Hallowscream at York Maze 2019
ScareTOUR were invited by Tom Pearcy and the team at York Maze to attend the RIP opening night of Hallowscream on Friday 11th October. With one new house, a revitalised house and more acts over a bigger area, we were looking forward to visiting the winners of our Best Scream Park 2018 award. After the group introduction from a talking monument to go through safety etc (which crowds nicely) we were in.
First of all though, whose bright idea was it to go on the Waltzers before any of the houses? At £3 per person, the ride seemed to go on for ages, spinning you through darkness, smoke and strobe lights, leaving us completely dizzy.
That dizzy feeling didn’t help in our first house; Corny’s Cornevil which is quite an assault on the senses. Reimagined and renamed, it’s filled with twisted clowns and clever effects. We got lost, got even more dizzy and still can’t figure how one particular effect works, it’s simple but brilliant. The clowns seemed to be relentless and (like all Hallowscream houses) the experience is long which makes it more enjoyable and value for money.
Next up, Barnageddon 3D, another assault on the senses where 3D glasses make the walls pop out at you. The detailing of the 3D painting is extremely professional which distracts you for the characters hidden in the darkness to jump out at you.
Joseph Clement uses his time machine to usher us back to a more peaceful time but we were thrown forwards not backwards and landed in 2073, a “post Trump” apocalyptic future that has ravaged the earth. Landing in a corn field, we navigated through 7-foot-high corn plants into what is a left of a town riddled with zombie like beings out for blood. This is an old set but still an incredible one featuring pieces like ambulances, lorries carrying explosive tankers, a fire engine and a hospital that has been completely over taken. There wasn’t much mention of Trump (unless we missed it?) until you see the hospital sign in his name. To end we ran into a soldier who was desperately trying to get us all out of there - we pushed on but inevitably met our fate.
The Flesh Pot house was introduced by a boil covered lady selling meat produce from a market stall. We didn’t catch the full narrative but, you guessed it, the meat is human. The chase was then on through the captivity of the Flesh Pot filled with pig like creatures, butchers, innocent people, victims and more and all very well detailed.
We saved the new house until last; Singularity! We step inside the laboratory of Joseph Clement where humans and robots are being simulated into one, supposedly perfect, being. You would think that if he can’t get his time machine to work properly for 2073, he would have given up experimenting but thankfully for us, no. Let chaos commence! The first part of the lab is packed with body scanning lights and machinery reading your vital signs. Through the smoke the set looks great and as things go wrong on our journey, we encounter half robot half human creations that have gone crazy and attack everything in sight. We could spot some scenery from the old Difference Engine house being used in Singularity because it fits the theme so well, such as the white room, a ginormous room filled with smoke and white light to completely throw you off course.
Houses done, we stuck around to soak up the great atmosphere of people enjoying the houses, roaming characters, fair ground games, the Waltzers and a vast array of food trucks. Listening to people’s conversations about their experience, people were certainly having a good night.
We picked up on a few things that we felt could improve the experience such the long queue for Singularity, held up because of a photo opportunity you pass through. One personal note is that a lot of the cast, particularly in our first two houses, did a lot of the same actions and the same backwards throat scream that became a bit repetitive. The only narrative we heard was from The Flesh Pot and 2073 which really adds to and amplifies a story that you might not otherwise know about.
That said we still had a fantastic night – the event space is well organised; the atmosphere is lively and friendly and there’s an obvious attention to detail and quality. A great opening night!
First of all though, whose bright idea was it to go on the Waltzers before any of the houses? At £3 per person, the ride seemed to go on for ages, spinning you through darkness, smoke and strobe lights, leaving us completely dizzy.
That dizzy feeling didn’t help in our first house; Corny’s Cornevil which is quite an assault on the senses. Reimagined and renamed, it’s filled with twisted clowns and clever effects. We got lost, got even more dizzy and still can’t figure how one particular effect works, it’s simple but brilliant. The clowns seemed to be relentless and (like all Hallowscream houses) the experience is long which makes it more enjoyable and value for money.
