Quextreme Terror 2019
Following the infrastructure changes in 2018, Quextreme Terror is back at Quex Park near Margate. We went along on opening night to test out their new experiences for 2019.
First up - the nuns were back in Sinister: The Reckoning and provided a number of good jump scares throughout the chapel section of the maze. This attraction made good use of a wooded area as well, and the story continued through a number of different set pieces, including some very impressive projection effects. Our biggest complaint was probably that there was no real finale - we just sort of wandered out of the woods and realised the attraction had ended. But for a temporary attraction, and with the very short lead time the team have to build before opening, it's impressive that they have managed to combine a proper maze structure alongside the outdoors path.
The murderous Raven family who used to live in the cornfield in previous years, have moved out and the carnival has rolled into town. But as you can imagine - these aren't friendly clowns, and from beginning to end we were taunted by them as our path led us around the field, through outhouses and even into some old caravans. We loved the introductory video and the massive projection of a clown face that was looking down on us like an omnipresent Bozo. The scares along the path were fun, and the added riddle element that we were left to resolve by the finale, got our brain cells working too. It was then a shame that when we got the riddle right, we were just told to leave the final caravan. It was almost as if they hadn't expected someone to get it right and hadn't planned what to say if they did. Either way it was a fun maze.
Over recent years the big trailer ride experience has been based around zombies and the finale has used vehicles such as taxis and an ambulance to leave guests racing back to home. This year we started on the trailer which included a very unusual hooded section. We are not sure what was supposed to be happening here but, with that and the muffled soundtrack from the on board video - we actually arrived at the start of the walking section with no clear idea what was going on.
Fortunately the scare maze section was exceptionally strong and was populated by some incredible performances that ranged from genuinely hilarious through to overwhelmingly scary. We have to mention the two women in the burger van who were a total highlight of the night with their fast paced wit and innuendo.
All too soon we were chased out of the house and away from this carnivorous, family and bundled into the back of white van. It didn't quite have the same impact as the ambulance for example, but was still a great finale as we hung on for dear life as we were thrown around sharp corners and over bumps!
All in - we had a fun time at Quextreme Terror, but felt that the quality of acting and scares across the site varied. The strongest cast were clearly in Blood Shed, while we had what looked like a couple of newbie scare actors in Sinister and the Clowns. We understand that not every scare actor can give a performance worthy of a movie star, but a bit more passion and believability in character would help. After all - we had one nun smile and laugh that she had made us jump, which is just unacceptable in a professional attraction.
First up - the nuns were back in Sinister: The Reckoning and provided a number of good jump scares throughout the chapel section of the maze. This attraction made good use of a wooded area as well, and the story continued through a number of different set pieces, including some very impressive projection effects. Our biggest complaint was probably that there was no real finale - we just sort of wandered out of the woods and realised the attraction had ended. But for a temporary attraction, and with the very short lead time the team have to build before opening, it's impressive that they have managed to combine a proper maze structure alongside the outdoors path.
The murderous Raven family who used to live in the cornfield in previous years, have moved out and the carnival has rolled into town. But as you can imagine - these aren't friendly clowns, and from beginning to end we were taunted by them as our path led us around the field, through outhouses and even into some old caravans. We loved the introductory video and the massive projection of a clown face that was looking down on us like an omnipresent Bozo. The scares along the path were fun, and the added riddle element that we were left to resolve by the finale, got our brain cells working too. It was then a shame that when we got the riddle right, we were just told to leave the final caravan. It was almost as if they hadn't expected someone to get it right and hadn't planned what to say if they did. Either way it was a fun maze.
Over recent years the big trailer ride experience has been based around zombies and the finale has used vehicles such as taxis and an ambulance to leave guests racing back to home. This year we started on the trailer which included a very unusual hooded section. We are not sure what was supposed to be happening here but, with that and the muffled soundtrack from the on board video - we actually arrived at the start of the walking section with no clear idea what was going on.
