Spooktacular at Oakwood Park 2024
Oakwood is an often overlooked and maligned theme park in Wales, but it is one we have been visiting since their wooden rollercoaster, Megafobia opened in 1996.
Since then the park have experimented with different Halloween events, including hosting a scare attraction (Witch Hunt) that has been opened during busy Summer periods. This year's Spooktacular has seen the return of Witch Hunt - alongside the crazily fun Clown Saws and brand new attraction - The Chicken Shed.
We started the night with Witch Hunt and were gifted the opportunity to do this "alone". Now. this attraction is scary as a group - but it was genuinely terrifying as just one person. From the opening pre-show scene through to the strobe lit maze section, this maze had some incredible scares and we have to commend the actors on their lively performances throughout.
After doing Witch Hunt alone, we sought safety in numbers for the remaining two mazes, and started with Clown Saws - a amaze that is based on just one simple premise - Clowns with Chainsaws! These clowns were easily some of the manic we saw all Halloween, and absolutely terrorised us from beginning to end. The maze is designed in such a way that you can see the clowns long before you actually meet them, and they were taunting us as we walked down one path, knowing full well we would meet them in full when the path double backed on itself We must also mention, this attraction was actually a genuine maze - and we took multiple wrong turns in our quest to escape.
Our final maze was the totally bonkers Chicken Shed, which had us laughing and screaming in equal measures. The maze was populated with live actors in chicken costumes and masks, and they used the darkness and strobe lighting to create multiple scares. We never actually knew we were scared of chickens until this maze, but there was something really freaky about being stalked by these avian terrors. Like the other mazes, the use of chain link fencing allowed the actors to really torment us from all angles.
One thing we must mention is that this year, the theme park have been able to rope in a local theatre school, and as such the quality (and enthusiasm of) the actors has really increased. For a small theme park in deepest South Wales, Oakwood Spooktacular really delivered the fun and scares for 2024! We will be back next year!
Since then the park have experimented with different Halloween events, including hosting a scare attraction (Witch Hunt) that has been opened during busy Summer periods. This year's Spooktacular has seen the return of Witch Hunt - alongside the crazily fun Clown Saws and brand new attraction - The Chicken Shed.
We started the night with Witch Hunt and were gifted the opportunity to do this "alone". Now. this attraction is scary as a group - but it was genuinely terrifying as just one person. From the opening pre-show scene through to the strobe lit maze section, this maze had some incredible scares and we have to commend the actors on their lively performances throughout.
After doing Witch Hunt alone, we sought safety in numbers for the remaining two mazes, and started with Clown Saws - a amaze that is based on just one simple premise - Clowns with Chainsaws! These clowns were easily some of the manic we saw all Halloween, and absolutely terrorised us from beginning to end. The maze is designed in such a way that you can see the clowns long before you actually meet them, and they were taunting us as we walked down one path, knowing full well we would meet them in full when the path double backed on itself We must also mention, this attraction was actually a genuine maze - and we took multiple wrong turns in our quest to escape.
Our final maze was the totally bonkers Chicken Shed, which had us laughing and screaming in equal measures. The maze was populated with live actors in chicken costumes and masks, and they used the darkness and strobe lighting to create multiple scares. We never actually knew we were scared of chickens until this maze, but there was something really freaky about being stalked by these avian terrors. Like the other mazes, the use of chain link fencing allowed the actors to really torment us from all angles.
One thing we must mention is that this year, the theme park have been able to rope in a local theatre school, and as such the quality (and enthusiasm of) the actors has really increased. For a small theme park in deepest South Wales, Oakwood Spooktacular really delivered the fun and scares for 2024! We will be back next year!
Spooktacular at Oakwood Park 2023
Spooktacular is back at Oakwood theme park with three scare attractions for the Halloween season. Arriving early in the day, we decided to soak up the atmosphere around the park, including their recently re-tracked wooden coaster, Megafobia. Once the witching hour approached, we made our way to the appropriately named Witch Hunt.
The main entrance and building really don't give anything away, and as we were travelling with someone who had never been to Oakwood before, we thought we already had a rough idea of what to expect from previous years. How wrong we were!
