-founder of AtmosFEAR!, specialists in location based scare entertainment production, tells us that 2010, the second year of operation, has again delivered a huge growth in attendance: 400% up on 2009.
The temporary attraction offered a day time dose of spooky fun for younger children, before transforming at dusk into a much scarier experience. We visited the three after dark attractions, Unhallowed Hill, a maize maze, and the two indoor attractions, Tinglers Toy Factory and Hellfire Hall. As promised by Karl, perhaps best known for co-presenting TV’s Most Haunted, the experiences were carefully planned to deliver a whole range of scares, and psychologically vetted to make sure all panic buttons got pressed. From being chased by a chainsaw wielding mad man and evil clowns, to getting trapped in a claustrophobic labyrinth with the evil Morbius (left), the experience was like being in a terrifying theatrical performance with some fabulously zealous performances from the cast.
Were we inspired? Well the kids in our party have spent the last week persuading us adults to follow increasingly “scary walks”. We have been led blindfold along the washing line, poked with sticks, sprayed with water and most gruesomely been made to dip our hands in “entrails” (chicken noodle soup). Can’t wait for next year!
2009 Reviews
The scare factor has been stepped up a gear as last year's main attraction becomes 2009's warm up
at a Lancashire horror attraction.
Scare Kingdom Scream Park, Hawkshaw Farm Park, Longsight Road, Clayton-le-Dale, is based on the mythical tale of Morbius Blackscar, the tyrannical self-proclaimed King of the undead realm who has returned to his throne eight centuries after his kingdom was destroyed.
Visitors first find their way around the Dead Alive eight acre corn maze where Mother Strange's long
lost son the Pumpkin Man roams the ruins of Strangleweed Hollow. Along the way groups, guided
only by two wind up torches, meet more freaky characters, all with their own spooky tale to tell.
Lasting around 30 minutes there are plenty of frights and lots of laughs.
Hats off (pointed and otherwise) to the scaretastic actors who do a great job bringing the downright
odd and sometimes twisted characters to life, despite having to sometimes battle with the elements.
For those who visited last year's HEX in the Harvest sell out success story, there's plenty of reason to
return thanks to 'Blood Bath' which features new special effects and more live actors for thrill
seekers and families. Those brave enough come face to face with Dr Cornelius Van Der Blood. Not
wanting to give away the horrors of what happens inside, it's safe to say that, once plunged into the
darkness of Blood Bath, the senses are heightened and screams guaranteed.
During the day, children under 10 can enjoy Hubble Bubble, a spellbinding trick or treat. The fright nights continue until November 5th when a Fireworks Phantasmagoria! promises an even bigger bang.
On arriving and parking up in the large car park, the first thing you notice is the gateway and a formidable looking character standing there to greet you and send you on your way to reception, where you are greeted by the sight of a large coffin Moaning Mordred with smoke emanating from and a large talking head, Sir Scare-a-Lot, which, by the way, was flown in from America. You then get yourself ticked off the register and asked to take a seat.
When we arrived, we met Amanda Dowson, who owns the farm this event is held on. We asked her how this all started, and she said they used to do something small for Halloween. Back in 2007, she and her husband met AtmosFEAR!, and right away they knew it would be good to work together. After planning, they came up with HEX in the Harvest; only a small event compared to this year’s, which took ten months in planning and a lot of hard work to put together from scratch.
While sitting there, listening to the dramatic music, you start to wonder what the characters will look like when you get to the maze. After a short while, they take you through twelve at a time and tell what you can and can’t do “for your own safety and that of the people you are going to meet on the way”. You are then given two torches, one for the front and one for the back of your group. It may be a good idea to take one with you, as the one we had was not very good, but this was the first night.
Dead Alive - The Legend of the Pumpkin Man. First of all, let me set the scene for you. Set along a rough path, so good walking shoes are a must, until you get to the house of Old Mother Strange, who invites you into her house and tells you the basic story, which I won’t tell you about, as it would spoil it for you. She then sends you on your way and you are now walking through a corn field, over six foot tall, so all you can see is the path in front of you and behind as well as the occasional whispering from the corn field. You are now in the dark, in a corn field, and the imagination is running wild, when what looks like a scarecrow suddenly runs at you snarling. You quickly move on. All told, there are about seven different characters on your 45-minute journey through the corn field. At this point I must say the makeup and southern American accents were of a high standard.
