Scarefest got underway at Alton Towers Resort last weekend, as 2022 sees the event celebrate its 15th birthday (having first run in 2007) with a range of spooks available to please all the family. TowersTimes rounds-up what’s on offer at this year’s event.
Targeted at the bravest of guests, the 2022 line-up of scare attractions consists of three returning scare mazes, as well as a new, audio-based attraction. The new attraction, The Invitation, invites guests to visit The Lakeside Cemetery for a grave experience that will live with them for eternity. Guests enter the exterior queue-line on the left-hand side of the Games Bunker, venturing past a number of graves and then through the Cemetery’s gates. In this second part of the queue line, situated behind the Games Bunker, there are a number of theming features, including various tombs. The attraction itself is housed within a number of shipping containers on the right hand side of the Games Bunker. We did not go through the attraction during our visit this weekend, but understand that the main experience first involves descending in a ‘lift’ down to the burial chamber, before taking a seat and putting on headphones in order to listen to the audio in complete darkness. With the attraction being more psychological in nature, it expectedly provides quite a different experience to the traditional scare maze which some guests may not find to be as thrilling.
Back for a fourth year is both The Attic: Terror of the Towers and Darkest Depths, giving guests another opportunity to enjoy the detailed sets that these mazes offer. The final maze to make a return is Altonville Mine Tours: Uncover the Legend of the Skin Snatchers, now in its seventh year, defending its title as the second longest-running scare maze at the Resort after Terror of the Towers. It continues to be the case that the Haunted Lantern helmets are no longer being used.
Last year’s new addition, Trick O’ Treat Town, has also made a return for 2022. This year the interactive family walkthrough attraction is sponsored by HARIBO, with these being the sweets that guests can collect as they explore the quirky town and knock on the doors of its residents. Some new theming elements have also been added to reflect the HARIBO partnership.
An established part of Scarefest is also the family shows and entertainment, which are hosted on the Front Lawns stage. As well as including the traditional shows from the Freaky Five, a mix of live vocals and dance is provided by Sin Bin: ImmortHELL and A Vintage Halloween. The Alton Ancestors also make a return with an updated dance routine, being found on Towers Street in the morning and Fountain Square later in the day. They also perform their ‘Final Haunt’ dance on the Front Lawn stage in the evening. In CBeebies Land, younger guests can once again enjoy the CBeebies Land Monster Ball, featuring all of their favourite characters.
The food and beverage units from Oktoberfest have again been retained on the Front Lawns, but with something of a Scarefest makeover, meaning this area serves as a combined food and entertainment hub. A range of Scarefest merchandise is also available in Towers Trading, with an apparent focus on orange in this year’s clothing range. New pumpkin style mugs are also available, and last year’s popular additions of the Freaky Five plushes are also back on sale.
Towers Street is decorated with its traditional colourful bunting and hearse, as well as the ride-themed pumpkins and main Scarefest sign, which has been repainted for this year. However, it seems the long-serving scarecrow characters have not returned this year. As darkness falls, the troupe of ghosts make a return outside the Towers Street Skyride station and The Towers are once again illuminated, along with the gardens as part of Garden Lights Walk: Whispering Souls.
Nightfall also provides an opportunity to experience the theme park’s rides in the dark. However, the lighting package that has been installed at Wicker Man during the last few years is not in place, although it’s possible that it could be added for the main two weeks of the event. With the recent confirmation that Nemesis will close at the end of the season ‘by order of the Phalanx’ (in order to be retracked for 2024), the ride staff are now wearing new red Phalanx uniforms. Furthermore, the latest developments at Duel have seen walls go up around the building, which feature posters urging guests to call 07436 377346 for more information. The eagle-eyed will also note that they contain the phrase ‘I want to play’. Peepholes can also be found on the newly installed walls which provide a hint at some creepy goings-on inside and what 2023 could hold in store for the overhaul of this attraction. What’s more, once the night draws in, the attraction is also illuminated in a mysterious purple haze…
This year, much like 2021, sees the Resort apply the tried and tested Scarefest formula to deliver what remains a solid all-round Halloween event to provide something for all of the family. From our run throughs, we found Darkest Depths to be the strongest of the three scare mazes. Nonetheless, the maze line-up now feels ripe for a refresh to bring some new scares to the event. Although the Resort have tried something new in The Invitation, it does not seem as though this has the same appeal as a fourth scare maze, and more may have been expected in the year that the event has been marketed as celebrating its 15th birthday. It also remains the case that the event would benefit from more park-wide Halloween theming.
Tickets for the Resort’s scare mazes can be purchased either online or from the Resort Box Office. A combination ticket for The Invitation, The Attic: Terror of the Towers, Altonville Mine Tours: Uncover the Legend of the Skin Snatchers, and Darkest Depths costs £32, with annual passholders able to obtain a 20% discount on this price. Individual scare maze tickets can be purchased on-the-day, via the app, for £9 each. Trick O’ Treat Town costs £12 per bag (which annual passholders can again obtain 20% discount on), with up to two adults able to accompany a child without the need to purchase their own bag. Up from £10 last year, the cost again seem high when considered relative to the price of the scare attractions.
Scarefest runs at Alton Towers Resort on the 7th-9th and 14th-31st October, with the theme park open 10am – 9pm on these dates. Will you be paying a visit this year? Let us know your thoughts via our social media channels.
