Chilling Chester
Halloween
season is nearly upon us, and with just a few weeks till some of the
bigger attractions open their doors to the public, we were invited to the preview night of Chester's new ghost walk experience. As we approached, Chester's walled
ruins provide a taster of what is to come and it is the perfect setting for such a
walk - there's a crisp chill in the air which only heightens the atmosphere for
the evening ahead. Our starting point is Ye Olde Kings, a pub located right in the heart of Chester. With its low beams and rich colours it's a great mood setter but before we know it, we're bundled out onto the streets to meet our host for the evening, an engaging and animated character that can more than handle the slightly rowdy crowd that we're with. Before long, we're joined by a couple more characters who manage to both keep us on edge but also make us laugh, lulling us into a false sense of security. However throughout the experience things take a turn for a worse and the seemingly comedy character shows a more darker side. The change is absolutely seamless and makes even more of an impact because just a few minutes before we had been laughing our heads off at them!
Throughout the experience our tour is broken up by live actors who lurk around the darkness of Chester's walls. The sheer amount of actors is impressive, and not only bring some of the stories to life but also create some brilliant impact scares - much to the amusement of passers by.
One thing worth mentioning is the security at the event. Obviously with actors roaming the streets there has to be a certain level of safety. The security team although present didn't at any point spoil the illusion and kept to the shadows completely out of sight - it's a minor point but an important one because it's something that could easily have tainted the tour. Also, the characters who escorted us on our tour had a dual purpose. They not only gave a creepy experience but also made sure that everyone was kept safe making sure nobody strayed from the group whilst not breaking character at any point. We really enjoyed this, and can see how this enhances the experience, as nobody was left out of the tour. At any point, one of the supporting actors could creep up and whisper into your ear, or whilst listening to a story you could feel eyes burrowing into the bad of your neck. They were also checking the path ahead, for 'people who might be under the influence and may hamper the experience slightly' or were alongside the group keeping an eye our for road safety.
We felt that the tour could have been expanded just slightly at times, and we felt they were a little rushed for time towards the end. The tales told are really strong but we were left just wanting a little bit more, possibly a little more build up to the arrival of the actors. This is a minor note, as with any opening night, the script is still very fresh and the actors haven't had time to get into their groove, and improvise to fit each occasion. With the high level of talent that they have, this will naturally expand as time goes on and they settle comfortably into their roles. We also felt that the banter between the two main cast as we were walking back to the finale was missed by those who were further back, and it would have made a little more sense to stop a couple of times to let people catch up and hear the build up to the impending fallout and intro to the last scene. This again may purely have been due to a timing restraint, and is easily fixed for future tours.
After our outdoors walk, we were herded back to our starting point and ushered inside for a rather disturbing finale - a cleverly thought out and particularly jumpy experience which had everyone feeling on edge. The interactive elements in the section are what sets this scene apart from other attractions that have tried a similar experience and really make you feel like you're part of the action. All actors were great - providing a very believable and intense climax. We're told by the creative team that the scene we experienced was only a taster, the location is set to be moved within the pub to a purpose built set with an even longer, more intense sequence which will provide an even more chilling experience. We would like to add that when booking, you can determine what level of scare you would like to experience. You can select to join a level 1, 2 or 3 tour depending on your age, or whether you fancy mild fear or full on terror!
What we liked about Chilling Chester was the mix between a regular ghost walk experience with the theatrical addition of the impact scares and culminating in something more sinister and intense. If what we saw is anything to go by, Chilling Chester's future is very promising. It's an ambitious attraction and the sheer energy and enthusiasm of the creative team is infectious.
Throughout the experience our tour is broken up by live actors who lurk around the darkness of Chester's walls. The sheer amount of actors is impressive, and not only bring some of the stories to life but also create some brilliant impact scares - much to the amusement of passers by.
One thing worth mentioning is the security at the event. Obviously with actors roaming the streets there has to be a certain level of safety. The security team although present didn't at any point spoil the illusion and kept to the shadows completely out of sight - it's a minor point but an important one because it's something that could easily have tainted the tour. Also, the characters who escorted us on our tour had a dual purpose. They not only gave a creepy experience but also made sure that everyone was kept safe making sure nobody strayed from the group whilst not breaking character at any point. We really enjoyed this, and can see how this enhances the experience, as nobody was left out of the tour. At any point, one of the supporting actors could creep up and whisper into your ear, or whilst listening to a story you could feel eyes burrowing into the bad of your neck. They were also checking the path ahead, for 'people who might be under the influence and may hamper the experience slightly' or were alongside the group keeping an eye our for road safety.
We felt that the tour could have been expanded just slightly at times, and we felt they were a little rushed for time towards the end. The tales told are really strong but we were left just wanting a little bit more, possibly a little more build up to the arrival of the actors. This is a minor note, as with any opening night, the script is still very fresh and the actors haven't had time to get into their groove, and improvise to fit each occasion. With the high level of talent that they have, this will naturally expand as time goes on and they settle comfortably into their roles. We also felt that the banter between the two main cast as we were walking back to the finale was missed by those who were further back, and it would have made a little more sense to stop a couple of times to let people catch up and hear the build up to the impending fallout and intro to the last scene. This again may purely have been due to a timing restraint, and is easily fixed for future tours.
After our outdoors walk, we were herded back to our starting point and ushered inside for a rather disturbing finale - a cleverly thought out and particularly jumpy experience which had everyone feeling on edge. The interactive elements in the section are what sets this scene apart from other attractions that have tried a similar experience and really make you feel like you're part of the action. All actors were great - providing a very believable and intense climax. We're told by the creative team that the scene we experienced was only a taster, the location is set to be moved within the pub to a purpose built set with an even longer, more intense sequence which will provide an even more chilling experience. We would like to add that when booking, you can determine what level of scare you would like to experience. You can select to join a level 1, 2 or 3 tour depending on your age, or whether you fancy mild fear or full on terror!
What we liked about Chilling Chester was the mix between a regular ghost walk experience with the theatrical addition of the impact scares and culminating in something more sinister and intense. If what we saw is anything to go by, Chilling Chester's future is very promising. It's an ambitious attraction and the sheer energy and enthusiasm of the creative team is infectious.
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