Scarefest - General Discussion
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beanz32101
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hi everyone. just wondering if anybody knows of which brands are doing the 2 for 1 tickets that include the scarefest dates as most I have seen have scarefest excluded in the terms and conditions. thank you for any help.
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ThemeCrafter264
The Carex soaps have 1 half price ticket for every soap brought on the day, so for 2 half price soaps, you will need to bring in 2 soaps. 
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Ladyofthelake
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TowersTimes has been given incredible access to this years Scarefest, with exclusive photography from within the famous scare attractions at Alton Towers. Keep your eye on TowersTimes News later this evening for our full review of Scarefest 2017.
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lewis97
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The full review, along with a vast selection of exclusive photos from the Scarefest attractions, has now been posted on TowersTimes News. Massive props to hursty for some fantastic shots, and of course a thank you to the Resort and all of the event's scare actors for enabling TowersTimes to bring you this content!
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Chris
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If anyone had any doubts about going to Scarefest now.. hopefully that will make up their mind!
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O_Butler
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My review of the mazes this year...
Terror Of The Towers - Now I’ll admit, I’m a massive ToT fanboy. I love the feel, atmosphere and theme to this maze and always have. I was super excited to get back into the maze this year. However, I was slightly underwhelmed. First off, the audio in the queue line wasn’t up to usual standards, in the bridge area of the queue line it was slightly better. The maze itself was okay, there was some good smells, usual superb theming and lively actors. However I feel this maze is becoming very stale now and needs a complete overhaul. The theming consisted of mainly white sheets, streamlined walls with actors predictably jumping out, so scared were limited. Overall it gets a 7/10.
Sub Species - This maze is by far the best Alton have ever done, the queue was improved with better audio. The maze was as chaotic as usual, with the actors bouncing about and splitting me up 24/7, to the point where I spent most of it with a random person. The theming was excellent, lighting levels good and scared on point. I had the simple chainsaw finale, but was impressed with the alien nest scene, although the alien wasn’t particularly scary. I’d like to see this maze enter a new story next year to keep it buzzing, but this is without a doubt one of the best mazes in the country. 8/10
Altonville Mine Tours - I was lucky enough to be situated at the back of my group, armed with a headlight. I like the way this maze really focuses on the tour aspect at the start, and digs deep into the story. In terms of theming, it is the best I’ve seen in a scare attraction by a long way, with no scene in the maze using black walls or simple white hanging sheets. Scares were okay, when I don’t get scared myself in a maze, I like to look around and see how scared others get, and a lot where indeed getting good scares. The actors weren’t as hands on and physical as usual, with the most physical it got on me was when I revived a massage from behind by an actor for a good 2 minutes! The finale was odd, with nothing happening and just involved me walking out, however I felt having the helmet on added bumped the scares up substantially. 8/10
The Welcoming - Wow, what can I possibly say about this maze? It had everything, a superb soundtrack, quick batching, good start, incredible theming and breathtaking actors. The hooded section was a great addition, with some great scares coming from this, including an actor pushing maggots down my back. This was the most physical it got out of all the mazes, especially in the final scene with the half naked men. To say this maze has been placed in a small amount of space, any sense of what it previously was has gone, I was totally immersed and impressed and came out exuberant. The best maze of the night for me, and I’d like to see it return next year to possibly enhance the whole SW8 experience, where though? That’s a question for another day!
Overall, I most certainly do have the scarefest blues, and will miss what has been a fantastic event. The lighting and smoke around the park added to an incredible atmosphere at night, unseen anywhere else in the UK. Alton have delivered yet again with another fantastic year. Here’s to the next one!
Terror Of The Towers - Now I’ll admit, I’m a massive ToT fanboy. I love the feel, atmosphere and theme to this maze and always have. I was super excited to get back into the maze this year. However, I was slightly underwhelmed. First off, the audio in the queue line wasn’t up to usual standards, in the bridge area of the queue line it was slightly better. The maze itself was okay, there was some good smells, usual superb theming and lively actors. However I feel this maze is becoming very stale now and needs a complete overhaul. The theming consisted of mainly white sheets, streamlined walls with actors predictably jumping out, so scared were limited. Overall it gets a 7/10.
