Fear in the Park - Parc Asterix 2023
While on holiday in Paris, we ventured north to just outside Paris to check out Fear in the Park, a 7 night only event at Parc Asterix theme park. The week before the event, the park took to Facebook to announce that all tickets for the event had sold out and not to turn up without a prebooking as you won’t get in. The event was obviously popular, but did it live up to its hype?
YES, IT DID!
We spent the full day wandering around the park, went on just about every ride (thank God for fast pass though!), and taking in the really impressive Halloween decorations and set pieces. If, like the two of us, you’re a coaster fan, Parc Asterix has some truly impressive rides including the new Toutatis, so a visit is definitely recommended. It was an incredible day and before we knew it, nighttime was upon us!
We missed the Parade of Monsters opening show unfortunately, but you do get to meet a lot of the characters as you walk around at night. These actors were brilliant, a good mix of silent and ominous through to loud, brash and in your face. The costumes were all custom made and every character had impressive, detailed make-up (no cheap masks here!)
Before we talk about the houses/mazes, we have to mention the shows as there were A LOT of them:
Metamorphosis – A short show where you’re ushered into a large room to meet a character who tells you about his dark discoveries. The curtain comes back and using mirror trickery, a man transforms into a werewolf. He escapes though and lashes out at the audience before a fight ensues. The way the design team had taped off parts of the room means that the werewolf can get to everyone in the group. Very good show.
Oziris Light Show – Next to the Oziris ride stands the Temple of Osiris which for this show is used to project the light show onto which was really good. It was on par with Disneyland’s show that we’d been at the day before. Add pyrotechnics, fireworks and exploding fountains and voila! You have a genuinely impressive show reaching into Egyptian myth and legend.
Dance of the Living Dead – Thriller style characters shamble from an old house onto the stage and break into different dance routines to songs you will know. The choreography was good, and the dancers were completely in sync with each other so you have to appreciate the amount of work that must have gone into it.
The Curse of Sirius – This entire area was transformed into a night club with a live DJ, a ton of characters and a brilliant dance show on a flooded stage. The huge ship, Sirius, is docked behind you in an impressive dock side setting and the ships cursed passengers and crew have spilled out to wreak havoc. The set, show and the makeup detail was all phenomenal and the whole atmosphere was lively and uplifting.
Remarkably, there were other shows and street performances too, but we just couldn’t fit them all in as we were eager to take on the houses! There were 5 in total and as we were there for 2 days, we did them all the next day too:
The Tomb of the Gods – Built into the back of the Temple of Osiris is the (new for this year) Tomb of the Gods where Egyptian Gods await you. It starts with an old Egyptian priest dissecting a mummy and weighing its heart to see if it is worthy of the Underworld or if it is full of sin. This short introduction piece works really well to set the scene, and would you believe it, we were judged as full of sin so, it’s off to hell we go!
The details throughout the whole tomb are brilliant, you can tell a lot of thought and care has gone into it. The different textures on the path worked well and even though it was dark, we could tell we’d gone from stone to sand to shallow water.
We must give credit to the actor/s who played Sobek (the Egyptian god with the crocodile head) as they were constantly submerged in water, writhing around before they pounced. It must have been cold, but they were great at their role and mimicking crocodile moves.
All the actors were good though, as were their costumes and huge Egyptian headdresses. There were some good scares mixed in and even an actor hanging from the ceiling with a clever finishing scene before you’re chased out through a temple corridor of mirrors and strobes.
The only constructive thought we had was that it would be good to see the outside entrance and exit area themed and decorated as well as the inside is.
The Wrath of Anubis – We were surprised that there was another Egyptian themed house when so much publicity had been given to Tomb of the Gods, but it didn’t disappoint. What starts out as very serious and dark becomes quite comedic as you’re running around a museum collection of Egyptian artefacts with very lively hosts who have been cursed. Que plenty of mummies rising from sarcophagi, out of crates and over the museums cargo to get to you. This house had more timed scenes where you are forced to stop to hear a story or be set up for a scare and the actors executed them perfectly. It also had quite a few animatronic props that were great to see and were effective.
