Review - Horrorland Park - 2023
Our Halloween season is never over until we have made our annual pilgrimage to Horrorland, near Barcelona in Spain. Every year we rave about this event and every year we remain just as impressed and excited as the first time we visited. We can’t repeat this enough - if you have not been to Horrorland then you owe it to yourself to go. It’s hard to put into words why this event is so good, but we will try:
Upon arrival we were all met by a random array of characters who spent ages just working the crowd and getting as many scares as they could. We loved the twins that drew rest in peace gravestones in front of us, alongside the hilarious inmates who tried to drag us into their cage. The funny thing about these characters is that you hardly see any of them for the rest of the night, and this is because each actor plays multiple roles throughout the event. So an actor who may be rolling around on the floor with a zombie puppet will later be the host of the game show, or one of the killer Orcs in one of the other shows. This attention to detail from the creators just makes the event feel so much bigger and more populated than it is. Which is no mean feat as you only have to watch the final parade in the video below to see just how many actors they do employ!
This year has seen two brand new attractions which we decided to save for last, so we knocked out those we had experienced before. All of these attractions have been reviewed multiple times by us but still managed to get some impressive scares along the Way. Hell Cell has seen a slightly new story with the prison now housing an array of female prisoners who were just as aggressive and gross as the male inmates of previous years. The clowns in Mcabro have found even never ways to taunt guests (and of course we selected the three-necklace version which included some of the safest but most intense elements in a scare attraction ever!) The final standard scare attraction Urbex Z with its laser guns still has some unique series and hiding places and gave us a number of great scares.
Now this year we have seen a number of unique copies of Horrorland's Survival Maze Arena, but none of them can match the hype and intensity of the original. The presentation and pre-show all add to the excitement, so by the time the guests enters the arena they are ready to run for their lives. It helps that they see the unique characters looking down from above, and as the countdown commences - all chaos breaks out. As an original concept and idea, it’s going to take a lot for any event to beat the originality attitude of this attraction.
New last was Motor Skills, which has returned but (we think) with slightly clearer instructions. Whereas in 2022, we struggled to work out the possible puzzle solutions in each level, this year it was drilled into us what to look for before going in. It still didn’t mean we escaped every level and we still experienced a lot of panic as we tried to avoid the assassins whilst attempting to de-arm the generators.
One of our favourite mazes in the past was Dia de Muertos so we were originally sad to see it go - but Blood Buster turned out to be a worthy replacement. Based around an 80's style video shop, everything about this maze oozed class. All the multiple scares and attacks from the Mexican maze were present, but the themes and stories throughout created a greatest hits maze that combined aliens, spiders, zombies and more all in one chaotic but long scare experience. The attention to detail and theming in all the rooms was incredible, and we have loved to stay and look around more (but were desperate to get away from all the multiple scares!) Of all the main attractions - this was easily the scariest of the night, as the energy was relentless from beginning to end.
The other new attraction was the hillbilly Trashville which was a part indoor and part outdoor attraction. Now American hillbillies are a very common theme, but these had some unique scares including an amazing pig run/labyrinth at the end that they made us go round multiple times. Clearly the actors were having great fun and they tormented us relentlessly. We have never been quite so close to the business end of a chainsaw before!
Finally - the last experience was Exxxtreme Dates an extreme version of dating. Seeing the way people were going in (mostly unclothed) and the state they were coming out – we aren’t afraid to admit that we decided to forego this round of speed dating for more goes in the normal mazes!
Alongside the main attractions, the roaming characters, and the sideshow stalls, the park has 4 themed photo opportunities which all managed to capture hilarious expressions on our faces as monsters appeared to jump out of nowhere! And just a point about photos – the whole park is linked up to an incredible face recognition system so that you can see EVERY picture of yourself taken. The camera team are always on the prowl and always manage to get some unexpected images throughout the night.
And of course – no part of a night at Horrorland would be complete without taking in some of the stage shows. This year saw a movie style presentation of the history and characters at the park over the last 5 years, the return of the amazing Eternals Live show, a frankly bizarre but hilarious Killer Orc show and of course the Blood and Fire finale show where every actor walks through the park accompanied by fire and fireworks throughout. If you visit the park then it is essential you stay for this finale.
Finally, if you are staying til the end you should also visit the Infernos Club which is set up in the arena. Here you can party with the actors, continue drinking or take part in number of sideshows games.
So, there we have it – in its 5th year, Horrorland remains as fresh and exciting as the first day we visited. Since then, we have been begging people to visit this park and every year more and more people make the journey and confirm what we keep saying - that Horrorland is the pinnacle of all scream parks. Our flights for 2024 are booked already!
Upon arrival we were all met by a random array of characters who spent ages just working the crowd and getting as many scares as they could. We loved the twins that drew rest in peace gravestones in front of us, alongside the hilarious inmates who tried to drag us into their cage. The funny thing about these characters is that you hardly see any of them for the rest of the night, and this is because each actor plays multiple roles throughout the event. So an actor who may be rolling around on the floor with a zombie puppet will later be the host of the game show, or one of the killer Orcs in one of the other shows. This attention to detail from the creators just makes the event feel so much bigger and more populated than it is. Which is no mean feat as you only have to watch the final parade in the video below to see just how many actors they do employ!
This year has seen two brand new attractions which we decided to save for last, so we knocked out those we had experienced before. All of these attractions have been reviewed multiple times by us but still managed to get some impressive scares along the Way. Hell Cell has seen a slightly new story with the prison now housing an array of female prisoners who were just as aggressive and gross as the male inmates of previous years. The clowns in Mcabro have found even never ways to taunt guests (and of course we selected the three-necklace version which included some of the safest but most intense elements in a scare attraction ever!) The final standard scare attraction Urbex Z with its laser guns still has some unique series and hiding places and gave us a number of great scares.
