Attraction Source Forum

With Scarefest about to begin this year, I thought with what we have this year could we get next year and what mazes and scare zones could we get in the next few years. Also if AT did turn to ip's (which I hope not) what they should get... Discuss...

I think it's far too early to be discussing Scarefest 2016.

Despite the 2015 line-up looking very strong we still don't know what the mazes are like or what changes there will be to theming/lighting across the park.

Once this years Scarefest is out of the way then maybe we could start thinking of what they can carry over to next year from this years event.

So few opinions from me for next year now the Scarefest event is open to everyone.

Molly Crowe, a nice new addition to event this year. Its unique and I personally have never done a hooded maze before the preview/opening of this maze so in that regard I enjoyed it. Did it have the wow factor or scares, not really if I'm honest. The finale is short but memorable, however the majority of the maze is lacking in scares.

I can imagine a person who has waited for a long time to go in, hearing the audio outside works themselves up so much it may be more a frightening experience than it actually is. Do I think this maze will make a return? personally no.

Terror of the Towers, been here a while now and although a refreshed maze route don't think this maze has much life left in it. I don't feel the new route has refreshed it to a point I'd like to see a return next year.

Sub Species: The End Games, this in my eyes will be at Scarefest for a while probably becoming the new Sanctuary, widely loved by everyone and having a good 2-5 year lifespan on the event lineup even with the possibility of The Sanctuary returning in later years alongside Sub Species once all the Smiler business blows over and it re-opens.

Scaze zones will most likely revert back to queued themed walkthroughs rather than roaming actors. While FV one isn't so bad the DF one is. Even though I didn't particularly like Scary Tales / Zombies last year its far better in comparison.

Future Thoughts:

Staying: Sub Species: The End Games, Sub Species: Operation Lockdown
Going: Molly Crowe, Terror of the Towers, Roaming Scare Zones
Returning (imo): The Sanctuary, Scary Tales
New: A new zone idea for DF.

For those who have done Sub Species I just thought of a follow-on maze that could probably work in the future. The story behind Sub Species is your a contestant/prisoner and you make it out alive obviously. You escape.

This would be my idea for a follow on sort of involving Phalanx Operatives like they are involved in Operation Lockdown!

Sub Species: Breakout

Backstory: Contestants have fled/escaped the sewer maze but have been caught by The Controller after a lengthy pursuit across the barren apocalyptic wasteland and taken to a prisoner facility.

Guests are hooded through the first part and seated while an actor walks in to break them mentally/psychologically/interrogate them.

Some shouting later at guests, loud bangs are heard (flashs/strobes to imitate flash bangs) & lots of gunfire follows (sound fx) phalanx operatives have surged the facility & killed the people in the room (switch doors for actors who are bloodied and dead looking), operatives then remove the hoods of the guests & they see bodies around. The rooms goes dark as the alarm has been triggered (alarm sound fx) and lock down kicks in in the facility and a couple of red revolving lights on the ceiling / hallways later in the maze.

The Controller sets in motion the lock down and the containment room is filled slowly with smoke (gas) to kill the contestants, the guests must move quickly!

The two phalanx operatives shout at the group to "lets go"/"follow me"/"single file" and begin to lead the group out of the prison, one in front leading & one at the back of the group (female audio saying Containment cells breached on level 2), the operatives hear something ahead, shout hold and give the fisted sign up signal, (the lock down malfunctions and accidentally releases some of the creatures from the sewer tunnels) 2 alien creatures take out the phalanx operatives from a side door, pushing them into the adjacent door, doors slam shut & lock with blood curdling screams coming from behind the closed doors.

The guests now are by themselves and once again have to make their way out of another series of tunnels and face people of the sewer dwelling community/the controller forces around every corner.

Tense sound track along with alarm fx continue throughout the maze gradually growing in tempo as it reaches a climax. Low lightning and smoke machines pump ever so gradually along the floors.

Ending could be anything really. 2 endings, on one side you make it out of the facility alive (hurrah!), the other ending you're in a room and meet The Controller (lights go out) and he orders his men to shoot you/feed on them (gunfire sound fx/air bursts or cannibalistic noises) and that's the end of the maze, you failed & you died (boo)!

I thought all the mazes were amazing, especially (you guessed, sub species, the best scarefest maze in history ) but the scare zones are pretty awful.

Agreed about the Scare Zones, I personally think they will be changed next year providing budgets allow or one of the 3 mazes is cut to allow it!

----

I'm in a creative mood tonight don't know why, I even thought of the teaser video for the breakout maze idea:

The video opens in first person view, a man (or woman) is running through a wasteland (very jerky camera motions, like a go-pro on the head), breathing heavily as he runs out of energy & momentum, clearly he is being chased. A sewer dweller jumps in front of the camera and swings a club/wrench in the direction in front of the camera, the screen fades to black.

