London Dungeon Blackout - Halloween 2024
London Dungeon is celebrating its 50th Birthday this year and the attraction has seen a lot of changes over the past 5 decades. But one thing it has never really done is put on a full scale scare experience. Granted, many of the scenes have scary or jumpy elements - but there has always been a playful humour to their shows. Well not anymore!
For Halloween, the team have come up with a new show which is playing for just a few nights through October. Entitled Blackout, the event is advertised as an 18+ experience, so we knew we had to come along and see what the show is about.
After a welcome alcoholic shot, we were led into the attraction as a small group of 5 and taken down into the elevator to start our journey. At this point we were warned of the demon Bloody Mary and not to say her name three times in a mirror. We were then left to find our way through the dungeon in almost total darkness. Now having done the Dungeon multiple times - we have never really jumped at the sudden noises and effects on the normal tour, but when suddenly appearing out of the darkness, they had the power to make us scream. Soon enough we came face to face with Bloody Mary in a strobe lit Gunpowder Plot room, which provided a number of good jump scares.
Our tour then continued through many familiar scenes, the Witches, the torture chamber, and Mrs Lovett, but all with the lights down low and the threat that Bloody Mary was near. Interesting at one point we had to wear a hood and just feel our way through the attraction. We aren't sure whether this was to hide a behind the scenes corridor, but we got separated from the other people in our group, and our progress through was slow in the darkness.
Once the hoods were removed, a number of actors used the darkness to lurch out and get some great scares, and by the time we reached the Jack the Ripper scene we were being tormented by multiple Marys as we were chased into the Mirror maze. Now seeing as Mary is a mirror based character - it was appropriate to end in the mirrors, but nothing really happened. If we could have gotten some sudden appearances from her - it would have been more terrifying
What happened then we really don't want to spoil, but the team used one of our favorite rooms (the Ten Bells pub) to really end the experience in style. After this we were ushered into the tavern, where we were able to purchase drinks or have our fortune told by a spooky fortune teller.
Although not the scariest experience we have ever done, we really had fun at London Dungeon Blackout, as they managed to elicit a number of jumps and scares from us. Our biggest complaint would possibly be that the experience could have been 5 to 10 minutes longer. Granted it was only £12.50 per person (not bad for London prices) but we were probably in and out of the main experience in under 20 minutes which left us wanting just a little bit more.
For Halloween, the team have come up with a new show which is playing for just a few nights through October. Entitled Blackout, the event is advertised as an 18+ experience, so we knew we had to come along and see what the show is about.
After a welcome alcoholic shot, we were led into the attraction as a small group of 5 and taken down into the elevator to start our journey. At this point we were warned of the demon Bloody Mary and not to say her name three times in a mirror. We were then left to find our way through the dungeon in almost total darkness. Now having done the Dungeon multiple times - we have never really jumped at the sudden noises and effects on the normal tour, but when suddenly appearing out of the darkness, they had the power to make us scream. Soon enough we came face to face with Bloody Mary in a strobe lit Gunpowder Plot room, which provided a number of good jump scares.
Our tour then continued through many familiar scenes, the Witches, the torture chamber, and Mrs Lovett, but all with the lights down low and the threat that Bloody Mary was near. Interesting at one point we had to wear a hood and just feel our way through the attraction. We aren't sure whether this was to hide a behind the scenes corridor, but we got separated from the other people in our group, and our progress through was slow in the darkness.
Once the hoods were removed, a number of actors used the darkness to lurch out and get some great scares, and by the time we reached the Jack the Ripper scene we were being tormented by multiple Marys as we were chased into the Mirror maze. Now seeing as Mary is a mirror based character - it was appropriate to end in the mirrors, but nothing really happened. If we could have gotten some sudden appearances from her - it would have been more terrifying
What happened then we really don't want to spoil, but the team used one of our favorite rooms (the Ten Bells pub) to really end the experience in style. After this we were ushered into the tavern, where we were able to purchase drinks or have our fortune told by a spooky fortune teller.
Although not the scariest experience we have ever done, we really had fun at London Dungeon Blackout, as they managed to elicit a number of jumps and scares from us. Our biggest complaint would possibly be that the experience could have been 5 to 10 minutes longer. Granted it was only £12.50 per person (not bad for London prices) but we were probably in and out of the main experience in under 20 minutes which left us wanting just a little bit more.
Rotten Royals review - Summer 2024
This year's Seasonal Summer Show for London Dungeon is based around the execution of King Charles in 1649. On the day we visited, the boat ride was down so our elevator ride went straight to the middle floor of the attraction, bypassing the boat and Guy Fawkes sections completely.
Once out of the lift we were immediately greeted by a rebel who was keen to see King Charles be executed, and we were asked to look out for the Executioner, who was looking to practice his skills. With a lot of audience participation including searching the set and chanting "death to the King", we were left to explore the narrow passages that would normally preface the Guy Fawkes show.
