Thorpe Fright Nights 2015

[Ian]

I'm aware there is a generic topic for UK halloween events but I'm trying to pad this new forum out!

Anyway, last night I went to the Thorpe Fright Night press/annual pass preview evening. I did all of the scare labyrinths except Containment (they had run out of tickets, and there's no way I'm paying £10 to do it).

Anyway, here is my brief review and thoughts on each one, in the order I did them in.

We (me, Male Jordan and Serena, Conor joined us later) were in the park for the 6pm opening and we queued for Big Top. After 10mins, we were told that it wouldn't be opening until 7pm. Something wasn't ready. So we went to My Bloody Valentine, which was also still closed as they were waiting for actors. The words "typical Thorpe" sprung to mind as we walked to Cabin In The Woods. This was also closed as they were filming inside. However, we decided to wait 15mins (by now it was 6:30). Hurrah! It opened!

May contain nuts and spoilers.

Cabin In The Woods
A proper maze where you have to choose you way. Quite well themed and a good few jump scares, but I didn't really get the plot. I saw the film many years ago but still didn't understand the maze.
Number of Spare Underwear Required - 0
Max time I'd queue for it - 20mins

My Bloody Valentine
This was more like it! Actors were jumping out of the place throughout, there were psychological bits with crawling through a tunnel and going through those big inflatable cushion things. Half decent plot. Yeah, I liked this.
Number of Spare Underwear Required - 1
Max time I'd queue for it - 30mins

The Big Top
This is the showcase labyrinth, taking up the entire Neptune's Beach area and well themed from the outside. The story was explained well and there was a predictable scare at the start. The second section was fab, with proper mirrors, a nice theme, some great actors and "around the corner" scares. The story part in the middle was well acted, albeit predictable. The final section was a damp squib because the big finale effect was broken and it ended with the typical man with a [strike]leaf blower[/strike] chainsaw.
Number of Spare Underwear Required - 2
Max time I'd queue for it - 30mins

Saw Alive
I did this when it first opened in what, 2009, or whenever it was. I remember being underwhelmed back then so I entered with low expectations. However, I LOVED it! By far the best scare labyrinth at the park with really a good set, fantastic actors, the right amount of strobe lighting, great actor interaction, loud noises, good plot. I walked through wide-eyed and alert throughout. Usually I walk through these things quite blasé.
Number of Spare Underwear Required - 3
Max time I'd queue for it - 40mins

Blair Witch
What a steaming pile of ****. I didn't help that I was at the back of the group so by the time the silly girls in front had stumbled through holding on to one another, the actors had done their thing and all I "enjoyed" were the actors walking parks me making a growling noise. Such a shame because it's the most atmospheric thanks to it's setting but it's really dull. The only saving grace was the shed at the end which had the only true moment of scare.
Number of Spare Underwear Required - 0
Max time I'd queue for it - 10mins

I'm not too bothered about scare attractions. They're good fun but I'd rather get my adrenaline rush from thrill rides. However, I love the creativity involved in the story, the set and the actor interaction. With the exception of Saw Alive, I found them all lacking in TOP creativity; they all needed a bit of extra polish. They were all good enough but not excellent.

Something I love about theme parks is watching and listening to the reaction of guests when they exit a ride. It's lovely to hear people talking excitedly about Stealth's fab launch, or the loop-de-loop bits on Inferno. With scare attractions, part of the fun and guest evaluation is watching how people exit. Are they screaming? Are they running? Do they seem genuinely scared? I did not notice anybody showing such emotion at Thorpe. Everybody walked out calmly, usually laughing. Perhaps people are used to them now? The real test will be when they are open to the "public".

As with these scare walkthroughs, they're best enjoyed if you are at the front of the group. If you're left wallowing at the back, the experience is not as good...unless you enjoy watching other people's reactions. If you're going to Fright Night and end up queueing over 45mins to do one of them, insist that you are at the front of your group for the best experience.

As much throwaway fun as the scare attractions were, I got more of a kick out of night riding Swarm, Stealth and Inferno. But then I'm a coaster man!