Next up, Barnageddon 3D, another assault on the senses where 3D glasses make the walls pop out at you. The detailing of the 3D painting is extremely professional which distracts you for the characters hidden in the darkness to jump out at you.
Joseph Clement uses his time machine to usher us back to a more peaceful time but we were thrown forwards not backwards and landed in 2073, a “post Trump” apocalyptic future that has ravaged the earth. Landing in a corn field, we navigated through 7-foot-high corn plants into what is a left of a town riddled with zombie like beings out for blood. This is an old set but still an incredible one featuring pieces like ambulances, lorries carrying explosive tankers, a fire engine and a hospital that has been completely over taken. There wasn’t much mention of Trump (unless we missed it?) until you see the hospital sign in his name. To end we ran into a soldier who was desperately trying to get us all out of there - we pushed on but inevitably met our fate.
The Flesh Pot house was introduced by a boil covered lady selling meat produce from a market stall. We didn’t catch the full narrative but, you guessed it, the meat is human. The chase was then on through the captivity of the Flesh Pot filled with pig like creatures, butchers, innocent people, victims and more and all very well detailed.
We saved the new house until last; Singularity! We step inside the laboratory of Joseph Clement where humans and robots are being simulated into one, supposedly perfect, being. You would think that if he can’t get his time machine to work properly for 2073, he would have given up experimenting but thankfully for us, no. Let chaos commence! The first part of the lab is packed with body scanning lights and machinery reading your vital signs. Through the smoke the set looks great and as things go wrong on our journey, we encounter half robot half human creations that have gone crazy and attack everything in sight. We could spot some scenery from the old Difference Engine house being used in Singularity because it fits the theme so well, such as the white room, a ginormous room filled with smoke and white light to completely throw you off course.
Houses done, we stuck around to soak up the great atmosphere of people enjoying the houses, roaming characters, fair ground games, the Waltzers and a vast array of food trucks. Listening to people’s conversations about their experience, people were certainly having a good night.
We picked up on a few things that we felt could improve the experience such the long queue for Singularity, held up because of a photo opportunity you pass through. One personal note is that a lot of the cast, particularly in our first two houses, did a lot of the same actions and the same backwards throat scream that became a bit repetitive. The only narrative we heard was from The Flesh Pot and 2073 which really adds to and amplifies a story that you might not otherwise know about.
That said we still had a fantastic night – the event space is well organised; the atmosphere is lively and friendly and there’s an obvious attention to detail and quality. A great opening night!
York Maze Hallowscream 2018
This year, York Maze Hallowscream returns with an incredible festival atmosphere. Its ghost bust introduction means you only have to hear safety briefings once, and allows you to truly immerse yourself into the fun festival vibe.
Reincornation returned utilising the park's fun house. Using the existing special effects and wonky floors, the actors did a great job of ensuring that no place was safe, confusing and alarming guests at every turn.
2073 also returned, thrusting you into a “post Trump” apocalyptic world in which the undead have taken over the streets. Tight corners and huge sets only raised the anticipation of guests trying to find a way safely through the maze.
New for 2018, Barnageddon underwent a 3D transformation to become Barnageddon 3D. Chaotic and fun in equal measure, the new 3D element gave the maze an extra visual kick with its bright colours and chaotic atmosphere standing out (when we could get the 3D glasses to stay on our faces!)
The Difference Engine offered a simple assault to the senses, but one that packed a punch regardless, constantly switching between lightness and darkness. Then there was the white room filled with smoke – arms outstretched and stumbling, this room truly builds a sense of real fear and anticipation.
Finally, The Flesh Pot offered a truly terrifying experience. Offering some of the most detailed theming at Hallowscream and combined with actors who knew how to work well together, The Flesh Pot was a firm favourite from the night leaving us worried we may actually be skinned alive and made into ScareTOUR pie.
