Tulleys Shocktoberfest - 2010 review by Michael Bolton
Tulleys was one of the first halloween events, I ever reviewed and even back then it was clear that these guys just LOVE what they do. Stuart Beare, the main brains behind the whole Shocktober Fest has expanded year on year and utilised the skills and talents of some of the best people working in the industry today. And what a task they have to achieve, as the event comprises of 5 full scale scare attractions, roaming actors, family entertainment, shopping opportunities etc etc .
The infrastructure of the whole event changes each year too with new and improved marquees and covered walkways evereywhere to protect the guests from the worst of the UK weather.
But of course we didn't go for the marquees or to buy a pumpkin or two. We were there to be scared. So with our passes in hand, we moved into our first queue line where we met a rather familiar character:
The infrastructure of the whole event changes each year too with new and improved marquees and covered walkways evereywhere to protect the guests from the worst of the UK weather.
But of course we didn't go for the marquees or to buy a pumpkin or two. We were there to be scared. So with our passes in hand, we moved into our first queue line where we met a rather familiar character:
The Cellar
When not throwing herself at the creators of this site, the twisted and misunderstood Esmerleda resides in the Cellar along with her minions.
Once again, the Cellar is the stand out attraction of the event. It is a very long experience that hardly ever seems to let up from beginning to end. The actors come thick and fast from a myriad of different hiding places and sometimes it can feel that you are surrounded by them. Being a preview night there were a few issues with sound and the maze seemed just a little too light in places which we have been assured is being worked on. But all the actors inside were giving it their all and delivered a fun and scary journey which had all of us running for the exit .  The Posh and Becks of the Scare Industry! Creepy Cottage
As the last attraction of our night, the Creepy Cottage was never going to stand up to the intensity and theing detail of The Cellar but therein lies its charm.
The Cottage is more of an "old school" haunted house and as such relies on some fun gimmicks and cartoonish props to create its atmosphere. of course add in a number of extremely enthusiastic volunteerswho a number of times had our whole group bnouncing offf the wall! and it all comes together as fun little attraction.
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Field of Screams
It's hard to describe the Field of Screams accurately as it is a mix between an indoor and outdoor attraction. One minute you are walking through a spooky darkened cornfield - the next you are squeezing through one of the longest Claustrophobia tunnels we've ever experienced.
The indoor secations are where the Field really excels and where the majority of scares are located and once again the whole attraction was filled with enthusiastic actors. Something to note about the Field is that in places it is SO dark that forward movement is really hampered as the group leader, shuffles forward really slowly trying to identify the best way to proceed. This helps to crank up the fear levels! Haunted Hayride
The Hayride is Tulleys original halloween attraction and remains one of the most popular amongst guests. This year sections of the route have had a complete makeover and a number of new scares and sections have been introduced.
The key thing about the hayride has always been its sense of humour and with the use on an on board soundtrack, copious scare actors and interesting effects throughout, the mood on the trailer swings gleefully from abject terror to laughter and back again in a heartbeat.
It's Curtains 2
It's Curtains really impressed us last year with its never ending maze of interconnected rooms that all looked identical to the previous one.
The 2010 version sees a few changes in that not all the rooms are identical in size and lighting w hich leaves guests never quite knowing what will be coming next. As usual - the maze is populated with Bozo the clown who seems to just be everywhere ! The other fun thing about It's Curtains is that the attraction has to be experienced in small groups of 2 or 3 people only which helps add to the isolation and lack of safety in numbers! |
On exiting It's Curtains. Picture copyright Stephen Candy photography
AtmosFear
You aren't safe anywhere in Tulleys and a whole bunch of weird and creepy characters roam the event field. The two creatures in the hayride queue were hysterical especially as one of them took a rather strong liking to me and latched on to me for most of the queue. Throughout the night, other characters can be seen wandering the event fields between attractions.
The key thing to note about Tulleys is the diversity of the different mazes. Unlike some parks that effectively rehash three or 4 versions of the same experience (just with different themes), each attraction here has a completely different vibe From the old school charm of the Creepy Cottage, through to the confusion of Its Curtains and the chaos of the Cellar.
Add in the day time versions of some of the attractions, and other diverse activities like pumpkin cannons and the animatronic chicken show(!) then Tulleys really have created an event that is suitable for everyone.
So if you havent yet visited the Shocktober Fest , what are you waiting for? For a small farm park it has attractions and operations that would put the major theme parks to shame and it really is the standard to which all farm attractions should aspire to. Keep up the good work guys - we'll be back next year for more screams!
For more details about Tulleys Shocktober fest - visit their website:
For more details about ScareTOUR join our growing facebook community:
Add in the day time versions of some of the attractions, and other diverse activities like pumpkin cannons and the animatronic chicken show(!) then Tulleys really have created an event that is suitable for everyone.
So if you havent yet visited the Shocktober Fest , what are you waiting for? For a small farm park it has attractions and operations that would put the major theme parks to shame and it really is the standard to which all farm attractions should aspire to. Keep up the good work guys - we'll be back next year for more screams!
For more details about Tulleys Shocktober fest - visit their website:
For more details about ScareTOUR join our growing facebook community:
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