The Slasher Review
Fear At Avon Valley came back with a bang this year. With 5 attractions on offer including a fire show, a bar area, food vans and fair rides, there really is a great night to be had at Fear. Malefica is a stunning attraction and was without doubt the strongest of the night. Anarchy Live was the weakest but it wasn't terrible.
Top tip for the event: Start at X4 and Vita Nova as they get busier as the night goes on.
Things that bite: The toilet facilities need sorting out
Value for money: Yes
Scare Rating: 5/5
Do we recommend: Hell Yes
FOR A MORE IN DEPTH REVIEW PLEASE READ BELOW
The Stalker Review
2019 was my first ever visit to Fear at Avon Valley and it’s been an event that has stuck with me so I was so excited to get back to this event this year. We arrived and entered through the giant clown mouth and that trummel and entered the main hub area and straight away you feel the vibe and excitement. Its electric and no event this year has been able to match that feeling for me. It was electric. The hub area is huge. It has fair ground rides, a large bar, The fire show and stage area as well as plenty of food stalls and of course, that scare event classic, the humble fire pit. This year they have an awesome pumpkin display too. There have been a couple of changes at the event this year with the most obvious being the swapping of location between Anarchy Live and House of Clowns. Other changes have occurred throughout the site and the mazes them self, the most obvious being the new maze Malefica which we will get to later. The only criticism I have of the entire event is the toilet facilities. They are nice toilets but there just isn’t enough and it’s utter confusion down at them as there is about 4 different queues for the same toilets and it just gets confusing and awkward. One thing I did notice about this years event was a real lack of roaming characters this year. We saw 4 the entire night, which was a shame. The fire show, that runs every hour on the hour was spectacular and definitely worth a watch if you can. Anyway, onto the mazes.
Warning: potential spoilers ahead
We started the night with X4. It was insane! Like normal, the outside reveals nothing about what lurks behind the door. We entered and were greeted by a wonderful actor. She led us to the infamous elevator. This elevator scene, as always, is chaotic and just wonderfully sets the tone for the rest of the attraction. Its a wonderful surprise for any newbie yet to experience so I won't spoil it but it gets me every time and I just fall in love with it more and more. The whole attractions is a mix of theatrical scenes and intense maze sections which work together so well. The actors inside this attraction are just as glorious to behold as the attraction sets. There is a real mix of different characters and styles throughout the maze and it all balances so incredibly well. What is great about X4 is that as you progress through the actors get more and more intense and by its finale you are rushing on adrenaline and fear. All the actors were on top form and it was just an amazing. We went back later in the evening and it was still just as horrifically intense and scream inducing as our first run.
Next up was my favourite maze at Fear in 2019 and its Vita Nova. When I first did it back then I described it as Alton Towers Sanctuary meets Sub Species and I still stand by that description, but this year I want to stress that it was a million times better than my incredible runs in 2019. It was just as interactive and confusing and intense as before but it just felt different this time round. It felt like it was on drugs. It was more trippy, more confusing, more intense, more physical. It was just more. Its really hard to explain and I am not doing it justice with that description. The actors inside were intense, dominant, silly, strict, terrifying, all rolled into one. The sets were even more strikingly beautiful than I remembered. I felt more disorientated and that finale just presses all my button. Its striking simple but utterly gorgeous in its lighting and effect and the actors were just wonderful.
We took a drink break before we headed to House of Clowns. I've always had a soft spot for this clown maze. Its always been amazing to look at as the walls and sets are gorgeous but I've never found this maze overly scary because I always find clowns fun but our 3 runs have made me begin to question if I still find them fun as they were horrific. The sets are simple throughout but it works for the attraction. The actors are happy, hilarious and creepy and are extremely good at reading the people who enter. We ended up doing three runs through House of Clowns and each run was slightly different. The actors would approach a scare slightly different or from a different angle and it just kept us on our toes. The finale of House of Clowns is just as bonkers as it always is with its high intensity strobe maze. It made it possible for the clowns to hide in plain sight and scare us relentlessly.
Anarchy: Live was next for us. The longest running maze at Fear having been there since the event opened in 2014, its beginning to show its age a little bit if i'm to be honest. It feels like this attraction isn't as loved as the others at the event. I think it had less actors in but the ones in there were working so bloody hard and absolutely nailing it. They were intense and terrifying and trying to keep the scares fresh but I think when you compare the attraction to the rest at Fear, its lacking the quality that they have been building over the past few years. Its not terrible or bad in the slightest, its just the weakest of the high quality attractions they have.
The events newest attraction wasn't our last to visit (Even though we did get the last run of the night) but I kept it last because I have a lot to say. Malefica is the new maze for 2021 and it is without doubt the most terrifying attraction Fear at Avon Valley have in their line up. The story of the attraction is that you have been recruited to help restore a church that got burnt down many many years ago. From the outside you get a taste of the level of detail that has gone into this attraction and inside its just as stunningly beautiful. The sets are stunningly beautiful and you will notice so many different things each and every time you go through. The actors inside are utterly terrifying. They hide in plain sight, come from so many different directions and its just a constant bombardment of terror. It never let up and it all built to the most horrific finale i've encountered in a while. Being cornered by 3 very flexible nuns bending backwards and crawling frantically on the floor whilst they are screeching as well as another nun lunging from above as you cower to pass all trying to grab you is utterly terrifying. The actors were very hands on and were grabbing and lunging a lot. It was just a constant barrage for a good 5 minutes and I came out breathless and blown away. We did this attraction four times and every time was different. The actors use every space available to mix up the scares and just when you think you have worked out where a scare was coming from it would come from the last place you'd expect. The entire team, from designers to actors should be so extremely proud of what you have created as it really is something stunning.
Fear at Avon Valley was just on top form on Saturday night. Despite a tiny issues with toilets, it just blew me away and really lived up to its reputation. The mazes are incredible and everything was just sheer perfection. The staff are incredibly friendly and show such passion and love for the event that every single one of them had a huge smile on their face the entire night. It is completely worth experiencing so if you get the chance to visit than we can't recommend enough. Fear at Avon Valley has unfortunately finished for the year now but more information can be found on the Fear at Avon Valley website.