 

[JoshC.]

Interesting views Ian - certainly quite different to mine and some of your experiences sound very different! I was also around last night and was able to get all the mazes (bar Containment) done twice. Here's my views (probably some spoilers):

The Big Top
I was really looking forward to this. I was a bit dubious about the going in and out of tents and was worried it might not work, but kept an open mind.

Unfortunately, our first go was a bit of a drab. Predictable scares (so predictable in fact that I was surprised they are even making them, like in the Fortune Teller scene), little in the way of anything exciting or special and very meh. The second go, however, was much better - more actors, more understanding of the maze and just in general better quality!

Apparently the actors only got inside the maze for the first time at 4pm yesterday, which would explain the average-ness of the first go, and the better-ness of the second go (since actors had settled in more). The maze doesn't seem to be finished yet (I hope not at least!) as there's loads of blank spots crying out for bits of theming.

One of my biggest issues with the maze though is how when you go outside after the first two tents, there's no real scare. It's all very blasé and you simply walk out into the open. It just doesn't give a good impression to guests watching (either from the queue or from the bridge). Hopefully this will come with time. The cliché chainsaw ending is there, but it doesn't seem to really fit with the maze. Plus, this sort of ending never really 'gets' me.

So all in all, it's a nice attraction and will hopefully grow into something more. But right now, it needs more theming, a bit more story and a bit more actor knowledge of the route. These should all come though..

Blair Witch Project
My favourite attraction of the night. Started off with a nice little back story. There's then quite a while of little happening, building up suspense, before plenty of actors appear and give a nice eerie feel. I like how the route gets quite narrow at one point too, thanks to the heavy amount of trees. The ending again feels like a cheap way to finish an attraction, but it seems to do the job.

Saw Alive
I've always had a bit of a soft spot for this, despite many others never really liking it. This year, however, it really seems to have stepped up a notch. There's good levels of light / smoke / etc. which display the attraction's theming very well. But what is really making this is the set of actors - VERY good, fitting in with the films' general idea and all very strong in general. This really helps.

A bit of a bug bear - I feel like they need to have a female actor tied up in the Freezer room. They get a lot of things right from the films, and yet don't take full advantage of one of the more well-known traps!

Cabin in the Woods
This remains more fun than scary, which is no bad thing. It's nice to be able to choose your route, but I don't think it's as effective as in it's first year (possibly down to throughput issues I guess?). The spinning tunnel wasn't spinning, which is a shame. The ending only had one or two actors, but needs a good 4 or 5 to actually be effective and memorable.

Again, the thing which made this for me was the actors. They were very good at creating some brilliant, atmospheric moments, and knew the maze well enough to be able to create some very creepy / jumpy moments. Also, a massive shoutout to the female actor in the queue line area - which was incredible!

My Bloody Valentine
In 2013, I didn't particularly like this. It suffered from the problems of Experiment 10 in 2012 of not having enough actors and being too dark at point. It was my joint least favourite attraction, along with Blair Witch.

In 2014, unlike Blair Witch, things didn't really improve. It even felt cheapened compared to the previous year.

This year, things have gone downhill again. A shorter route (presumably due to the location), seemingly less theming, and not so many actors make it very weak maze in my opinion. I just can't see why this has a 5/5 scare rating.

I get that the attraction is very enclosed and claustrophobic. It does that well, and it does even get me feeling a bit worried. But the trouble is, these narrow points make it hard to place any actors there. The actors are in scenes that are too open, which just means their scares loose effect. Having the split point at the start meant there was no risk of separation (a great thing in the past), and it was even worse that there was one side which was completely void of actors.

The main positive from this though is the first scene, giving a back story and featuring a great jump moment (and indeed, one that I genuinely wasn't expecting). It certainly sets the tone for how the maze should be - unfortunately it just doesn't make it.

In general, MBV just needs a massive re-design in my opinion.

---

Roaming actors were great, and did a great job at doing general interaction, set show pieces and scaring; a good sign. I particularly like the Bearded Lady.


