Fright Club
We first heard about Fright Club last Halloween and immediately contacted them to find out more information about the event. Despite numerous emails we heard nothing so just assumed that the attraction had somehow failed to open and the webpage had been left live.
Amazingly then, earlier this year we realised that the show has been running weekends since Halloween and no-one seemed to know anything about it. With this information in hand several of our forum members went down to see for themselves.
The reviews (see below) were pretty damning so when we finally got chance to go through our expectations were pretty low and we were hoping we would be proved wrong. Sadly we weren’t.
With no obvious reason why and no explanation from the crew, we waited over an hour to enter the attraction. Now on a busy day this might be acceptable BUT there were only 2 groups ahead of us. Even once one group had exited it felt close to 5/10 minutes before the next were allowed to enter.
On leaving the temporary looking loading area we then had our photos taken with a cheap looking handheld camera and then made to wait in an access corridor for another 5 minutes while the attraction was set.
Once through the door we were greeted with an exposition heavy, scripted scene that really didn’t grab anyone’s attention. In fact the only grabbing going on here was from the arms reaching through as we had (yet another) photo taken!
I was then hoping to at least proceed through the attraction unaided but everywhere we went we had to stop for more dialogue and a couple of easily signposted scares that really didn’t scare anyone. The sets – although up to the expected Weird and Wonderful quality, were far too light and too much could be seen. The attraction could do with dimming the lights some more and really creating a tense atmosphere.
It’s hard to remember too much about the specifics of the scenes except that in a lot of them the group seemed too big and so not everything could be seen. There was a strange moment when we all had to go under a curtain for some unexplained reason; just to get a quick scare then all run out again. By this time I had honestly stopped caring!
The acting and scare talent was particularly poor and I got the impression that the staff were as bored as we were. There just seemed no urgency about anything which just diminished any possible threat that they might have posed.
As I could see the final door looming I waited for the big scare – the one thing that would get me out running, draw attention to the place and make the next group nervous to go in. As it was I just walked out calmly – into the corridor by the toilets and started to think about all the missed opportunities over the last few minutes.
There were seven of us in our group plus 2 spanish tourists who didn’t seem to know a word of English but I got the impression that no-one enjoyed the show. It is such a shame that Fright Club misfires on so many levels. It’s in a great location and could be huge if word of mouth wasn’t so bad. The attraction needs a complete overhaul to survive otherwise very soon it will join a long list of deceased London attractions
Amazingly then, earlier this year we realised that the show has been running weekends since Halloween and no-one seemed to know anything about it. With this information in hand several of our forum members went down to see for themselves.
The reviews (see below) were pretty damning so when we finally got chance to go through our expectations were pretty low and we were hoping we would be proved wrong. Sadly we weren’t.
With no obvious reason why and no explanation from the crew, we waited over an hour to enter the attraction. Now on a busy day this might be acceptable BUT there were only 2 groups ahead of us. Even once one group had exited it felt close to 5/10 minutes before the next were allowed to enter.
On leaving the temporary looking loading area we then had our photos taken with a cheap looking handheld camera and then made to wait in an access corridor for another 5 minutes while the attraction was set.
Once through the door we were greeted with an exposition heavy, scripted scene that really didn’t grab anyone’s attention. In fact the only grabbing going on here was from the arms reaching through as we had (yet another) photo taken!
I was then hoping to at least proceed through the attraction unaided but everywhere we went we had to stop for more dialogue and a couple of easily signposted scares that really didn’t scare anyone. The sets – although up to the expected Weird and Wonderful quality, were far too light and too much could be seen. The attraction could do with dimming the lights some more and really creating a tense atmosphere.
It’s hard to remember too much about the specifics of the scenes except that in a lot of them the group seemed too big and so not everything could be seen. There was a strange moment when we all had to go under a curtain for some unexplained reason; just to get a quick scare then all run out again. By this time I had honestly stopped caring!
The acting and scare talent was particularly poor and I got the impression that the staff were as bored as we were. There just seemed no urgency about anything which just diminished any possible threat that they might have posed.
As I could see the final door looming I waited for the big scare – the one thing that would get me out running, draw attention to the place and make the next group nervous to go in. As it was I just walked out calmly – into the corridor by the toilets and started to think about all the missed opportunities over the last few minutes.