Fortunately the scare maze section was exceptionally strong and was populated by some incredible performances that ranged from genuinely hilarious through to overwhelmingly scary. We have to mention the two women in the burger van who were a total highlight of the night with their fast paced wit and innuendo.
All too soon we were chased out of the house and away from this carnivorous, family and bundled into the back of white van. It didn't quite have the same impact as the ambulance for example, but was still a great finale as we hung on for dear life as we were thrown around sharp corners and over bumps!
All in - we had a fun time at Quextreme Terror, but felt that the quality of acting and scares across the site varied. The strongest cast were clearly in Blood Shed, while we had what looked like a couple of newbie scare actors in Sinister and the Clowns. We understand that not every scare actor can give a performance worthy of a movie star, but a bit more passion and believability in character would help. After all - we had one nun smile and laugh that she had made us jump, which is just unacceptable in a professional attraction.
Quextreme Terror 2018
Nail in the Coffin, now in their fifth year of producing Halloween events, returned to the Kent coast with the third iteration of Quextreme Terror Scare Park based at Quex Park, Birchington.
It’s clear to see that the team at Quextreme are working tirelessly to improve the event year on year. The Quex site has had a revamp since our last visit, with a new guest services area, upgraded toilets, better signage and parking arrangements.
We were greeted by one of our favourite street actors immediately, ‘Sonny’, who returned to entertain and unwittingly freak out the crowds. Her energy and ability to think on the spot throughout the night is a real win for the park. We could hear applause and laughter throughout the queues as she told her weird apocalyptic stories with plenty of audience participation.
This year saw two of the original mazes, Contagion & The Harvest, return with plenty of tweaks and improvements plus an entirely new maze in ‘Sinister’.
The Harvest - the huge maize field still owned by the Raven family was the setting for The Harvest. Our senses were on alert from the get-go with rustling and whispers amongst the corn. We were bundled into a suitably shambolic static caravan where Mother Raven instilled the fear in us, ‘they’re angry’, ‘you better get out of here’, no sooner followed by bellowing noises and then the urgency set in. Rushing out of the back of the caravan as a huge man wielding a machete lurched towards us!
Back in the dark cornfield, we weaved our way around the pathway, crawling through cadaver-adorned shipping containers, passing through a horsebox and all whilst encountering an assortment of well-placed scares including more scarecrows, eerie rustling and disturbed characters. It all ended with the chainsaw wielding maniac at the end who got very close as he chased us through a potato crate maze and off his land.
Sinister - this brand-new maze replaces ‘Forest of Fools’ from last year and was a homage to the Valak character from the Conjuring film universe. Starting out, we made our way down a track and through a graveyard towards an impressively projected church cunningly covering all that lay behind. Once inside, we were told about the creepy goings on in the chapel and the forest and were sent into the pitch-black tunnels to investigate. Leaving the first segment, the use of a projector on a black curtain really caught us off guard. Having to feel our way around the narrow corridors and uneven surfaces threw our senses, making us vulnerable to the numerous startling close-up scares from the well concealed, creepy nuns.
Finally leaving the indoor section by way of one of the most unexpected jump scares within the maze, we soon found ourselves in the forest, where the use of animatronics and sounds provided great scares. We encountered a scene of some kind of cult around a fire-pit but even our trained eyes didn’t spot which of the characters was a real person, the actor choosing the perfect moment to scream into our ears. The final scene was also very clever, with an actor appearing to be tied to a wall but suddenly chasing us leaving both arms still nailed to it.
Contagion - following its SCAR Awards nomination last year, we were keen to see what the team had done to ramp up this one. We were transported away blindfolded from the main bit of the park by tractor out to a safe haven which inevitably went wrong the moment we arrive. Initially greeted by a very well-played actor who seemed to think we’ve arrived for a holiday. Once inside the complex it was apparent that the guy was insane. The set of this maze has been completely reworked with brilliantly placed trap doors, disturbing set pieces and great use of fire, lighting and smoke effects throughout. As the zombies began to increase in number and frequency, soldiers firing rounds into them and loud bangs all around we were rushed through the taxi (from last year) and were chased into the back of an ambulance. Yes a real ambulance, which set off at speed, wailing its blues and twos whilst throwing its occupants around and dodging attacks from the unrelenting zombies. Cue fits of laughter and a feeling of pure adrenaline from this totally unique and unrivalled finale.