Now this year we have seen a number of unique copies of Horrorland's Survival Maze Arena, but none of them can match the hype and intensity of the original. The presentation and pre-show all add to the excitement, so by the time the guests enters the arena they are ready to run for their lives. It helps that they see the unique characters looking down from above, and as the countdown commences - all chaos breaks out. As an original concept and idea, it’s going to take a lot for any event to beat the originality attitude of this attraction.
New last was Motor Skills, which has returned but (we think) with slightly clearer instructions. Whereas in 2022, we struggled to work out the possible puzzle solutions in each level, this year it was drilled into us what to look for before going in. It still didn’t mean we escaped every level and we still experienced a lot of panic as we tried to avoid the assassins whilst attempting to de-arm the generators.
One of our favourite mazes in the past was Dia de Muertos so we were originally sad to see it go - but Blood Buster turned out to be a worthy replacement. Based around an 80's style video shop, everything about this maze oozed class. All the multiple scares and attacks from the Mexican maze were present, but the themes and stories throughout created a greatest hits maze that combined aliens, spiders, zombies and more all in one chaotic but long scare experience. The attention to detail and theming in all the rooms was incredible, and we have loved to stay and look around more (but were desperate to get away from all the multiple scares!) Of all the main attractions - this was easily the scariest of the night, as the energy was relentless from beginning to end.
The other new attraction was the hillbilly Trashville which was a part indoor and part outdoor attraction. Now American hillbillies are a very common theme, but these had some unique scares including an amazing pig run/labyrinth at the end that they made us go round multiple times. Clearly the actors were having great fun and they tormented us relentlessly. We have never been quite so close to the business end of a chainsaw before!
Finally - the last experience was Exxxtreme Dates an extreme version of dating. Seeing the way people were going in (mostly unclothed) and the state they were coming out – we aren’t afraid to admit that we decided to forego this round of speed dating for more goes in the normal mazes!
Alongside the main attractions, the roaming characters, and the sideshow stalls, the park has 4 themed photo opportunities which all managed to capture hilarious expressions on our faces as monsters appeared to jump out of nowhere! And just a point about photos – the whole park is linked up to an incredible face recognition system so that you can see EVERY picture of yourself taken. The camera team are always on the prowl and always manage to get some unexpected images throughout the night.
And of course – no part of a night at Horrorland would be complete without taking in some of the stage shows. This year saw a movie style presentation of the history and characters at the park over the last 5 years, the return of the amazing Eternals Live show, a frankly bizarre but hilarious Killer Orc show and of course the Blood and Fire finale show where every actor walks through the park accompanied by fire and fireworks throughout. If you visit the park then it is essential you stay for this finale.
Finally, if you are staying til the end you should also visit the Infernos Club which is set up in the arena. Here you can party with the actors, continue drinking or take part in number of sideshows games.
So, there we have it – in its 5th year, Horrorland remains as fresh and exciting as the first day we visited. Since then, we have been begging people to visit this park and every year more and more people make the journey and confirm what we keep saying - that Horrorland is the pinnacle of all scream parks. Our flights for 2024 are booked already!
Review - Horrorland Park - 2022
We were a little bit nervous about returning to Horrorland in 2022. We were impressed with the event on our first in 2019, and then were really blown away when it was forced to move to a new venue in 2021. But would we feel the same on our return? As stated in some other reviews this year - it is easy to become a bit de-sensitised by an event if visited too frequently, and with several of the attraction line up being unchanged, we were a little worried. Well it was clear that we had absolutely NOTHING to worry about!
As before - every part of Horrorland is stunningly realised, with a completely diverse range of experiences, attractions and shows. The atmosphere around the whole park was electric throughout the night, and as the darkness descended, the main hub was alive with roaming characters, photo opportunities and blaring music.
But first up let's look at the mazes themselves. Each of the seven main attractions have a completely different vibe, and provide totally contrasting experiences. Hell Cell, Mcabro and Dia de Muertos are classic scare attraction type experiences but feel so radically different. In Hell Cell - it's very easy to believe that these inmates are the roughest of the rough and the event team have cleverly cast the largest (dare we say the ugliest?) and certainly the most aggressive actors. The sheer brutal nature these inmates had in trying to scare us was hilariously terrifying.
In Macabro, the clowns were really out to have some sadistic fun and with the "extreme level glow-sticks," participants are able to chose quite how extreme they want to go. We had the full "three glow-stick tour" which involved a lot of physical jostling, some up close scares and even caused the two of us to be trussed together in cling film and chased out with a chainsaw between our legs!
Finally in Dia de Muertos, the brighter costumes and designs through the maze, did nothing to dampen the scares, and the actors (especially the colourful skeleton guys) were some of the liveliest of the night. Again - there is no notion of a no touching rule and the intensity of the mazes works better for it!
Another traditional maze, as such, was Cannibal Expedition which has seen a lot of work this year to enclose the outdoor pathway and make the whole experience feel more claustrophobic. Once again, the actors were extremely lively and we had multiple scares as we made our way through the jungle.
The final scare attraction experience is Urbex Z which can be experienced in two different ways. Either as a stand alone zombie scare event or as an additional charge shooting experience. Of course with the guns - it's even more important to get a head shot otherwise the zombies just keep coming. We loved experiencing this with the guns, but also think it would work just as well as a standard attraction, as there were a number of great hiding places throughout.