York Maze Hallowscream truly does offer a fun festival atmosphere, with lively street theatre and entertainment greeting you from very beginning. Brimming with people, York Maze is a very popular event, and if we had one small gripe it would be that some mazes appeared to struggle slightly with throughput and batching issues leading to the occasional conga line through an attraction – however, the actors coped well, and continued to find ways to terrorise their guests regardless.
As an award winning scream park, York Maze Hallowscream are certainly doing their utmost to stay on top.
Reincornation returned utilising the park's fun house. Using the existing special effects and wonky floors, the actors did a great job of ensuring that no place was safe, confusing and alarming guests at every turn.
2073 also returned, thrusting you into a “post Trump” apocalyptic world in which the undead have taken over the streets. Tight corners and huge sets only raised the anticipation of guests trying to find a way safely through the maze.
New for 2018, Barnageddon underwent a 3D transformation to become Barnageddon 3D. Chaotic and fun in equal measure, the new 3D element gave the maze an extra visual kick with its bright colours and chaotic atmosphere standing out (when we could get the 3D glasses to stay on our faces!)
The Difference Engine offered a simple assault to the senses, but one that packed a punch regardless, constantly switching between lightness and darkness. Then there was the white room filled with smoke – arms outstretched and stumbling, this room truly builds a sense of real fear and anticipation.
Finally, The Flesh Pot offered a truly terrifying experience. Offering some of the most detailed theming at Hallowscream and combined with actors who knew how to work well together, The Flesh Pot was a firm favourite from the night leaving us worried we may actually be skinned alive and made into ScareTOUR pie.
York Maze Hallowscream truly does offer a fun festival atmosphere, with lively street theatre and entertainment greeting you from very beginning. Brimming with people, York Maze is a very popular event, and if we had one small gripe it would be that some mazes appeared to struggle slightly with throughput and batching issues leading to the occasional conga line through an attraction – however, the actors coped well, and continued to find ways to terrorise their guests regardless.
As an award winning scream park, York Maze Hallowscream are certainly doing their utmost to stay on top.
York Maze Hallowscream 2017
2016 was a big year for Hallowscream with the whole event moving to a new event field outside of the main family fun park. This year’s sees the continuation of this transition with more added to the new event arena including a MASSIVE marquee – virtually making the whole site undercover, a live stage with entertainment and catering facilities. The change in atmosphere is palpable from the moment we entered and with roaming characters and that irascible clown Korny with his chainsaw, excitement levels were high as we visited the five mazes.
2073 is new for 2017 and is set in an apocalyptic future where the undead have taken over the world. Like its predecessor, the historical 1873, the sets in this attraction are huge, which really makes it stand out from the narrow paths of the other mazes. It could have been easy for the actors to get lost in such big sets but they were strong throughout, mixing some great immersive entertainment with scares and laughter.
Reincornation felt darker and more sinister this year with the clowns terrorising us at every turn. Based in the park’s fun house, the use of wonky floors and visual effects are all enhanced by the confident actors to create a great sense of confusion and panic.
Barnageddon has been a ScareTOUR favourite since it first debuted (maybe we just love toilets that explode in our face!) The new event lay out saw a few changes to the attraction last year but it remains as chaotic and exciting as usual.
The Flesh Pot was new for 2016 and holds some of the most detailed sets at the whole event. Compared to last year the actors seemed far more active around the attraction and really seemed to know the best ways to attack the guests. It just shows what a difference there can be in attractions as last year, this was our least favourite and this year we loved it!
Finally, The Difference Engine returns and is a mind bogglingly confusing as ever. Despite knowing what was coming, some of the rooms still managed to freak us out – especially the white room filled with smoke. It is such a simple effect but is terrifying as you walk through arms outstretched, not knowing what you are going to run into. Our only criticism of The Difference Engine this year – for such a big maze it felt quite underpopulated and would have benefited from a few extra scarers along the way.