So all in all, my experiences reflect the fact that this was (technically) a preview night. Big Top in particular needs more time to settle in, and a bit more theming (I believe some more has already been added!). However, one big plus is the fact that all of the actors seem to be very good at their job! In past, there's always been a few who just haven't really been up to the standard you want (not necessarily a criticism here by the way - this can be understandable, especially if it's their first time working in scare attractions). But this year, all the actors seemed very good, and hopefully can really grow into their roles as time goes on.

I look forward to trying everything again, and especially seeing how Big Top develops, and experiencing what Containment is like. Also interested to once again be experiencing Face it Alone!

And finally, just a ranking of the attractions, best to worst...

Blair Witch Project
Saw Alive
Cabin in the Woods
Big Top
[6:50am cycle to work in fog this morning]
My Bloody Valentine

 

[DelPiero]

I've been told, by someone who is awesome, that the people running big top are a different company and were waaay off on deadlines so expect it to be better in the next couple of weeks.

I won't be bothering with fright nights this year but I'm glad Saw seems to be a lot better as it's been turd the last couple.

 

[nealbie]

No Asylum? That's it, I'm out. Stupid Thorpe -_-

 

[Jordanovichy]

Yeah I had a great evening at Thorpe, and thanks to Ian for sorting out the wristbands etc.

Ian has given you the introduction so I won't bother with that. I went early in the day with Serena, the park was completely dead apart from I'm a Celeb which had a half hour queue so we didn't bother with that, we bumped into DelPiero, it was great to catch up with him. I would write a proper report but you've all read Thorpe Park reports a hundred times so **** it. (But I will add a couple of pics to this for League of Goons ).

As Ian has said nothing was open at first but we eventually got into the first maze of the night.

Cabin in the Woods

I'd been told excellent things so was excited (despite the fact that the idea of horror mazes...sorry, labyrinths, scare me s**tless). This however was a proper maze. You choose which door you enter. Over the course of the evening we went through twice, we got a much better go second time around. The first time was good with a couple of decent scares but nothing really stood out apart from the mask room and I quite liked the room which got smaller as you walked through. I really liked the second run through though, we found a 'secret' door in which there was a woman with the most amazing, terrifying make-up. Serena just said 'Oooh I love your make-up'. Overall it's a good maze, some scares, but the sets aren't amazing.
Overall score - 5/10

My Bloody Valentine

I liked this, it had a couple of scares, better sets and a more 'immersive' story. We were brought into a room for the introduction and suddenly a guy came tearing out and we had to flee, it was terrifying, I ran a mile. The rest of the labyrinth was full of thin, claustrophobic rooms, I liked the air cushions as they constantly touch you. I wasn't too impressed that I had to get on my knees and crawl through a small tunnel. That was more physical exertion than I had bargained for. Some more people jump out and that's pretty much all I remember. Overall it's better than Cabin in the Woods with its better sets but it still isn't 'amazing'.
Overall score - 6/10

The Big Top

This year's 'headline act' in the world of Thorpe's mazes. When Serena and I had arrived at 2pm they still appeared to be building it, scaffolding lying on the floor and they were spray painting it brown to look authentic. Wow. This didn't look ready, but it did open and we joined the queue for this next.

Visually, it looks amazing from the outside. What isn't terrifying about clowns anyway and a haunted circus does give one shivers. I went in with high hopes. The first scene we all gathered around this woman and her crystal ball (which is apparently supposed to be smokey rather than clear with a gaping hole at the bottom). A small amount of audience participation which was great and suddenly we had to be on our way when a brutish guy ran in. There was a kerfuffle with no one knowing what way to go, we opened a curtain and found some wooden planks and water bottles, that's not right. Conor piped up 'let's follow the arrow'. Genius. The next room was a series of corridors of black velvet and no scares and no music. Ok then...

Then we walked into the second tent with a series of 'high quality' mirrors which worked well with the loud music and flashing lights, I did enjoy this room but it was over quick. We all filed outside to a booth where not much happened that I can remember before going into the final room for the grand finale. We were all facing another black velvet screen which lit up in one place. I won't reveal what it was supposed to be but it wasn't working so defeated the whole point.