There were seven of us in our group plus 2 spanish tourists who didn’t seem to know a word of English but I got the impression that no-one enjoyed the show. It is such a shame that Fright Club misfires on so many levels. It’s in a great location and could be huge if word of mouth wasn’t so bad. The attraction needs a complete overhaul to survive otherwise very soon it will join a long list of deceased London attractions
You Review
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Even after being warned Fright Club was only open on weekends (although the website says it's open all week), I couldn't resist popping in for a look earlier in the week. For a haunt located right next to one of the UK's biggest tourist attractions [the Eye], I was surprised how 'shabby' the foyer looked. No information about opening hours anywhere and rubbish left on the floor and even box office counter. There was some nice scenic art on the walls but I left already a little disappointed.
Sunday comes around and I brave the snow to go back for a real visit where I'm stung the sum of an extra £1 for using my debit card (again, no information about this anywhere). We're led through to the entrance via a quick stop for photos, our host jumping up on a ledge and pulling out a small digital camera. "Everyone's back in their cages." We're in.
I won't describe the attraction in detail but where do I start with the problems? The 'tour' was far too dialogue heavy, especially as most of my group was foreign and probably had no idea what they were being told. The acting was nothing short of amateur and (this may be just me) but I have a problem with actors touching me. A sudden grab of the arm or leg is acceptable but someone running their hands over my head goes too far, especially after I've been told I can't touch them. The 'rooms' were too small for a group, I was near the back and couldn't see half of what was going on. The scares only worked for one or two people (and I could also see them coming). All of a sudden it was over and we were left back in the foyer being sold an overpriced digital print, which of course I neglected to buy.
You've probably worked out by now I thought Fright Club was terrible, not much else to say really.
Sunday comes around and I brave the snow to go back for a real visit where I'm stung the sum of an extra £1 for using my debit card (again, no information about this anywhere). We're led through to the entrance via a quick stop for photos, our host jumping up on a ledge and pulling out a small digital camera. "Everyone's back in their cages." We're in.
I won't describe the attraction in detail but where do I start with the problems? The 'tour' was far too dialogue heavy, especially as most of my group was foreign and probably had no idea what they were being told. The acting was nothing short of amateur and (this may be just me) but I have a problem with actors touching me. A sudden grab of the arm or leg is acceptable but someone running their hands over my head goes too far, especially after I've been told I can't touch them. The 'rooms' were too small for a group, I was near the back and couldn't see half of what was going on. The scares only worked for one or two people (and I could also see them coming). All of a sudden it was over and we were left back in the foyer being sold an overpriced digital print, which of course I neglected to buy.
You've probably worked out by now I thought Fright Club was terrible, not much else to say really.
Has anyone else been to this yet- I went through a few weeks ago and it was so bad that 3 people from the group I went through with asked for their money back- has anyone actually enjoyed themselves here
It calls itself a scare-attraction- it’s in county hall and was designed by weird and wonderful, but it is really bad. There are no scares and the actors inside seem to lack any training or knowledge of how to work an audience
It calls itself a scare-attraction- it’s in county hall and was designed by weird and wonderful, but it is really bad. There are no scares and the actors inside seem to lack any training or knowledge of how to work an audience
Having heard many less than positive things about this haunt on London’s famous South Bank, I was quite intrigued to see exactly what was on offer. Created by Weird and Wonderful, a design and effects house with a very strong reputation, I really wondered how bad it could actually be, so cheerfully paid my £10 entrance fee, plus an unadvertised £1 extra for using my debit card (a bit cheeky) and joined the queue. Now, a good opening area, with nice themeing can set the tone for the whole attraction, unfortunately the W&W magic did not seem to extend to the entrance area, with only a vampire & coffin positioned for photographs on one side of the queue line, and a Frankenstein’s Monster model near the entrance door. These were quite cute additions to an otherwise under-utilised area, but did seem slightly incongruous given the theme of the attraction was a disused government testing facility. From the queue line though, it was possible to see a photo booth displaying the pictures of the previous groups within the attraction. None of the images seemed to have been taken during particularly scary moments, but I didn’t let that dampen my enthusiast! Undeterred, I waited patiently for my group to enter.