The changes that have been made to Hallowscream this year are evident from the moment you walk in. From the Ghost Bust introduction (that effectively means you only have to listen to one safety brief all night) through to the live entertainment and old-fashioned Ghost Train, the event has even more of a festival feel than ever before. This coupled with the incredibly strong mazes and amazing cast has elevated this event to “must see” status for 2017!
2073 is new for 2017 and is set in an apocalyptic future where the undead have taken over the world. Like its predecessor, the historical 1873, the sets in this attraction are huge, which really makes it stand out from the narrow paths of the other mazes. It could have been easy for the actors to get lost in such big sets but they were strong throughout, mixing some great immersive entertainment with scares and laughter.
Reincornation felt darker and more sinister this year with the clowns terrorising us at every turn. Based in the park’s fun house, the use of wonky floors and visual effects are all enhanced by the confident actors to create a great sense of confusion and panic.
Barnageddon has been a ScareTOUR favourite since it first debuted (maybe we just love toilets that explode in our face!) The new event lay out saw a few changes to the attraction last year but it remains as chaotic and exciting as usual.
The Flesh Pot was new for 2016 and holds some of the most detailed sets at the whole event. Compared to last year the actors seemed far more active around the attraction and really seemed to know the best ways to attack the guests. It just shows what a difference there can be in attractions as last year, this was our least favourite and this year we loved it!
Finally, The Difference Engine returns and is a mind bogglingly confusing as ever. Despite knowing what was coming, some of the rooms still managed to freak us out – especially the white room filled with smoke. It is such a simple effect but is terrifying as you walk through arms outstretched, not knowing what you are going to run into. Our only criticism of The Difference Engine this year – for such a big maze it felt quite underpopulated and would have benefited from a few extra scarers along the way.
The changes that have been made to Hallowscream this year are evident from the moment you walk in. From the Ghost Bust introduction (that effectively means you only have to listen to one safety brief all night) through to the live entertainment and old-fashioned Ghost Train, the event has even more of a festival feel than ever before. This coupled with the incredibly strong mazes and amazing cast has elevated this event to “must see” status for 2017!
York Maze Hallowscream 2016
Its all change at York Maze Hallowscream this year as the attractions have all moved to a new, more compact, event field. This new area gives easier access to the 5 mazes, and makes the venue feel more like a stand alone event (as opposed to a series of scare mazes plonked in a family farm park!) The new layout has also meant different entrances to two of the mazes, which has created the opportunity to tweak some of their content and layout. So, alongside the impressive new facades for all the attractions, we had a lot to look forward to.
Flesh Pot is the latest maze to join the Hallowscream line up and was easily the best themed maze of the night. With a background of human sacrifice and skin stealing, the sets were particularly gruesome with body parts strewn everywhere, and what felt like wet flesh curtains hanging down dividing the rooms. Everywhere we looked the theming was impeccable, which is why it's a shame we had such a passive experience in this maze. On our run through, it just seemed that there weren't enough actors to work the maze, and those that were there, were generally behind cages or acting out scenes instead of attacking us. Therefore - apart from a few lively jump scares, we felt that this maze really missed a chance to scare us, with a few stretches with nothing happening. Hopefully this can easily be corrected during the remainder of the run.
The Difference Engine is still one of the simplest concepts in maze design but hosts some incredible scares. The binary assault on the senses is quite simple - you are either a 1 or a zero, and a black or a white. The actors inside were doing a really good job at separating groups at different points, and the switches between darkness and light throughout is so confusing. And then of course, there is that white room filled with smoke. It was impossible to see anything in front of us and we had to stumble through with our arms out ahead of us. The anticipation and tension in this room alone was incredible.
1873, the time travel maze is starting to show its age a bit but still has a few scares up it's sleeve. Built in a massive marquee, the attraction has some really tall sets and many of the rooms are huge, which is a contrast compared to all the narrow corridors found in most attractions. The detailed sets had us walking through Victorian York where we were attacked by some very unfriendly locals. Due to the size of the rooms, some of the scares were signposted ahead of their delivery, but once we moved into the darker corridors in the back half of the maze, the actors and effects were able to elicit quite a few screams from us.