Avoiding spoilers, Witch Hunt sees guests getting screened to go witch hunting, only for the witches to break free and quickly turn the tables, meaning we were soon the ones being hunted! The smoke and lightning throughout, made for a very chaotic attraction and after what seemed like ages we were running out of the maze with huge smiles on our faces. We can certainly see that Oakwood is proud of this attraction and we would be too!
Our second maze - Uncle Johns house was situated on the outskirts of the park in what we could tell was part of the Drenched ride buildings. There is a clever use of story line from the outset seeing Uncle John’s visitors entering but “never leaving” Uncle John's house, . Once inside, we were pushed into the darkness again through the twists and turns of the maze, whilst being pursued by lifeless doll faces throughout the dim (but not dark) building. Some great scares were had, but a long corridor with nothing but a flashing light behind us got a little bit boring as scares only happened from the front. It's a shame and something that could be easily fixed if scares happened from behind, then things may have been made to feel a little more claustrophobic in the single file walkway. Apart from this Uncle John's house has a clever story, a cleverly used maze and a wonderful building to enhance this attraction for possible future.
Our final maze of the night was the interestingly names - Clownsaws. At the beginning of the attraction we were told that the park were running a shorter version due to the adverse weather. Even so - we entered, fully knowing that it would be what the title said - clowns with chainsaws! The stench of petrol in the air was strong and we were offered a choice of 5 ways in which to walk, which cleverly led back to the same place where we entered, giving us an absolute scream every time we saw a curtain twitch followed by a mad wielding chainsaw holding clown!
The actors (and their chainsaws) were menacing and close enough to us so we could feel the exhaust heat from the chainsaws After locating the correct direction, we entered a marquee style tent on an elevated walkway and a blanket of fog and laser effects just below head height, and again another clown with a saw waiting to “take off our heads” With a few more twists and turns in the maze among pallets, Heras fencing and barrels, the scares came thick and fast as the actors were able to quickly change places within moments. Once we eventually found the exit we were treated to a final chase of a clown wielding a chainsaw out of the door!
For a family event at a family theme park - the scare attractions at Oakwood really did pack a punch. Having an "innocent victim" with us made it even more fun as although they loved the whole event - they were genuinely terrified in each of the scare attractions, All in - a job well done Oakwood!
The main entrance and building really don't give anything away, and as we were travelling with someone who had never been to Oakwood before, we thought we already had a rough idea of what to expect from previous years. How wrong we were!
Avoiding spoilers, Witch Hunt sees guests getting screened to go witch hunting, only for the witches to break free and quickly turn the tables, meaning we were soon the ones being hunted! The smoke and lightning throughout, made for a very chaotic attraction and after what seemed like ages we were running out of the maze with huge smiles on our faces. We can certainly see that Oakwood is proud of this attraction and we would be too!
Our second maze - Uncle Johns house was situated on the outskirts of the park in what we could tell was part of the Drenched ride buildings. There is a clever use of story line from the outset seeing Uncle John’s visitors entering but “never leaving” Uncle John's house, . Once inside, we were pushed into the darkness again through the twists and turns of the maze, whilst being pursued by lifeless doll faces throughout the dim (but not dark) building. Some great scares were had, but a long corridor with nothing but a flashing light behind us got a little bit boring as scares only happened from the front. It's a shame and something that could be easily fixed if scares happened from behind, then things may have been made to feel a little more claustrophobic in the single file walkway. Apart from this Uncle John's house has a clever story, a cleverly used maze and a wonderful building to enhance this attraction for possible future.
Our final maze of the night was the interestingly names - Clownsaws. At the beginning of the attraction we were told that the park were running a shorter version due to the adverse weather. Even so - we entered, fully knowing that it would be what the title said - clowns with chainsaws! The stench of petrol in the air was strong and we were offered a choice of 5 ways in which to walk, which cleverly led back to the same place where we entered, giving us an absolute scream every time we saw a curtain twitch followed by a mad wielding chainsaw holding clown!