A staff member appeared, and went through the usual health and safety information, with a quite unsuitable addition- that the actors may spit on you! In hind-sight, I think I can safely say I didn’t witness this happening myself, but would passionately advise the attraction to remove this puerile attempt at humour. For many people, the fear of serious bacterial or viral infections from such contact is real enough for them to refuse to enter, and with good reason. I personally wanted written assurance after that comment that it was either an ill-conceived joke, or otherwise see clear health certificates for all cast members to ensure my own safety. That comment alone showed a serious misjudgement on the part of the staff and I wondered exactly how many of these inappropriate mistakes would be evident within the attraction. It was only then I noticed the banners strewn around the area proclaiming this to be “London’s Only Live Horror Show”- quite a bold statement considering this attraction only opened in 2007, when the Chamber Live and the Dungeons had been open for years, and the Bridge Experienced opened the previous week. All in all, by the time the staff-host handed half of the group a pair of cheap eye-goggles to wear (no reason was every given why they were needed, or why only half the group would need them), disillusionment was beginning to set in.
Finally, our time came, and we were led through the main doors into a long, dark grey corridor. There the staff-member gathered us by a wall and took our picture on a simple hand-held camera. Then we moved slightly further down the corridor to wait outside the actual attraction. This could have been an atmospheric and beautiful start to the attraction, but was somewhat ruined by the fact that, despite the dim lighting and detailed paintings on the wall, the end of the corridor was clearly open to the rest of the County Hall building, allowing light and noise to seriously bleed into the area, destroying any hope of creating an suitable ambience. Once we were all gathered outside the attraction entrance, our host entered the slightly less-than-imposing door, and we were instructed to wait outside, where we waited, noting the not-quite-blanked-out windows, and the spare props and rolls of parcel tape on display within them. And still we waited. After a very long time, the door violently rattled. Then nothing. Then it rattled again. Then again nothing, until finally the door slowly swung open, the host came out and beckoned us to enter.
And so, finally, I was able to see for myself why so many scare-enthusiasts had declared this the worst attraction they had ever seen.
Weird & Wonderful have a marvellous reputation for creating stunning sets and detailed props to Hollywood quality. It is therefore disappointing to report that none of this expertise seems to have been employed in creating their own attraction. The previous maze to be designed by W&W was Se7en, one of the Thorpe Park Fright Nights high capacity mazes. This maze highlighted a problem in the general approach W&W have towards scare mazes, in that, despite the high level of detail and gore, the settings did not have integral scare elements such as scare-holes or entrance places for the actors to utilise the space effectively. This problem also carries through to Fright Club, with the whole performance space seeming far too basic, but is further hampered by the fact that it contains very little of the detailed creations that make Se7en such a success. The overall set is very basic, blank walls with metal fencing above, and a few props which are not very well realised. I even noticed a large scary rabbit in one room, which is commercially available from Space Monkey’s website. Not quite the original design and detail you would expect from such a reputable company.
Unfortunately the set is not the only thing letting this production down. The acting team that I witnessed did nothing to aid this failing attraction. From laboured, unfunny attempts at distraction humour, to poor scares, inappropriate and badly timed script delivery through to just a general feeling of lethargy, as a piece of interactive theatre this attraction fails on every count. It is almost impossible to find anything positive to say about this experience. Not even half-way through the attraction, members of the group I followed through were complaining about the standard, one gentleman quite vocally, and 3 actually demanded their money back on exit.
Now, I spend a lot of time in scare-attractions, and it is very easy for any maze operator to say that I am just jaded and de-sensitised to the whole thing- I argue the opposite. I may not personally get scared easily, but I can see better than most if an actor executes a good scare, or if an attraction design is creating the perfect atmosphere. In some ‘bad’ mazes, it is possible to see great potential that the current team are just failing to realise. Unfortunately some others provide a much different picture. Fright Club is one of the latter. Weird and Wonderful have rested on their laurels since their success at Thorpe Park, and the complacency shows. The physical design of the maze is lacking anything original, and whilst a good theme and strong performers can completely override this, they were not present either.
To create a good attraction, you need good performers and give them a good strong framework. All I experienced in here was a lot of banging on the walls, being shot by water pistols, and being grabbed by the ankles. The first can work if used carefully, the second needs serious consideration if it is going to work at all and I never condone the use of the latter.
It is a very sad thing to say, but the only thing scary about this poor excuse for an attraction, is the price!