This labyrinth has high potential if everything works and there were a couple more scares. I would like to do it when everything is working but I'm not going to bother queuing ages.
Overall Score - 4/10

Saw Alive
I had done this years ago (probably 2011) when it was a permanent attraction so was looking forward to doing it again. I loved it. It is so terrifying, full of scares, the sets are really really good most of which I recognised from the films (wow, films I have seen!), great costume characters, the pig always scares me ****. I quite like the fact you have to hold on to each other shoulders too, it gives you a feeling of 'all in this together'. Yeah, really good.
Overall Score - 8/10

Blair Witch Project
Yeah, this was ****. I was nervous though because walking through trees at night is a genuine fear of mine but it was just dull. Nothing jumped out (it probably didn't help that we were near the back of the party, mind), nothing scared me apart from the worry I'd stab myself in the eye with a branch. This could have been done so much better, walking through misty trees at night is spooky, anyone can see that, so why not really take advantage of it with loads of scare actors who jump out for everyone and not just those up front. Disappointed. I was happy with the exit though as you could get some good photos of Nemesis Inferno.
Overall Score - 2/10

So yeah, apart from the 'permanent' Saw Alive, all the other mazes lacked something. I'm with Ian when I say I'd rather get my adrenaline from thrill rides but I can appreciate why scare mazes/labyrinths are enjoyed so much. I enjoy them too when they have amazing sets and are rich in scares, the ones at Thorpe just didn't really have either overall apart from the parts I mentioned.

I was really happy to get night rides on Inferno, Stealth, Saw (twice) and Swarm, if they hadn't been open I'd have had very little adrenaline pumping throughout the night!

I had a really great evening though, great company, great night rides, and it was great to see what the mazes were like even if I wasn't a massive fan of them all, it is the most wonderful time of the year! Thank you for reading.

 

[Serena]

This was my first visit to Thorpe this year. When I arrived I couldn't believe what a state the park was in.

So many fenced off areas. The section between the Saw side of the park and the Nemesis Inferno side was all blocked off, meaning you had to walk in a massive loop just to get to things. (I think some of these fences were removed once they had constructed Cabins queue though) But it general, it looked like a building site.

I suppose because that's what Thorpe is at the moment. They're currently in the process of building a dark ride and some scare attractions. That's a lot of change going on. A lot of fences and scaffolding. Who am I to turn up to a preview event and expect the thing I'm previewing to be finished?!

Anywho. Thorpe have really pulled out all the stops for their Halloween themeing this year:

One lone pumpkin. That's right. One. Makes the thousands I saw at Europa Park last week just seem excessive. This is how you do it. It's minimalist. It's classy. Perfect for Thorpe's clientele.

Highlights in the day included catching up with Delpiero and making NHS ride Saw with a hangover (sorry).

Then it was time to exit the park and re-enter 10 minutes later for the Fright Night preview. The only major change was that the sky was getting dark and a few roaming actors had appeared. It was hardly a spooktacular transformation.

I was looking forward to trying Containment - the parks new escape room attraction. Some staff were saying that the time slots had run out (how did this happen, we were the first people to get there?) some were saying it wasn't open at all. I love how Thorpe are always so elusive about their new attractions. They just love to keep us guessing. What is it..? Will it ever open...?! Looks like I'd have to contain my excitement for now.

Speaking of new attractions, The Big Top was looming with its wonderfully creepy facade.

Earlier in the day, we watched construction workers frantically yelling "the drivers not working!" as they dashed in and out of the tents; whilst others were quickly spray painting the padded scaffolding brown. I didn't think it would be ready for the evening. Low and behold, it wasn't.

The Big Top is possibly the worst scare attraction I've ever done. It's so disorganized. Fab fortune teller lady is a great start, but she is followed by a confusing walk through a pointless black labyrinth with no music or actors or effects. It's very easy to walk the wrong way and end up in a disused area.