Sub Species - This maze is by far the best Alton have ever done, the queue was improved with better audio. The maze was as chaotic as usual, with the actors bouncing about and splitting me up 24/7, to the point where I spent most of it with a random person. The theming was excellent, lighting levels good and scared on point. I had the simple chainsaw finale, but was impressed with the alien nest scene, although the alien wasn’t particularly scary. I’d like to see this maze enter a new story next year to keep it buzzing, but this is without a doubt one of the best mazes in the country. 8/10
Altonville Mine Tours - I was lucky enough to be situated at the back of my group, armed with a headlight. I like the way this maze really focuses on the tour aspect at the start, and digs deep into the story. In terms of theming, it is the best I’ve seen in a scare attraction by a long way, with no scene in the maze using black walls or simple white hanging sheets. Scares were okay, when I don’t get scared myself in a maze, I like to look around and see how scared others get, and a lot where indeed getting good scares. The actors weren’t as hands on and physical as usual, with the most physical it got on me was when I revived a massage from behind by an actor for a good 2 minutes! The finale was odd, with nothing happening and just involved me walking out, however I felt having the helmet on added bumped the scares up substantially. 8/10
The Welcoming - Wow, what can I possibly say about this maze? It had everything, a superb soundtrack, quick batching, good start, incredible theming and breathtaking actors. The hooded section was a great addition, with some great scares coming from this, including an actor pushing maggots down my back. This was the most physical it got out of all the mazes, especially in the final scene with the half naked men. To say this maze has been placed in a small amount of space, any sense of what it previously was has gone, I was totally immersed and impressed and came out exuberant. The best maze of the night for me, and I’d like to see it return next year to possibly enhance the whole SW8 experience, where though? That’s a question for another day!
Overall, I most certainly do have the scarefest blues, and will miss what has been a fantastic event. The lighting and smoke around the park added to an incredible atmosphere at night, unseen anywhere else in the UK. Alton have delivered yet again with another fantastic year. Here’s to the next one!
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Ripsaw Raver
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Unfortunately for me this year it was not great , Just got back and the mazes really did nothing for me.
TOTT -This attraction has been butchered from its past incarnations, Its alot shorter and just doesn't have the charm it once did, There was not a great deal of actor interaction and it seemed lost from the old breaking into the ruins route to finding yourself lost within. Ive not been a fan of the new finale ending as it just does not have the drama that the old route used to provide.
Sub Species- Again when this first opened it was fantastic ,even beat the Sanctuary which is my all time fave scare maze, Sub Species today seemed completely lacking, It was a mess, Some of the actors didn't seem to know what was going on, There was so little hands on interaction where as on its first year it was the extreme experience which made it a winner.
MineTours-First time of doing it, Loved the first two actors but after that it just fell short, I loved the lights underneath the floorboards but it seemed to have no finale and I walked out saying "Oh were at the end"
TheWelcoming- First off i will say this is a beautiful attraction, the sets are gorgeous but was it scary...not one bit. There was some great themeing moments but the hooded section seemed lost as there was no reason exactly of to what reason we was hooded. It also failed to explain to me anything other than the old pagan setting to do with SW8/Wickerman... Again sadly I left walking out saying ...Is that it. I was expecting to be trapped in a cage ending or somthing ...but it just never came.
Ive been going to Scarefest since 2013 and this year for me was the weakest... If TOTT keeps the same route then to be honest...its time to go.
Butchering iconic attractions for the sake of adding other mazes was a bad move, TOTTs new route back in 2015 I think it was ,was a triumph The gantry scene above the room below the detailed scenes, sadly so much has gone and on a year where all the mazes are paid for it left me feeling short changed.
TOTT -This attraction has been butchered from its past incarnations, Its alot shorter and just doesn't have the charm it once did, There was not a great deal of actor interaction and it seemed lost from the old breaking into the ruins route to finding yourself lost within. Ive not been a fan of the new finale ending as it just does not have the drama that the old route used to provide.
Sub Species- Again when this first opened it was fantastic ,even beat the Sanctuary which is my all time fave scare maze, Sub Species today seemed completely lacking, It was a mess, Some of the actors didn't seem to know what was going on, There was so little hands on interaction where as on its first year it was the extreme experience which made it a winner.
MineTours-First time of doing it, Loved the first two actors but after that it just fell short, I loved the lights underneath the floorboards but it seemed to have no finale and I walked out saying "Oh were at the end"
TheWelcoming- First off i will say this is a beautiful attraction, the sets are gorgeous but was it scary...not one bit. There was some great themeing moments but the hooded section seemed lost as there was no reason exactly of to what reason we was hooded. It also failed to explain to me anything other than the old pagan setting to do with SW8/Wickerman... Again sadly I left walking out saying ...Is that it. I was expecting to be trapped in a cage ending or somthing ...but it just never came.
Ive been going to Scarefest since 2013 and this year for me was the weakest... If TOTT keeps the same route then to be honest...its time to go.
Butchering iconic attractions for the sake of adding other mazes was a bad move, TOTTs new route back in 2015 I think it was ,was a triumph The gantry scene above the room below the detailed scenes, sadly so much has gone and on a year where all the mazes are paid for it left me feeling short changed.