A staff member appeared, and went through the usual health and safety information, with a quite unsuitable addition- that the actors may spit on you! In hind-sight, I think I can safely say I didn’t witness this happening myself, but would passionately advise the attraction to remove this puerile attempt at humour. For many people, the fear of serious bacterial or viral infections from such contact is real enough for them to refuse to enter, and with good reason. I personally wanted written assurance after that comment that it was either an ill-conceived joke, or otherwise see clear health certificates for all cast members to ensure my own safety. That comment alone showed a serious misjudgement on the part of the staff and I wondered exactly how many of these inappropriate mistakes would be evident within the attraction. It was only then I noticed the banners strewn around the area proclaiming this to be “London’s Only Live Horror Show”- quite a bold statement considering this attraction only opened in 2007, when the Chamber Live and the Dungeons had been open for years, and the Bridge Experienced opened the previous week. All in all, by the time the staff-host handed half of the group a pair of cheap eye-goggles to wear (no reason was every given why they were needed, or why only half the group would need them), disillusionment was beginning to set in.
Finally, our time came, and we were led through the main doors into a long, dark grey corridor. There the staff-member gathered us by a wall and took our picture on a simple hand-held camera. Then we moved slightly further down the corridor to wait outside the actual attraction. This could have been an atmospheric and beautiful start to the attraction, but was somewhat ruined by the fact that, despite the dim lighting and detailed paintings on the wall, the end of the corridor was clearly open to the rest of the County Hall building, allowing light and noise to seriously bleed into the area, destroying any hope of creating an suitable ambience. Once we were all gathered outside the attraction entrance, our host entered the slightly less-than-imposing door, and we were instructed to wait outside, where we waited, noting the not-quite-blanked-out windows, and the spare props and rolls of parcel tape on display within them. And still we waited. After a very long time, the door violently rattled. Then nothing. Then it rattled again. Then again nothing, until finally the door slowly swung open, the host came out and beckoned us to enter.
And so, finally, I was able to see for myself why so many scare-enthusiasts had declared this the worst attraction they had ever seen.
Weird & Wonderful have a marvellous reputation for creating stunning sets and detailed props to Hollywood quality. It is therefore disappointing to report that none of this expertise seems to have been employed in creating their own attraction. The previous maze to be designed by W&W was Se7en, one of the Thorpe Park Fright Nights high capacity mazes. This maze highlighted a problem in the general approach W&W have towards scare mazes, in that, despite the high level of detail and gore, the settings did not have integral scare elements such as scare-holes or entrance places for the actors to utilise the space effectively. This problem also carries through to Fright Club, with the whole performance space seeming far too basic, but is further hampered by the fact that it contains very little of the detailed creations that make Se7en such a success. The overall set is very basic, blank walls with metal fencing above, and a few props which are not very well realised. I even noticed a large scary rabbit in one room, which is commercially available from Space Monkey’s website. Not quite the original design and detail you would expect from such a reputable company.
Unfortunately the set is not the only thing letting this production down. The acting team that I witnessed did nothing to aid this failing attraction. From laboured, unfunny attempts at distraction humour, to poor scares, inappropriate and badly timed script delivery through to just a general feeling of lethargy, as a piece of interactive theatre this attraction fails on every count. It is almost impossible to find anything positive to say about this experience. Not even half-way through the attraction, members of the group I followed through were complaining about the standard, one gentleman quite vocally, and 3 actually demanded their money back on exit.
Now, I spend a lot of time in scare-attractions, and it is very easy for any maze operator to say that I am just jaded and de-sensitised to the whole thing- I argue the opposite. I may not personally get scared easily, but I can see better than most if an actor executes a good scare, or if an attraction design is creating the perfect atmosphere. In some ‘bad’ mazes, it is possible to see great potential that the current team are just failing to realise. Unfortunately some others provide a much different picture. Fright Club is one of the latter. Weird and Wonderful have rested on their laurels since their success at Thorpe Park, and the complacency shows. The physical design of the maze is lacking anything original, and whilst a good theme and strong performers can completely override this, they were not present either.
To create a good attraction, you need good performers and give them a good strong framework. All I experienced in here was a lot of banging on the walls, being shot by water pistols, and being grabbed by the ankles. The first can work if used carefully, the second needs serious consideration if it is going to work at all and I never condone the use of the latter.
It is a very sad thing to say, but the only thing scary about this poor excuse for an attraction, is the price!
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