Second tent is slightly better. It has mirrors, music, strobe and hands coming out of the walls. Then the frenetic pace is broken by stepping outside. There's not enough themeing outside. The dummy in a booth isn't a patch on the Carnival of Screams one; and where you surround it outdoors in a big group - it's quite hard to see what's going on. Nothing really happens.

Final tent: bumpy walkways, narrowing corridor, lighting slightly too bright. Finale effect that doesn't work. However, I was at the back, and again couldn't see anything, so even when it does work - the finale only has the potential to scare those at the front.

A chainsaw man is thrown in at the end.

I appreciate that The Big Top is an ambitious attraction. It may be large in size, but the huge spaces are not jam packed with scares. There's too much room to breathe, which means it fails to build the tension that makes a scare attraction effective. I'm sure people who've never done one before will like it once all the effects are working. But for me it was a Big Flop. 2/10


Cabin in the Woods is one of my fave scare attractions, so I was looking forward to this one. It seems lighter this year. It was much easier to see your way around. To see the cardboard walls. It feels tamer. It feels shorter? We walked through it twice I failed to find scary bedroom or the chain room. Have they changed it around this year?

I recall the ending down the red-lit slope featuring all different kinds of scare actors in previous years. This year, the variety of costumes didn't seem to be there. Lots of actors were wearing what looked like lab coats. That totally doesn't fit with the premise of the story. It's not the scientists at the top who attack the people?! Admittedly, it's quite hard to see in the red light; but the ending seemed more confusing than scary now. 6/10

The Meh Witch has never been great, and it's still not. Outdoor scare attractions are hard to pull off. Its lack of intensity would make it an ideal introduction maze for youngsters. The hut at the end is not as smokey this year and is a total anticlimax. 4/10

My Bloody Valentine works reasonably well in it's new area. The splitting at the start is more evident because the shipping container is horizontal, and Man Avec Hammer attacks police lady rather than just appearing behind the group. The story is very easy to follow because it's so simple. The air corridors and crawling tunnel added a claustrophobic element. Overall this is probably the most dynamic of the scare attractions at Thorpe this year, despite a lack of themeing and imagination. 6.5/10

Saw Alive feels noticeably more complete than the other scare attractions this year. It obviously received more attention to detail as it was built to be a year-round attraction. The queue line music and facades create a dark atmosphere. The sets are a memorable and detailed tribute to classic Saw torture scenes. The chain whipping provides an effective jump scare; whilst the pigs keep things creepy. It lacks a strong finale, but overall it is the best at Fright Night this year. 7/10


Judging on the preview, Fright Nights isn't at its best this year. There were a few inconsistencies that bothered me, so here's a list of my Fright Gripes 2015:

1. The campaign for Fright Nights 2015 is that "The Director is dead, long live The Ringleader." These are the overarching figure heads that front the evening, like an imaginary host of all things haunted. The Director worked so well in 2013-2014 because the mazes are themed to Lionsgate movies, and Thorpes original maze 'Studio 13' was also about film making. So the notion of a crazed director overrunning the park with horror was very fitting. It all made sense and interlocked.

The Ringleader ties in with the parks new Big Top maze (which I believe is also subtly linked to WC16? 'The Figaro Brothers' etc?); but what relevance does he have to Saw, MBV, Cabin, BW or even Containment? I can't relate this new figure head of Fright Nights across the entire event, just attribute him to one attraction. Sure, it's great for advertising the new Big Top, but how does it tie all the attractions together? It doesn't. Which makes the event feel like a mish-mash of concepts. Half movies, half circus.

2. I don't know if it was just first day at school nerves, but most of the actors weren't very confident. Those giving opening speeches sounded as though they had just learnt their lines. Many would walk down a corridor and seem unsure of how to approach the scare. They would end up just walking passed making that silly growling noise.

3. In MBV, BW and even The Big Top, I noticed a lot of actors doing the whole playing scared routine. They run around screaming "aah he's going to get me" etc. I know it's part of the story and that you need a few like this to give a vicarious scare; but the balance wasn't right. I want the actors to SCARE ME rather than ACT SCARED.