The other two main experiences are more like horror games as opposed to scare attractions and both left us out of breath as we tried to escape.
Survival Maze arena has a new inflatable maze in the central arena area and once again was complete carnage, as we tried to survive each of the three rounds with our glow-stick necklaces in touch. The hunters in this attraction were some of the fastest and scariest of the event and were relentless when they had you in their sights. One of our team was physically lifted up and carried back to the cage when caught!
New for 2022 is Motor Skills - an outdoor escape room type experience whilst being hunted. Working in large groups we needed to solve four puzzles per level without the hunters catching us. Like Survival Maze, this was completely frenetic and several times we were unable to finish a code or puzzle as we had a hunter bearing down on us!
Both of these experiences are really unique and provided a great counterpoint the more traditional scare attractions.
On top of the main experiences there is one more pay extra attraction that is strictly 18+. Relaxxx Spa is an extreme attraction where guests are given a towel and expected to strip out of their clothes before entering. This seemed very popular on the night, but stories from within, confirmed a very sexualised and rude experience that included nudity, S&M and vile content. We had a sneak peek behind the scenes and although we aren't prudish - we were shocked to see the line up of bare male and female bottoms all being put through some sort of spanking or titillation. But people were coming out laughing - especially men, joking about how much their mates had been spanked. Although it's great that people who want to experience this are able to, we are pleased that the addition of this experience has not replaced one of the more traditional mazes
And then finally - we have the central stage area which was alive with entertainment throughout the night. Obviously everyone will know how much we love the Blood and Fire finale show, but the Meet the Monsters intro show was great fun, as was an almost blasphemous Misa Negra (Black Mass), with most of the crowd chanting "hail Satan" at the top of their voices (interesting as Spain is generally quite a religious country.) One real highlight for us was an incredible musical montage from Eternal Live. With live vocals - this song and dance show mixed Halloween and monster songs from movies and stage musicals alike, all combined with amazing lighting and fire effects.
Talking of the fire - obviously this is prevalent through the finale show and out of respect for the neighbours, the closing fireworks have been designed to provide an impressive effect without the loud bangs usually associated with fireworks. If you haven't seen the final show then please do just check out the video below.
After the park closed, we were then funneled into The Inferno's club, a massive "after show party" with bars, sideshow games, photo opportunities with the monsters and some lively music playing. This "club" stayed open for a good few hours after the park closed and was a fun way to wind down after the scares of the night.
As we stumbled out into the darkness in the early hours of the morning, we tried to piece together why Horrorland always amazes us so much. Everything at the event works together so well from the detailed mazes, the lively actors, the incredible shows and the very lively atmosphere throughout. But it's not just this alone - there is something so organic and welcoming that you can't help fall in love with the place. It helps that the owners are so humble about what they have created, genuinely disbelieving that they have created something so amazing. On the weekend we visited there were a large number of UK visitors (some from big UK scare attractions) and over the season the park has hosted visits from some of the biggest European scream parks around). Every single person we spoke to confirmed our beliefs that the event is amazing.
So there we have it. It really isn't just hype, and we would thoroughly recommend everyone try and visit the event at least once in their lifetime, to experience the absolute magic that is Horrorland Park. We have booked our trip for 2023 already!
As before - every part of Horrorland is stunningly realised, with a completely diverse range of experiences, attractions and shows. The atmosphere around the whole park was electric throughout the night, and as the darkness descended, the main hub was alive with roaming characters, photo opportunities and blaring music.
But first up let's look at the mazes themselves. Each of the seven main attractions have a completely different vibe, and provide totally contrasting experiences. Hell Cell, Mcabro and Dia de Muertos are classic scare attraction type experiences but feel so radically different. In Hell Cell - it's very easy to believe that these inmates are the roughest of the rough and the event team have cleverly cast the largest (dare we say the ugliest?) and certainly the most aggressive actors. The sheer brutal nature these inmates had in trying to scare us was hilariously terrifying.
In Macabro, the clowns were really out to have some sadistic fun and with the "extreme level glow-sticks," participants are able to chose quite how extreme they want to go. We had the full "three glow-stick tour" which involved a lot of physical jostling, some up close scares and even caused the two of us to be trussed together in cling film and chased out with a chainsaw between our legs!
Finally in Dia de Muertos, the brighter costumes and designs through the maze, did nothing to dampen the scares, and the actors (especially the colourful skeleton guys) were some of the liveliest of the night. Again - there is no notion of a no touching rule and the intensity of the mazes works better for it!
Another traditional maze, as such, was Cannibal Expedition which has seen a lot of work this year to enclose the outdoor pathway and make the whole experience feel more claustrophobic. Once again, the actors were extremely lively and we had multiple scares as we made our way through the jungle.
The final scare attraction experience is Urbex Z which can be experienced in two different ways. Either as a stand alone zombie scare event or as an additional charge shooting experience. Of course with the guns - it's even more important to get a head shot otherwise the zombies just keep coming. We loved experiencing this with the guns, but also think it would work just as well as a standard attraction, as there were a number of great hiding places throughout.
The other two main experiences are more like horror games as opposed to scare attractions and both left us out of breath as we tried to escape.
Survival Maze arena has a new inflatable maze in the central arena area and once again was complete carnage, as we tried to survive each of the three rounds with our glow-stick necklaces in touch. The hunters in this attraction were some of the fastest and scariest of the event and were relentless when they had you in their sights. One of our team was physically lifted up and carried back to the cage when caught!
New for 2022 is Motor Skills - an outdoor escape room type experience whilst being hunted. Working in large groups we needed to solve four puzzles per level without the hunters catching us. Like Survival Maze, this was completely frenetic and several times we were unable to finish a code or puzzle as we had a hunter bearing down on us!