Now, nothing here had really changed since Halloween, and the large Guy Fawkes room with the moving floor, once again played out the full "Executioner" scene that we have seen at multiple UK Dungeons. Nothing here felt new or different to what we had experienced before, so the "new" show for 2024 was more a re-tooling of existing experiences as opposed to something completely new.
That's not to say the shows weren't executed professionally with the dark humour we expect from the Dungeons brand, but for a new show - they really didn't offer us anything we haven't see before.
After the King Charles section, the tour played out as normal with just a few things standing out. The Great Fire in the small plague room has now been completely returned to a pitch dark plague room, whilst The Curse of the Witch remains one of the most impressive scenes across all the Dungeon attractions.
Clearly the audience for the Dungeon is tourists looking for an educationally scary experience, and for that it truly delivers. As for an attraction that could be revisited year after year, then we would really prefer the new scenes to be more dramatic or different. For example last year's The Exorcism of Peter Moore, was one of the best seasonal shows the attraction has had for years, and we would love to see that level of detail and intensity return for future events.
We do have to commend the Dungeons for constantly refreshing and updating their line up, but for us - Rotten Royals was just a fun diversion and nothing to lose our head about!
Once out of the lift we were immediately greeted by a rebel who was keen to see King Charles be executed, and we were asked to look out for the Executioner, who was looking to practice his skills. With a lot of audience participation including searching the set and chanting "death to the King", we were left to explore the narrow passages that would normally preface the Guy Fawkes show.
Now, nothing here had really changed since Halloween, and the large Guy Fawkes room with the moving floor, once again played out the full "Executioner" scene that we have seen at multiple UK Dungeons. Nothing here felt new or different to what we had experienced before, so the "new" show for 2024 was more a re-tooling of existing experiences as opposed to something completely new.
That's not to say the shows weren't executed professionally with the dark humour we expect from the Dungeons brand, but for a new show - they really didn't offer us anything we haven't see before.
After the King Charles section, the tour played out as normal with just a few things standing out. The Great Fire in the small plague room has now been completely returned to a pitch dark plague room, whilst The Curse of the Witch remains one of the most impressive scenes across all the Dungeon attractions.
Clearly the audience for the Dungeon is tourists looking for an educationally scary experience, and for that it truly delivers. As for an attraction that could be revisited year after year, then we would really prefer the new scenes to be more dramatic or different. For example last year's The Exorcism of Peter Moore, was one of the best seasonal shows the attraction has had for years, and we would love to see that level of detail and intensity return for future events.
We do have to commend the Dungeons for constantly refreshing and updating their line up, but for us - Rotten Royals was just a fun diversion and nothing to lose our head about!
London Dungeon Halloween 2023
We visited London Dungeon predominantly for their new show The Exorcism of Peter Moore. Therefore, we were a bit surprised that there were some other changes in the lineup. Without any publicity it would appear that Guy Fawkes has been removed and instead a generic Executioner show has been added. Now having only recently visited York Dungeon we were surprised at just how identical this was to their executioner show (even down to the “ear” puns.) The only thing that made this stand out was references to Anne Boleyn (the strumpet!) who became the main focus of both this show, and the conspirators walk before it.
Elsewhere the Dungeon remained pretty much unchanged except for the new show which has been located in the empty box between Sweeney Todd and Jack the Ripper. As the show started, we were invited into the front room of a woman who was experiencing demonic possessions within her child and her husband.
What followed was a collection of the Dungeons greatest hits. Sudden noise, periods of darkness, startle reveals and a lot more. We genuinely think this is probably one of the most elaborate shows the Dungeon has created in years as it requires a lot of actor involvement as well as moving props and effects.
The final thing we loved about the show (and we will be careful not to spoil the surprises) was how it pulled the rug out from under our feet about what we thought we had seen and experienced. We’re not sure the non-English speaking tourists may understand the subtlety of the ending – but we did and we loved it!
Elsewhere across the Dungeon we noticed a number of subtle changes such as lowered lighting in Jack the Ripper and more audience interaction from the actors. All in – it was one of our strongest visits in years.
Finally we must just mention the Holy water vending machine at the entrance. Most guests were offered a large water bottle which we found out on later inspection - was not for drinking! Its was funny though as a few times across the show, the actors would question why we were all holding holy water!
Elsewhere the Dungeon remained pretty much unchanged except for the new show which has been located in the empty box between Sweeney Todd and Jack the Ripper. As the show started, we were invited into the front room of a woman who was experiencing demonic possessions within her child and her husband.
What followed was a collection of the Dungeons greatest hits. Sudden noise, periods of darkness, startle reveals and a lot more. We genuinely think this is probably one of the most elaborate shows the Dungeon has created in years as it requires a lot of actor involvement as well as moving props and effects.