The next stop on your journey is the sanatorium, a dark smoky place with lots of people banging on doors. A face suddenly pops into view with more amazing makeup. At this point, you have to go through a short tunnel, with banging all around, and as you go through a curtain, suddenly you are out and back on the path to the next attraction.
The next part of this spine tingling journey is Blood Bath, where the mad doctor, Cornelius Van Der Blood, awaits you. For this, you cannot touch the actors and you must have your hand on the person in front of you. This is possibly the scariest part of the evening, for in here you will be touched, as well as have people jumping out on you. Once again, I won’t spoil it for you.
At the end of your journey you are able to pop into the The Greedy Gargoyle Café, where you can have something hot to drink and something to eat.
These attractions are in the evening and for people over 14 years of age. Under 18s must be accompanied by someone over 18, but only you know your scare limits. During the day, for the under 10s, there is Hubble Bubble and the witches' corn maze.
This place is a must if you like to have your nerve endings tingled. Ticket prices vary depending on what day you would like to go, and details can be found at www.scarekingdom.com.
Scare Kingdom Scream Park is a must-experience in the run up to Halloween. I’ve been to plenty of indoor scare events, but this one topped the lot with an amazing outside location which contributed
to a night of chills, thrills and lots of fun.
It’s set in a maze in cornfields at Hawkshaw Farm Park and the towering plants rustling in the wind
and rain certainly gave me the jitters before any of the action started. You’re put in parties of 12 to
walk around the maze and the night we went there wasn’t even moonlight to light the way.
Strange characters loom out of the darkness to tell their stories or give advice about keeping safe
and there were screams and shouts from my companions, as they were surprised or spooked by the
characters.
Me – I kept my eyes closed when some of them got a few too close for comfort and clung on to the person in front (you’re advised to travel around the maze with a hand on the person in front’s
shoulder or on their waist) my partner was behind me holding on and making sure the giant
Pumpkin Man didn’t get me!
There’s lots of strange noises and rustlings, which contribute to the tension as you go round but we burst out laughing with relief when we got safely to the end.
Then it was on to Blood Bath, which was really unnerving with a gruesome doctor character, episodes
of pitch darkness and plenty of screams from my companions. I won’t reveal too much of what went
on, as it will spoil it for anyone else who goes.
One piece of advice is to wear boots or wellington boots to go around. There’s a great little cafe to have a calming cup of coffee or teas and a meaty sandwich at the end.
Well worth a visit this week and well done to all the actors in the cornfield – what a job in testing conditions.
Scare Kingdom Scream Park, AtmosFEAR!'s latest Halloween walkthrough attraction, opens to the public on Saturday 24th October and is at Hawkshaw Farm Park, just minutes from junction 31 off
the M6.
As an official sponsor of the attraction, a select few members of staff were invited to sample the attraction during the preview night on October 14th, along with representatives from the local
media. A great night was had by all.
On arrival, you are issued with a torch and a delightful 'undead' lady reads you some 'dos' and 'don'ts' and directs you to a six foot high cornfield. This attraction is called Dead Alive; it requires your group to follow a winding path, unaccompanied and in near pitch darkness. Along the way you encounter several monsters and characters who impart their segment of the story, in which the attraction is set. The cornfield attraction lasts around 40 minutes (depending how fast you walk), but believe me, it seems like half the time, as for most of the experience you are trying to get away from one character or another! Very good actors, set construction and very well executed.
The next attraction is called Blood Bath and you can forget Pasaje del Terror (Blackpool's permanent horror attraction), as this puts that to shame. It's a walkthrough attraction with live actors, darkness, strobe lighting, loud sound effects, smell effects - it's got the lot and is very frightening, but very, very good! The experience lasts around 10 minutes and, believe me, you will be talking about it for days afterwards, as my group was!