Both of these experiences are really unique and provided a great counterpoint the more traditional scare attractions.
On top of the main experiences there is one more pay extra attraction that is strictly 18+. Relaxxx Spa is an extreme attraction where guests are given a towel and expected to strip out of their clothes before entering. This seemed very popular on the night, but stories from within, confirmed a very sexualised and rude experience that included nudity, S&M and vile content. We had a sneak peek behind the scenes and although we aren't prudish - we were shocked to see the line up of bare male and female bottoms all being put through some sort of spanking or titillation. But people were coming out laughing - especially men, joking about how much their mates had been spanked. Although it's great that people who want to experience this are able to, we are pleased that the addition of this experience has not replaced one of the more traditional mazes
And then finally - we have the central stage area which was alive with entertainment throughout the night. Obviously everyone will know how much we love the Blood and Fire finale show, but the Meet the Monsters intro show was great fun, as was an almost blasphemous Misa Negra (Black Mass), with most of the crowd chanting "hail Satan" at the top of their voices (interesting as Spain is generally quite a religious country.) One real highlight for us was an incredible musical montage from Eternal Live. With live vocals - this song and dance show mixed Halloween and monster songs from movies and stage musicals alike, all combined with amazing lighting and fire effects.
Talking of the fire - obviously this is prevalent through the finale show and out of respect for the neighbours, the closing fireworks have been designed to provide an impressive effect without the loud bangs usually associated with fireworks. If you haven't seen the final show then please do just check out the video below.
After the park closed, we were then funneled into The Inferno's club, a massive "after show party" with bars, sideshow games, photo opportunities with the monsters and some lively music playing. This "club" stayed open for a good few hours after the park closed and was a fun way to wind down after the scares of the night.
As we stumbled out into the darkness in the early hours of the morning, we tried to piece together why Horrorland always amazes us so much. Everything at the event works together so well from the detailed mazes, the lively actors, the incredible shows and the very lively atmosphere throughout. But it's not just this alone - there is something so organic and welcoming that you can't help fall in love with the place. It helps that the owners are so humble about what they have created, genuinely disbelieving that they have created something so amazing. On the weekend we visited there were a large number of UK visitors (some from big UK scare attractions) and over the season the park has hosted visits from some of the biggest European scream parks around). Every single person we spoke to confirmed our beliefs that the event is amazing.
So there we have it. It really isn't just hype, and we would thoroughly recommend everyone try and visit the event at least once in their lifetime, to experience the absolute magic that is Horrorland Park. We have booked our trip for 2023 already!
Review - Horrorland Park - 2021
It may have slipped your attention, but since visiting Horrorland in 2019, we kind of never stopped talking about it. For only a second year event. we were blown away with the attention to detail and storytelling throughout, and the event was quite rightly crowned at ScareCON as the Best Scream Park in Europe.
Jump forward 2 years and after a disappointing close down in 2020 due to Covid rules, and an unfortunate loss of the existing venue, the team at Horrorland have bounced back with something even better. The new site at Illa Fantasia water park is now just 10 minutes outside of the busy metropolitan hub of Barcelona, and with ready made car parking and other facilities, is easily able to cope with the demands of a busy scream park.
The night started from the moment we got in the entry queue with several roaming characters entertaining and chasing guests. This set up a great atmosphere, but was just a taste of what we were due to face inside, as the whole park was filled with a diverse range of roaming characters and firebreathers. So much so that there was always something going on at every turn.
As well as the roaming characters, there was a large centralised performance area which was home to a number of live shows throughout the night. These shows ranged from horror spectacle, through to horror themed games shows etc. Each show took full use of the multi level water park structure, and had a full lighting and sound package which gave them a really professional feel.
Beside the shows, the park also had a number of game stalls, catering facilities and a merchandise area. But of course the thing that makes any scream park is the horror attractions themselves, and once again Horrorland have really raised the bar when it comes to the quality of their mazes and the level of scares therein.
Our first maze was Hell Cell - a chaotically populated prison themed attraction. The attention to detail throughout was maze incredible, from humourous touches such as the men's shower room and the dildo in the ladies toilets through to the "set dressing" in the cells. Attitudes to sex and pornography are different in Europe to over here, so we were genuinely surprised to see the cell walls plastered with pics from porno magazines (both straight and gay!). But the sets were just the tip of the iceberg, as the actors throughout were aggressive and scary, with both the inmates and the prison staff tormenting us at all times.
Next up was McAbro - which really had a simple concept - the evil clowns had taken over a well known burger franchise and were looking for a new source of meat! Before entering this maze we were asked what intensity we wanted and stupidly agreed to a "three glowing necklace" experience! This meant our group was separated, jostled, had our hand dipped in "boiling fat", made to wear a penis balloon hat, and in one case - wrapped up in cling film and left to face the rest of the maze with our arms trussed to our sides. Unlike many "extreme" mazes - this all stayed completely on the right side of what is fun and what is just torture/humifaction, and we had a blast throughout.
As an outdoor maze we really weren't expecting Cannibal Expedition to be up to the standard of the other mazes, but it still provided us with multiple scares from beginning to end. The actors were some of the liveliest of the night and the characters were very dark and twisted. We must shout out to the "ripped out heart" scare which was as impressively performed as it was shockingly scary. As a different style of maze to the others, we had a great time with great scares and impressive actor interaction.