The actors (and their chainsaws) were menacing and close enough to us so we could feel the exhaust heat from the chainsaws After locating the correct direction, we entered a marquee style tent on an elevated walkway and a blanket of fog and laser effects just below head height, and again another clown with a saw waiting to “take off our heads” With a few more twists and turns in the maze among pallets, Heras fencing and barrels, the scares came thick and fast as the actors were able to quickly change places within moments. Once we eventually found the exit we were treated to a final chase of a clown wielding a chainsaw out of the door!
For a family event at a family theme park - the scare attractions at Oakwood really did pack a punch. Having an "innocent victim" with us made it even more fun as although they loved the whole event - they were genuinely terrified in each of the scare attractions, All in - a job well done Oakwood!
Spooktacular at Oakwood Park 2021
Oakwood Theme Park is often overlooked when it comes to scares, which is a shame as the team really put an effort in each year. For 2021, they have presented four mazes which alongside select rides – are open until 7pm as the sun goes down!
So, after some rides, we started our scare experience in Spooky Street, which is a permanently themed area within the park, which reflects the park director's love for all things Halloween. It houses spooky themed rides and attractions such as the Witches Brew teacups, Spooky 3D ghost train, Cauldron trampolines, Creepy Crawler rollercoaster and the Haunt Restaurant. The area is nicely themed for the Halloween period with pumpkins galore.
The area is also home to the permanently sited Witch Hunt, which has an unsuspecting exterior, that defies what happens inside. This is an indoor maze structure which has been packed with strobe lights and smoke. There were a few scare actors within the maze, who had some perfect opportunities for jump scares. Before entering we were told that due to Covid Restrictions they have removed the preview video which gives a back story to the maze as groups have to be smaller, but overall this was an enjoyable first maze to set the tone for the evening.
We then ventured over to Teddy Bear’s Picnic, which is an outdoor maze, in a woodland area, with Heras fenced walkways. The soundscape for this was wonderful, with "if you come down to the woods today" on loop, with eerie music layered and the laughter of children to give the chill factor. We entered the maze to encounter teddy bears taking a picnic and teddy bears attached to the manmade structures and so on. There were only 3 or 4 actors within this maze, which gave us a few scares, but when we left a final encounter with a man-sized bear really made us jump.
Maze three Was the fabulous "Alone" and by the time we entered, the sky had darkened and the lights and smoke really eliminated the surrounding area. This maze isn’t called Alone for just any reason, this maze really is best completed ALONE!
On entry there was a traffic light system - when the light turned green, a puff of smoke appeared and we had to venture into the unknown. The maze is a trail of winding paths, with water tanks blocking our way and sending us right into the path of the scarers. This maze was full of actors, who all managed to scare us by utilising rat runs to appear multiple times. The lighting throughout was amazing, and tied in with the soundscape really created a great atmosphere. Especially with the sudden whispers of "You are alone, you are always alone" echoing throughout. This was one of our favourite mazes, as we got some of the best scares of the evening from this one. Unlike the previous two mazes - this one definitely had more scares and we wouldn’t necessarily suggest it for younger guests or the more easily scared.
Our final attraction of the evening was Dismantled, which is based around what looked like a Junk yard. The theming throughout was great with a dismantled car spray painted by the entrance, with more broken vehicles inside. The actors in this maze used hammers to ensure loud bangs, which made us jump as we worked our way through pallets and shipping containers. This maze certainly seemed to have many actors and they appeared to love their roles as dirty and grubby hillbilly garage workers. This was easily the most immersive and enjoyable of the mazes as the twists and turns kept coming, along with the actors and scares throughout. Of course a grungy themed maze such as this wouldn't have been complete without a chainsaw finale!
All in all, we had a fantastic evening and would highly recommend this event for families and adults alike.
So, after some rides, we started our scare experience in Spooky Street, which is a permanently themed area within the park, which reflects the park director's love for all things Halloween. It houses spooky themed rides and attractions such as the Witches Brew teacups, Spooky 3D ghost train, Cauldron trampolines, Creepy Crawler rollercoaster and the Haunt Restaurant. The area is nicely themed for the Halloween period with pumpkins galore.
