Scarefest - General Discussion

General discussion regarding the UK's No.1 Theme Park. Talk about anything and everything Alton Towers here.
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hursty
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Where do people think this will be, assuming Sub's queue is in a similar location.

Courtyard garden, Conservatory/connecting room, front of the Towers, Fountain Square?
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Dom
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Assuming this theory is correct, which is highly unlikely, I could see it happening at the front. I'm no expert on the towers ruins, and I'm purely just assuming there is access to some or all the windows that face the lake, but its always good to speculate (and wish)!
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Dan
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Dom wrote:Assuming this theory is correct, which is highly unlikely, I could see it happening at the front. I'm no expert on the towers ruins, and i'm purely just assuming there is access to some or all the windows that face the lake, but its always good to speculate (And wish)
That’s where I imagine it will be too.

With some lighting & fog, smoke effects and roaming actors along the pathway in front of the Towers, as well as two or three moving amongst the windows, it could work very, very well.

I’m not sure of the practicality of having actors high up in the Towers though, so as hursty says, it could well end up being projections and/or illusions to create the effect of people up there.
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Dom
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What would be incredible and very clever and charming is to use the Alton Ancestors and put them up in the windows :lol
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O_Butler
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With Terror Of The Towers now leaving the lineup, I’m interested to know what everyone thinks was the best year of the maze? I think the 2015 version was a stand out for me.
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Justin
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2015 was interesting as it was a new route which also saw stairs in the Chapel. For me, 2014 was the best year as the maze had more charm. Extreme was very good in Terror that year too!
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ThemeParkEwan
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Last year for me was outstanding, a brilliant send-off for a fantastic maze.
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Justin
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Credit where credit is due, Terror was better last year than it had been for a few years. Sub was also strong after a poor 2016. Mine Tours was the biggest let down for me last year.
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Nickolai
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It will be my first time doing scare mazes this year, I cannot wait! 
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Dom
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I only did it in 2015 and 2017 and both times were with TowersTimes, and I have to say that 2017 was so much better for me. 2015 I had a really bad run last thing and it sort of fell a bit flat. But 2017 I had some bloody good runs on it and made to jump and I even screamed once I think?
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Morgan
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Best year for me was 2015. I believe this was because it was the first time I did it, I was the one leading our group and the finale was even louder than other years. 2017s version was the most consistent maze the park offered :) 
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hursty
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It so hard to chose, as each year has brilliant elements and, each maze they've unveiled has been really good.

I think the challenge with comparing mazes between the years is so hard, is that there can be a variation between consecutive runs in same year!

I do look back over the years, and remember fondly some of the fantastic attractions and first-impressions I had of them.
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Dan
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As reported by TowersTimes Facebook, the Scarefest hearse has once again taken up its traditional spot at the bottom of Towers Street.

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Justin
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I'm a little disappointed Gretyl hasn't been added, but still a good sight :)
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PhNx Survivor
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She is probably in the back.. why do you think Phil is smiling? 8-[
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Ladyofthelake
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I've finally caught up with all the Scarefest announcements having been away in the US when everything was announced. It's certainly good to see a number of new additions to the Scarefest line-up, not just in terms of a new maze, but also to the family line-up and general atmosphere across the park.

It will be interesting to see exactly what Project 42 turns out to be, and if its story has any links to exisiting Towers attractions. Given the high standard of Towers' additions in recent years, I am confident that whatever the storyline, it will be done to a high standard.I'm glad that The Welcoming is making a return, whilst it wasn't the scariest of Towers' mazes, it was a beatifully constructed maze with lots of detail, and really immersed you in the word of The Beronen. I'm sure we will see some changes to it this year so I'm looking forward to getting the chance to do it again. Sub Species is becoming somewhat of a staple of Scarefest now, I personally found it to be one of the better mazes last year, espcially wth the return of the multiple endings, so I'm sure it will be good again this year so long as there is something different in there - if they just leave it the same as last year then it will run the risk of falling flat. For me, Altonville Mine Tours was the weakest maze last year. Yes, the ending was improved, I will give it that, but the rest of the maze just felt flat and on my runs I had little to no interaction. I'm not sure what, but it needs some significant changes to bring it back up to its full potential.