The final thing we loved about the show (and we will be careful not to spoil the surprises) was how it pulled the rug out from under our feet about what we thought we had seen and experienced. We’re not sure the non-English speaking tourists may understand the subtlety of the ending – but we did and we loved it!
Elsewhere across the Dungeon we noticed a number of subtle changes such as lowered lighting in Jack the Ripper and more audience interaction from the actors. All in – it was one of our strongest visits in years.
Finally we must just mention the Holy water vending machine at the entrance. Most guests were offered a large water bottle which we found out on later inspection - was not for drinking! Its was funny though as a few times across the show, the actors would question why we were all holding holy water!
London Dungeon Escape Room
The Dungeons brand is famous for it's tongue in check mix of horrible history with humour, and the London venue recently opened a new escape room.
Themed to London's most infamous resident - Guy Fawkes, the experience saw us chained up in a dingy cell with no obvious way of escape. As with any escape room there were an array of padlocks and red herrings, and our first mission was just to get ourselves unchained so we could explore the room properly. We quickly managed to get one person freed, but then struggled for a bit (especially as the one person we had freed wasn’t the best “explorer” of the room and managed to miss some of the more obvious props or clues!)
But soon, we were all out of our cells, and working our way through a mix of padlocks, combinations and physical puzzles. We don't want to ruin any of the puzzles or tricks of the room, but there are a number of fun surprises that we hadn’t expected. There was also at least one true jump scare, that one unfortunate member of our team took with absolutely no warning! One of the other things we enjoyed about this room was the “return” of the prison guard half way through. After spending ages getting ourselves unlocked, it was hysterical to then race to try and get locked back in again so we weren't found out!
Like most escape rooms – there was a help mechanism available if we got stuck, and we loved the way any clues were delivered in character, which helped create a tense atmosphere. We must also mention the sound and lighting – especially the changes at each 15 minute mark – which really ramped up the tension, and showed how our time was running out.
Fortunately we managed to escape and our final door led us straight into the waiting room for the drop ride. At this point, our host met us, and gave the option of dropping to our deaths or walking free.
Clearly the escape room had been built in the old “Great Escape" room that the Dungeon used to close with, and as such - this was a small complaint we had. Whilst in the game – we could hear groups moving around the Dungeon outside our doors, and our entrance into the room was down an un-themed corridor behind the photo point. These are just minor points and didn’t spoil our experience at all.
All in we had a great time - the escape room is a perfect addition to a visit to the Dungeon and we are just happy that we actually escaped with our lives!
Themed to London's most infamous resident - Guy Fawkes, the experience saw us chained up in a dingy cell with no obvious way of escape. As with any escape room there were an array of padlocks and red herrings, and our first mission was just to get ourselves unchained so we could explore the room properly. We quickly managed to get one person freed, but then struggled for a bit (especially as the one person we had freed wasn’t the best “explorer” of the room and managed to miss some of the more obvious props or clues!)
But soon, we were all out of our cells, and working our way through a mix of padlocks, combinations and physical puzzles. We don't want to ruin any of the puzzles or tricks of the room, but there are a number of fun surprises that we hadn’t expected. There was also at least one true jump scare, that one unfortunate member of our team took with absolutely no warning! One of the other things we enjoyed about this room was the “return” of the prison guard half way through. After spending ages getting ourselves unlocked, it was hysterical to then race to try and get locked back in again so we weren't found out!
Like most escape rooms – there was a help mechanism available if we got stuck, and we loved the way any clues were delivered in character, which helped create a tense atmosphere. We must also mention the sound and lighting – especially the changes at each 15 minute mark – which really ramped up the tension, and showed how our time was running out.
Fortunately we managed to escape and our final door led us straight into the waiting room for the drop ride. At this point, our host met us, and gave the option of dropping to our deaths or walking free.
Clearly the escape room had been built in the old “Great Escape" room that the Dungeon used to close with, and as such - this was a small complaint we had. Whilst in the game – we could hear groups moving around the Dungeon outside our doors, and our entrance into the room was down an un-themed corridor behind the photo point. These are just minor points and didn’t spoil our experience at all.
All in we had a great time - the escape room is a perfect addition to a visit to the Dungeon and we are just happy that we actually escaped with our lives!
Bodysnatchers - Summer 2022
Once again the empty box room between Sweeny Todd and Jack the Ripper, has been repurposed for a new temporary show, this time based on the infamous body snatchers of the late 18th century. Although some of the UK's most notorious Body Snatchers were based in Scotland (Messers Burke and Hare get a mention here) the practice was rife in London as well, as unscrupulous dealers would sell recently deceased bodies to nearby medical schools for dissection.