The area is also home to the permanently sited Witch Hunt, which has an unsuspecting exterior, that defies what happens inside. This is an indoor maze structure which has been packed with strobe lights and smoke. There were a few scare actors within the maze, who had some perfect opportunities for jump scares. Before entering we were told that due to Covid Restrictions they have removed the preview video which gives a back story to the maze as groups have to be smaller, but overall this was an enjoyable first maze to set the tone for the evening.
We then ventured over to Teddy Bear’s Picnic, which is an outdoor maze, in a woodland area, with Heras fenced walkways. The soundscape for this was wonderful, with "if you come down to the woods today" on loop, with eerie music layered and the laughter of children to give the chill factor. We entered the maze to encounter teddy bears taking a picnic and teddy bears attached to the manmade structures and so on. There were only 3 or 4 actors within this maze, which gave us a few scares, but when we left a final encounter with a man-sized bear really made us jump.
Maze three Was the fabulous "Alone" and by the time we entered, the sky had darkened and the lights and smoke really eliminated the surrounding area. This maze isn’t called Alone for just any reason, this maze really is best completed ALONE!
On entry there was a traffic light system - when the light turned green, a puff of smoke appeared and we had to venture into the unknown. The maze is a trail of winding paths, with water tanks blocking our way and sending us right into the path of the scarers. This maze was full of actors, who all managed to scare us by utilising rat runs to appear multiple times. The lighting throughout was amazing, and tied in with the soundscape really created a great atmosphere. Especially with the sudden whispers of "You are alone, you are always alone" echoing throughout. This was one of our favourite mazes, as we got some of the best scares of the evening from this one. Unlike the previous two mazes - this one definitely had more scares and we wouldn’t necessarily suggest it for younger guests or the more easily scared.
Our final attraction of the evening was Dismantled, which is based around what looked like a Junk yard. The theming throughout was great with a dismantled car spray painted by the entrance, with more broken vehicles inside. The actors in this maze used hammers to ensure loud bangs, which made us jump as we worked our way through pallets and shipping containers. This maze certainly seemed to have many actors and they appeared to love their roles as dirty and grubby hillbilly garage workers. This was easily the most immersive and enjoyable of the mazes as the twists and turns kept coming, along with the actors and scares throughout. Of course a grungy themed maze such as this wouldn't have been complete without a chainsaw finale!
All in all, we had a fantastic evening and would highly recommend this event for families and adults alike.
Spooktacular at Oakwood Park 2019
Oakwood's Spooktacular event returned for Halloween half term with three scare attractions around the park. It is worth noting that as these mazes open during the regular park hours, their operating times are staggered across the day. Its clearly signposted at each attraction, but care should be taken to ensure you allow enough time at the park to do them all.
First up is Witch Hunt which is a permanent scare attraction located in the park's year round Halloween section. There haven't been any noticeable changes to the maze since last year, but that's no bad thing when the attraction is this good. It is loud, chaotic and absolutely pumped full of special effect smoke. We went through with a family group and people of all ages were screaming and jumping through this surprisingly long experience. The fact that the park have this on stand by to turn on at any time is fantastic, which is why it recently ran during the summer and Whitsun holidays.
Hide Run has returned and remains as scary and chaotic as preciously. The maze seemed to have less "maze like" dead ends compared to preciously, and of course will never quite have the same impact during the day as if it was running in the dark , in the evening. Saying that we got a number of good jump scares throughout and the actors gave very lively performances as they chased and taunted us round the maze.
New for this year is Clowning Around which was built in the park's main restaurant area. We were really surprised how different this area looked and the layout of the maze has taken into account some of the fixed furniture and wall divides of the original room. The maze itself was a mix of confusing corridors, crawl spaces and strobe lit chain line fence sections, populated with what seemed to be loads of killer clowns, all set to a pounding circus soundtrack. We left the maze quite shocked at how much they had managed to squeeze in.
For a small venue with a very small budget we were really impressed with all three mazes this year, and it's great to see the park embracing Halloween in this way. Obviously being a holiday spot, they rely on summer tourism usually, so to have an event that attracts the locals back into the park, has to be a good thing. But it wasn't so busy that we weren't able to get on the rides as well, and as such we did all the major coasters and still had time to do things again. How many other UK theme parks can you say that about at Halloween?