Changing the theme up once again, Urbex Z was a zombie maze which had some very unique scares and lively actors. We loved the use of the old escape rooms from the previous incarnation of Horrorland, and the sets left multiple places for the actors to hide. Our only complaint? The pay extra guns were kind of difficult to raise when the zombie attacks were so close. The scares themselves were brilliant, but a smaller pistol may have been more effective to dispatch a zombie just 2 feet in front of you, rather than a large rifle. It's a small niggle, as we loved the whole show and had many great scares throughout.
One of our favorites of the night was Dia De Muertos. This maze was beautifully themed and took us through so many elements of Mexican "culture" including drug cartels and underground gambling dens. But the scares in this maze were relentless, and we have to praise the designers on having multiple scare actors on some of the impact scares. Literally, a light or sound would highlight an actor appearing, and while our attention was focused on them - a second actor would appear from a different side and ramp up the scare. And these actors weren't afraid to touch, so we ended up grabbed multiples times by the terrifying neon lit skeletons!
And then finally - we entered Survival Maze Arena which remains one of the most crazy and anarchic experiences we have ever done, Built in a genuine old bullring, the atmosphere in the attraction was insanely intense as the 8 "hunters" did everything they could to steal our glow band necklaces and eliminate us from the competition. During the preshow - it was made pretty clear that all rules were off - and the only way to survive was to run for our lives! It's chaotic, it's terrifying, but most of all - it's bloody good fun!
One of the final things we love about Horrorland is the closing Fire and Blood show. Whereas most events just trickle out at the end of the night, Horrorland gets all of the actors out of their respective mazes, and creates a parade through the site and down onto the stage. The atmosphere during this show is electric as the cast wave smoke flares and tease the audience and as soon as Mortimer, the park's icon, arrives on a motorbike, the sparklers, flames and fireworks were unleashed. It really was an incredibly loud and chaotic finale and as the music ended, everyone just erupted in applause before the actors were let loose into the crowd. Nowhere else has a finale show such as this, and it really is just one of the many things that make Horrorland so unique.
So once again, it's pretty obvious that we loved Horrorland, and everyone we visited with from the UK agreed. It really is incredible that an event in only its third actual year, can feel so professional and polished as this. The team are clearly passionate about what they do, but also have a real creative drive to create something unique and terrifying. We cant wait to see what they do next with this incredible new venue (which we think is even better than the power station) and as soon as flights are available to book - we will be on a plane back to Barcelona next year. It may sound like hype or marketing speak - but if you only go to one scream park in 2022 - then Horrorland is the only one to chose!
Jump forward 2 years and after a disappointing close down in 2020 due to Covid rules, and an unfortunate loss of the existing venue, the team at Horrorland have bounced back with something even better. The new site at Illa Fantasia water park is now just 10 minutes outside of the busy metropolitan hub of Barcelona, and with ready made car parking and other facilities, is easily able to cope with the demands of a busy scream park.
The night started from the moment we got in the entry queue with several roaming characters entertaining and chasing guests. This set up a great atmosphere, but was just a taste of what we were due to face inside, as the whole park was filled with a diverse range of roaming characters and firebreathers. So much so that there was always something going on at every turn.
As well as the roaming characters, there was a large centralised performance area which was home to a number of live shows throughout the night. These shows ranged from horror spectacle, through to horror themed games shows etc. Each show took full use of the multi level water park structure, and had a full lighting and sound package which gave them a really professional feel.
Beside the shows, the park also had a number of game stalls, catering facilities and a merchandise area. But of course the thing that makes any scream park is the horror attractions themselves, and once again Horrorland have really raised the bar when it comes to the quality of their mazes and the level of scares therein.
Our first maze was Hell Cell - a chaotically populated prison themed attraction. The attention to detail throughout was maze incredible, from humourous touches such as the men's shower room and the dildo in the ladies toilets through to the "set dressing" in the cells. Attitudes to sex and pornography are different in Europe to over here, so we were genuinely surprised to see the cell walls plastered with pics from porno magazines (both straight and gay!). But the sets were just the tip of the iceberg, as the actors throughout were aggressive and scary, with both the inmates and the prison staff tormenting us at all times.
Next up was McAbro - which really had a simple concept - the evil clowns had taken over a well known burger franchise and were looking for a new source of meat! Before entering this maze we were asked what intensity we wanted and stupidly agreed to a "three glowing necklace" experience! This meant our group was separated, jostled, had our hand dipped in "boiling fat", made to wear a penis balloon hat, and in one case - wrapped up in cling film and left to face the rest of the maze with our arms trussed to our sides. Unlike many "extreme" mazes - this all stayed completely on the right side of what is fun and what is just torture/humifaction, and we had a blast throughout.
As an outdoor maze we really weren't expecting Cannibal Expedition to be up to the standard of the other mazes, but it still provided us with multiple scares from beginning to end. The actors were some of the liveliest of the night and the characters were very dark and twisted. We must shout out to the "ripped out heart" scare which was as impressively performed as it was shockingly scary. As a different style of maze to the others, we had a great time with great scares and impressive actor interaction.
Changing the theme up once again, Urbex Z was a zombie maze which had some very unique scares and lively actors. We loved the use of the old escape rooms from the previous incarnation of Horrorland, and the sets left multiple places for the actors to hide. Our only complaint? The pay extra guns were kind of difficult to raise when the zombie attacks were so close. The scares themselves were brilliant, but a smaller pistol may have been more effective to dispatch a zombie just 2 feet in front of you, rather than a large rifle. It's a small niggle, as we loved the whole show and had many great scares throughout.
