Frightmare 2019
When we visited Frightmare in 2018, they were promoting that something new was coming for 2019, We guessed that this may have just been a new clown maze, but to our surprise, the event have opened up a whole new carnival area, with rides,and sideshows - as well as a new "attraction" called Carvinal (check the spelling - that isn't a typo!)
We have chosen our words carefully there as the Carvinal is not a scare maze in the traditional sense, but more of a promenade theater style experience with multiple scenes. Imagine the classic Dungeon style attraction, but themed around a demented carnival and you're close. In large groups, we were led through multiple mini shows as we met the residents of the circus and heard their twisted stories. Each scene involved some sort of audience participation, and throughout the experience we had all been picked on, separated or asked to participate in the events, which really made us feel engaged throughout.
Every room we visited was impressively themed for a temporary attraction, and the actors were totally believable delivering a sadistic, evil script whilst adding humorous quips and ad-libbing as required. Of course - we all know that you cant trust carny folk, and by the end of the attraction, the theatrics turned to scares as we were chased through a red and white stripe maze by multiple aggressive clown characters. The finale worked as a slightly higher energy counterpoint to the rest of the show, but possibly needed just one last jump scare/chase to get us running out the door.
All in, we really have to commend Frightmare on presenting something so different to the classic scare maze. The concepts and ideas were spot on and the actors really made the experience enjoyable.
Our next stop was for the Haunted Hayride, which once again has had a complete story overhaul. As we headed into the darkness on the trailer we started to hear more about the scarecrow themed snuff movies being filmed on site, and it wasn't too long before we became part of the cast.
The main trailer ride is a fun section that involves multiple scenes with characters out in the woods and surrounding farmland. Its all done very tongue in cheek, and of course all the characters came on board for close up interaction where they could. The highlight of any Hayride trip is the excursion into what we lovingly call "The Barn". So many scares have happened in here over the years, but we were genuinely surprised at just how well themed it was. Instead of dark corridors between crates of potatoes, the barn, like last year, has been extensively themed to fit the story and could be classified as a scare attraction in its own right.
Once again the actors were on top form and we had some great scares and interactions throughout. All too soon we were out and headed back to the main event arena, and we must comment on how many actors and scares we got on this dark walk back. The scares came thick and fast, with the creatures really using the lack of lighting to catch us off guard and make us jump. Which wasn't helped by the fact the path was so muddy due to the recent rain!
The Hayride was great fun from beginning to end, and as we returned to the central hub, we enjoyed the crazy performance of the sad clown (a Frightmare regular) as well as some onstage characters. The music in this area is loud, and with the nearby food court and outside rides, there really was a great festival style atmosphere across the whole site.
Having completed the two new attractions we then worked our way round the site to try out Seance, The Offering, Caged and Wonderland. Although nothing significant seems to have changed with any of these returning mazes, we did notice an increased intensity with the actors and we had a series of great scares and jumps in each. Well done Frightmare for upping the scare levels for this year!
Without a doubt, this is the strongest year we have seen at Frightmare for a long time. The new additions work really well and with 6 attractions, and the rides, there is even more reason to stay longer and make a night of it. We cant wait to come back!
We have chosen our words carefully there as the Carvinal is not a scare maze in the traditional sense, but more of a promenade theater style experience with multiple scenes. Imagine the classic Dungeon style attraction, but themed around a demented carnival and you're close. In large groups, we were led through multiple mini shows as we met the residents of the circus and heard their twisted stories. Each scene involved some sort of audience participation, and throughout the experience we had all been picked on, separated or asked to participate in the events, which really made us feel engaged throughout.
Every room we visited was impressively themed for a temporary attraction, and the actors were totally believable delivering a sadistic, evil script whilst adding humorous quips and ad-libbing as required. Of course - we all know that you cant trust carny folk, and by the end of the attraction, the theatrics turned to scares as we were chased through a red and white stripe maze by multiple aggressive clown characters. The finale worked as a slightly higher energy counterpoint to the rest of the show, but possibly needed just one last jump scare/chase to get us running out the door.