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O_Butler
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I completely agree with the whole ToT thing there. The 2015 version was by the far best it’s ever been, why they changed it I’ll never know... But I disagree that they should get rid of it, it’s iconic to scarefest. It needs a new theme, new scenes and less streamlined white sheets and boxes and more like the 2015 version with beautiful set peices. They should always keep it as a low scare rating as well, as it’s a maze which can appeal to those who want a taste of othersRipsaw Raver wrote:Unfortunately for me this year it was not great , Just got back and the mazes really did nothing for me.
TOTT -This attraction has been butchered from its past incarnations, Its alot shorter and just doesn't have the charm it once did, There was not a great deal of actor interaction and it seemed lost from the old breaking into the ruins route to finding yourself lost within. Ive not been a fan of the new finale ending as it just does not have the drama that the old route used to provide.
Sub Species- Again when this first opened it was fantastic ,even beat the Sanctuary which is my all time fave scare maze, Sub Species today seemed completely lacking, It was a mess, Some of the actors didn't seem to know what was going on, There was so little hands on interaction where as on its first year it was the extreme experience which made it a winner.
MineTours-First time of doing it, Loved the first two actors but after that it just fell short, I loved the lights underneath the floorboards but it seemed to have no finale and I walked out saying "Oh were at the end"
TheWelcoming- First off i will say this is a beautiful attraction, the sets are gorgeous but was it scary...not one bit. There was some great themeing moments but the hooded section seemed lost as there was no reason exactly of to what reason we was hooded. It also failed to explain to me anything other than the old pagan setting to do with SW8/Wickerman... Again sadly I left walking out saying ...Is that it. I was expecting to be trapped in a cage ending or somthing ...but it just never came.
Ive been going to Scarefest since 2013 and this year for me was the weakest... If TOTT keeps the same route then to be honest...its time to go.
Butchering iconic attractions for the sake of adding other mazes was a bad move, TOTTs new route back in 2015 I think it was ,was a triumph The gantry scene above the room below the detailed scenes, sadly so much has gone and on a year where all the mazes are paid for it left me feeling short changed.
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Polly
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I went yesterday and loved all the mazes. Lots of fun was had but can anyone explain the end of the welcoming? im not sure if it was bad timing and we missed some big finale or it was just a rubbish ending. We walked out of there so surprised it had finished. Whilst the setting was really good and different from anything I’ve seen before the ending fell flat and was super disappointing. Anyone experience anything different?
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Robert.W
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Quick question, has anyone who has been to Scarefest over the past few days noticed any improvement on the park lighting? I remember hearing that at the beginning of Scarefest this year that it wasn't looking too good and I just wondered if the changes that Alton Towers said had been done.
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MakoMania
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It has improved since the start of the event, seems as if they left themselves too little time to put the filters on before opening day.Robert.W wrote:Quick question, has anyone who has been to Scarefest over the past few days noticed any improvement on the park lighting? I remember hearing that at the beginning of Scarefest this year that it wasn't looking too good and I just wondered if the changes that Alton Towers said had been done.
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S.J_O'Grady
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Th13teen green? Oblivion orange?
Life is a roller coaster. You can either scream every time you hit a bump or you can throw your hands up in the air and enjoy it.
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Bert
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I noticed yesterday that Galactica and Nemesis are near identical to what they were last year, which is a good thing.
The Smiler looks a lot better this year in my opinion as it's more subtle and not blinding.
Rita is bathed in green. Th13teen building is also green however the ride itself has no lighting on the outdoor sections.
Also worth noting that this year there is various smoke machines around areas such as Sub Species and the pathway through the towers to get to Hex.
The Smiler looks a lot better this year in my opinion as it's more subtle and not blinding.
Rita is bathed in green. Th13teen building is also green however the ride itself has no lighting on the outdoor sections.
Also worth noting that this year there is various smoke machines around areas such as Sub Species and the pathway through the towers to get to Hex.
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JC13
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- Location: Yorkshire
My review of scarefest 2017 (Only today, not on Saturday 7th. Anything on that day doesn’t count.)
House of Monsters:
I enjoy this, I find it entertaining and a good way to use time. I liked the ending with the different doors and think the scare maze at the end is better than. last year.
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fear: 1/10
Freak Show
I’m not a fan of freak show, I always thought dark apocalypse was the better of the two.
Enjoyment: 2/10
Fear: 1/10
Terror of the Towers
I love this maze. The theming may not be great but the jump scares make up for it. It was too dark to see any of the actors inside though. After the strobe light scene. An actor followed us into the end corridor to scare people. That made it a lot more enjoyable
Excitement: 9/10
Fear: 3/10
Altonville Mine Tours
After two bad run through on opening day, today the actors were a lot more hands on. I was pushed through the tight spaces and grabbed by actors
Excitement: 9/10
Fear: 4/10
Sub Species
One word. WOW. Today was my second run through, the actors were grabbing you through the doors and shoving you down coridoors. I got the tunnel ending, and was pushed into the longer tunnel. The chainsaw ending didn’t scare me, he just stood against a wall with it. Best maze by far
Excitement: 10/10
Fear: 5/10
The Welcoming
I don’t like this maze. I don’t get why people like it. I thought I would enjoy doing it in the dark, but I didn’t. I got grabbed on the legs in the blindfold section and the second to last scene seemed strange, won’t spoil it for those who haven’t been in. If I was at Scarefest again this year, I would pass on doing the welcoming
Excitement: 2/10
Fear: 2/10
House of Monsters:
I enjoy this, I find it entertaining and a good way to use time. I liked the ending with the different doors and think the scare maze at the end is better than. last year.