It is a shame to see Terror leave, it had become Towers' signature maze so it will be strange to have a Scarefest without it. That being said, I think the 'What Lies Beneath' story had run its course and if the Resort were not going to introduce a new storyline then it probably is the right decision for the maze to make its departure.

I love that we now have Gretyl the Witch joining the characters to make the Feaky Four the Freaky Five. It is the perfect way to refresh the family entertainment and I'm sure the new shows will prove a hit with families. It's also good to see that CBeebies Land is getting some new entertainment for Halloween which means that Towers will have some Halloween fun aimed at every guest who will be visiting the Resort.

I am intrigued to see the new additions included under 'Scaremosphere'. What I hope is that it means we'll see much more atmosphere across the park as in previous years there have been areas of the Resort which have felt flat. I do like how we have the return of the Pirates - perhaps having them as Ghost Pirates is a somewhat subtle nod to those fans who have been calling for the return of the Pirates of Mutiny Bay.

Given that there are a number of new additions this year I do have high hope for 2018's event. It very much seems like the Resort have gone to great lengths to take on board some of the feedback from last year and have acted on that with some of the new additions, particularly with regards to the park wide atmosphere.
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Robert.W
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Those pictures... wow. Me thinks that grass needs some water. 

Now, about the hearse. In complete honesty, I think it's getting a bit old now. It needs at bit of that fancy Merlin TLC (even if it does take a year or two...), and of course, the addition of the new Gretyl character. And they really don't need to bring it out so early as this. 

Now that I've had a chance to think more about this years Scarefest lineup, and whilst I still think it's one of the best sounding lineups they've had in recent years (which have all been fantastic), I think the one thing that I'm just a little bit disappointed in is the lack of emphasis on Wicker Man. It doesn't sound as if there will be anything particularly special going on around the ride, no Beornen characters, no extra effects like what was added for the press preview, etc. I guess there may be something planned, or at least, I hope there will be. And then of course, there is always the Fireworks, which will inevitably be focused mainly on Wicker Man anyway.
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Robert.W wrote:Those pictures... wow. Me thinks that grass needs some water. 
You mean like in this totally not photo-shopped promotional image? :lol 

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Source: Alton Towers Twitter
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Dom
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Robert.W wrote:Now, about the hearse. In complete honesty, I think it's getting a bit old now. It needs at bit of that fancy Merlin TLC (even if it does take a year or two...), and of course, the addition of the new Gretyl character. And they really don't need to bring it out so early as this. 
It's always brought out this early. It's a way of advertising the event and its become such a staple to Scarefest that I think it would be missed if it took it out for a year. You will only get enthusiasts like me moan about it not appearing :lol
Now that I've had a chance to think more about this years Scarefest lineup, and whilst I still think it's one of the best sounding lineups they've had in recent years (which have all been fantastic), I think the one thing that I'm just a little bit disappointed in is the lack of emphasis on Wicker Man. It doesn't sound as if there will be anything particularly special going on around the ride, no Beornen characters, no extra effects like what was added for the press preview, etc. I guess there may be something planned, or at least, I hope there will be. And then of course, there is always the Fireworks, which will inevitably be focused mainly on Wicker Man anyway.
Last year's Scarefest had a big emphasis on Wicker Man. The Welcoming introduced us to The Beornan and set up a lot of the Wicker Man backstory.I like that there isn't a set focus on one attraction this year. it makes it a level playing field for the mazes. 
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hursty
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Justin wrote:I'm a little disappointed Gretyl hasn't been added, but still a good sight :)
Very much agree with this, disappointed to not see her feature. Although, she is included in the logo on the hearse graphics.
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