The show itself centres around one of these body snatchers prizing open a coffin to get to the corpse within, who is then disturbed by the police and needs to find somewhere to hide. The show uses darkness and sudden sound, and provides a surprise as one guest picked from the audience gets hidden inside (and disappears from) a coffin propped up against the wall. It's a fun addition to the tour, but probably not the scariest of the recent shows that have been been in this room (it will still take a lot to beat Seance!)
Elsewhere throughout the attraction - the recently added Curse of the Witch show has replaced the Great Fire of London which which has been relegated to the very small Black Plague room. A lot of the Great Fire effects have been lost in translation, and as such, the story just unfolds on screens showing the city burning around us. Although the Curse of the Witch show is a great addition - it's a real shame that the real historical event has been dumbed down and has lost some of the grandeur of the existing show.
But with its audience mostly made up of tourists, The London Dungeon could easily go several years between upgrades, so it is refreshing to see that it is always changing. Once this show finishes, the venue have already lined up a new story for Halloween where guests will be invited into 50 Berkley Square - the most haunted house in London!
The show itself centres around one of these body snatchers prizing open a coffin to get to the corpse within, who is then disturbed by the police and needs to find somewhere to hide. The show uses darkness and sudden sound, and provides a surprise as one guest picked from the audience gets hidden inside (and disappears from) a coffin propped up against the wall. It's a fun addition to the tour, but probably not the scariest of the recent shows that have been been in this room (it will still take a lot to beat Seance!)
Elsewhere throughout the attraction - the recently added Curse of the Witch show has replaced the Great Fire of London which which has been relegated to the very small Black Plague room. A lot of the Great Fire effects have been lost in translation, and as such, the story just unfolds on screens showing the city burning around us. Although the Curse of the Witch show is a great addition - it's a real shame that the real historical event has been dumbed down and has lost some of the grandeur of the existing show.
But with its audience mostly made up of tourists, The London Dungeon could easily go several years between upgrades, so it is refreshing to see that it is always changing. Once this show finishes, the venue have already lined up a new story for Halloween where guests will be invited into 50 Berkley Square - the most haunted house in London!
Curse of the Witch - Easter 2022
This year's seasonal offering at the London Dungeon is The Curse of the Witch, which sits neatly between The Plague Doctor and Mrs Lovetts Pie Shop.
The show itself puts us in Newgate prison with a witch on the night before her execution. She seems quite meek and resigned to her fate, but of course, appearances can be deceptive!
Using familiar techniques from other Dungeon shows, we were treated to periods of darkness, strobe lighting, loud thunder and several scares. Although its hardly anything original, this new show does seem to have ramped the effects up to 11, and thereby brings a whole new life to what we have seen at other sites. We especially liked the underfloor lighting effect, that made it look as if the floor was opening up beneath us.
All in - its a great addition to the overall line up and we are pleased to see the venue continuing with the addition of more intense and scare based shows.
The show itself puts us in Newgate prison with a witch on the night before her execution. She seems quite meek and resigned to her fate, but of course, appearances can be deceptive!
Using familiar techniques from other Dungeon shows, we were treated to periods of darkness, strobe lighting, loud thunder and several scares. Although its hardly anything original, this new show does seem to have ramped the effects up to 11, and thereby brings a whole new life to what we have seen at other sites. We especially liked the underfloor lighting effect, that made it look as if the floor was opening up beneath us.
All in - its a great addition to the overall line up and we are pleased to see the venue continuing with the addition of more intense and scare based shows.
The Dentist - Summer 2021
Following the re-opening of the Dungeon attractions after The Covid restrictions, we weren't really expecting there to be any new shows this year, but London Dungeon surprised us with a new scene -The Dentist in their pop up area between Sweeny Todd and Jack the Ripper.
The new room is nicely themed as a Victorian operating theatre, with a cadaver in the dentist chair about to be operated on. As the Dentist started to explain the history of Dentistry, really gross and disturbing images of tooth extractions and the instruments used, were projected onto the wall. It really is fascinating, but it is also pretty gross!
Of course, there is always a twist with a Dungeons show and soon enough, via a clever use of a blackout, the chair is empty and the dentist is looking for a new victim!
The whole scenes is really good fun but we must warn that if you are squeamish and don't like dentistry, then it really will make you uncomfortable throughout. It's definitely not one for the feint hearted!
Elsewhere throughout the attraction, Covid restrictions are still in place - for example the Tyrant boat ride is still not being used, and the Jack the Ripper mirror maze is just a one way walkthrough to try and avoid the obvious pinch points and contacts between guests.
But despite the restriction - the actors and stories really create a truly immersive experience and, we had a great visit.
The new room is nicely themed as a Victorian operating theatre, with a cadaver in the dentist chair about to be operated on. As the Dentist started to explain the history of Dentistry, really gross and disturbing images of tooth extractions and the instruments used, were projected onto the wall. It really is fascinating, but it is also pretty gross!
