York Maze Hallowscream
It's that time of year again when York Maze transforms its cornfield and beautiful gardens into a nightmare with 5 frightening attractions and an evil gang of roaming characters. Impressed by previous years, we were excited to see what was in store for us this time.
As soon as we entered, the street team actors were there to entertain and terrify the crowds. We saw some tears from various groups before they had even started as two of the actors, a clown with a chainsaw and a creature of death with his scythe were giving chase, providing us with a good laugh… until they chased us!. Of course not all the street actors were as intense. One great guy called Patrick looked like a bloodied Noddy and just wanted to be friends and make us laugh -although we weren't not sure though if his idea of fun was the same as ours. And finally the two very quiet ladies dressed in white were walking round giving us death stares but kindly offered for us to lick clean the toilet brush covered in… we'll leave that to your imagination!
Each of the mazes are loosely connected telling the story of an historical circus tragedy that occurred on cursed farmland and this year - the park have taken the time travelling storytelling to a whole new level!
As soon as we entered, the street team actors were there to entertain and terrify the crowds. We saw some tears from various groups before they had even started as two of the actors, a clown with a chainsaw and a creature of death with his scythe were giving chase, providing us with a good laugh… until they chased us!. Of course not all the street actors were as intense. One great guy called Patrick looked like a bloodied Noddy and just wanted to be friends and make us laugh -although we weren't not sure though if his idea of fun was the same as ours. And finally the two very quiet ladies dressed in white were walking round giving us death stares but kindly offered for us to lick clean the toilet brush covered in… we'll leave that to your imagination!
Each of the mazes are loosely connected telling the story of an historical circus tragedy that occurred on cursed farmland and this year - the park have taken the time travelling storytelling to a whole new level!
The new show started with us entering something that looked a lot like The Tardis from Doctor Who. This was indeed a time machine that would take us back to 1873 to stop the tragic chain of events in the park's detailed back-story. In just a second we were immediately transported and in a "how the hell did they do that" moment we stepped back out through the same doors we came in through, but now it was Victorian Yorkshire. We are immediately met with some of the most impressive theming we have seen in a ‘temporary’ maze for a long time. Walking along what looked like Stonegate street of York, we went in and out of different shops meeting different charcaters including an overbearing landlord in the pub, some very frightening street urchins, a butcher with a love for fresh meat and a sadistic dental nurse who insists that she wants to pull your teeth out regardless of their condition. In each shop we met some incrideible actors and once we had escaped back into our world and time we were relieved and sad it had ended. If we could have gone in again we would have. A fantastic maze - definitely worth a visit.
The Freak Show isn't the strongest maze out of the whole collection however we still had some good jump scares and encountered some of the most unnerving freaks the circus had to offer. One of our team members, fell in love with The Wolfman and wanted to take him home despite his horrific green eyes and ‘all the better to eat you with’ teeth. She thought he was cute and fluffy - maybe we should send her back to the doctor in 1873!
The Difference Engine was the same as the previous year but still offered a good fright as we had forgotten how confusing and disorientating this maze actually was. Split up in to two groups we are placed in either entrance 0 or 1, crossing paths only occasionally in the maze. Along the way we were met with either complete blackness or smoke filled white rooms which left us searching for the obvious exit - this attraction requires you to put your senses to the test to find your way out of what looks like a mind boggling empty void. Add in the brilliantly camouflaged actors throughout and this unique attraction created some excellent scares.
Barnaggedon has always been a fast paced attack on the senses and this year was no different. There were a few changes along the way but the attraction still retains some impressive jump scares throughout including the grim prospect of an exploding toilet along the way. With a chainsaw to leave us running out the door, Barnaggedon is loud, aggressive and scary - just how we like it! Excellent fun as always.
Reincornation was a favourite from last year due to its impressive use of the park's regular fun house attraction. Alongside the incredible optical illusions, the maze was populated with evil clowns and the mix of fun house and scares left us wondering what was around each corner!
All in all, we would like to give Hallowscream top marks for this years event. All their attraction are very different in style and all combine together to tell an ongoing story, yet all stand as quality scare attractions in their own right. The actors throughout were really throwing themselves into their roles and combined with the incredible sets, provided some really good scares all night.
ScareTOUR review 2013
ScareTOUR review 2012
ScareTOUR review 2011
Offical Hallowscream at York Maze website
ScareTOUR review 2012
ScareTOUR review 2011
Offical Hallowscream at York Maze website
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