Birmingham Scare Gardens
We were unsure what to expect when we saw that Birmingham Botanical Gardens were planning a Halloween Scare event. Fifteen acres of beautiful plants, trees and wildlife, usually offer a relaxing and calm experience, so how would that change as the sun sets and Dr Neriums Garden Of Ghouls come out to play?
We arrived at the venue and gathered next to the entrance where there was a great selection of food and drink to calm our nerves before entering the Gardens. As our time slot was advertised on the queue board, we made our way to the entrance, and as soon as we walked through the gates, we were in awe of how visually stunning the gardens looked.
The team in charge of the lighting deserve a special mention for making the gardens look so atmospheric at night! In fact the gardens worked perfectly, as the trees, plants, ponds created an amazing backdrop for the lighting, smoke, air cannons, sound effects. We felt completely immersed throughout the whole experience.
As we ventured deeper into the gardens, we met many of the doctor's ghouls who would each deliver a monologue, explaining who they were and that the Doctor created the Ghouls within the garden himself. We were even lucky enough to meet the "talented" doctor himself at the end of the experience. We really must give a special mention for the quality of acting and script work throughout. Each actor delivered their script so effortlessly, making them believable and the experience even more immersive. The scripts were smartly written with subtle rhymes, and whilst the characters were telling their story, it gave the other actors a chance to catch us off guard with some impact quick scares.
Our only criticism would be that most of the impact scares were towards the beginning of the trail with less towards the end. Perhaps a few short sharp scares during the finale scene would have ended the event with a little more of a bang.
We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at the Scare Gardens, and although it’s not your typical “scare attraction” we still rate it as a fantastic spooky experience suitable for all the family at Halloween. It won’t scare your socks off, but it does deliver an enjoyable theatrical spooky experience and we can see this event becoming a tradition in the area to enjoy every October.
For an opening year we were seriously impressed with the whole experience, and we really look forward to seeing how the event grows over the years.
We arrived at the venue and gathered next to the entrance where there was a great selection of food and drink to calm our nerves before entering the Gardens. As our time slot was advertised on the queue board, we made our way to the entrance, and as soon as we walked through the gates, we were in awe of how visually stunning the gardens looked.
The team in charge of the lighting deserve a special mention for making the gardens look so atmospheric at night! In fact the gardens worked perfectly, as the trees, plants, ponds created an amazing backdrop for the lighting, smoke, air cannons, sound effects. We felt completely immersed throughout the whole experience.
As we ventured deeper into the gardens, we met many of the doctor's ghouls who would each deliver a monologue, explaining who they were and that the Doctor created the Ghouls within the garden himself. We were even lucky enough to meet the "talented" doctor himself at the end of the experience. We really must give a special mention for the quality of acting and script work throughout. Each actor delivered their script so effortlessly, making them believable and the experience even more immersive. The scripts were smartly written with subtle rhymes, and whilst the characters were telling their story, it gave the other actors a chance to catch us off guard with some impact quick scares.
Our only criticism would be that most of the impact scares were towards the beginning of the trail with less towards the end. Perhaps a few short sharp scares during the finale scene would have ended the event with a little more of a bang.
We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at the Scare Gardens, and although it’s not your typical “scare attraction” we still rate it as a fantastic spooky experience suitable for all the family at Halloween. It won’t scare your socks off, but it does deliver an enjoyable theatrical spooky experience and we can see this event becoming a tradition in the area to enjoy every October.
For an opening year we were seriously impressed with the whole experience, and we really look forward to seeing how the event grows over the years.
Links:
Official Website - www.birminghamscaregardens.com
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