Barnaggedon has always been our favourite maze at Hallowscream, but with its new route it felt a little less lively that before. That's not to say we didn't get some very effective scares throughout, as the maze is loud and chaotic from beginning to end. As for that ending - it shouldn't really work on paper, but having a 7 foot killer rabbit distract us while a guy with a chainsaw chased us out the exit, certainly left us laughing! Remember if you do visit Barnaggedon - just keep away from those exploding toilets!
ReinCornation is back and takes full advantage of the permanent fun house setting that it is built in. The clowns throughout utilised many of the props and effects around them to confuse and scare in equal measure and were particularly lively in their interaction with the audience. All in - a great mix of fun and fright.
With the move to the new event field, it is clear that a lot of effort has been spent on the park's infrastructure and we think it works so much better in this new layout. Being able to see all 5 mazes and their elaborate facades from one central arena made the event feel more cohesive and professional. All the mazes themselves remain interesting, with some very different ideas and designs, yet they all complement each other, and play into the over-arching Hallowscream story line. We visited on the first night, so we hope that some of the niggles we had with the actors (especially in the Flesh Pot) will be straightened out for the remainder of the run.
Flesh Pot is the latest maze to join the Hallowscream line up and was easily the best themed maze of the night. With a background of human sacrifice and skin stealing, the sets were particularly gruesome with body parts strewn everywhere, and what felt like wet flesh curtains hanging down dividing the rooms. Everywhere we looked the theming was impeccable, which is why it's a shame we had such a passive experience in this maze. On our run through, it just seemed that there weren't enough actors to work the maze, and those that were there, were generally behind cages or acting out scenes instead of attacking us. Therefore - apart from a few lively jump scares, we felt that this maze really missed a chance to scare us, with a few stretches with nothing happening. Hopefully this can easily be corrected during the remainder of the run.
The Difference Engine is still one of the simplest concepts in maze design but hosts some incredible scares. The binary assault on the senses is quite simple - you are either a 1 or a zero, and a black or a white. The actors inside were doing a really good job at separating groups at different points, and the switches between darkness and light throughout is so confusing. And then of course, there is that white room filled with smoke. It was impossible to see anything in front of us and we had to stumble through with our arms out ahead of us. The anticipation and tension in this room alone was incredible.
1873, the time travel maze is starting to show its age a bit but still has a few scares up it's sleeve. Built in a massive marquee, the attraction has some really tall sets and many of the rooms are huge, which is a contrast compared to all the narrow corridors found in most attractions. The detailed sets had us walking through Victorian York where we were attacked by some very unfriendly locals. Due to the size of the rooms, some of the scares were signposted ahead of their delivery, but once we moved into the darker corridors in the back half of the maze, the actors and effects were able to elicit quite a few screams from us.
Barnaggedon has always been our favourite maze at Hallowscream, but with its new route it felt a little less lively that before. That's not to say we didn't get some very effective scares throughout, as the maze is loud and chaotic from beginning to end. As for that ending - it shouldn't really work on paper, but having a 7 foot killer rabbit distract us while a guy with a chainsaw chased us out the exit, certainly left us laughing! Remember if you do visit Barnaggedon - just keep away from those exploding toilets!
ReinCornation is back and takes full advantage of the permanent fun house setting that it is built in. The clowns throughout utilised many of the props and effects around them to confuse and scare in equal measure and were particularly lively in their interaction with the audience. All in - a great mix of fun and fright.
With the move to the new event field, it is clear that a lot of effort has been spent on the park's infrastructure and we think it works so much better in this new layout. Being able to see all 5 mazes and their elaborate facades from one central arena made the event feel more cohesive and professional. All the mazes themselves remain interesting, with some very different ideas and designs, yet they all complement each other, and play into the over-arching Hallowscream story line. We visited on the first night, so we hope that some of the niggles we had with the actors (especially in the Flesh Pot) will be straightened out for the remainder of the run.
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