Of course, there is always a twist with a Dungeons show and soon enough, via a clever use of a blackout, the chair is empty and the dentist is looking for a new victim!
The whole scenes is really good fun but we must warn that if you are squeamish and don't like dentistry, then it really will make you uncomfortable throughout. It's definitely not one for the feint hearted!
Elsewhere throughout the attraction, Covid restrictions are still in place - for example the Tyrant boat ride is still not being used, and the Jack the Ripper mirror maze is just a one way walkthrough to try and avoid the obvious pinch points and contacts between guests.
But despite the restriction - the actors and stories really create a truly immersive experience and, we had a great visit.
Hide and Seek - Halloween 2019
The new show for Halloween at The London Dungeon is a revamp of the Hide and Seek show that debuted earlier in the year. Now – instead of Sweeney Todd, the main villain is Jack the Ripper, with some changes to the preceding shows, creating a whole Jack the Ripper narrative across multiple shows.
Despite the abundance of flickering pumpkins around the attraction – the first real change for Halloween comes with Mrs Lovetts pie shop. All references to Sweeney are out, and the gossipy pie maker sets up the stories of the murders in Whitechapel.
This then flows through into the next scene, where again Sweeney has been removed and new multi directional audio, introduces us to the notorious legend of Jack. It’s a very similar style show to the previous one with all the physical chair effects still present.
After leaving this chamber we headed into Hide and Seek for a sneak peek into a street worker’s bedroom, as she receives a very unwelcome customer. The concept of peering trough the slats is very creepy and gives a real voyeuristic feel to the proceedings. It doesn’t help that you literally have to press your face against the wall to see, which makes it even more terrifying when the lights go off and you find yourself staring straight into the eyes of the killer!
The story then continues through Mitre Square, the Whitechapel Labyrinth and the Ten Bells Pub as usual, which means that a total of 6 different shows are dedicated to Jack the Ripper, which does feel a bit of over kill (excuse the pun!) There is a risk of Jack taking over the whole show, even though the individual shows are all entertaining and provide a good mix of history and scares in their own right.
Of course, the seasonal overlays are only for a few weeks and it will be interesting to see what they do with the space once Halloween is over. The room was home to last year’s incredible Séance and is not recognisable in its current form, so for a temporary attraction – the design quality and build is very impressive.
All in – we were impressed with this year’s changes but maybe after Halloween is over, could we have a little less Jack please?
Despite the abundance of flickering pumpkins around the attraction – the first real change for Halloween comes with Mrs Lovetts pie shop. All references to Sweeney are out, and the gossipy pie maker sets up the stories of the murders in Whitechapel.
This then flows through into the next scene, where again Sweeney has been removed and new multi directional audio, introduces us to the notorious legend of Jack. It’s a very similar style show to the previous one with all the physical chair effects still present.
After leaving this chamber we headed into Hide and Seek for a sneak peek into a street worker’s bedroom, as she receives a very unwelcome customer. The concept of peering trough the slats is very creepy and gives a real voyeuristic feel to the proceedings. It doesn’t help that you literally have to press your face against the wall to see, which makes it even more terrifying when the lights go off and you find yourself staring straight into the eyes of the killer!
The story then continues through Mitre Square, the Whitechapel Labyrinth and the Ten Bells Pub as usual, which means that a total of 6 different shows are dedicated to Jack the Ripper, which does feel a bit of over kill (excuse the pun!) There is a risk of Jack taking over the whole show, even though the individual shows are all entertaining and provide a good mix of history and scares in their own right.
Of course, the seasonal overlays are only for a few weeks and it will be interesting to see what they do with the space once Halloween is over. The room was home to last year’s incredible Séance and is not recognisable in its current form, so for a temporary attraction – the design quality and build is very impressive.
All in – we were impressed with this year’s changes but maybe after Halloween is over, could we have a little less Jack please?
Screamfest (Halloween 2018)
The London Dungeon has been experimenting with some darker shows this year – especially with the scary Séance room that was added at the start of the year, and the new Summer Frights campaign. So, for their annual Halloween event they announced Screamfest with the tagline “London’s scariest just got scarier”. With an offer like that – we had to go and visit!
First up – the Séance is back with a few new tricks and surprises. The show is still as scary as before, but the new effects and scares just sounded louder and more detailed than before. Certainly, the group we were with found it terrifying, with several not wanting to stay in the room.
The other obvious change for this event can be found in the Mitre Square section where the Jack the Ripper story usually starts. Instead of being greeted by a street worker, we were quickly bustled into the scene by a policeman holding a torch aloft, who then proceeded to tell a condensed version of the Ripper history. With reduced visibility in the scene, and some special effect lightning, the actor was able to create a feeling of tension and unease amongst the group, especially when he walked around and amongst us, utilising the flashing of lights to get up close and personal at times.