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fear: 1/10
Freak Show
I’m not a fan of freak show, I always thought dark apocalypse was the better of the two.
Enjoyment: 2/10
Fear: 1/10
Terror of the Towers
I love this maze. The theming may not be great but the jump scares make up for it. It was too dark to see any of the actors inside though. After the strobe light scene. An actor followed us into the end corridor to scare people. That made it a lot more enjoyable
Excitement: 9/10
Fear: 3/10
Altonville Mine Tours
After two bad run through on opening day, today the actors were a lot more hands on. I was pushed through the tight spaces and grabbed by actors
Excitement: 9/10
Fear: 4/10
Sub Species
One word. WOW. Today was my second run through, the actors were grabbing you through the doors and shoving you down coridoors. I got the tunnel ending, and was pushed into the longer tunnel. The chainsaw ending didn’t scare me, he just stood against a wall with it. Best maze by far
Excitement: 10/10
Fear: 5/10
The Welcoming
I don’t like this maze. I don’t get why people like it. I thought I would enjoy doing it in the dark, but I didn’t. I got grabbed on the legs in the blindfold section and the second to last scene seemed strange, won’t spoil it for those who haven’t been in. If I was at Scarefest again this year, I would pass on doing the welcoming
Excitement: 2/10
Fear: 2/10
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klp
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Please can somebody who did The Welcoming and thought it was good, do a detailed, spoiler-filed review? Me and my sister did it on 14 Oct and were really disappointed
Don't get me wrong, the whole setting was amazing, beautiful, and atmospheric, but nothing really... happened?
I feel like we missed something. we were near the back of the group and went rather slowly, as we were appreciating how great it all looked, but apart from a few villagers literally just running in front of us, there was nothing else? Maybe our expectations were too high, but had got the impression that there was supposed to be more going on, and some other reviews I've read (but that didn't have spoilers) it seemed like we may have missed stuff. For example somebody mentioned "set pieces"... and there seemed to be a sort of stage / platform at one point but nobody was on it.
Also, another review said the hooded section was well explained the context? We did not notice any context or story really.
We certainly did not feel "chosen" in any way at all!
thanks in advance.
Karen
(don't post much but long time lurker - love you guys!)
Don't get me wrong, the whole setting was amazing, beautiful, and atmospheric, but nothing really... happened?
I feel like we missed something. we were near the back of the group and went rather slowly, as we were appreciating how great it all looked, but apart from a few villagers literally just running in front of us, there was nothing else? Maybe our expectations were too high, but had got the impression that there was supposed to be more going on, and some other reviews I've read (but that didn't have spoilers) it seemed like we may have missed stuff. For example somebody mentioned "set pieces"... and there seemed to be a sort of stage / platform at one point but nobody was on it.
Also, another review said the hooded section was well explained the context? We did not notice any context or story really.
We certainly did not feel "chosen" in any way at all!
thanks in advance.
Karen
(don't post much but long time lurker - love you guys!)
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Ladyofthelake
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The Welcoming is very much intended to be more of a theatrical maze rather than a maze which is overly scary.
In terms of 'set pieces',
In terms of the hooded section, I think the actors have got better at explaining the context. I did the maze on the 14th and missed it being explained, but did it again on the 21st and got the explanation.
Hope that at least explains some of the things for you
In terms of 'set pieces',
Spoiler
you have the stage area in the first section, then as you make your way through you have the giant pig/dog on the spit roast, the 'trial scene' where you had the earth mound, ducking stool, and stake for a witch to be burned at, and of course the final scene featuring the fire effect.
Spoiler
The hooded section is for when the villagers take us (the outsiders) from their village to their Hallowed grounds - they don't want us to be able to find our way there on our own so they use the hoods to prevent us from seeing where they're taking us until we're there
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S.J_O'Grady
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Has anyone else noticed that the actors in Freak Show seam to get a bit messy for the last week of Scarefest? It happened last year and looks to be happening again now. They all seem to swap roles and costumes and play with the make up but it doesn't work quite as well from what I see, which is a big shame. After all, there's only one Ring Master for me. 
Life is a roller coaster. You can either scream every time you hit a bump or you can throw your hands up in the air and enjoy it.