All in, we really have to commend Frightmare on presenting something so different to the classic scare maze. The concepts and ideas were spot on and the actors really made the experience enjoyable.
Our next stop was for the Haunted Hayride, which once again has had a complete story overhaul. As we headed into the darkness on the trailer we started to hear more about the scarecrow themed snuff movies being filmed on site, and it wasn't too long before we became part of the cast.
The main trailer ride is a fun section that involves multiple scenes with characters out in the woods and surrounding farmland. Its all done very tongue in cheek, and of course all the characters came on board for close up interaction where they could. The highlight of any Hayride trip is the excursion into what we lovingly call "The Barn". So many scares have happened in here over the years, but we were genuinely surprised at just how well themed it was. Instead of dark corridors between crates of potatoes, the barn, like last year, has been extensively themed to fit the story and could be classified as a scare attraction in its own right.
Once again the actors were on top form and we had some great scares and interactions throughout. All too soon we were out and headed back to the main event arena, and we must comment on how many actors and scares we got on this dark walk back. The scares came thick and fast, with the creatures really using the lack of lighting to catch us off guard and make us jump. Which wasn't helped by the fact the path was so muddy due to the recent rain!
The Hayride was great fun from beginning to end, and as we returned to the central hub, we enjoyed the crazy performance of the sad clown (a Frightmare regular) as well as some onstage characters. The music in this area is loud, and with the nearby food court and outside rides, there really was a great festival style atmosphere across the whole site.
Having completed the two new attractions we then worked our way round the site to try out Seance, The Offering, Caged and Wonderland. Although nothing significant seems to have changed with any of these returning mazes, we did notice an increased intensity with the actors and we had a series of great scares and jumps in each. Well done Frightmare for upping the scare levels for this year!
Without a doubt, this is the strongest year we have seen at Frightmare for a long time. The new additions work really well and with 6 attractions, and the rides, there is even more reason to stay longer and make a night of it. We cant wait to come back!
Frightmare 2018
Last year we visited Frightmare on opening night and our review pointed out a couple of things that made it feel as if the build wasn’t quite finished. It was shame, as Frightmare is always a fun event, so we weren’t surprised this year they decided to hold press night one week later, to give themselves a chance to really craft their presentation. It was certainly a good move by the team, as we had a much better experience than 2017.
The first thing that was immediately obvious is the expanded food court and bar area. With a good choice of food and (very reasonably priced) burgers made in house at the Over Farm butchers, this area was a bustle all night – especially as the bar could also be found in this area.
So, with the bar and food moved away from the main concourse area, we were greeted by one of the biggest teases for a new attraction we have ever seen. One whole side of the arena was taken up by a circus style, with a stage for their resident deadpan clown character. With big signs up saying Coming 2019 – this is clearly an indication of next year’s clown maze and we can’t wait. It’s also worth noticing that the event is transitioning to new branding which we assume will all be in place for next year.
Opposite the clown set was the park’s usual stage which featured many different and impressive cabaret style shows throughout the night to create a lively festival atmosphere.
The first maze we experienced was Wonderland: Oblivion – a 3D maze featuring some freaky characters from the Lewis Caroll novels. Sadly, we were hampered by some terrible batching which meant the first three groups all sort of ended up on top of each other in the first few rooms. The poor actors were trying their best, but it wasn’t ideal. Fortunately, we managed to separate ourselves off and do the rest of the maze as a much smaller group! The 3D glasses added a really unusual element to the maze as instead of the intricate murals seen at other parks, the colours and paints seem more random and surreal. Certainly, the unusual effects of the glasses hid a number of good actor attacks, and towards the end of the maze things had really picked up with some fun scares.
Our next maze was the classic Séance: The Gate. Although starting very similarly to previous versions, the path soon led us outside into a terrifying graveyard scene that was just full of killer monks. The whole house was brilliant, but the graveyard was a real highlight. For an attraction that has been at the park for a few years, this was a great way to refresh it and was a great experience from beginning to end.