First up is Witch Hunt which is a permanent scare attraction located in the park's year round Halloween section. There haven't been any noticeable changes to the maze since last year, but that's no bad thing when the attraction is this good. It is loud, chaotic and absolutely pumped full of special effect smoke. We went through with a family group and people of all ages were screaming and jumping through this surprisingly long experience. The fact that the park have this on stand by to turn on at any time is fantastic, which is why it recently ran during the summer and Whitsun holidays.
Hide Run has returned and remains as scary and chaotic as preciously. The maze seemed to have less "maze like" dead ends compared to preciously, and of course will never quite have the same impact during the day as if it was running in the dark , in the evening. Saying that we got a number of good jump scares throughout and the actors gave very lively performances as they chased and taunted us round the maze.
New for this year is Clowning Around which was built in the park's main restaurant area. We were really surprised how different this area looked and the layout of the maze has taken into account some of the fixed furniture and wall divides of the original room. The maze itself was a mix of confusing corridors, crawl spaces and strobe lit chain line fence sections, populated with what seemed to be loads of killer clowns, all set to a pounding circus soundtrack. We left the maze quite shocked at how much they had managed to squeeze in.
For a small venue with a very small budget we were really impressed with all three mazes this year, and it's great to see the park embracing Halloween in this way. Obviously being a holiday spot, they rely on summer tourism usually, so to have an event that attracts the locals back into the park, has to be a good thing. But it wasn't so busy that we weren't able to get on the rides as well, and as such we did all the major coasters and still had time to do things again. How many other UK theme parks can you say that about at Halloween?
Spooktacular at Oakwood Park 2018
Oakwood is Wales' biggest theme park and so it is only fitting that the venue has a large Halloween event as well. It has experimented with a number of different experiences over the years, even opening a scare maze this summer as part of the rebranding of their new spooky theme area. So on a crisp Halloween night we went along to experience this year's line up.
The new maze Witch Hunt is probably the most intense at the event including an impressive strobe section that just seemed to go on forever. The maze is also really well themed and the soundtrack creates a sense of chaos as well as aiding the storytelling of the show. We felt that the opening scene went on a bit too long and could slow down the throughput of the maze on busier nights. But all in - a great fun maze.
Returning is Hide Run which will suffers slightly from the same anticlimactic ending of last year. After being chased, separated and tormented through the maze, there needs to be a final chase out of the marquee instead of the actors breaking character and escorting guests out. Maybe the actors could work in the last 30 seconds or so, to get guests by any one of several exit doors and just throw people out at the finale? It could take some work, but would be a great way to end a truly enjoyable maze (and it IS a maze!)
Sadly - due to a terrible storm a few days before our visit, a lot of the specially built maize maze had been destroyed, so kudos to the park for trying to make the best of a bad situation. What we liked about the Harvest is the way we were sent into the maze on our own, and compared to last year, the scarecrows were more active and gave us more scares.
The final attraction is the makeover of Spooky 3D into House of Horrors. When we visited there seemed to be a good number of actors ready to pounce out of the darkness, and with them, and some of the main animatronics still working, we had fun on the ride, although queues were slow due to the loading process.
In summary we had a great time at the event, especially with the chance to ride rollercoasters in the dark, which is always an added benefit. Compared to last year's slightly disappointing scare-zones, it would seem that the actors were put into the mazes this yea, and we think that was a better use for them. We really look forward to seeing what the event brings up next year.
The new maze Witch Hunt is probably the most intense at the event including an impressive strobe section that just seemed to go on forever. The maze is also really well themed and the soundtrack creates a sense of chaos as well as aiding the storytelling of the show. We felt that the opening scene went on a bit too long and could slow down the throughput of the maze on busier nights. But all in - a great fun maze.
Returning is Hide Run which will suffers slightly from the same anticlimactic ending of last year. After being chased, separated and tormented through the maze, there needs to be a final chase out of the marquee instead of the actors breaking character and escorting guests out. Maybe the actors could work in the last 30 seconds or so, to get guests by any one of several exit doors and just throw people out at the finale? It could take some work, but would be a great way to end a truly enjoyable maze (and it IS a maze!)
