Hop Farm Freak Week- 2011 Review
Hop Farm have been holding a small Halloween event for a number of years, but in 2011 have decided to really up the Scare Factor. With three brand new mazes plus a show, we went along to see what they had to offer.
On first arrival at Hop Farm, it becomes immediately clear that this event is more advanced than many of the other farm events out there. Car parking is structured and organised, there is a proper entrance and ticket booth, as well as detailed theming (and accompanying zombie) to set the mood.
Once inside, there's not a marquee or packing container in sight, just a nicely themed (if a little spread out) farm park that has utilised some of its existing buildings to best advantage. In the distance a carousel was spinning - ominously empty and a mood of unease filled the air. Every now and then a scream would pierce the silence.
It was time to face the mazes.
Once inside, there's not a marquee or packing container in sight, just a nicely themed (if a little spread out) farm park that has utilised some of its existing buildings to best advantage. In the distance a carousel was spinning - ominously empty and a mood of unease filled the air. Every now and then a scream would pierce the silence.
It was time to face the mazes.
The Slaughterhouse Maze

Slaughterhouse is advertised as the scariest maze at the farm and we absolutely loved it. Using a similar design structure to the popular "clown curtain" mazes, the Slaughterhouse features room after identical room, all covered in blood and gore with clear plastic "meat freezer" curtains between scenes.
The genius of using the see through plastic curtains is, that most times you can see the actor/monster waiting for you and it actually makes it more intimidating than if you didn't know what was there.
Praise should go to the amazing acting crew of this maze, who just seemed to be everywhere, everytime. Wherever we went, something was threatening us and because of the multiple route/maze-like element, we often found ourselves running in different directions just to escape an attack, only then to run straight into a monster coming the other way!
Slaughterhouse isn't a long maze but on both trips through we were starting to panic that we wouldn't get out and the final squeeze out the doors came as welcome relief each time. Saying that, it truly is one of the highlights of the 2011 Halloween season!
The genius of using the see through plastic curtains is, that most times you can see the actor/monster waiting for you and it actually makes it more intimidating than if you didn't know what was there.
Praise should go to the amazing acting crew of this maze, who just seemed to be everywhere, everytime. Wherever we went, something was threatening us and because of the multiple route/maze-like element, we often found ourselves running in different directions just to escape an attack, only then to run straight into a monster coming the other way!
Slaughterhouse isn't a long maze but on both trips through we were starting to panic that we wouldn't get out and the final squeeze out the doors came as welcome relief each time. Saying that, it truly is one of the highlights of the 2011 Halloween season!
Quarantine

A day later, it's still quite hard to actually remember too much about this attraction. Was it a maze? Was it a show? Was it pitch black? Was it brightly lit? Well the clear answer is "all of the above."
Hop Farm have taken some basic scare attraction elements and mixed them all up with humour, into one chaotic, clever and very scary show. One minute we were standing enjoying the social commentary on the nature of hooliganism (with very clever references to the July 2011 riots across the country) the next we were separated into small groups and running for our lives, to get away from some very fast and very rabid zombie type creatures. The attraction warning signs actually suggest you shouldn't experience it if you aren't capable of a 'light jog' and we certainly walked a lot faster than usual to get away from some of the scenes.
What was so good about Quarantine is that it didn't follow the standard formula that so many attractions do. The creative team had obviously put a lot of thought and attention into how the experience would play out, and should be commended for doing something a little different, while still retaining a high level of fear throughout. It's going to sound corny to say it, but like Slaughterhouse, this is another highlight of the whole 2011 Halloween season!
Hop Farm have taken some basic scare attraction elements and mixed them all up with humour, into one chaotic, clever and very scary show. One minute we were standing enjoying the social commentary on the nature of hooliganism (with very clever references to the July 2011 riots across the country) the next we were separated into small groups and running for our lives, to get away from some very fast and very rabid zombie type creatures. The attraction warning signs actually suggest you shouldn't experience it if you aren't capable of a 'light jog' and we certainly walked a lot faster than usual to get away from some of the scenes.
What was so good about Quarantine is that it didn't follow the standard formula that so many attractions do. The creative team had obviously put a lot of thought and attention into how the experience would play out, and should be commended for doing something a little different, while still retaining a high level of fear throughout. It's going to sound corny to say it, but like Slaughterhouse, this is another highlight of the whole 2011 Halloween season!
Torture Cellar Live

Torture Cellar was probably the weakest of the attractions but that's really doing it a big disservice. The attraction is quite small, but packs in some lively actors, some crazy lighting and a clever and startling final scene using techniques and effects more likely to be found in one of the permanent Dungeons attractions, as opposed to a 5 day seasonal event.
Like Quarantine, it's really refreshing to see something that didn't just rely on the "jump out and say boo" school of acting and as such, Torture Cellar had a unique identity of its own that would put some other attractions to shame. After all, if this is the weakest attraction at the park, then it just shows how good the other ones are.
Like Quarantine, it's really refreshing to see something that didn't just rely on the "jump out and say boo" school of acting and as such, Torture Cellar had a unique identity of its own that would put some other attractions to shame. After all, if this is the weakest attraction at the park, then it just shows how good the other ones are.
Seance: Contacting Mary Ellen

