We attended the third night of this year's Screamland... The annual scare event at Dreamland Margate.
The park has seen a large investment in several new rides which opened in the Summer, and it was great to experience all of these, especially in the dark, as their lighting packages look stunning.
The park advertises 7 scare mazes for this year, though unfortunately we feel like this should be more like 6. The Tunnels of Terror is a continuation of Dead and Breakfast which creates one full length maze, and we believe it should be advertised as such.
DEAD AND BREAKFAST / TUNNELS OF TERROR "After a grisly series of murders took place at the notorious B&B, serial killer Jack Mudget hanged himself at the Dead and Breakfast - choosing to stay in his beloved guesthouse for eternity rather than spend his life in prison. Many years have passed and the guesthouse has been sealed away and all but forgotten until now…with reports of activity coming from deep inside the house has the Dead and Breakfast reopened its doors once more?"
This attraction started off so well but unfortunately failed to live up to what the attraction was in previous years when it was housed inside their existing buildings instead of a marquee. The introduction from the receptionist set the story brilliantly whilst adding some well received humour and we were sent on our way to find our room whilst avoiding the residents who we might disturb. Whilst these scenes had a great level of themeing and created some scare opportunities, before we knew it we realised we were out the hotel and into the tunnels...
"Recent construction work in the Dead & Breakfast Guesthouse has uncovered many historical artefacts linking to Margate’s infamous reputation as a smuggling town during the 1700s and the use of the tunnels as unofficial air raid shelters during the Second World War. As the rich and varied history of the tunnels was delved into strange events started to take place, topped by the mysterious disappearance of one of the archaeology team. Too terrified to continue excavating the area, the construction project manager has called in an investigative team to see if they can get to the root of what exactly is going on below the ground…"
Based on the name, we were hoping for some crawling spaces, or at least claustrophobic sections which it only succeeded with the squeeze cushions between Dead And Breakfast and Tunnels of Terror. The rest of the maze provided a very eerie feel with the sound of air raid sirens and lots of gas masks which worked effectively, but was over too quick and struggled to provide any major scares.
Combined, the two mazes work well together to create a whole experience and have some well themed sections with engaging actors that will get some screams out of you. Scare: 5/10 - Themeing & Storyline: 5/10 - Actors: 6/10 - Overall: 16/30 THE UPSIDE DOWN "A parallel universe has opened up at Dreamland, with the fault line lying deep in the amusement park, under the Treetop Bar. There are very strange goings on in this universe and nothing is as it seems. Endless passages stretch off into the distance, deceiving the mind. It is harsh and uninviting, inhabited by shadow creatures that lurk in the darkest corners, waiting to drag trespassers further into the depths of the Upside Down…"
This is another questionable 'attraction'. Whilst the concept is great, in reality it is just their existing Mirror Maze albeit with a Halloween overlay including a handful of actors, some smoke and flashing lights which are thrown in for good measure. We believe this would be much better suited as a side attraction with unlimited access rather than ticketed, as it is an enjoyable experience with a few scares, but is very short and not on the same scale or level as the other scare attractions. we did like the nod to Stranger Things though, and the red eyes certainly creeped us out.
Scare: 3/10 - Themeing & Storyline: 3/10 - Actors: 3/10 - Overall: 9/30 DREAMLAND SLEEP EXPERIMENT "Set in a research facility, neuroscientists are conducting a social experiment to see if human reactions to severe sleep deprivation could be the key to unlocking a sixth sense within the human body. Prison inmates are being used as test subjects in exchange for early release, but something has gone very wrong and all communication from the facility has ceased. Inside, the rooms are filled with noxious gasses to assist in keeping the test subjects awake. Staff working within the building are protected with body suits and full breathing apparatus. Test subjects are masked to protect their identities – a decision made by the prisons due to many of the participants being high-profile criminals who could potentially gain their freedom on completion of the experiment. What waits inside?"
After being greeted by a brilliantly sarcastic receptionist we were briefed and checked in to explore the facility. We loved the dialogue inside from a doctor who set the scene perfectly. Once sent further on our way things went a bit awol and provided some nice intense and scary moments with actors blending into dark corners and other spaces.