Sadly - due to a terrible storm a few days before our visit, a lot of the specially built maize maze had been destroyed, so kudos to the park for trying to make the best of a bad situation. What we liked about the Harvest is the way we were sent into the maze on our own, and compared to last year, the scarecrows were more active and gave us more scares.
The final attraction is the makeover of Spooky 3D into House of Horrors. When we visited there seemed to be a good number of actors ready to pounce out of the darkness, and with them, and some of the main animatronics still working, we had fun on the ride, although queues were slow due to the loading process.
In summary we had a great time at the event, especially with the chance to ride rollercoasters in the dark, which is always an added benefit. Compared to last year's slightly disappointing scare-zones, it would seem that the actors were put into the mazes this yea, and we think that was a better use for them. We really look forward to seeing what the event brings up next year.
Spooktacular is Oakwood's annual Halloween event, which features a number of unique scare attractions including a live action ghost train. While the event is suitable for families it certainly provides a memorable and fun experience for thrill seekers alike.
Spooked Alive - The live action ghost train offers some brilliant dark scares changing the usually spookily fun Spooky 3D into something much more sinister which genuinely had us screaming in places out of fear!
Harvest - Despite weather causing issues with this years construction of harvest, the maze still provided a very fun experience for all, with the batching process inside causing many in our run throughs to leave before it'd even began! The finale scare was very well hidden and as such very effective for many.
Hide. Run. Is a simple but effective maze with a similar feel to Sub species, the actors in here were certainly very lively making full use of the tent provided, as well as this the constant rumbling of the nearby by chaninsaw but not knowing where it was certainly left many feeling unnerved.
Witch hunt - We did this maze in the summer and it still provides a very good scare, with a lively cast and a setup similar to Thorpe Park's classic "The Asylum" maze. The maze kept up it's intensity all day, with some very effective scares throughout.
As well as this there was a selection of rides open till late and many family offerings including a pumpkin trail and costume competitions for younger ones about, offering something for everyone! Spooktacular is an event suitable for everyone, and for those who enjoy Halloween attractions won't be disappointed. It isn't the most intense event of the year, but it is certainly a lot of fun and worth a visit for all!"
Spooked Alive - The live action ghost train offers some brilliant dark scares changing the usually spookily fun Spooky 3D into something much more sinister which genuinely had us screaming in places out of fear!
Harvest - Despite weather causing issues with this years construction of harvest, the maze still provided a very fun experience for all, with the batching process inside causing many in our run throughs to leave before it'd even began! The finale scare was very well hidden and as such very effective for many.
Hide. Run. Is a simple but effective maze with a similar feel to Sub species, the actors in here were certainly very lively making full use of the tent provided, as well as this the constant rumbling of the nearby by chaninsaw but not knowing where it was certainly left many feeling unnerved.
Witch hunt - We did this maze in the summer and it still provides a very good scare, with a lively cast and a setup similar to Thorpe Park's classic "The Asylum" maze. The maze kept up it's intensity all day, with some very effective scares throughout.
As well as this there was a selection of rides open till late and many family offerings including a pumpkin trail and costume competitions for younger ones about, offering something for everyone! Spooktacular is an event suitable for everyone, and for those who enjoy Halloween attractions won't be disappointed. It isn't the most intense event of the year, but it is certainly a lot of fun and worth a visit for all!"
Scary
Witch Hunt- very good with good scares especially the strobe maze. Can see that it was very well planned out 8/10
Hide Run- much better than last year with more props that scaffolding from last year. Could be better if after the 3 minute countdown ends, actors chase you out in character rather then show you out out of character 7/10
Harvest- loved the fact that they make you go alone rather than in a group, shame that storm Callum destroyed parts of the corn. Great that actors chased you 9/10
House of Horrors- Very poor, only 2 or 3 actors within and only got one jump scare and wasn’t worth the wait 2/10
Overall it was a great event, however to improve it would be great for roaming actors as there were none this year
Witch Hunt- very good with good scares especially the strobe maze. Can see that it was very well planned out 8/10
Hide Run- much better than last year with more props that scaffolding from last year. Could be better if after the 3 minute countdown ends, actors chase you out in character rather then show you out out of character 7/10
Harvest- loved the fact that they make you go alone rather than in a group, shame that storm Callum destroyed parts of the corn. Great that actors chased you 9/10
House of Horrors- Very poor, only 2 or 3 actors within and only got one jump scare and wasn’t worth the wait 2/10
Overall it was a great event, however to improve it would be great for roaming actors as there were none this year
Spooktacular at Oakwood Park 2017
After dipping their toes in the scare attraction market over recent years, Oakwood Theme Park have taken the plunge and jumped straight into scream park territory. As such, this year’s Spooktacular included four live attractions - two of which were brand new.