Scare Kingdom Scream Park is well worth a visit if you dare. Wrap up warm, as most of the time you
are outdoors, and Blood Bath will most definitely chill you to the bone!!! The best walkthrough
horror attraction by far - I give it 10/10.
If you're looking for a Halloween event that's fun and scary, well, a trip to Scare Kingdom Scream
Park should be in your diary this week. We arrived at Hawkshaw Farm Park in the wind and rain and
considering it was mainly an outdoor event I wasn't really looking forward to it. But the rain stopped
as we stepped into the maze, set in a cornfield, and we realised we were in an amazing and unusual
setting, which just added to the atmosphere of what was to come.
Dead Alive is the story of Strangleweed Hollow, a gold rush town in the US, now a ghost town, where strange and terrible things have happened - and still are. We started off in old Mother Strange's
cottage where she cackled her way through the story of her son never returning from the cornfields
and her eternal wait for him. We were then sent on our way out into the cornfield, keeping an eye
out for the Pumpkin Man who haunts the very place we were picking our way through. It was quite a
walk in the dark, through the rustling plants, and along the way we came upon characters from the
town who spooked and entertained us. There was a mix of screams, shouts and laughs from our
party as we tried to keep our heads and not be too embarrassing.
The actors have to be admired for keeping up their American accents throughout (variable quality)
and also putting up with the rain that started beating down again midway through. There were
plenty of strange noises, and surprise appearances from between the columns of towering plants to
freak you out.
I must admit, it was a relief to get out of the maze, which was getting slightly claustrophobic for me.
But worse was to come with the Blood Bath part of Scare Kingdom Scream Park, which was so creepy
I just wanted to run out. I won't go into great detail, as it would spoil the fun for anyone who goes.
You're sent out into the maze in a party of 6 and the idea is to hang on to the shoulder or waist of
the person in front. I'm so glad I wasn't at the end in the line in Blood Bath! Some parts of Scare
Kingdom Scream Park will genuinely spook you out and other bits of it will make you laugh out loud,
which is a perfect combination for a fright event like this.
Don't forget your boots or wellington boots - you'll need them. And to help calm you down at the
end you can grab a hot drink, soup, sandwiches and cakes at the cafe. It all lasted over an hour and is
a very different way to mark Halloween.
For anyone who likes to be scared, you MUST visit Scare Kingdom Scream Park in Clayton-Le-Dale. I went last night and was scared beyond belief. I witnessed strapping, grown men scream like girls - it was amazing!
In the evening there are two main attractions, one is Dead Alive, which is a 40 minute walk
through a maze in the farm's corn field, which in itself is scary - walking through narrow paths in the
dark with only 2 tiny torches for a group of 8 people and corn crops towering over you... throw in
the various characters that jump out at you (the actors aren't allowed to touch you in this one),
chase you, and the many stops in staged clearings where 'story tellers' are there only to make you
cower and scream.
Then there's Blood Bath - this is for adults only - I think the website says it's for over 16s but they
will let younger in; it's at parents discretion - I wouldn't recommend taking your kids in. The actors
do regularly touch, grab and get right in your face... I've only really one thing to say about Blood Bath - I have never been so scared in my entire life!!!
AtmosFEAR! are doing a phenomenal job of bringing a similar 'Halloween Horror Nights' experience seen at Universal Studios in the USA, to the UK! I had just witnessed the Universal experience 2
weeks prior to visiting Scare Kingdom Scream Park, and my visit to Blood Bath was equally terrifying and as believable as it could ever be! The sheer terror and adrenaline experienced in this event
cannot be compared, and with plans to increase the terror in 2010 will be frighteningly good, I
cannot wait! Love to be scared to pieces? then do not miss this in 2010! Horrifying! |
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| Scare Kingdom Scream Park, The Land Where Nightmares Never End, Live the Nightmare! and all associated names, tag lines, images and storylines are © AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group, Scream Parks UK & Scare Kingdom Scream Park Ltd. 2008-2011. | Terms and Conditions |
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