One of our favorites of the night was Dia De Muertos. This maze was beautifully themed and took us through so many elements of Mexican "culture" including drug cartels and underground gambling dens. But the scares in this maze were relentless, and we have to praise the designers on having multiple scare actors on some of the impact scares. Literally, a light or sound would highlight an actor appearing, and while our attention was focused on them - a second actor would appear from a different side and ramp up the scare. And these actors weren't afraid to touch, so we ended up grabbed multiples times by the terrifying neon lit skeletons!
And then finally - we entered Survival Maze Arena which remains one of the most crazy and anarchic experiences we have ever done, Built in a genuine old bullring, the atmosphere in the attraction was insanely intense as the 8 "hunters" did everything they could to steal our glow band necklaces and eliminate us from the competition. During the preshow - it was made pretty clear that all rules were off - and the only way to survive was to run for our lives! It's chaotic, it's terrifying, but most of all - it's bloody good fun!
One of the final things we love about Horrorland is the closing Fire and Blood show. Whereas most events just trickle out at the end of the night, Horrorland gets all of the actors out of their respective mazes, and creates a parade through the site and down onto the stage. The atmosphere during this show is electric as the cast wave smoke flares and tease the audience and as soon as Mortimer, the park's icon, arrives on a motorbike, the sparklers, flames and fireworks were unleashed. It really was an incredibly loud and chaotic finale and as the music ended, everyone just erupted in applause before the actors were let loose into the crowd. Nowhere else has a finale show such as this, and it really is just one of the many things that make Horrorland so unique.
So once again, it's pretty obvious that we loved Horrorland, and everyone we visited with from the UK agreed. It really is incredible that an event in only its third actual year, can feel so professional and polished as this. The team are clearly passionate about what they do, but also have a real creative drive to create something unique and terrifying. We cant wait to see what they do next with this incredible new venue (which we think is even better than the power station) and as soon as flights are available to book - we will be on a plane back to Barcelona next year. It may sound like hype or marketing speak - but if you only go to one scream park in 2022 - then Horrorland is the only one to chose!
Review - Horrorland Park - 2019
So, when you have visited an event that is nigh on perfect, how do you write a review that gets across just how amazing it actually is? It's a difficult task, but we will try to keep the hyperbole to a reasonable level.
Horrorland Park is located in the mountains a few hours North of the city of Barcelona. As we got closer to the park, we could see more and more snow on the tops of the nearby mountains, and in fact the temperature bottomed out to a mere negative 2 degrees. Ironic that our coldest event this Halloween turned out to be in a hot country such as Spain!
But we were prepared for the cold, and as we rounded the windy roads, the full majesty of the location hit us. Nestled in a valley is an enormous discarded power station which just works as a perfect backdrop to the attraction itself. Although the mazes and shows are all held in more modern buildings in front of the main power station, it still makes for a jaw dropping setting.
Once inside, the layout and infrastructure of the park is like something that most events could only dream of, with a series of hangers and buildings leading off of a central street, and a large indoor section for more entertainment and the food court. The atmosphere throughout this area is loud and aggressive, and it is populated by several roaming characters who interact with the guests up close. But what stood out for us, was the central stage/ hub area that hosted live shows and events throughout the night. These ranged from the butcher characters creating a bidding war for human guests, through to a zombie invasion that had the zombies all coming back to life to dance along with Thriller!
Each show was accompanied by impressive lighting and sound as well as pyrotechnic effects and a whole swathe of actors. Clearly no expense has been spared with populating characters for these shows, and they really added a sense of occasion to the whole event.
Of course, a park can have great atmosphere - but an event like this lives or dies on the strength of its scare mazes, and we have to report that all five mazes were some of the best and imaginative we have seen in years. The sheer diversity in scares, sets, themes and styles across the mazes is outstanding, and its really hard for us to pick out a favourite.
Clown Town was our first maze and could be described as a generic clown maze with 3D glasses. But that would be a complete underestimation of the effects and scares throughout this very long maze. As well as lively and terrifying clowns, the team made great use of very effective animatronics that had us leaping to escape, as well as a number of unique scares that shook the whole group (bungee clown we are looking at you!) We were told afterwards that this was the "starter" maze and that we should expect some more intensity as we progressed onward!
Our next maze was La Casa del Bosque (The Cabin in the Woods) and could easily be described as the most "standard" haunted house attraction at the park. Saying that - the actors were so forceful throughout, and there were a number of great scares that had members of the team dropping to the floor in fright (thank you tree creature - and the least said about the teddy bear in the attic - the better!) The sets and theming throughout were top notch and we couldn't find anything to fault this incredible maze. Surely this level couldn't continue with the other mazes?
La Termica (The Thermal) is a maze designed round the history of the abandoned power plant, and the mining that used to happen in the region. Kitted out with miners helmets, we were forced into low dark mineshafts filled with grotesque characters and creatures. This maze threw everything at us including an insanely intense strobe maze cage section, with the creatures climbing up and over to try and attack us. The maze was chaotic, loud and SO much fun!
As we entered Matadero we were asked if we wanted to experience a more personal version of the show, and being gluttons for punishment we all said yes, and were given a couple of glow band necklaces. Themed around a meat processing factory/slaughterhouse, this attraction was designed to makes us feel what it must be like to be an innocent animal in an abattoir. Throughout the attraction we were pushed, manhandled and jostled quite forcibly with chainsaws and other instruments of torture shoved in some very private places. But what of the "necklaces"? These were used so the actors knew who to single out of the group and be given special treatment to. In one scene we were branded using a real tattooist gun (just without the needle but we could feel the pressure and the buzzing.) In another room we were "cleaned" with compressed air that was shoved down the back of our jeans and into our underwear. Once released - we had to escape through a confusing maze like section with the actors just chasing and attacking throughout. Totally bonkers, totally terrifying but incredible fun!