The House of Fear – As you stand in the queue here you can see a large TV screen that shows the group before you entering a long corridor with grisly paintings and a typical haunted house vibe. We watched waiting for something to happen to them, but it turns out it’s actually just for the staff member to see when to let the next group in! A missed opportunity maybe? The House of Fear was probably the weakest of all the houses/mazes as not a lot happened, which was a shame as it looked fantastic. We got to a cemetery part which looked like it was straight out of a Hammer Horror film, but Dracula and his bride (who both looked amazing) didn’t see us and kind of turned around surprised that we were there, pretended to bite us and off they went. Towards the end of the house, you can hear a familiar roar and smell diesel in the air…Leatherface is waiting. We’d already seen this actor terrifying crowds at the exit of the house. He’d chase people out and then go for the entire crowd who were standing watching. Chainsaw swinging in every direction possible, he was completely relentless, and fast! And when it was our turn in the house, boy did he come for us! This was still a good house and looked stunning, it just needed more to happen.
Catacombs – Having just been to the actual Catacombs in Paris a few days before, we were looking forward to this one. A drab, angry and overworked catacomb worker herds your group into a tomb, think about a mausoleum and you’ve got it. The lights suddenly go out and when they come back on the entire group is stood there thinking “what do we do now?” A glint of light comes through the keyhole of a secret door in the wall and whoever is brave enough can push it open.
One member of the group is a planted actor who is suddenly attacked by a corpse that springs from a collapsed wall and the poor soul is dragged off down a dark tunnel kicking and screaming. Much to our delight!
You’re then into a long maze of winding tunnels and crawl spaces with bones and rotting corpses piled high everywhere. The set is amazing and again, brilliant attention to detail and lighting. You’re attacked and jumped at a lot and parts of the catacombs smell like death. Sculptures come to life, and it feels like there are lots of different things happening down in the tombs. Really enjoyed it!
Mission Lost – A trippy, illuminous, 3D attack on the senses awaits you here. You’re apparently on a strange planet and as you put your 3D glasses on, everything jumps out at you in vivid colour. It’s actually quite disorientating as you shuffle though thinking “is that a step?” when it’s just a trick of the eye. Bug like humanoids jump out of the darkness and attack from all angles and a giant spider and its spawn spray streams of venom at you. It wasn’t necessarily scary, but it was a lot of fun.
All in all, we had a brilliant two days at Parc Asterix. It’s an incredible park as it is with tons to see and do. Their Halloween offer was very impressive and the general feel around the place was fun and friendly and full of energy and laughter. A word of advice, if you go next year, take 2 phones! All fast pass and some maze ticketing is done via their app so if you’re there for 12+ hours like us, the old phone battery soon runs out.
Oh, and hold on to your teeth and eyeballs if you’re going to ride Thunder Zeus on the 2 backwards seats. It’s intense!
Bravo à tous au Parc Astérix. Nous avons vraiment apprécié!
YES, IT DID!
We spent the full day wandering around the park, went on just about every ride (thank God for fast pass though!), and taking in the really impressive Halloween decorations and set pieces. If, like the two of us, you’re a coaster fan, Parc Asterix has some truly impressive rides including the new Toutatis, so a visit is definitely recommended. It was an incredible day and before we knew it, nighttime was upon us!
We missed the Parade of Monsters opening show unfortunately, but you do get to meet a lot of the characters as you walk around at night. These actors were brilliant, a good mix of silent and ominous through to loud, brash and in your face. The costumes were all custom made and every character had impressive, detailed make-up (no cheap masks here!)
Before we talk about the houses/mazes, we have to mention the shows as there were A LOT of them:
Metamorphosis – A short show where you’re ushered into a large room to meet a character who tells you about his dark discoveries. The curtain comes back and using mirror trickery, a man transforms into a werewolf. He escapes though and lashes out at the audience before a fight ensues. The way the design team had taped off parts of the room means that the werewolf can get to everyone in the group. Very good show.
Oziris Light Show – Next to the Oziris ride stands the Temple of Osiris which for this show is used to project the light show onto which was really good. It was on par with Disneyland’s show that we’d been at the day before. Add pyrotechnics, fireworks and exploding fountains and voila! You have a genuinely impressive show reaching into Egyptian myth and legend.
Dance of the Living Dead – Thriller style characters shamble from an old house onto the stage and break into different dance routines to songs you will know. The choreography was good, and the dancers were completely in sync with each other so you have to appreciate the amount of work that must have gone into it.
The Curse of Sirius – This entire area was transformed into a night club with a live DJ, a ton of characters and a brilliant dance show on a flooded stage. The huge ship, Sirius, is docked behind you in an impressive dock side setting and the ships cursed passengers and crew have spilled out to wreak havoc. The set, show and the makeup detail was all phenomenal and the whole atmosphere was lively and uplifting.