Every time we visit Quextreme Terror, the team add new and innovative elements to their show and we can’t wait to see what the Nail in the Coffin team have in store for us next Halloween.
It’s clear to see that the team at Quextreme are working tirelessly to improve the event year on year. The Quex site has had a revamp since our last visit, with a new guest services area, upgraded toilets, better signage and parking arrangements.
We were greeted by one of our favourite street actors immediately, ‘Sonny’, who returned to entertain and unwittingly freak out the crowds. Her energy and ability to think on the spot throughout the night is a real win for the park. We could hear applause and laughter throughout the queues as she told her weird apocalyptic stories with plenty of audience participation.
This year saw two of the original mazes, Contagion & The Harvest, return with plenty of tweaks and improvements plus an entirely new maze in ‘Sinister’.
The Harvest - the huge maize field still owned by the Raven family was the setting for The Harvest. Our senses were on alert from the get-go with rustling and whispers amongst the corn. We were bundled into a suitably shambolic static caravan where Mother Raven instilled the fear in us, ‘they’re angry’, ‘you better get out of here’, no sooner followed by bellowing noises and then the urgency set in. Rushing out of the back of the caravan as a huge man wielding a machete lurched towards us!
Back in the dark cornfield, we weaved our way around the pathway, crawling through cadaver-adorned shipping containers, passing through a horsebox and all whilst encountering an assortment of well-placed scares including more scarecrows, eerie rustling and disturbed characters. It all ended with the chainsaw wielding maniac at the end who got very close as he chased us through a potato crate maze and off his land.
Sinister - this brand-new maze replaces ‘Forest of Fools’ from last year and was a homage to the Valak character from the Conjuring film universe. Starting out, we made our way down a track and through a graveyard towards an impressively projected church cunningly covering all that lay behind. Once inside, we were told about the creepy goings on in the chapel and the forest and were sent into the pitch-black tunnels to investigate. Leaving the first segment, the use of a projector on a black curtain really caught us off guard. Having to feel our way around the narrow corridors and uneven surfaces threw our senses, making us vulnerable to the numerous startling close-up scares from the well concealed, creepy nuns.
Finally leaving the indoor section by way of one of the most unexpected jump scares within the maze, we soon found ourselves in the forest, where the use of animatronics and sounds provided great scares. We encountered a scene of some kind of cult around a fire-pit but even our trained eyes didn’t spot which of the characters was a real person, the actor choosing the perfect moment to scream into our ears. The final scene was also very clever, with an actor appearing to be tied to a wall but suddenly chasing us leaving both arms still nailed to it.
Contagion - following its SCAR Awards nomination last year, we were keen to see what the team had done to ramp up this one. We were transported away blindfolded from the main bit of the park by tractor out to a safe haven which inevitably went wrong the moment we arrive. Initially greeted by a very well-played actor who seemed to think we’ve arrived for a holiday. Once inside the complex it was apparent that the guy was insane. The set of this maze has been completely reworked with brilliantly placed trap doors, disturbing set pieces and great use of fire, lighting and smoke effects throughout. As the zombies began to increase in number and frequency, soldiers firing rounds into them and loud bangs all around we were rushed through the taxi (from last year) and were chased into the back of an ambulance. Yes a real ambulance, which set off at speed, wailing its blues and twos whilst throwing its occupants around and dodging attacks from the unrelenting zombies. Cue fits of laughter and a feeling of pure adrenaline from this totally unique and unrivalled finale.
Every time we visit Quextreme Terror, the team add new and innovative elements to their show and we can’t wait to see what the Nail in the Coffin team have in store for us next Halloween.