The final maze attraction is Survival Maze Battle Royal where once again we were given glowsticks, and as we entered a TV studio with all our fellow competitors, all we needed to do was make it to the end with our glowstick intact. Of course the 8 serial killers throughout this attraction stalked us endlessly and only a few of us actually survived by the end. The maze felt like a cross between Anarchy Live at Fear at Avon Valley and Hide Run at Oakwood, but with the intensity and craziness dialed up to 15!
Included in the entry price is a zombie paintball shooting experience that uses similar technology to Zombie Outlaw at Farmaggedon. There is always a thrill at shooting "live Zombies" and due to the walking nature of this experience, we felt it was a bit more immersive than the trailers at Farma. Of course - the trick is to measure out your balls and make sure you ration them throughout the experience!
The other big attraction is Psycho Extreme, which we were lucky enough to watch a "patient" put through their paces in this solo 18+ experience. The whole thing reminded us a lot of The Clinic at Walibi Holland but played more on "wordly" scares instead of covering Heaven and Hell in the afterlife. Obviously being extreme, there was a lot of manhandling, some partial nudity and a LOT of aggression throughout. Fortunately for us - the event was so popular that it sold out months in advance, but a few of the ScareCON crew managed to do it and they came out wet, smelly, shoe less, and a bit shaken!
In the indoors food court and bar, there was a well stocked shop selling a load of Horrorland merchandise and around the walls were a number of fun twists on classic fairground games (for the hoopla we had to get our hoops over moving skeleton hands, and for the basketball we needed to get brains back into zombie's empty heads!) The games were great fun and with a free 5Euro credit from parking - we all had a chance to win. The smallest prize ironically was a poo emoji badge - truly a "shit prize!
As well as the mazes and the shows, the park is also home to four mini escape room experiences. In fact it is actually home to 16 experiences as each them has 4 identical rooms which are triggered at the same time. So not only are you racing to get out, but you are racing to beat the other teams. Each of these mini escape rooms were perfectly designed with a number of really unique effects. For Subway the whole room was moving like an actually subway train and for Elevator, we could feel the room moving as if we were gong up and down in a lift shaft. Each room is cleverly designed so that it doesn't need to reset for the next group - ie in Torture, a key on a chain passed between two prison cells goes from Cell 1 to 2 in game 1, but then goes from Cell 2 to 1 for the next group. Clearly a lot of time and effort has been put into all their games, and we escaped each one in the nick of time.
So, having escaped the escape rooms, been tormented in the mazes, watched the shows, shot the zombies etc, this would generally be the time to call it quits and head back to the car park. But no - not at Horrorland. Once all the mazes are closed, every actor and character from the park join in for an impressive parade down the main street. With such a big cast of over 150 people, it really is such a big show and genuinely wouldn't look out of place in a Disney theme park (well apart from the gore, partial nudity and chainsaws!) With motorbikes and cars all included - the parade leads to one end of the site, where a massive fireworks display ended the night to the thumping beat of the This is Horroland theme song.
Even with the park closed and the fireworks over, the actors spent ages roaming around and tormenting the guests - clearly loving their characters and trying to get as many scares as they could. It was now 12.30 and minus 2 degrees, but the scares kept coming!
So there we have it - we genuinely hope that this review has got across how awesome Horrorland was, and how much fun we had. We visited as part of a ScareCON arranged event, and the other park operators and attraction owners were all amazed at the attention to detail and professionalism on show across the whole event. What is really hard to believe is that this is only its second year! God alone knows what it will be like once it becomes even more established and more is introduced to the event. As it is - we finished our Halloween on a complete high, and we would urge anyone to beg, steal, or borrow to visit the park next year. We now have a new annual "must do" event, and will be back to soak up the incredible atmosphere and scares of this stunning scream park for years to come!
Horrorland Park is located in the mountains a few hours North of the city of Barcelona. As we got closer to the park, we could see more and more snow on the tops of the nearby mountains, and in fact the temperature bottomed out to a mere negative 2 degrees. Ironic that our coldest event this Halloween turned out to be in a hot country such as Spain!
But we were prepared for the cold, and as we rounded the windy roads, the full majesty of the location hit us. Nestled in a valley is an enormous discarded power station which just works as a perfect backdrop to the attraction itself. Although the mazes and shows are all held in more modern buildings in front of the main power station, it still makes for a jaw dropping setting.
Once inside, the layout and infrastructure of the park is like something that most events could only dream of, with a series of hangers and buildings leading off of a central street, and a large indoor section for more entertainment and the food court. The atmosphere throughout this area is loud and aggressive, and it is populated by several roaming characters who interact with the guests up close. But what stood out for us, was the central stage/ hub area that hosted live shows and events throughout the night. These ranged from the butcher characters creating a bidding war for human guests, through to a zombie invasion that had the zombies all coming back to life to dance along with Thriller!
Each show was accompanied by impressive lighting and sound as well as pyrotechnic effects and a whole swathe of actors. Clearly no expense has been spared with populating characters for these shows, and they really added a sense of occasion to the whole event.
Of course, a park can have great atmosphere - but an event like this lives or dies on the strength of its scare mazes, and we have to report that all five mazes were some of the best and imaginative we have seen in years. The sheer diversity in scares, sets, themes and styles across the mazes is outstanding, and its really hard for us to pick out a favourite.
Clown Town was our first maze and could be described as a generic clown maze with 3D glasses. But that would be a complete underestimation of the effects and scares throughout this very long maze. As well as lively and terrifying clowns, the team made great use of very effective animatronics that had us leaping to escape, as well as a number of unique scares that shook the whole group (bungee clown we are looking at you!) We were told afterwards that this was the "starter" maze and that we should expect some more intensity as we progressed onward!