4. In Saw and Cabin, lots of the actors were blinding running around screaming banging on the walls, oblivious to who was walking passed. It felt like watching a kid have a tantrum in Tesco. It made things slightly comical. And again, not scary. They should go to Tully's and watch the hanged woman on the Haunted Hayride. That's how to scare!

5. Lack of park-wide music. It adds so much atmosphere. At the moment Fright Night feels like it begins and ends with the scare attractions. I would love the spooky feeling to linger whilst queuing for a night ride on a coaster as well.


Moaning aside, I had a really fun time at Thorpe Park On A Weekday.

 

[silenthillXD]

Well, Thorpe Park was a bit **** this year wasn't it?

Again, shamelessly plugging my blog here if you want to read my full review: https://controllersandcreds.wordpress.c ... ts-review/

Containment

An interesting concept poorly executed. The tasks were either too simple or ridiculously illogical. The theming was good thankfully, but scares were nonexistent. There's hope it will evolve into something better in the future but in the state it's in, I wouldn't count on it improving.

Saw Alive

I have always considered Saw to be the worst scare attraction I have visited as it's so tame. This year, by luck it's actually the best attraction at Thorpe. The actors have livened up a little and you can now see the great theming. It's still **** though. It's short, dull and the actors aren't setting the shows off when groups pass through. *slow clapping*

The Big Top

Ah dear, what can I say. Until my visit to Xtreme Scream, this was without doubt the worst scare attraction I have been through. There's zero atmosphere inside. It feels dead. Black felt curtains and scaffolding poles do not make for good theming. Also where were the scares in this one? I honestly can't believe how there were zero scares in this one. I left disappointed and insulted that Thorpe thought this was acceptable quality.

My Bloody Valentine

I have always had a soft spot for my bloody valentine, but i've always thought it was a tad too short. Guess what, it's even shorter this year as they have removed one of the best scenes. They've also removed all the gas masks so you won't see Harry Warden on your runthrough, and they've removed the theming from the finale. Well done Thorpe you've murdered a once great attraction.

Cabin in the Woods

Large capacity multi route mazes just don't work. The group bunching was so bad at one point there were 20 odd people in the same room with one actor trying to fend them off. I tried to get into the next room to find the same scenario. To top that off there's zero theming inside and there's no variety in monsters this year. It would appear Thorpe are doing as little as possible to keep these IP's going. No wonder they're being ditched next year if this is the state they're in.

My advice if you're thinking of going, save the disappointment, go to Tulleys instead.

 

[owentaylor121]

It sounds like the only saving grace for Fright Nights this year is the rides at night.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Ian]

^ Serena went through them last weekend (as well as during the press preview) and she remarked they were worse due to less actors. You'd think that at a weekend they'd ensure they were running at full pelt and at top capacity.

Maybe they're saving it for this Saturday when it's actually Halloween.

 

[Ben]

Oh god the mazes we did last Saturday (Big Cock and Cabin in the Jordan Woods) were just dreadful. So bad.

BUT, Face It Alone was absolutely **** mental and the best scare thing I've ever done. Just, brutal, not for 99% of people, boundary pushing and oh so erotic.

 

[mouse]

So what happened in Face it Alone? Anyone care to post a first hand account? I want spoilers!

Also its probably been discussed before, but do Thorpe have any plans for the Saw Alive building? Seems a shame to close it for most of the year...

 

[jj23w]

^ We aren't allowed to say. But I highly recommend it also bring a change of clothes you'll never know what they might do.

 

[Gavin]

"We aren't allowed to say"? What would happen if you did Mr Witness Protection Programme?

Fuxake.

 

[cjbrandy]

Yeah I'd love to see a spoiler filled review of face it alone, all I know is that its a bit more 'physical' than usual.

 

[Smithy]

From what I've read of it just imagine being sexually assaulted and humiliated but having to pay for it.

 

[SilverArrow]

Someone mentioned some things that supposedly can happen to you in "Face it Alone" in one of the comments on this review:

http://www.scaretouruk.com/review---tho ... -2015.html

(I haven't ever been to fright nights though but saw this anyway.)

