The Unknown - First review
At this year's ScareCON, it was very apparent that a new wave of creative talent was stirring. Several new production teams were present and taking notes from the masters and with this in mind, we travelled up to Chester to catch a glimpse of one of these new faces of fear.
ScareTech are brand new to the scene and 'The Unknown' is their debut attraction. Made up of a group of enthusiastic college students, they each bring their acting, set design and directing talent to the table for what is quite a remarkable attraction.
Rather than using a classic haunt environment, the team have worked hard to transform a local Quasar arena into Chester's 'Deva Sanatorium' which has been plagued by an outbreak of a disease only known as 'The Unknown'. Our initial concerns about how such a futuristic set could be transformed into something with historical significance were quickly laid to rest. Rather than the usual strobe maze which we are often faced with when dealing with 'Asylum' based attractions, the majority of lighting effects were kept to a minimum meaning lots of smoky, ambient and very dark corridors to work our way through.
ScareTech are brand new to the scene and 'The Unknown' is their debut attraction. Made up of a group of enthusiastic college students, they each bring their acting, set design and directing talent to the table for what is quite a remarkable attraction.
Rather than using a classic haunt environment, the team have worked hard to transform a local Quasar arena into Chester's 'Deva Sanatorium' which has been plagued by an outbreak of a disease only known as 'The Unknown'. Our initial concerns about how such a futuristic set could be transformed into something with historical significance were quickly laid to rest. Rather than the usual strobe maze which we are often faced with when dealing with 'Asylum' based attractions, the majority of lighting effects were kept to a minimum meaning lots of smoky, ambient and very dark corridors to work our way through.
 A rare moment of light  Dont wake the residents |
 Dont go into the light |
The five actors who portrayed the hospital's residents really threw themselves into the roles and were able to work a large maze exceptionally well between them. The set pieces were well thought out and executed, and worked well to break up the sheer chaos of not knowing where you were going. The corridors went from very close and claustrophobic, to very open, leaving us wondering which was worse, being closed in, or left at the mercy of looming residents hiding in the shadows around us. At several points during the maze we found ourselves unsure of where to go, as the natural layout gave us several options, but we were soon directed along our way by the residents in their own unique ways. Some might say that there should be a clear path through the maze but we felt that this only added to the atmosphere and feeling of vulnerability as we relied on the cast to direct us on our way, further adding to their control.
The attraction's soundtrack was made up of ominous bells and white-noise which they kept low to build tension. It worked extremely well, as sometimes simply the sound of present residents behind you were enough to scare the wits out of us! The actors used their voices to guide you through some of the more complicated pathways and at one point nursery rhymes guided us to inevitable scares ahead as we blindly tried to figure out where our next scare was coming from. A highlight was entering a pitch black section and trying to figure out whether to follow the eerie voices or run away from them!
The maze's finale was short and sharp but packed a punch as the whole acting team had us running out of the door.
 this is what lurked in the darkness... |
 The brilliant cast and crew |
We felt that 'The Unknown' was a good solid first attraction and well worth the journey, and the modest £3.50 entry fee. We are eagerly anticipating what the people of ScareTech will come up with next. The team have worked hard and breathed new life into a concept which has been around for years.
Find out more about the upcoming ScareTech productions at their website - www.scaretech.co.uk
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