Our next maze was La Casa del Bosque (The Cabin in the Woods) and could easily be described as the most "standard" haunted house attraction at the park. Saying that - the actors were so forceful throughout, and there were a number of great scares that had members of the team dropping to the floor in fright (thank you tree creature - and the least said about the teddy bear in the attic - the better!) The sets and theming throughout were top notch and we couldn't find anything to fault this incredible maze. Surely this level couldn't continue with the other mazes?
La Termica (The Thermal) is a maze designed round the history of the abandoned power plant, and the mining that used to happen in the region. Kitted out with miners helmets, we were forced into low dark mineshafts filled with grotesque characters and creatures. This maze threw everything at us including an insanely intense strobe maze cage section, with the creatures climbing up and over to try and attack us. The maze was chaotic, loud and SO much fun!
As we entered Matadero we were asked if we wanted to experience a more personal version of the show, and being gluttons for punishment we all said yes, and were given a couple of glow band necklaces. Themed around a meat processing factory/slaughterhouse, this attraction was designed to makes us feel what it must be like to be an innocent animal in an abattoir. Throughout the attraction we were pushed, manhandled and jostled quite forcibly with chainsaws and other instruments of torture shoved in some very private places. But what of the "necklaces"? These were used so the actors knew who to single out of the group and be given special treatment to. In one scene we were branded using a real tattooist gun (just without the needle but we could feel the pressure and the buzzing.) In another room we were "cleaned" with compressed air that was shoved down the back of our jeans and into our underwear. Once released - we had to escape through a confusing maze like section with the actors just chasing and attacking throughout. Totally bonkers, totally terrifying but incredible fun!
The final maze attraction is Survival Maze Battle Royal where once again we were given glowsticks, and as we entered a TV studio with all our fellow competitors, all we needed to do was make it to the end with our glowstick intact. Of course the 8 serial killers throughout this attraction stalked us endlessly and only a few of us actually survived by the end. The maze felt like a cross between Anarchy Live at Fear at Avon Valley and Hide Run at Oakwood, but with the intensity and craziness dialed up to 15!
Included in the entry price is a zombie paintball shooting experience that uses similar technology to Zombie Outlaw at Farmaggedon. There is always a thrill at shooting "live Zombies" and due to the walking nature of this experience, we felt it was a bit more immersive than the trailers at Farma. Of course - the trick is to measure out your balls and make sure you ration them throughout the experience!
The other big attraction is Psycho Extreme, which we were lucky enough to watch a "patient" put through their paces in this solo 18+ experience. The whole thing reminded us a lot of The Clinic at Walibi Holland but played more on "wordly" scares instead of covering Heaven and Hell in the afterlife. Obviously being extreme, there was a lot of manhandling, some partial nudity and a LOT of aggression throughout. Fortunately for us - the event was so popular that it sold out months in advance, but a few of the ScareCON crew managed to do it and they came out wet, smelly, shoe less, and a bit shaken!
In the indoors food court and bar, there was a well stocked shop selling a load of Horrorland merchandise and around the walls were a number of fun twists on classic fairground games (for the hoopla we had to get our hoops over moving skeleton hands, and for the basketball we needed to get brains back into zombie's empty heads!) The games were great fun and with a free 5Euro credit from parking - we all had a chance to win. The smallest prize ironically was a poo emoji badge - truly a "shit prize!
As well as the mazes and the shows, the park is also home to four mini escape room experiences. In fact it is actually home to 16 experiences as each them has 4 identical rooms which are triggered at the same time. So not only are you racing to get out, but you are racing to beat the other teams. Each of these mini escape rooms were perfectly designed with a number of really unique effects. For Subway the whole room was moving like an actually subway train and for Elevator, we could feel the room moving as if we were gong up and down in a lift shaft. Each room is cleverly designed so that it doesn't need to reset for the next group - ie in Torture, a key on a chain passed between two prison cells goes from Cell 1 to 2 in game 1, but then goes from Cell 2 to 1 for the next group. Clearly a lot of time and effort has been put into all their games, and we escaped each one in the nick of time.
So, having escaped the escape rooms, been tormented in the mazes, watched the shows, shot the zombies etc, this would generally be the time to call it quits and head back to the car park. But no - not at Horrorland. Once all the mazes are closed, every actor and character from the park join in for an impressive parade down the main street. With such a big cast of over 150 people, it really is such a big show and genuinely wouldn't look out of place in a Disney theme park (well apart from the gore, partial nudity and chainsaws!) With motorbikes and cars all included - the parade leads to one end of the site, where a massive fireworks display ended the night to the thumping beat of the This is Horroland theme song.
Even with the park closed and the fireworks over, the actors spent ages roaming around and tormenting the guests - clearly loving their characters and trying to get as many scares as they could. It was now 12.30 and minus 2 degrees, but the scares kept coming!
So there we have it - we genuinely hope that this review has got across how awesome Horrorland was, and how much fun we had. We visited as part of a ScareCON arranged event, and the other park operators and attraction owners were all amazed at the attention to detail and professionalism on show across the whole event. What is really hard to believe is that this is only its second year! God alone knows what it will be like once it becomes even more established and more is introduced to the event. As it is - we finished our Halloween on a complete high, and we would urge anyone to beg, steal, or borrow to visit the park next year. We now have a new annual "must do" event, and will be back to soak up the incredible atmosphere and scares of this stunning scream park for years to come!
Links:
Horrorland website
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