Caged: The Compound has been a big favourite of ours in the past, and this year has seen some big changes. The first half retains the smoky green atmosphere full of terrifying creatures and the actors were working their freakish butts off to provide scare after scare. Then In a real surprise, the second half of the maze was virtually experienced in full clinical white strip lights. This was a brave move and could have failed spectacularly but theses final scenes were so good - literally the scariest part of the whole night. The actors wee quick, the hiding places were unique, and the screams were incredible. Well done Frightmare -truly original and different.
The final traditional maze is The Offering: Buried which once again has very detailed sets and effects to simulate the feeling of going deep underground. The actors were lively in here but sadly we got caught by some really bad batching (or that the group in front of us were stupid and couldn’t work out that they just needed to keep moving forward!) The actors were doing their best, but we missed a few scares as the actors were still with the other group. It’s a shame as we have always loved this attraction in the past and would have loved to have experienced it at its full potential.
One of the unique features of Frightmare is the Haunted Hayride, which unlike trailer rides at other events, tells a unique story from beginning to end. The Hayride is the original attraction at the Over Farm and every year gets a thematic makeover. This year – it was all about the Witches.
As usual the experience is split into three parts – the fun trailer ride itself, the terrifying indoor maze section and then the long walk back to the event field. This was clearly once of the strongest years of the Hayride as the whole show mixed some great story telling and fun characterisations (the two women on the trailer ride were hilariously risqué) There were also some new elaborately themed sets in the “Museum of Witchcraft” that really impressed us. These scenes really stood out as the effects gave the impression of being entombed in massive funeral pyre and the actors were on from throughout the barn. Finally, on the final leg, we were surprised just how many scares we got on the route home. This year – the Hayride was truly our favourite experience of the night.
So, all in – we had a much better experience at Frightmare this year, with some great scares along the way. It was a shame we had a couple of batching issues, but these didn’t ruin what was an incredibly fun night for us. Well done to all involved.
The first thing that was immediately obvious is the expanded food court and bar area. With a good choice of food and (very reasonably priced) burgers made in house at the Over Farm butchers, this area was a bustle all night – especially as the bar could also be found in this area.
So, with the bar and food moved away from the main concourse area, we were greeted by one of the biggest teases for a new attraction we have ever seen. One whole side of the arena was taken up by a circus style, with a stage for their resident deadpan clown character. With big signs up saying Coming 2019 – this is clearly an indication of next year’s clown maze and we can’t wait. It’s also worth noticing that the event is transitioning to new branding which we assume will all be in place for next year.
Opposite the clown set was the park’s usual stage which featured many different and impressive cabaret style shows throughout the night to create a lively festival atmosphere.
The first maze we experienced was Wonderland: Oblivion – a 3D maze featuring some freaky characters from the Lewis Caroll novels. Sadly, we were hampered by some terrible batching which meant the first three groups all sort of ended up on top of each other in the first few rooms. The poor actors were trying their best, but it wasn’t ideal. Fortunately, we managed to separate ourselves off and do the rest of the maze as a much smaller group! The 3D glasses added a really unusual element to the maze as instead of the intricate murals seen at other parks, the colours and paints seem more random and surreal. Certainly, the unusual effects of the glasses hid a number of good actor attacks, and towards the end of the maze things had really picked up with some fun scares.
Our next maze was the classic Séance: The Gate. Although starting very similarly to previous versions, the path soon led us outside into a terrifying graveyard scene that was just full of killer monks. The whole house was brilliant, but the graveyard was a real highlight. For an attraction that has been at the park for a few years, this was a great way to refresh it and was a great experience from beginning to end.
Caged: The Compound has been a big favourite of ours in the past, and this year has seen some big changes. The first half retains the smoky green atmosphere full of terrifying creatures and the actors were working their freakish butts off to provide scare after scare. Then In a real surprise, the second half of the maze was virtually experienced in full clinical white strip lights. This was a brave move and could have failed spectacularly but theses final scenes were so good - literally the scariest part of the whole night. The actors wee quick, the hiding places were unique, and the screams were incredible. Well done Frightmare -truly original and different.