As we stood outside the circus tent where this show takes place, we could hear screams coming from the previous audience, and as they left, our queue line was full of nervous chatter about what to expect. With trepidation, we took a numbered seat inside realising that there was a very real chance that we might end up on the stage ourselves.
Presented by TV magician, Richard Bellers (who recently managed to fool Penn and Teller) the start of the show sets up the story of Mary Ellen and the awful accident that befell her in the very tent we were sat in.
What then follows is a fairly standard magic and illusion trick using members of the audience. Although it was impressive to see live, we were starting to think "is that it?" when all of a sudden hell broke loose! Virtually everyone in the audience screamed and the clever direction of the stage action, along with some very effective acting, left those of us in the stalls quaking with fear in the dark.
It was really nice to see something so different at a Halloween event and we would highly recommend you don't miss this show! To say any more would ruin it!
Presented by TV magician, Richard Bellers (who recently managed to fool Penn and Teller) the start of the show sets up the story of Mary Ellen and the awful accident that befell her in the very tent we were sat in.
What then follows is a fairly standard magic and illusion trick using members of the audience. Although it was impressive to see live, we were starting to think "is that it?" when all of a sudden hell broke loose! Virtually everyone in the audience screamed and the clever direction of the stage action, along with some very effective acting, left those of us in the stalls quaking with fear in the dark.
It was really nice to see something so different at a Halloween event and we would highly recommend you don't miss this show! To say any more would ruin it!
Besides the main shows, you never quite know what you are going to meet while walking round the event. At one point the whole cast of Slaughterhouse came to terrorise the queue-line for Seance, and as actors came on and off of scheduled breaks they stayed completely in charcater and got scares along the way. (Too many times this Halloween we've seen a zombie on the phone or chugging from a can of diet coke.)
The only criticism we could probably aim at the park, was the apparent lack of catering facilities - it looked like there was just one stand selling hot dogs and that they had underestimated the need for warm food and drink when waiting around in the cold for a time. It turns out that we just completely missed their sit down restaurant due to lack of signposting. With the whole infrastructure and the level of detail across the site, the whole event feels very professional with quality acting throughout. If our only complaint was that we couldn't find the restaurant to get a portion of chips and a cup of tea, then they have to be doing something right.
To find out more - visit the Hop Farm Shriek Week website
You Review

Slaughterhouse - one of the best mazes i have done all year. a true maze that was very
terrorfying with many diffrent paths, rooms, scares and jumps from everywhere.
being batched in 2's and 3's made the intencity even better but didnt affect the
throughput of the attraction. the actors did a fantastic job of jumping out at
you from doors, windows, left, right and above you (no joke they jumped from
above you infront of you). did this 2 times and was fantastic both times and a
real highlight of my halloween
Quarantine - from start to finnish a very lively and active attraction. half show and half maze it used light very very well. some fantastic actors doing a whole host of scares and one of the best storylines i have ever come across for why this test facility is here and how people have become zombies. the only problem with this maze was the through put. the que looked short but was well over an hour and a half and for good reason. after 30 minuites i times it and they were dispatching ever 8 and a half minuites which is pretty unexceptable for groups of 12. it also missed a big finales.
Torture Cellar Live - the weakest of the hop farm mazes it was short and sweet. the lighting is was very very good and at times it was very hard to see where you was going. the final scene however was the strongest of the event and offered some good jumps. again this big thing with hop farm is they have some superb actors around and really do the best they can to highten your experience. the only problem was this maze was far to short and needes some more parts to walk through.
Seance - Contacting Mary Ellen - the best halloween show i have seen this year and probally to date. the medium did a fantastic job of setting the mood with the tricks he was performing. i love the seance cuboard trick and still to this date cannot figure out how it is done. all seemed to be a very standered and a very good "derron brown" type show then all of a sudden it went dark and all hell broke loose. frights and terror is to be expected in the darkness of the big top
Quarantine - from start to finnish a very lively and active attraction. half show and half maze it used light very very well. some fantastic actors doing a whole host of scares and one of the best storylines i have ever come across for why this test facility is here and how people have become zombies. the only problem with this maze was the through put. the que looked short but was well over an hour and a half and for good reason. after 30 minuites i times it and they were dispatching ever 8 and a half minuites which is pretty unexceptable for groups of 12. it also missed a big finales.
Torture Cellar Live - the weakest of the hop farm mazes it was short and sweet. the lighting is was very very good and at times it was very hard to see where you was going. the final scene however was the strongest of the event and offered some good jumps. again this big thing with hop farm is they have some superb actors around and really do the best they can to highten your experience. the only problem was this maze was far to short and needes some more parts to walk through.
Seance - Contacting Mary Ellen - the best halloween show i have seen this year and probally to date. the medium did a fantastic job of setting the mood with the tricks he was performing. i love the seance cuboard trick and still to this date cannot figure out how it is done. all seemed to be a very standered and a very good "derron brown" type show then all of a sudden it went dark and all hell broke loose. frights and terror is to be expected in the darkness of the big top
You Review 2

i thought that the hop farm was very exciting and scary. One of the best thnigs i thought was the live actors walking around
You Review 3 - warning - contains spoilers!

