Panic X - Milton Keynes - First review
Panic X is the latest attraction created by Sweet Dreams Interactive and is unique in that it has opened in 2 venues at the same time. We visited the Milton Keynes version at the very busy Xscape centre in the centre of town. Following the screams we headed out doors to the marquee by the main entrance…
Marquees are an ugly necessity when it comes to building temporary scare attractions but with a bit of thoughtful theming and some posters displaying the back story, Panic X didn't actually look too bad.
The attraction itself is based around the Merridale secure hospital which had a history of bloody murder and terror before allegedly being closed in the 60s. What happened to the inmates at the time is a mystery but trespassing teenagers have recently disappeared in the vicinity.
This back story is presented to you via a television news link which, through some clever editing between the 3 TVs, gave just a subtle hint of about what was to come. It took a few moments for me to realise that this “trick” was intentional and not the TV playing up!
Once inside, the attraction builds up to its scares and presents you with a few scenes of almost subdued creepiness which within a minute or 2 segue into something more shocking and loud. By the time we had escaped through to the forest through a tiny hole in the fence, we were being terrorised on all sides by multiple actors as we struggled to find a way out. By the final room, EVERY actor in the attraction was there with us which created a real panic moment. There was NO obvious route and no clear path and we were surrounded on all sides. Desperately trying to edge past the biggest of the group who was blocking the door, I was completely pre-occupied in getting out of this final room that I missed the final freak hiding for me and his appearance had me running out the door!
As we stumbled out into the blinding bright daylight, we looked around and tried to process what had just happened! And we weren't the only ones. As we stood round for a while we saw many other willing victims walk in casually but come runing out the end!
Looking back, Panic X is a fun attraction that keeps cranking the fear factor up in each room. Ok, like many temporary attractions, it is a little rough round the edges but it makes up for this with the enthusiasm and and talent of the staff.
So as we headed away there was just one last thing left to consider- what did the X in panic X stand for?
Marquees are an ugly necessity when it comes to building temporary scare attractions but with a bit of thoughtful theming and some posters displaying the back story, Panic X didn't actually look too bad.
The attraction itself is based around the Merridale secure hospital which had a history of bloody murder and terror before allegedly being closed in the 60s. What happened to the inmates at the time is a mystery but trespassing teenagers have recently disappeared in the vicinity.
This back story is presented to you via a television news link which, through some clever editing between the 3 TVs, gave just a subtle hint of about what was to come. It took a few moments for me to realise that this “trick” was intentional and not the TV playing up!
Once inside, the attraction builds up to its scares and presents you with a few scenes of almost subdued creepiness which within a minute or 2 segue into something more shocking and loud. By the time we had escaped through to the forest through a tiny hole in the fence, we were being terrorised on all sides by multiple actors as we struggled to find a way out. By the final room, EVERY actor in the attraction was there with us which created a real panic moment. There was NO obvious route and no clear path and we were surrounded on all sides. Desperately trying to edge past the biggest of the group who was blocking the door, I was completely pre-occupied in getting out of this final room that I missed the final freak hiding for me and his appearance had me running out the door!
As we stumbled out into the blinding bright daylight, we looked around and tried to process what had just happened! And we weren't the only ones. As we stood round for a while we saw many other willing victims walk in casually but come runing out the end!
Looking back, Panic X is a fun attraction that keeps cranking the fear factor up in each room. Ok, like many temporary attractions, it is a little rough round the edges but it makes up for this with the enthusiasm and and talent of the staff.
So as we headed away there was just one last thing left to consider- what did the X in panic X stand for?
 Just hanging around |
 It's a marquee - get over it! |
Having experienced the Milton Keynes version of Panic X, we wondered what differences there may be between this and the Manchester one. Basically, both attractions are identical in terms of size and layout with just a few cosmetic differences inside to tell them apart. The interesting point is that the Manchester crew are a slightly older set of actors than here and as such the dynamics of the experience change slighlty, as acrobatic set climbing gives way for more character based and creepy scares!