Quextreme Terror 2017
Quextreme Terror Scare Park in Birchington, Kent, returns after a promising first year that saw them nominated for best new event at last years SCAR Awards. 2017 sees 3 outdoors mazes, 1 new maze and 2 storyline continuations in reworked mazes. Firstly we were pleased to see that last years note about signage and lighting have been addressed in some areas but could still be improved to make things clearer for guests.
Upon entry we were immediately greeted by ‘Sonny’ and her friend “the old hag”, the two characters interacted tirelessly with one another and guests, and were joined by a couple of other street actors who roamed the park and kept the energy up in queue lines.
Forest of Fools -Taking place in the woods leading up to the old tower (lit by a huge projection of a terrifying clown) this replaces last years eerie maze, The Lost. We can only assume this maze takes some inspiration from the remake of IT and that rather terrifying period of rampant clowns popping up all over America. Weaving in and out of the trees, clowns pop out, chased and intimidated us with an array of noisy tools and genuinely eerie cackles. Where do they find these people?
Harvest 2 - The Reaping Starting off in a dilapidated and smelly caravan, we were told about the land owners, The Raven Family, and sudden disappearances plaguing the area. We then headed off into a maize field where scarecrows and the angry brothers from the aforementioned Raven family lurked. Set pieces broke up the maize walk as we were forced to crawl, blinded by intense lights and very deafeningly loud chainsaws. This was an improvement on last year - the story line created a real sense anxiety and the scare elements pack nice punches throughout.
Contagion 2 - Sanctuary Those pesky zombies are still about, but luckily a nice group of people have created a safe zone. Unfortunately for us it’s ‘government funded’ and naturally there are some holes in their plan. A hooded tractor ride took us to our secret sanctuary where it quickly became apparent that things were going very wrong. An onslaught of panicked employees and crazed zombies ensured there was never a moment to relax. Just when everything began to look incredibly bleak, we were chased into the back of a black cab. The door had barely shut and we were reversing away at speed from the ensuing zombies, with one clinging onto the bonnet, and others banging on the windows. It was a crazy finale and something the everyone in the park were talking about!
All in - this year is a massive step up from their debut last year. We cant wait to see what the team come up with next!
Upon entry we were immediately greeted by ‘Sonny’ and her friend “the old hag”, the two characters interacted tirelessly with one another and guests, and were joined by a couple of other street actors who roamed the park and kept the energy up in queue lines.
Forest of Fools -Taking place in the woods leading up to the old tower (lit by a huge projection of a terrifying clown) this replaces last years eerie maze, The Lost. We can only assume this maze takes some inspiration from the remake of IT and that rather terrifying period of rampant clowns popping up all over America. Weaving in and out of the trees, clowns pop out, chased and intimidated us with an array of noisy tools and genuinely eerie cackles. Where do they find these people?
Harvest 2 - The Reaping Starting off in a dilapidated and smelly caravan, we were told about the land owners, The Raven Family, and sudden disappearances plaguing the area. We then headed off into a maize field where scarecrows and the angry brothers from the aforementioned Raven family lurked. Set pieces broke up the maize walk as we were forced to crawl, blinded by intense lights and very deafeningly loud chainsaws. This was an improvement on last year - the story line created a real sense anxiety and the scare elements pack nice punches throughout.
Contagion 2 - Sanctuary Those pesky zombies are still about, but luckily a nice group of people have created a safe zone. Unfortunately for us it’s ‘government funded’ and naturally there are some holes in their plan. A hooded tractor ride took us to our secret sanctuary where it quickly became apparent that things were going very wrong. An onslaught of panicked employees and crazed zombies ensured there was never a moment to relax. Just when everything began to look incredibly bleak, we were chased into the back of a black cab. The door had barely shut and we were reversing away at speed from the ensuing zombies, with one clinging onto the bonnet, and others banging on the windows. It was a crazy finale and something the everyone in the park were talking about!