Run Hide was the most extreme of the mazes, with the concept of a massive game of hide and seek, with guests trying to find a way out while pursued by the actors. The attraction itself was a genuine maze, and we struggled to find a way out that was not blocked by some of the lively actors. Sadly, it was clear the actors were clearly enjoying themselves too much as we often saw them break character after they had scared, which rather ruined the moment. With multiple routes, and full contact this would have been more terrifying if the actors were not so polite. The incredible soundtrack, which was continually counting down the minutes and seconds we had to escape, punctuated the attraction. As we got closer to the end, the sense of panic was quite genuine as we worried what would happen when the count reached zero. As it was - it was a bit of a shame that the attraction just ended and we were politely asked to leave!
All in, we loved the fact that the actors were generally the ride ops we had seen during the day, and the concept of them “playing” with us out of hours was great fun. With a bit more training and focus on their performance, this attraction could have been incredible.
In The Harvest, we were led into the attraction as group to start with, but were soon separated and sent into the dark cornfield on own with just a head torch to light the way. In the maze, we encountered numerous creepy looking scarecrows which unfortunately were mostly standing around or following us slowly. If there had been a few more impact scares then this maze could have been amazing.
The returning mazes delivered solid experiences with Spooked Alive providing some genuinely terrifying moments as live actors stalked our car as we traveled the Ghost Train. Loading times were pretty slow, which made for a very long wait. The House of Lost Souls had a variety of routes, including a crawling section, into a room full of strobes. The maze followed a simple but effective use of lighting throughout to hide the silent actors. It was quite creepy - a simple idea well executed!
Logistically, the mazes had been open during the day but the scares were ramped up for Spooktacular Bites Back. The demand for the more adult based scare attractions was high, and all four attractions had long queues all night. If the late night version of the event is to return next year, then we would hope that the park gives more consideration to batching and throughput.
Alongside the 4 mazes, were several scare zones including Zombie Country and Welcome to Gnomesville. Each zone had several actors and provided some fun for the guests passing through. As the park had moved to the Halloween event after a full operational day, there were still lots of families with children around so the scare zones were more fun than scary.
In summary - Oakwood pulled off a pretty impressive event and are certainly on the route to creating something even bigger in the future. If they could just focus a little bit more on their acting talent to ensure the scares are consistent then they really would be on to a winner!
Run Hide was the most extreme of the mazes, with the concept of a massive game of hide and seek, with guests trying to find a way out while pursued by the actors. The attraction itself was a genuine maze, and we struggled to find a way out that was not blocked by some of the lively actors. Sadly, it was clear the actors were clearly enjoying themselves too much as we often saw them break character after they had scared, which rather ruined the moment. With multiple routes, and full contact this would have been more terrifying if the actors were not so polite. The incredible soundtrack, which was continually counting down the minutes and seconds we had to escape, punctuated the attraction. As we got closer to the end, the sense of panic was quite genuine as we worried what would happen when the count reached zero. As it was - it was a bit of a shame that the attraction just ended and we were politely asked to leave!
All in, we loved the fact that the actors were generally the ride ops we had seen during the day, and the concept of them “playing” with us out of hours was great fun. With a bit more training and focus on their performance, this attraction could have been incredible.
In The Harvest, we were led into the attraction as group to start with, but were soon separated and sent into the dark cornfield on own with just a head torch to light the way. In the maze, we encountered numerous creepy looking scarecrows which unfortunately were mostly standing around or following us slowly. If there had been a few more impact scares then this maze could have been amazing.