Remarkably, there were other shows and street performances too, but we just couldn’t fit them all in as we were eager to take on the houses! There were 5 in total and as we were there for 2 days, we did them all the next day too:
The Tomb of the Gods – Built into the back of the Temple of Osiris is the (new for this year) Tomb of the Gods where Egyptian Gods await you. It starts with an old Egyptian priest dissecting a mummy and weighing its heart to see if it is worthy of the Underworld or if it is full of sin. This short introduction piece works really well to set the scene, and would you believe it, we were judged as full of sin so, it’s off to hell we go!
The details throughout the whole tomb are brilliant, you can tell a lot of thought and care has gone into it. The different textures on the path worked well and even though it was dark, we could tell we’d gone from stone to sand to shallow water.
We must give credit to the actor/s who played Sobek (the Egyptian god with the crocodile head) as they were constantly submerged in water, writhing around before they pounced. It must have been cold, but they were great at their role and mimicking crocodile moves.
All the actors were good though, as were their costumes and huge Egyptian headdresses. There were some good scares mixed in and even an actor hanging from the ceiling with a clever finishing scene before you’re chased out through a temple corridor of mirrors and strobes.
The only constructive thought we had was that it would be good to see the outside entrance and exit area themed and decorated as well as the inside is.
The Wrath of Anubis – We were surprised that there was another Egyptian themed house when so much publicity had been given to Tomb of the Gods, but it didn’t disappoint. What starts out as very serious and dark becomes quite comedic as you’re running around a museum collection of Egyptian artefacts with very lively hosts who have been cursed. Que plenty of mummies rising from sarcophagi, out of crates and over the museums cargo to get to you. This house had more timed scenes where you are forced to stop to hear a story or be set up for a scare and the actors executed them perfectly. It also had quite a few animatronic props that were great to see and were effective.
The House of Fear – As you stand in the queue here you can see a large TV screen that shows the group before you entering a long corridor with grisly paintings and a typical haunted house vibe. We watched waiting for something to happen to them, but it turns out it’s actually just for the staff member to see when to let the next group in! A missed opportunity maybe? The House of Fear was probably the weakest of all the houses/mazes as not a lot happened, which was a shame as it looked fantastic. We got to a cemetery part which looked like it was straight out of a Hammer Horror film, but Dracula and his bride (who both looked amazing) didn’t see us and kind of turned around surprised that we were there, pretended to bite us and off they went. Towards the end of the house, you can hear a familiar roar and smell diesel in the air…Leatherface is waiting. We’d already seen this actor terrifying crowds at the exit of the house. He’d chase people out and then go for the entire crowd who were standing watching. Chainsaw swinging in every direction possible, he was completely relentless, and fast! And when it was our turn in the house, boy did he come for us! This was still a good house and looked stunning, it just needed more to happen.
Catacombs – Having just been to the actual Catacombs in Paris a few days before, we were looking forward to this one. A drab, angry and overworked catacomb worker herds your group into a tomb, think about a mausoleum and you’ve got it. The lights suddenly go out and when they come back on the entire group is stood there thinking “what do we do now?” A glint of light comes through the keyhole of a secret door in the wall and whoever is brave enough can push it open.
One member of the group is a planted actor who is suddenly attacked by a corpse that springs from a collapsed wall and the poor soul is dragged off down a dark tunnel kicking and screaming. Much to our delight!
You’re then into a long maze of winding tunnels and crawl spaces with bones and rotting corpses piled high everywhere. The set is amazing and again, brilliant attention to detail and lighting. You’re attacked and jumped at a lot and parts of the catacombs smell like death. Sculptures come to life, and it feels like there are lots of different things happening down in the tombs. Really enjoyed it!
Mission Lost – A trippy, illuminous, 3D attack on the senses awaits you here. You’re apparently on a strange planet and as you put your 3D glasses on, everything jumps out at you in vivid colour. It’s actually quite disorientating as you shuffle though thinking “is that a step?” when it’s just a trick of the eye. Bug like humanoids jump out of the darkness and attack from all angles and a giant spider and its spawn spray streams of venom at you. It wasn’t necessarily scary, but it was a lot of fun.
All in all, we had a brilliant two days at Parc Asterix. It’s an incredible park as it is with tons to see and do. Their Halloween offer was very impressive and the general feel around the place was fun and friendly and full of energy and laughter. A word of advice, if you go next year, take 2 phones! All fast pass and some maze ticketing is done via their app so if you’re there for 12+ hours like us, the old phone battery soon runs out.
Oh, and hold on to your teeth and eyeballs if you’re going to ride Thunder Zeus on the 2 backwards seats. It’s intense!
Bravo à tous au Parc Astérix. Nous avons vraiment apprécié!
Links:
Parc Asterix website
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