A voice can be heard first off muffled, distorted, then gradually gets clearer, the voice is saying "Wake up!". The screen comes into focus, (still in first person view) the person/captured prisoner is wearing a hood but its partially see-through. Ahead of the person you can see the faintest of silhouettes.

Then a voice beckons (The Controller): "You thought you could escape?! *laughter* Hahaha! "There is no escape.."!

And then the hood is slowly removed from the guys head (still in first person view) but there is a light on in the background (interrogation like), very bright so the guy puts his hand up to the light as its hurting his eyes.

A silhouette steps forward blocking out the direct light, the guy lowers his hand and its the controller and he says: "Welcome home..." then the screen cuts to black, laughter again slowly fading away and then the Sub Species / Alton Towers logo appears thereafter and the video teaser ends!

I actually liked the scare zones and like roaming actors.

For me next year,
More mazes would be added as £20 for three is expensive when Thorpe Park had 5 included in a entry fee that was still cheaper than Alton Towers (with the mazes added) and also Scare Kingdom has 7 mazes for only £15.
Add an outdoor maze in the woods/gardens as for me, Blair Witch at Thorpe Park was best for this reason.
Haunted hollow would either become a scare zone with roaming actors or a full on maze.

Keep the two scare zones that there currently is.

Increase the amount of activities for children at night keeping cloud cuckoo land open with more friendly Halloween actors. This is for children too old for CeBeebies and still awake for the night but too young for the older mazes.

If possible have Ice Age theatre show 4d horror film.

Bring back things like Duel Alive.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think it'll be quite expensive to create a short film for Ice Age 4D merely for a 2 week period. I mean look how long it took to get a fresh video which was introduced this year.

I can't really see AT doing more mazes for the same amount of money, we've come to expect less mazes at AT compared to TP anyway.

Isn't Gloomy Wood Alive the same as Duel Alive (don't know really).

I could see them adding an additional maze next year in the previous Carnival of Screams location, whilst retaining this year's maze line-up.

I can see scarefest improving over the next years. As long as they dont cut scare mazes and then improve scare zones, hopefully things will get better, think thorpe park, loads of mazes, just not the quality. We need scare zones back, we complained, but they are worse now. Towers have got scare mazes perfect (or on the correct route) just fir people who don't do them, they will be upset about the scare zone cuts.

I think that AT should add to their line up of Scare Mazes. Maybe add a '2015 Scare Zone in X-sector. Keep the current Scare Zones. But add two proper ones like Scary Tales, come on, even ZOMBIES! Scare Zone is better than Nox Infernous... Maybe a group of chainsaw roaming acors waould also be good. And they should continue to make queue times shorter, I experinced many 2 hour plus waits, when they were apparantly '45 mins'!!

I can see the maze lineup remaining the same for 2016. I can see dark apocalypse returning also. Only difference I think we'll see is nox infernus becoming a one way walkthrough, and potentially scary tales returning.

Andy Mc wrote:I think it'll be quite expensive to create a short film for Ice Age 4D merely for a 2 week period. I mean look how long it took to get a fresh video which was introduced this year.

Simworks have a selection of 4D films that could be used. With the move to digital projection changing the content is relatively easy. Changing the Ice theming would be a bit more difficult/expensive.

I have yet to do it, we're going on the 1st of Nov, and can't wait, looking forward to all the mazes. My question is though: with the increased quality do you feel anything will be lost if next year, say, sub species is exactly the same as this year? Or is it random enough that it shouldn't effect a re ride after a year has passed. My fear being that it's so good you build it up even higher in the intervening time then do it again and cant match what you've built up.

Peter who is the mastermind behind Scarefest has already confirmed Sub Species v2.0 is already in the works. Whether that means next year I don't know.

Should it come back next Scarefest identical to this year I wouldn't mind, its a free flowing hands-on "maze it alone" kind of experience with each run through being slightly different. The actors apart from a few free flow around the maze to a point also.

Fantastic, that's the impression I get from all the reports I hear: that each run through is different enough to provide variety can't wait

Does anyone have any idea in which theme parks abroad use and think it could be used here at Alton Towers?

I've never been to an Halloween event abroad so cant really comment apart from id love to see an expansion on the scare zone areas, make them bigger and more prominent.

In 2016 I reckon they'll keep the current 3 mazes and add a 4th maze in the Carnival's old location. I think they'll keep Dark Apocalypse as a free flow scare zone but convert Nox Infernus into a traditional scare zone in Zombies 2014 location.

I can see them doing gloomy wood alive or whatever again, basically just a tamer scare zone I suppose, but the actors are more human in comparison to perhaps nox infernus

How long do you think Scarefest will stay for?