This show then led into the Whitechapel Labyrinth where the theme continued as the show seemed just a little darker than previous visits. The show then continued as normal with the Ten Bells scene.
A subtler change could also be found in the final room, Escape from Newgate Prison. The scene has recently been changed to drop the script and become more of a scare/ jump show , but there has clearly been some work on the effects and lighting in recent weeks as this show was a lot more intense than we have experienced it before Especially as the actor timed his scares perfectly and left most of the room jumping in fright!
All in. this year’s Halloween offerings aren't the biggest, but it is always nice to see London Dungeon at least doing something to celebrate the season in their own unique way!
First up – the Séance is back with a few new tricks and surprises. The show is still as scary as before, but the new effects and scares just sounded louder and more detailed than before. Certainly, the group we were with found it terrifying, with several not wanting to stay in the room.
The other obvious change for this event can be found in the Mitre Square section where the Jack the Ripper story usually starts. Instead of being greeted by a street worker, we were quickly bustled into the scene by a policeman holding a torch aloft, who then proceeded to tell a condensed version of the Ripper history. With reduced visibility in the scene, and some special effect lightning, the actor was able to create a feeling of tension and unease amongst the group, especially when he walked around and amongst us, utilising the flashing of lights to get up close and personal at times.
This show then led into the Whitechapel Labyrinth where the theme continued as the show seemed just a little darker than previous visits. The show then continued as normal with the Ten Bells scene.
A subtler change could also be found in the final room, Escape from Newgate Prison. The scene has recently been changed to drop the script and become more of a scare/ jump show , but there has clearly been some work on the effects and lighting in recent weeks as this show was a lot more intense than we have experienced it before Especially as the actor timed his scares perfectly and left most of the room jumping in fright!
All in. this year’s Halloween offerings aren't the biggest, but it is always nice to see London Dungeon at least doing something to celebrate the season in their own unique way!
Summer Frights 2018
Not long after visiting the London Dungeon in February, we noticed that the brand was starting to edge more towards scare. The latest show, Seance has more scares than a standard show, and at the various Dungeon attractions across the World, scarier elements have been added. It is a fine line for the brand to cross - the Dungeon's are very popular with tourists for their local history and storytelling, but locals and thrill seekers like us, always want a bit more. Hence the introduction of Summer Frights.
Presented in association with Time Out, Summer Frights is an adult only show that ramps up the scares and innuendo a couple more notches, and throws in some alcoholic drinks for good measure. Lets face it - who hasn't wanted to sample some shots in the Ten Bells pub straight after being attacked bu Jack The Ripper?
So what makes the show "scarier than ever"? Basically the experience misses out some of the more theatrical led experiences such as The City Gates and the Gunpowder Plot and starts from The Torture Chamber. It makes sense to also cut out the water ride, as before guests had started we had already been plied with a couple of cocktails and shots. Probably not good to have people climbing in and out of boats under the influence!
The remaining tour follows the regular route, with most shows having some good jump scares along the way including The Plague Doctor, Sweeney Todd, Jack The Ripper etc. The event also sees the return of The Seance, which has had some audio tweaks since we last visited, and the brand new version of A Great Escape.
The new show is quite unusual for the Dungeons in that includes no dialogue and no script. As we entered the room, a lone prisoner sat in a cage, chained to the floor. As we gathered around, the lights flickered out and then.... Well to say any more would ruin the surprise! But as the lights flickered in and out, there were a number of good jumps and tricks that had the group squealing and laughing in equal measure. This new version makes for a much better experience than before and feels a better end to the experience before plunging to our deaths on the drop ride.
So apart from the additions, what made Summer Frights different to the normal show? Obviously, the alcohol helps create a relaxed atmosphere and in certain scenes (most notably The Courtroom where ScareTOUR were accused of some heinous crimes) the dialogue skated firmly on the border between double entendre and obscene! Add in the removal of the less scary story led shows (The Great Fire is just passed through on the way) and some additional strobes in the Labyrinth, and it really was a great way to experience the Dungeon. It also helped that the group sizes were so much smaller than usual - making it far more intimate for all involved.
We always enjoy our visits to the Dungeon and it was really nice to see it in a different light. With the advance of scarier shows and stories going forward, we cant wait to see what they come October, to claim back their title of The Home of Halloween..
Presented in association with Time Out, Summer Frights is an adult only show that ramps up the scares and innuendo a couple more notches, and throws in some alcoholic drinks for good measure. Lets face it - who hasn't wanted to sample some shots in the Ten Bells pub straight after being attacked bu Jack The Ripper?