Scare: 6/10 - Themeing & Storyline: 7/10 - Actors: 7/10 - Overall: 20/30
PUNCH AND JUDY HORROR SHOW
"After years on the road touring seaside towns, the evil Puppeteer Norman Bloodworth has emerged from the Margate mists with his Punch and Judy show in tow, especially for Halloween! Obsessed with returning Margate back to the glory days of seaside leisure, he entices the audience in for a very special show… The manic Bloodworth will only be satisfied once the audience begins to show enthusiasm for the show through a good old-fashioned sing-along, and everyone must join in… Little do they know that Bloodworth intends to make them part of the act; shrinking them down and transporting them into his twisted horror show, where they’ll be terrorised by spine-tingling puppets."
Featuring a great interactive introduction by the creepy puppeteer the group is split up into smaller numbers and sent into the life size horror show. The attraction was a bit of fun coming face to face with many real life puppets, but seemed to be over too quick with too few scares. Think we may have some nightmares from the 'giant head' actors though.
Scare: 5/10 - Themeing & Storyline: 5/10 - Actors: 4/10 - Overall: 14/30
MARY DECOMPOSED
"A rare opportunity has arisen in Margate; the wreckage of the infamous passenger liner, the Mary Rose, has mysteriously re-emerged from the deep. The Mary Rose is listed as one of the most famous ghost ships in the seven seas and is known to appear once every twenty years, floating near the Goodwin Sands. Spotted by locals floating just offshore of Margate; it was towed in and brought to nearby Screamland for further inspection. The Captain’s logbook was discovered in a safe on board the ship. All of its pages had been removed and few clues remain about the demise of the passengers and crew. One thing is certain; ever since it has breached the surface, the ship creaks and groans, begging to be returned to the deep, taking its secrets with it. Hop aboard and explore the mysteries within…if you’re brave enough."
We were highly impressed with the level of detail in this attraction, and the clever lighting throughout which created the underwater feel. The introduction stop scene was a nice touch and featured a bit of humour before being sent on our way to tour the ship. There wasn't that many scares throughout and a lot of actors were more static with theatrical speeches rather than going for the jump scare. The only negative would be it felt a little short, and some of the scenes felt far too spacious and could have been utilised better, but Screamland have created a very solid attraction overall.
Scare: 6/10 - Themeing & Storyline: 9/10 - Actors: 6/10 - Overall: 21/30
FESTINOS FUNHOUSE
"After witnessing the huge trend of killer clowns in 2016, Alonso Festino vowed to search every corner of the globe to assemble the world's finest collection of clowns. Now two years later and elated with the collection he has built; Festino has erected a brand-new Funhouse for all of his prized specimens. Beware: these clowns have been lurking in the shadows for years. Fuelled by their desire to scare, they yearn for innocent victims to terrify. This Halloween, Festino invites you to laugh, cry and scream your way through his Funhouse…"
We've previously experienced this popular attraction when it was housed in a building rather than a marquee, so was apprehensive to how it would affect the storyline and experience. Besides the ending in its previous form which was one of the largest scale endings we've experienced, which obviously couldn't be matched this year, the rest of the attraction really surprised us and were impressed with the variety of unique scenes we haven't seen in a clown maze before. Featuring a ball pit, crawling and other fun-filled environments, alongside the clowns being on top form, no part of the maze felt wasted and made us want to experience it again!
Scare: 6/10 - Themeing & Storyline: 7/10 - Actors: 8/10 - Overall: 21/30
Overall we had a great time at Dreamland Margate for Screamland. The park is looking the best we've seen it and the atmosphere was lively with plenty of roaming actors and some catchy Halloween tunes playing around different parts of the park. Whilst the mazes were not the highest quality, they are all still enjoyable and followed engaging storylines. Mary Decomposed & Festinos Funhouse were definitely our favourite attractions.
So if you're after some fun over this Halloween be sure to check them out on one of their 4 remaining dates... Standard tickets give you unlimited rides and one access to each of the scare attractions so it's great value for money. Ride only 'scaredy cat' tickets are also available.
For more information and tickets visit the Screamland Website!