All in - this year is a massive step up from their debut last year. We cant wait to see what the team come up with next!
Quextreme Terror 2016
Last year Margate Winter Gardens ramped up its zombie survival experience, to add two new mazes to their HellGate Winter Gardens event. Sadly the venue decided not to continue with this annual zombie-fest and so this year, some of the team behind it have set up a new event at Quex Park in Birchington. Quextreme Terror has been built in the outdoor activity area of the park and includes three outdoor mazes that utilise the nearby woodland and the remains of the summer’s maize maze.
Contagion continues the team’s penchant for zombies and started off as a trailer ride out into the woods. Once dropped off in the darkness , we were led back to the our disease inoculation point, which of course sounded easier than it was, as the woodland was populated with zombies. After several quite rapid chases through the woods we were lined up and caged, and as victims of the incoming horde, our escape looked futile. Fortunately through an incredible finale utilising army vehicles, weapons and some very loud gunshots, we were able to escape and return to the main event area. The whole attraction had built up the tension quite slowly during the early stages, and this final scene was as breath-taking as it was original. A very stunning end to a fun maze.
The Harvest uses the parks cornfield for a creepy a claustrophobic trip into the twisted world of sadistic serial killers with a penchant for disguising themselves as scarecrows. To break up the long walk between the corns, the team have built some makeshift structures which were perfect for the lively actors to hide in. We had a number of great scares in this maze including a terrifying experience with a scarecrow that we should have expected, but still took us by surprise!
The Lost started with a long back story detailing the tragic story of a young peasant and the unfortunate death of her and her illegitimate child. The route through the woods had a number of different scenes including some very impressive projection effects as the ghosts of the tragic characters came back to seek their revenge. The haunting soundtrack used throughout was effectively creepy and the actors were mostly believable in their roles (although one over acted a bit TOO much for us to fully believe the trick that the team were trying to play!) All in, The Lost was very creepy and ominous and was a great counterpoint to the big and loud scares of the other two mazes.
For a first event, we had a really good time at Quextreme Terror – it’s clear that the production team know what they are doing in terms of scares, but still have a few issues to iron out to make it into a proper scream park layout. This should just be a matter of getting some better directional signing and lighting, but apart from that it was a really fun and scary event.
Contagion continues the team’s penchant for zombies and started off as a trailer ride out into the woods. Once dropped off in the darkness , we were led back to the our disease inoculation point, which of course sounded easier than it was, as the woodland was populated with zombies. After several quite rapid chases through the woods we were lined up and caged, and as victims of the incoming horde, our escape looked futile. Fortunately through an incredible finale utilising army vehicles, weapons and some very loud gunshots, we were able to escape and return to the main event area. The whole attraction had built up the tension quite slowly during the early stages, and this final scene was as breath-taking as it was original. A very stunning end to a fun maze.
The Harvest uses the parks cornfield for a creepy a claustrophobic trip into the twisted world of sadistic serial killers with a penchant for disguising themselves as scarecrows. To break up the long walk between the corns, the team have built some makeshift structures which were perfect for the lively actors to hide in. We had a number of great scares in this maze including a terrifying experience with a scarecrow that we should have expected, but still took us by surprise!
The Lost started with a long back story detailing the tragic story of a young peasant and the unfortunate death of her and her illegitimate child. The route through the woods had a number of different scenes including some very impressive projection effects as the ghosts of the tragic characters came back to seek their revenge. The haunting soundtrack used throughout was effectively creepy and the actors were mostly believable in their roles (although one over acted a bit TOO much for us to fully believe the trick that the team were trying to play!) All in, The Lost was very creepy and ominous and was a great counterpoint to the big and loud scares of the other two mazes.
For a first event, we had a really good time at Quextreme Terror – it’s clear that the production team know what they are doing in terms of scares, but still have a few issues to iron out to make it into a proper scream park layout. This should just be a matter of getting some better directional signing and lighting, but apart from that it was a really fun and scary event.
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