The returning mazes delivered solid experiences with Spooked Alive providing some genuinely terrifying moments as live actors stalked our car as we traveled the Ghost Train. Loading times were pretty slow, which made for a very long wait. The House of Lost Souls had a variety of routes, including a crawling section, into a room full of strobes. The maze followed a simple but effective use of lighting throughout to hide the silent actors. It was quite creepy - a simple idea well executed!
Logistically, the mazes had been open during the day but the scares were ramped up for Spooktacular Bites Back. The demand for the more adult based scare attractions was high, and all four attractions had long queues all night. If the late night version of the event is to return next year, then we would hope that the park gives more consideration to batching and throughput.
Alongside the 4 mazes, were several scare zones including Zombie Country and Welcome to Gnomesville. Each zone had several actors and provided some fun for the guests passing through. As the park had moved to the Halloween event after a full operational day, there were still lots of families with children around so the scare zones were more fun than scary.
In summary - Oakwood pulled off a pretty impressive event and are certainly on the route to creating something even bigger in the future. If they could just focus a little bit more on their acting talent to ensure the scares are consistent then they really would be on to a winner!
Spooktacular at Oakwood Park 2016
Located in Pembrokeshire South Wales, Oakwood is a family based theme park who have dabbled with Halloween in different ways in the past. This year, they hosted their Spooktacular event during Halloween half term:
The Park have clearly put a lot of effort into this event, with pumpkins outside and the main entrance train station turned into a Scare Zone featuring atmospheric music. Inside the park the mini golf course had an overhaul as well and was transformed into another small scare zone, with some nice humour on the Gravestones. Elsewhere in the park there were some nice touches including cobwebs, pumpkins and Halloween décor to help create a fun, family friendly atmosphere.
For younger guests, there was a variety of different attractions on offer, from face painting, a fancy dress competition and a pumpkin pumpkin trail, with the chance to win an annual pass to the park. For the older thrill seekers there were 2 scarier attractions:
Spooked Alive, a live action version of Spooky 3D featured some brilliant and very unique scares including a dentist with a drill that jumped onto the ride vehicle from behind us. The former Spooky 3D ride is virtually unrecognizable in several places, and the actors used the space well to create some very effective scares.
Maze of Lost Souls was the second thrill attraction for the event, again using actors very effectively. The maze had a variety of routes, including a crawling section, and a slide near the entrance, into a room full of strobes - providing maximum disorientation for the groups involved. The maze followed a simple but effective use of lighting throughout to hide actors, who interestingly were completely silent despite their very active scares! We witnessed several groups who dropped to the floor in fright at numerous points!
Oakwood's Spooktacular was a great event for all members of the family, and we look forward to seeing what they team come up with next!
The Park have clearly put a lot of effort into this event, with pumpkins outside and the main entrance train station turned into a Scare Zone featuring atmospheric music. Inside the park the mini golf course had an overhaul as well and was transformed into another small scare zone, with some nice humour on the Gravestones. Elsewhere in the park there were some nice touches including cobwebs, pumpkins and Halloween décor to help create a fun, family friendly atmosphere.
For younger guests, there was a variety of different attractions on offer, from face painting, a fancy dress competition and a pumpkin pumpkin trail, with the chance to win an annual pass to the park. For the older thrill seekers there were 2 scarier attractions:
Spooked Alive, a live action version of Spooky 3D featured some brilliant and very unique scares including a dentist with a drill that jumped onto the ride vehicle from behind us. The former Spooky 3D ride is virtually unrecognizable in several places, and the actors used the space well to create some very effective scares.
Maze of Lost Souls was the second thrill attraction for the event, again using actors very effectively. The maze had a variety of routes, including a crawling section, and a slide near the entrance, into a room full of strobes - providing maximum disorientation for the groups involved. The maze followed a simple but effective use of lighting throughout to hide actors, who interestingly were completely silent despite their very active scares! We witnessed several groups who dropped to the floor in fright at numerous points!
Oakwood's Spooktacular was a great event for all members of the family, and we look forward to seeing what they team come up with next!
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Scary- Oakwood as a big place in my heart and I think phil and his team did a amazing job for the Halloween week see you next year keep up the good work
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