So what makes the show "scarier than ever"? Basically the experience misses out some of the more theatrical led experiences such as The City Gates and the Gunpowder Plot and starts from The Torture Chamber. It makes sense to also cut out the water ride, as before guests had started we had already been plied with a couple of cocktails and shots. Probably not good to have people climbing in and out of boats under the influence!
The remaining tour follows the regular route, with most shows having some good jump scares along the way including The Plague Doctor, Sweeney Todd, Jack The Ripper etc. The event also sees the return of The Seance, which has had some audio tweaks since we last visited, and the brand new version of A Great Escape.
The new show is quite unusual for the Dungeons in that includes no dialogue and no script. As we entered the room, a lone prisoner sat in a cage, chained to the floor. As we gathered around, the lights flickered out and then.... Well to say any more would ruin the surprise! But as the lights flickered in and out, there were a number of good jumps and tricks that had the group squealing and laughing in equal measure. This new version makes for a much better experience than before and feels a better end to the experience before plunging to our deaths on the drop ride.
So apart from the additions, what made Summer Frights different to the normal show? Obviously, the alcohol helps create a relaxed atmosphere and in certain scenes (most notably The Courtroom where ScareTOUR were accused of some heinous crimes) the dialogue skated firmly on the border between double entendre and obscene! Add in the removal of the less scary story led shows (The Great Fire is just passed through on the way) and some additional strobes in the Labyrinth, and it really was a great way to experience the Dungeon. It also helped that the group sizes were so much smaller than usual - making it far more intimate for all involved.
We always enjoy our visits to the Dungeon and it was really nice to see it in a different light. With the advance of scarier shows and stories going forward, we cant wait to see what they come October, to claim back their title of The Home of Halloween..
Very scary
Great value.great actors.superb show
Anita
Great value.great actors.superb show
Anita
Seance - London Dungeon 2018
Over the last year, The London Dungeon have hosted their seasonal shows in a previously unused room between Sweeney Todd and the start of the Jack The Ripper story in Mitre Square. Recently we have seen The Death Express and Jekyll and Hyde shows here, but for half term 2018, the whole space has been repurposed for Seance - a show that deserves to stay around for longer than a week!
The Dungeon last hosted a Seance attraction back in 2015, which used the multi-aural speakers from Sweeney Todd (check out our review here), but this new set up is completely bespoke, and the set is as immersive and impressive as we have come to expect. Interestingly before the show started, we were asked if we wanted to continue or leave after it was explained we were about to host a seance. We are assuming this gives people who have a genuine reluctance to "dabble with the occult" to decline this part of the show. No-one in our group left, but it did leave us wondering if they had, would they have just been stood outside waiting for us to finish contacting the dead before moving on as a group to the next show?
Like most Dungeon shows, Seance mixed a lively theatrical performance, with some seamless special effects, audience interaction and a number of surprises. In fact, the Seance was almost a greatest hits package of other scenes - darkness? Check, sudden scares? Check. A puzzling sense of "did I really just see that?" Check!
One of the highlights, technology wise, was the stunning use of the blackboard to personalise the show. Without wanting to give anything away, we were all amazed to see the things etched on that board, as if by a ghostly hand. The fact it actually named one of the volunteers in the group, made it even more impressive. But that was just one element of an exceptionally technical show that really built up the tension and scares throughout, climaxing in a genuinely unexpected moment.
And therein lies our confusion about this show, it has only been planned to be on for a week, but Seance is as strong as (if not stronger than) some of the other shows at the venue. It feels crazy that so much work has gone into this stunning show for it only to be around for Half Term. We feel like we should start a campaign to save it! #SaveTheSeance!
But in the meantime, if you want to experience it for yourself - you are going to have to be quick as it closes Sunday Feb 18th.
The Dungeon last hosted a Seance attraction back in 2015, which used the multi-aural speakers from Sweeney Todd (check out our review here), but this new set up is completely bespoke, and the set is as immersive and impressive as we have come to expect. Interestingly before the show started, we were asked if we wanted to continue or leave after it was explained we were about to host a seance. We are assuming this gives people who have a genuine reluctance to "dabble with the occult" to decline this part of the show. No-one in our group left, but it did leave us wondering if they had, would they have just been stood outside waiting for us to finish contacting the dead before moving on as a group to the next show?
Like most Dungeon shows, Seance mixed a lively theatrical performance, with some seamless special effects, audience interaction and a number of surprises. In fact, the Seance was almost a greatest hits package of other scenes - darkness? Check, sudden scares? Check. A puzzling sense of "did I really just see that?" Check!
One of the highlights, technology wise, was the stunning use of the blackboard to personalise the show. Without wanting to give anything away, we were all amazed to see the things etched on that board, as if by a ghostly hand. The fact it actually named one of the volunteers in the group, made it even more impressive. But that was just one element of an exceptionally technical show that really built up the tension and scares throughout, climaxing in a genuinely unexpected moment.