Surely there is a line that has to be drawn, at least for the theme parks, even if people are signing disclaimers, considering that they are well known kids/teen/family attractions? Imagine the headlines if papers got wind of this? I don't think theme parks should have any even vaguely sexual attractions, even if they're under the "scare attraction" umbrella, or at least nothing where people are touching you. The whole point of theme parks is that you feel like you're going to get hurt/attacked/cursed/killed or whatever, but you don't. Just my initial two cents. Seems unnecessary.

 

[Smithy]

That's kind of why people sign disclaimers. It'd only be a drama if someone was subjected to it unexpectedly, although tbf to you I can imagine some of the media over here going mad at some bint after five minutes of fame complaining about it having signed the disclaimer.

But yeah that comment tallies with what I've heard, each to their own I guess but I think it's all a bit crass and has no place in a theme park even after hours; you want an experience like that find a partner who'll do it for you.

 

[Ben]

Tbf as much as a I LOVED Face It Alone, it was incredible, I still can't believe someone hasn't complained and got in some sort of newspaper for it.

I got stripped to my undies, covered in fake poo and dirt (some of which hasn't come off more than a week later), made to crawl on the floor, put boxers in my mouth, get spanked by a guy in his pants whilst reciting a nursery rhyme, someone spat blood in my face, poured a bottle of cherry coke on me and then shoved a pick axe up my arse whilst riding me like a horse.

IT WAS GREAT.

Boundary pushing and mental and not like anything else I've ever done. And if you won't like it, don't do it. Leave it for those of us who love doing extreme experiences.

 

[JoshC.]

I did Face it Alone last night (on Big Top) for the first time this season and genuinely loved it. It's by far the most extreme year yet and they've really pushed the boundaries as to what they can do. They had even introduced a safe word last night (apparently this wasn't the case a couple of weeks ago, some must be a very recent addition. Was there one at the CF Live last week?).

For anyone curious, from what I've heard, Thorpe have played about with the intensity each year. In 2013, the first time they did FiA, they pretty much gave the actors free range on what they could do to guests. But, in my experience, the actors actually didn't do that much beyond swearing, general grabbing and shoving and a bit of fake poo on ponchos that were handed out. They got a few complaints from people apparently though, so toned it down a bit for 2014.

Oddly enough, I found 2014 more intense than 2013, but after speaking to people after doing the maze (I did Studio 13), we all had pretty much the same experience. So they basically carbon-copied every experience, which I think is what the 'toning down' was - they made everything much more controlled.

This year they've just gone all out though. No more ponchos to protect your clothes, the actors have free reign on what they can do to you - and actually take advantage of this! - and the experience feels a lot more personal. I spent a good 10-15 minutes afterwards chatting with complete strangers about our experiences, and they were all very different.

I've never seen someone leave Face it Alone unhappy / upset with their experience. Everyone has come out with a smile on their face, whether it's because they've 'enjoyed' it or because they're proud they've survived it. I think something to remember is that if someone is prepared to go through a scare attraction by themselves for an 'extreme version', even if they think it will just be a relatively 'standard' experience, they will likely be okay with what actually follows.

FiA has its place at Thorpe, and I really, really hope it returns and goes from strength to strength.

 

[silenthillXD]

Ha sounds so much more intense than the Alton Towers face it alone experience! I did Terror of the Towers Alone and it was fantastic, but very different from what you're describing. At alton they pretty much just made it very hands on, with about 4 actors swarming you at all times. Shoved, pushed, grabbed, forced along, it was great!

Thorpe's one sounds rather extreme! On my behind the scenes tour of Saw Alive we got to see the staff break room which had a document on the wall showing what happened on Face it Alone. Apparently you can get led around certain sections multiple times, in saw you can get chained up in the freezer, there's fake excrement (which I think is nutella - tasty), there's fake blood which gets smeared over your face and just a bunch of stuff like that. It sounds very hands on, very sexual and very just gross. It sounds interesting.