The final traditional maze is The Offering: Buried which once again has very detailed sets and effects to simulate the feeling of going deep underground. The actors were lively in here but sadly we got caught by some really bad batching (or that the group in front of us were stupid and couldn’t work out that they just needed to keep moving forward!) The actors were doing their best, but we missed a few scares as the actors were still with the other group. It’s a shame as we have always loved this attraction in the past and would have loved to have experienced it at its full potential.
One of the unique features of Frightmare is the Haunted Hayride, which unlike trailer rides at other events, tells a unique story from beginning to end. The Hayride is the original attraction at the Over Farm and every year gets a thematic makeover. This year – it was all about the Witches.
As usual the experience is split into three parts – the fun trailer ride itself, the terrifying indoor maze section and then the long walk back to the event field. This was clearly once of the strongest years of the Hayride as the whole show mixed some great story telling and fun characterisations (the two women on the trailer ride were hilariously risqué) There were also some new elaborately themed sets in the “Museum of Witchcraft” that really impressed us. These scenes really stood out as the effects gave the impression of being entombed in massive funeral pyre and the actors were on from throughout the barn. Finally, on the final leg, we were surprised just how many scares we got on the route home. This year – the Hayride was truly our favourite experience of the night.
So, all in – we had a much better experience at Frightmare this year, with some great scares along the way. It was a shame we had a couple of batching issues, but these didn’t ruin what was an incredibly fun night for us. Well done to all involved.
Frightmare 2017
In the theatre world, the concept of “preview nights” is quite common. A theatre will sell tickets specifically as preview performances at a slightly reduced price, with the proviso that the show could be stopped at any time due to technical issues. This gives everyone in the production a chance to have several full run throughs with the public, before allowing reviewers and press to come and see the show. It is a concept that has not really been implemented in scare attractions, but in recent years, we have been asked to delay our visits to certain events just to allow for things to bed in properly.
Sadly, in the case of Frightmare this year, they invited everyone down on opening night, and although it sounds harsh – it just felt that the park wasn’t ready for us. We have always had a soft spot for Frightmare – it was one of the UK’s earliest scare events and their iconic Haunted hayride has been running for over 20 years. In fact we were part of the team that helped them branch out to a multi attraction event when we helped build The Mausoleum – a standalone scare attraction in a marquee. Since then the park has grown rapidly with four main attractions and an expanded trailer ride. With the addition, a few years ago, of a central hub and entertainment stage the event has grown to have more of a festival feel and still serves some of the best scream park pizza we’ve ever had!
So, what went wrong on press night? It is hard to pinpoint any one thing but all the mazes suffered with terrible sound bleed (especially in Wonderland, which was far too close to the main festival stage - the poor actors were literally screaming to be heard over the ambient maze noise and the soundtrack coming from outside.) In Caged – we struggled to hear the intro video as a full scale creature attack was happening on the other side of the wall drowning out the sound. Even on the hayride, the actors struggled to be heard over the ambient roar that was coming through the speakers. There were also a number of technical issues on the night with Caged remaining completely fog free. This was one of our favourite mazes when it first debuted so it was so sad to see it as a shadow of its former self. We tried several times to go through The Offering, only to be told that the sound wasn’t working (ironically – it was still the best maze of the night as the level of theming was incredible throughout and the actors really made it genuinely scary!)
However, we feel bad dwelling on the negative, as it is clear that Frightmare has been created with a lot of passion and the event has a lot of great ideas and concepts. The actors in all four mazes were exceptionally agile and vocal and really helped lift the mazes above the technical issues. We especially have to commend the team within Caged who were literally throwing themselves around the room. We also liked some of the design decisions including the split routes within Wonderland that sent us on different paths through the story. And Seance looked as beautifully creepy as ever. We also enjoyed this year’s Haunted Hayride – it is always presented with its tongue firmly in its cheek, and we loved the addition of the car scrapyard as part of the long walk home. The barn itself – remains as darkly terrifying as it has always been and is completely unique within the industry – we always love it when people “safe” on the hayride realise they have to get off the trailer and step inside!