And therein lies our confusion about this show, it has only been planned to be on for a week, but Seance is as strong as (if not stronger than) some of the other shows at the venue. It feels crazy that so much work has gone into this stunning show for it only to be around for Half Term. We feel like we should start a campaign to save it! #SaveTheSeance!
But in the meantime, if you want to experience it for yourself - you are going to have to be quick as it closes Sunday Feb 18th.
A Great Escape - London Dungeon 2017
The London Dungeon has had a number of changes recently, as rooms were moved around to make space for the impressive Escape the Great Fire of London attraction. We last visited during the seasonal Halloween Witch Hunter event and as part of that the Plague House and Plague Doctor scenes had been converted to the Witch story, so we were looking forward to experiencing a few new scenes including the new show – A Great Escape.
Unfortunately the Tyrant boat ride was down for refurbishment, so after Descent we headed straight into the Gunpowder plot and continued our tour from there. It may just have been that we had a really good run-through, but to be totally honest we didn’t actually feel that we had missed much at all. The whole show from beginning to end was one of the best we have experienced in years – especially as all the actors seemed to be really active throughout. It also helped we had a very jumpy group on our tour – which the actor in the pre- show for Sweeny Todd really used to his advantage. He got more screams than in the main show itself!
The changes made to accommodate the Great Fire, have added a new effects driven Plague House scene which acts as a good preamble to the main Plague Doctor show. The show although identical to previous, does feel that it has been shoe-horned into the an existing room, with an unusual L shaped room layout which leaves some of the audience a bit distant from the action.
The rest of the tour then played out as normal until we arrived at the penultimate show. In the past this cheesy pre-amble to the Drop Ride, was where we were encouraged to “Give em a good hanging”. As a scene, its tone was always a bit too jokey, so the replacement is a smarter alternative, but hardly anything original. The scene opens with notorious escapologist Jack Sheppard, trapped in a cage, who then enlists the audiences to help him escape. Strangely, by inviting a guest into the cage with him, it shows that he knew all along how to open the cage door, but the scene does make use of a neat trick at the end which gave a few of our group a quick jump.
The size of new Dungeon shows seems to alternate from year to year and from venue to venue. After the impressive Great Fire of 2016, and the fact that Edinburgh got the very large “Witch Hunt” this year, it is no wonder that A Great Escape is much smaller in nature. As it is – it’s an improvement over the original show and even a small change goes to show that the venue is always looking to evolve. Also – the room is quite “unspecific” in its nature, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see it utilised as part of their seasonal makeovers. Especially as at the time of writing, The London Dungeon had just started teasing their new seasonal show with pages from the original Jekyll and Hyde novel.
Unfortunately the Tyrant boat ride was down for refurbishment, so after Descent we headed straight into the Gunpowder plot and continued our tour from there. It may just have been that we had a really good run-through, but to be totally honest we didn’t actually feel that we had missed much at all. The whole show from beginning to end was one of the best we have experienced in years – especially as all the actors seemed to be really active throughout. It also helped we had a very jumpy group on our tour – which the actor in the pre- show for Sweeny Todd really used to his advantage. He got more screams than in the main show itself!
The changes made to accommodate the Great Fire, have added a new effects driven Plague House scene which acts as a good preamble to the main Plague Doctor show. The show although identical to previous, does feel that it has been shoe-horned into the an existing room, with an unusual L shaped room layout which leaves some of the audience a bit distant from the action.
The rest of the tour then played out as normal until we arrived at the penultimate show. In the past this cheesy pre-amble to the Drop Ride, was where we were encouraged to “Give em a good hanging”. As a scene, its tone was always a bit too jokey, so the replacement is a smarter alternative, but hardly anything original. The scene opens with notorious escapologist Jack Sheppard, trapped in a cage, who then enlists the audiences to help him escape. Strangely, by inviting a guest into the cage with him, it shows that he knew all along how to open the cage door, but the scene does make use of a neat trick at the end which gave a few of our group a quick jump.
The size of new Dungeon shows seems to alternate from year to year and from venue to venue. After the impressive Great Fire of 2016, and the fact that Edinburgh got the very large “Witch Hunt” this year, it is no wonder that A Great Escape is much smaller in nature. As it is – it’s an improvement over the original show and even a small change goes to show that the venue is always looking to evolve. Also – the room is quite “unspecific” in its nature, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see it utilised as part of their seasonal makeovers. Especially as at the time of writing, The London Dungeon had just started teasing their new seasonal show with pages from the original Jekyll and Hyde novel.
Links
The London Dungeon website
ScareTOUR Review of Witch Hunt 2016
ScareTOUR Review of Escape the Great Fire of London
ScareTOUR Review of Witch Hunt 2016
ScareTOUR Review of Escape the Great Fire of London
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