We recently had the pleasure (?) of visiting Frightmare which is located at Over Farm in Gloucester. It is advertised as the South West’s largest and scariest Halloween Scream Park. They've been scaring guests for over 15 years… and we were back for our third year in a row to experience their 5 scare attractions and to soak up the atmosphere full of roaming actors and acrobatic displays.
Frightmare have been brave this year, advertising no new attractions, but promising lots of existing changes, we were intrigued to see what they had to offer this time around...
THE OFFERING: Buried "In 1932 world famous explorer and archeologist Sir Bartholomew Mortimer and his assistant Mary Combes set out on a an exploration of some ancient caves. He made a major discovery; catacombs and a mysterious temple. Filmmakers were sent to document the findings. The British Museum were eager for artefacts and pushed Sir Mortimer to rush the dig. Suddenly communications went dark, the cave location was lost and Sir Mortimer and his team were never heard of again. Their disappearance became the mystery of the decade. The story became an urban myth with talk of an ancient tribe, abominable practices and that Mary is somehow still alive; a prisoner of a primitive monstrous people. Now it’s your turn to explore that which has been buried."
This attraction features quite a lot of claustrophobic space including a nicely themed tunnel. The actors inside are quite concentrated into certain areas so does create a fair amount of dead, dark space. It is great inside to see the ritual unfold in front of you, as you are the sacrifice! It's one of the less intense attractions we've experienced, but still provides some nice scares, particularly the main scene where at one point we counted 5 actors surrounding us and appearing out of nowhere, really effective!
Scare: 6/10 - Themeing & Storyline: 6/10 - Actors: 7/10 - Overall: 19/30 CAGED: The Compound "2017 was all about prisoners being experimented on to find a cure for illnesses. This year the Government wants to build an unstoppable force, a hybrid soldier. The ultimate weapon. The best of the best have been recruited to undergo specific gene splicing procedures with nature’s best beasts, to create the ultimate hybrid special force. Unfortunately, the beasts within do not want to follow orders and they refuse to be CAGED! Their mission is to rid the world of the UNCAGED and become the ALPHA species. They’ve broken rank and joined forces… 2018 the year the BEASTS bite back!"
The first half started out strong and as we remembered, with hybrid animal humans that used their space (and voices) well to create some effective scares. Then this attraction took an unexpected turn and the intensity level of the actors created complete chaos, with a whole new theme and direction we entered into an effective temporary military facility. The decontamination tents at the end although very bright made us feel so uneasy with the actors really pushing for final scares! Scare: 7/10 - Themeing & Storyline: 7/10 - Actors: 9/10 - Overall: 23/30 SEANCE: The Gate "Abandoned and avoided, The Crest mansion still stands. A house so haunted, it was compared to the legendary Belascoe House (Hell House). Spirits and demons abound, this run down Victorian mansion has, for many, been a sought after paranormal prize. Many have challenged its secrets, and many more are said to have vanished within its stone walls. Even the spirit of Victorian spiritualist Ophelia Balladour vanished into a dark portal at the last séance that took place there. Gloucestershire Wraith Hunters (GWH), TV’s local paranormal celebs, are going in. The teams’ psychic, Dawn Rising, still believes that a séance is the only 'true' way to find the spirits and locate this 'gateway'. So let the vigil begin. In the “house where darkness doesn’t sleep”, what will be discovered, or what will be unleashed?"
This attraction starts with a seance, which was executed really well in previous years, building up the suspense with an array of effects added in. This year it didn't have as much of an impact due to the light hearted nature of the seance conductor, we did really enjoy this laugh-out-loud scene though and still managed to provide some scares... This definitely created a false sense of security for what the rest of the maze had in store for us. This was probably the scariest maze of the night, nowhere was safe and the actors really knew how to work their space. We particularly loved the addition of the graveyard scene for this year. Scare: 9/10 - Themeing & Storyline: 7/10 - Actors: 8/10 - Overall: 24/30 HAUNTED HAYRIDE: The Curse "Over Farm has had its fair share of mishaps in the last few years. There was the time a strange corporation turned up to harvest visitors organs, then they rented out some of the farm buildings as a ‘modern’ prison and there was that time they let a corporation dump their toxic waste on the graveyard. This year is going to be different. Whilst planting pumpkins seeds Farmer Gunther found some strange artefacts; a totally intact black candle, a witch’s poppet and a curse inscribed on a lead tablet. It’s hit the press and local historians have confirmed the farm as the site where several witch trials took place in the 17th Century. After the media frenzy died down Gunther realised this was chance to get the farm back on the map. The farm has become a Witchcraft museum with many of the artefacts found on display. Join us on a tour of the site where witchcraft was practised, and punished. What could possibly go wrong?"
After a hilarious pre show from the far(rrr)mer we were boarded onto the hayride trailers before starting our journey to the witch museum. On the way we encountered a mixture of laughs and scares passing by some great scenes and effects with the actors engaging well. Once we arrived at the museum in the middle of the farmyard, we disembarked the trailer and headed in where some surprises were waiting for us. The museum didn't have many actors but still created a good atmosphere. Once out of the museum you have to make your way back accross the fields to the event area... But will you come accross any witches lurking in the shadows? Whilst it's not our favourite incarnation of their Haunted Hayride attraction, it's still very unique & enjoyable, and is a very clever idea on their part to change the story year on year. Scare: 8/10 - Themeing & Storyline: 9/10 - Actors: 9/10 - Overall: 26/30 WONDERLAND: Oblivion "The looking glass has shattered, And all are feeling battered. Enter this dark and dangerous land Your bonkers friends will be at hand. Enter through the rabbit hole You’ll want to rush, no need to stroll. Enter where confusion lies You won’t believe your very eyes. Is it me or is it you? Is that real, is it true? Seeing double? Don’t be sad. Just don’t forget, we’re all mad."
Last year this attraction was mad... This year it's damn right crazy! With the addition of 3D glasses and much more neon paint this maze is a real attack on the senses with in your face actors, claustrophobic spaces and trippy scenery. Meeting the deranged characters from this twisted tale throughout provided some great dialogue and interactivity, particularly the Mad Hatter! Overall a solid maze with a nice new surprise ending! Scare: 6/10 - Themeing & Storyline: 8/10 - Actors: 7/10 - Overall: 21/30
Overall we have loved the improvements made to the event, the central hub area feels much more spacious and with a bigger food & drink offering, whilst still keeping its charm. The mazes have really had the intensity levelled up, with the all-important changes which help keep it fresh, and making it well worth the visit.
With only a handful of nights left, be sure to head down to Over Farm in Gloucester to meet your Frightmare... Visit their website for more information and tickets! http://www.frightmare.co.uk Plus we can't wait to see what's coming in 2019...