We have always thoroughly enjoyed Frightmare in recent years, therefore, we are going to chalk this up as a one off. We’re sure that any niggles will be completed by the time the event re-opens next weekend.
Sadly, in the case of Frightmare this year, they invited everyone down on opening night, and although it sounds harsh – it just felt that the park wasn’t ready for us. We have always had a soft spot for Frightmare – it was one of the UK’s earliest scare events and their iconic Haunted hayride has been running for over 20 years. In fact we were part of the team that helped them branch out to a multi attraction event when we helped build The Mausoleum – a standalone scare attraction in a marquee. Since then the park has grown rapidly with four main attractions and an expanded trailer ride. With the addition, a few years ago, of a central hub and entertainment stage the event has grown to have more of a festival feel and still serves some of the best scream park pizza we’ve ever had!
So, what went wrong on press night? It is hard to pinpoint any one thing but all the mazes suffered with terrible sound bleed (especially in Wonderland, which was far too close to the main festival stage - the poor actors were literally screaming to be heard over the ambient maze noise and the soundtrack coming from outside.) In Caged – we struggled to hear the intro video as a full scale creature attack was happening on the other side of the wall drowning out the sound. Even on the hayride, the actors struggled to be heard over the ambient roar that was coming through the speakers. There were also a number of technical issues on the night with Caged remaining completely fog free. This was one of our favourite mazes when it first debuted so it was so sad to see it as a shadow of its former self. We tried several times to go through The Offering, only to be told that the sound wasn’t working (ironically – it was still the best maze of the night as the level of theming was incredible throughout and the actors really made it genuinely scary!)
However, we feel bad dwelling on the negative, as it is clear that Frightmare has been created with a lot of passion and the event has a lot of great ideas and concepts. The actors in all four mazes were exceptionally agile and vocal and really helped lift the mazes above the technical issues. We especially have to commend the team within Caged who were literally throwing themselves around the room. We also liked some of the design decisions including the split routes within Wonderland that sent us on different paths through the story. And Seance looked as beautifully creepy as ever. We also enjoyed this year’s Haunted Hayride – it is always presented with its tongue firmly in its cheek, and we loved the addition of the car scrapyard as part of the long walk home. The barn itself – remains as darkly terrifying as it has always been and is completely unique within the industry – we always love it when people “safe” on the hayride realise they have to get off the trailer and step inside!
We have always thoroughly enjoyed Frightmare in recent years, therefore, we are going to chalk this up as a one off. We’re sure that any niggles will be completed by the time the event re-opens next weekend.
Scary - A relatively good value for money ranging from £17-£28 for 5 mazes (Wonderland, The Offering, Caged, Séance and The Haunted Hayride). Wonderland (New for 2017) was a reasonably strong maze with wacky colours and visual effects such as a spinning tunnel to disorientate the guests however it was not a particularly scary maze with a small number of "jump" moments and mainly just a lot of shouting. The Offering was one of the strongest mazes at the event, crawling sections with overheard air cannons caused a lot of scares along with the rather aggressive actors, i t was the scariest maze at Frightmare. Caged is probably the weakest of the mazes, with a lot of jump scares and an incredible amount of mist, it did catch guests out from time to time however it was very short in terms of time inside the attraction. Séance had a very classic feel to it, based around a haunted house, we witness a strobe section, a lot of quality scares and generally just a very nice scare maze however like Caged, it was rather short. Finally, The Haunted Hayride was the best maze at Frightmare, guests are taken to the far stretches of the farm on a trailer, there is good humour, fire effects and a good build up story to the main maze, once guests have departed, they enter a pitch black maze section with quite a few actors causing very "off guard" and intense scares. The final section of the maze leads guests in small groups through a corn field with a few actors before being chased out of the attraction by two actors with chainsaws. Overall a strong event in Gloucestershire. Do not miss it :)
Frightmare - 2016
Frightmare is one of the oldest Halloween events in the country and has come a long way from the simple Haunted Hayride into the pumpkin fields. With the new central structure that was introduced recently, the park is now a multi attraction scream park with 5 different attractions, live entertainment and so much more.
