On Friday 6th of October, Thrill Nation decided to head down to Frightmare over in Over Farm Market, Gloucestershire, which returns for its 16th year of scares. Offering 17 nights on frights and screams, 5 live action scare attractions, freaky live shows, food and beverages with a licensed bar which is all under cover in the event arena.
They host two events during Halloween. Frightmare which is rated 12A and hosted most evenings from Friday 6th of October to Tuesday 31st of October and then Slightmare, which is hosted during the daytime daily from October 21st to October 29th, targeted towards more of the family market. Frightmare tickets range from £21 to £27 depending on when you go, with the optional extra for fastrack which is limited each night for an extra £10 per person.
The 5 scare attractions on offer this year are Wonderland, which is new for 2017, Séance: House of Demons, Caged: The Awakening, The Offering: Feast and The Haunted Hayride: Corn Of The Dead.
Last year, these attractions were some of the best the UK had to offer with The Haunted Hayride being one of our top haunts for 2016.
On arrival, we were swarmed by a range of actors, from the traffic cone crew to scary demons and monsters. This was a nice mixture of actors as some were there to scare you and send you running whilst others were friendlier and had more of a comedy side to them. The layout is small but it works with everything under one tent.
The Offering: Feast
Our first maze of the night was The Offering: Feast! This attraction is based around a tribe who are bound by ritual and sealed in their own scared catacomb. They now await visitors to satiate their hunger for human flesh, their offering. This maze continues on from the story in 2016 when it was brand new, and has several changes inside to make it a stronger attraction. Keeping lengthy claustrophobic sections right from the start by inflatable walls, small creepy tunnels and long, narrow, rocky pathways, along with actors coming in numbers of 3-4 at a time, it creates some intense moments inside.
Themeing & Storyline: 6/10 | Actors: 6/10 | Scare: 7/10 | Overall: 19/30
Séance: House Of Demons
Based back in the 1800s, inside the very building you walk is a history of several séances that have gone bad and now is haunted with fear and death. This haunt has also had minor changes made since last year, with some clever hidden changes to speed up throughputs. The attraction started the same and had some unique effects during the séance part of the attraction. The acting and storytelling part was the best part and it made it a convincing séance. We did feel that some of the attraction was rushed and you can easily miss a good chunk of the maze after a brilliant beginning. Overall, the attraction had some positive and negative changes for this year but, still is a strong attraction in storytelling and scares!
Themeing & Storyline: 7/10 | Actors: 7/10 | Scare: 7/10 | Overall: 21/30
Caged: The Awakening
A gene splicing experiment gone wrong. Inhabitants were left to fend for themselves. Now with their animal instincts and now their human intelligence coming through, they’re coming for us…
This attraction starts off very tame with the human/animal hybrids not going crazy to kill you, however, the further you go the more intense and active they got. Several smoke themed rooms, inside and outside sections and different themed rooms created a great set for these creatures to get you from all angles. The rooms are not greatly themed compared to the other attractions but the effects and actors really set the scene for this attraction.
Themeing & Storyline: 6/10 | Actors: 9/10 | Scare: 7/10 | Overall: 22/30
Wonderland
“Begin at the beginning because things are about to get curiouser and curiouser. Once you’re down the rabbit hole you’ll wish it was a dream.”
Brand New for 2017, a twisted version of Alice of Wonderland becomes a horror maze, where you meet some unusual characters. Meet Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, The Mad Hatter and the queen herself as you venture into this wonderland. A highly immersive and themed experience from the start, with every room being highly detailed and different from the last. The actors presented the attraction nicely, meeting a mixture of creepy and friendly characters who explained a story whilst trying to scare you. Overall, not one of the scarier mazes at Frightmare but the storyline, themeing along with the actors make this attraction unique and fun, in a creepy sort of way…
Themeing & Storyline: 9/10 | Actors: 6/10 | Scare: 5/10 | Overall: 20/30
The Haunted Hayride: Corn Of The Dead
Strange things have been happening at the farm with rumours flying about some kind of dead walking the earth. Numbers to the farm have been dwindling and staff and animals are going missing. What is the fate of those affected? Is it an illness or evil? The dead seem to be awoken and are walking in the fields nearby once more…
The Haunted Hayride is split into two parts with half the experience based on a hayride transported by a tractor, whilst the other half is on foot. Along the way, you meet several characters explaining about the disturbances and the rumours going around. Not long into the journey, you realise these aren’t rumours and something strange is going on.
This attraction has a perfect mix of comedy and scares. Starting off with comedy to lead you into a false sense of security before the tractor finally brakes down and you are left with a very dark route back whilst out in the field by a barn.
Themeing and Storyline of this attraction works very well and is one of the strongest attractions for it this year. With different scenes on the hayride being well themed, even to the point of when you come off the hayride, the actors keep the pace and the story moving forward perfectly. For an attraction that is mainly based outside, the actors are very lively and make the attraction of what it is. Multiple jump scares through-out along with smoke, loud sounds and some dark and tight spaces really does make you think you are not alone in the field. Overall, a strong attraction as a whole, really enjoyable in the sense of it not being full on scary or too much performing and acting, the attraction flows perfectly from start to the finish. Even with a classic ending…
Themeing & Storyline: 10/10 | Actors: 9/10 | Scare: 9/10 | Overall: 28/30
If you wish to visit Frightmare for yourself, head over and book your tickets below and let us know what you think over on our social media channels! We cannot wait to visit next year to see this strong event come back with hopefully, even bigger scares.