Hop Farm freak week was simply terrifying, and that's just the start. Me and a group of friends came to the attraction because of a huge sign we saw going towards Sevenoaks. when we turned up, the whole park had an eerie feeling to it, along with the roaming actors and the background noise we started to feel uneasy. the first attraction we went to was Slaughter house maze.
before we even got inside we were scared because of a clown that was roaming around. When we went into the maze we were split up into pairs, this came as quite a shock and we started to fear what was inside and now I understand why. the rooms are only big enough to fit 2 people in and 1 actor. this makes the maze that much more scary because of the lack of "run away ability" and without knowing you are face to face with a psycho or a mad chainsaw man. also the use of the lighting and sound was very well though out, so some of the maze was lit and some was pitch black. around every corner we were screaming out heads off. the scare rating of 5* does not do this maze justice.
We then went onto Quarantine because it had quite a long queue and we wanted to do all of the attractions before we left. after waiting an hour we finally had our turn of getting our injections. We followed the man in the white suite into a corridor which looked like something from the films. we were instructed to go to the cage room and fill up both sides. Yeah right was not going in there.... until the man in the white suite came up behind me and put me in the front... cheers pal. standing in this 'cage room' with some scary looking mannequin in the corner and a scientist stopping us from running past we were trapped. we were given a short speech on where we were why we were hear ect. then without warning the mannequin jumped around so you could see his face. and screaming his head off. everyone jumped at the scram but when they saw his face there was a feeling of awwww crap this just got real. the zombie looking beast was snarling at is and trying to get us though the cage and then.... blackout. shit. what happened next was a blur but there was sirens and red warning lights everywhere. rather then being escorted out we were sent off in 2's again. some how, the zombie that was in the cage had got out and was staring us in the face. no cage, no safety. so we did what we had to.... we ran. there were zombies on the floor in open cages, in a real car, they were coming at us from all angles. we had to get out. once we were on the narrow strait and could see the exit. we found ourself casually walking. until we had attacks from both sides. as soon as that happened we were out the door and counting out praises then we were still alive. this attraction was our favourite and I hope that it stays for next year!
The acting in this attraction was to quality, and you didn't feel that it was acted you felt like it was a fight for survival, them vs you.
The next one we went to was seance. we had heard screams from this one when were queuing for quarantine. and that added more to the fear factor. when we went in there was a load of seats nicely laid out for a show. this was a blessing as we had been on our feet for so long. we settled in and were then told the story of a little girl called Mary Ellen who died in this circus during a high wire accident. the remains were still there from the accident. a rope trailing from one of the metal guiders to the seating area. following the rope down you could see the place she had been sitting and it looked like someone had only just died there. then we had the show, nothing to extraordinary. until someone had to go into the booth. I was praying that it wasn't me. thankfully it wasn't. then all hell broke loose, all the lights went dead. Richard had a torch handy and scanned the audience to make sure we were all OK. then he put it over his shoulder and there she was. a huge scream erupted and everyone was quaking in there seats. she then walked through the seats and then vanished. we were then instructed to leave. this one had a good fear factor and a great background story but it lacked the fear that the other 2 attractions had. it was still a great show and i loved it.
The last one we did was torcher cellar. we got in the queue and waited.... with the clown mulling around we just wanted to get in the attraction. when we did we had to line up... OK not a problem, I'm at the back I will see what's coming. then we had to turn around. dammit! we went though and I couldn't see much until I had someone with chains in my face. we went through and it was quite scary. but the ending was the best, it was well though out and had a lot of twists that weren't expected.
When we got out it was nearly closing time, so we headed towards the queue for quarantine was sadly it was closed so we couldn't do it again. we headed towards the exit and then we heard a scream. it seem s that at the hop farm, if you don't go the attractions then the attractions come to you. the whole cast from quarantine had come out to say hi with some extras that I didn't see before. but rather then just going off to where they would have got changed, they upped the level a bit. one minute they were casually walking through in character and the next they were all sprinting towards the crowd exiting the park. this was certainly the highlight of the night, having the whole cast out and staying in character even after they had finished their attraction. No-one was smoking or texting.
Whatever all the actors were paid for this it should be doubled because of the quality and effort they put in. I can't wait until next year!!
You Review 4

wow, my first time in an interactive horror maze and these didnt fail to impress! from the story of a dead girl to the terrors of a chainsaw this was amazing to spend my halloween. from the moment you step in the park you have live actors chasing you around the park wanting you to que up for the maze's.
inside the maze's you stare death in the face...in each of them a different story to torment your dreams was revealed. my personal Favourite must have been 'quarantine' to which the story of a lethal gas has effected people and turned them into the living dead that followed you through the maze, making you squeal in every direction you took! defiantly going back next year! to get the fright like i did this year, be a shame to miss it!
You Review

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