The Haunted Hayride has an impressive history as it was the first we had ever experienced, that included a full size scare maze half way along the route. This year the theme was of a high security prison on lock down, and the scenes on the trailer (and then later within the barn) all combined together to make an interesting story. One of the highlights of our trip, were the hysterical chavvy girls eating their McDonalds about to pay a conjugal visit to the prison. A witty touch on an otherwise scary expedition!
The Fright House has once again been taken over by toys and dolls and the maze was as busy as previously, with the creatures inside attacking from all angles. Though we are not huge chainsaw fans, the group behind caught up with us in the finale and literally pushed us out the exit in their bid to escape!
Séance is back and was as fun and scary as we have come to expect. During the séance there are a number of special effects on the walls that we have seen in other attractions and the maze section at the end is fun and confusing (especially in the “doors” section.) Séance is one of the event’s most detailed mazes with incredible theming in every room.
Caged was one of our favourite mazes of 2015 and returns this year with even crazier hybrid creatures. The main green room with the actors set at different heights to the guests works really well and the actors were particularly lively and aggressive. We loved the fact that actors were able to crawl above and over things, as well, which really varied the types of scare we received throughout.
The Offering is new for 2016 and takes place in impressively themed “underground” caverns full of strange ritualistic characters all looking for their next sacrifice. The first half of the maze had some stunning scenery, which genuinely created the impression that we were underground. Unfortunately by the end of the maze, the theming had resorted to just plain black walls. If we had to put money on it, we would say that that the team ran out of time to be able to finish off the theming. Which is a shame as the actors were really giving us some exciting scares.
Outside of the 5 main attractions, the central hub was buzzing with activity with a number of roaming actors and onstage entertainment to add to the atmosphere. As we said in 2016, Frightmare is an often overlooked scream park which is a shame as we always have a great time at the event.
The Haunted Hayride has an impressive history as it was the first we had ever experienced, that included a full size scare maze half way along the route. This year the theme was of a high security prison on lock down, and the scenes on the trailer (and then later within the barn) all combined together to make an interesting story. One of the highlights of our trip, were the hysterical chavvy girls eating their McDonalds about to pay a conjugal visit to the prison. A witty touch on an otherwise scary expedition!
The Fright House has once again been taken over by toys and dolls and the maze was as busy as previously, with the creatures inside attacking from all angles. Though we are not huge chainsaw fans, the group behind caught up with us in the finale and literally pushed us out the exit in their bid to escape!
Séance is back and was as fun and scary as we have come to expect. During the séance there are a number of special effects on the walls that we have seen in other attractions and the maze section at the end is fun and confusing (especially in the “doors” section.) Séance is one of the event’s most detailed mazes with incredible theming in every room.
Caged was one of our favourite mazes of 2015 and returns this year with even crazier hybrid creatures. The main green room with the actors set at different heights to the guests works really well and the actors were particularly lively and aggressive. We loved the fact that actors were able to crawl above and over things, as well, which really varied the types of scare we received throughout.
The Offering is new for 2016 and takes place in impressively themed “underground” caverns full of strange ritualistic characters all looking for their next sacrifice. The first half of the maze had some stunning scenery, which genuinely created the impression that we were underground. Unfortunately by the end of the maze, the theming had resorted to just plain black walls. If we had to put money on it, we would say that that the team ran out of time to be able to finish off the theming. Which is a shame as the actors were really giving us some exciting scares.
Outside of the 5 main attractions, the central hub was buzzing with activity with a number of roaming actors and onstage entertainment to add to the atmosphere. As we said in 2016, Frightmare is an often overlooked scream park which is a shame as we always have a great time at the event.
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