Goostrey Graveyards Preview Night 2026

We were kindly invited along to the preview night for Goostrey Graveyards and were given free entry to the event. But we have full editorial control of what the review says.

Our Slasher Review

On the 3rd of October were were invited to go along to the preview night of Goostrey Graveyards. Goostrey Graveyards is now in its second season. And the first thing we noticed was that the event feels a bit more established this time round. Goostrey Graveyards features 5 attractions, while nothing was new this year the park has elaborated on some attractions. The 5 attractions are; Toybox of Terror, Restless Waters, The Fort, The Hunt and Shadowbound. We will say if you are looking for the longer style attractions at the bigger scream parks then this might not be for you, but if you are looking for something a bit different with an extremely dedicated cast then this might be right up your alley. The cast have to be commended very highly providing a great skilled mix of scare tactics and styles to bring Goostrey Graveyards to life. This is usually where we state the strongest and weakest attractions of the night, however we all found that once again there was no real weak attraction on the list. The only critique we really had was the ending of Shadowbound could do with some thick plastic flaps on the exit door just to keep the light out at the end and keep with the sensory overload theme and darkness that Shadowbound's first half is known for. Again this is just our evaluation and had nothing to do with Shadowbound's cast as they all worked the space exceptionally well given the very tight location that Shadowbound is created in. Top Tips-Arrive for opening and start at the back of the park first, maybe with The Hunt. Shadowbound seemed to be the one everyone gravitated to first so maybe leave that one till last as the guests are capped at Goostrey Graveyards so you usually only go through in your group. Things That Bite-Like we said last year the Toybox of Terror could use a bit more theming inside but again we are splitting hairs here and understand that given the location this could be hard to achieve. Also It would have been nice to see a few roamers. But we did have a chat about this onsite. Value for money-Given like we said before that the guest limit is capped each night and that you go through the attractions solely in your group, we think that alone gives you value for money. Also until the 7th of October there is a discount with the code ScareMe10 Which is even more value. Scare Rating-We are going to award Goostrey Graveyards this year a 4.5 out of 5. The 0.5 points simply boil down to the exit of Shadowbound not being as intense as the start. Do we recommend- Absolutely and would go back in a heartbeat if time constraints allowed. Our Stalker Review On the 3rd of October we headed from our Nottingham base up to near Crewe to Goostrey Graveyards for their invite only preview night, while unseasonably warm for October, the temperature dropped as we neared the event and we soon found wearing shorts was not the best of options. That aside we arrived just before the 7pm Invite time and made our way into the queue line in front of the fire adorned gates that lead you into the site. After checking in we made our way through a small corn section into the site itself. This was a change from last year leading to one of the reasons why we stated before that the event felt a little more established compared to last year. Not that last year was bad, far from it. But it is this first impressions that sell an event.

We entered Goostrey Graveyards and went straight to our first attraction of the night. Toybox of Terror. Now it is only fair to mention again that while Goostrey Graveyards doesn't have the elaborate "Movie style" sets of say Xtreme or Tulleys. That is not what this event is based to be. I think it is better to say that this event is a celebration of skilled scare acting rather than the sets. Toybox of Terror takes place in an a selection of inflatables is the best way to describe it. Now we will say we will try to remember as many cast members as we can but all shone so brightly that if we miss one or two, just know that you all did an amazing job. The first cast member that we came across was a deformed teddy bear. And lets just say they made a great job of innuendo and straight to the point vulgar glee playing into the "Bear" themes. Next was a sort of Clown/Ringmaster combo who oozed creepiness and kept us just long enough without feeling stale, we would later encounter this character again a little later on and the beforementioned teddy bear too. After these two we met another Jester/Clown style character who to put it blunt did not want us to leave them, again a trope that can become overused but not in this case, they sold the role perfectly and had great interaction. The next character that we came into contact with was a toy cowboy complete with malfunctioning twitches, this was one of the darker characters around the toy box, Starting off playful, then leading me backwards into staring scare that did not break for a while, the fact this person managed to do so without blinking so long was fantastic. Finally if memory serves correct there was one more toy in the box to face. Again using the space with malicious glee before leaving us to exit out into the grounds once again for our next attraction. The toybox while light on theming gave us everything and more that we needed on scares and interaction. A great start to the night.

Next up was The Fort which always feels a bit like the successor of the Toybox. The Fort takes its theme as a kids woodland play fort but the kids never left. A theme that seems to be quite unique in the UK Scare scene. Now this is going to be a bit of a mish mash review as the scares came quick and from all angles. Right from the get go we found ourselves being faced with a broad selection of scares. From intimidation right at the beginning with the actor who took great glee in using his weapon for some great impact scares. The further we got in we had ground scares with cast members crawling and laying on the floor for some impactful leg grabs, again yes there is some touching with Goostrey Graveyards but it is never too much and kept in theme to the attraction. The further we got into The Fort we were met with Mother who doesn't like it when kids break the rules. This matriarchal role added another depth into the attraction that may have been there last year but we certainly didn't see coming this year. Another thing about The Fort is the great interaction between the "kids". They all bounce off each other in a fantastic manner. And kept in character long after we left. You can literally hear them all from outside which ramps up the tension. But back inside The Fort winding our way around the the structure within, we found ourselves nearing the end, but not before more interaction with the inhabitants within getting more worked up and wanting us to play. Now I hear you groan at the "play with me" trope but these cast members really make you feel like they want you to play with them and never leave. But leave we must and the final cast member was not happy about this, I think this must have been under Mothers orders but anyone trying to leave might face a grisly end. Cue the chainsaw run exit and the one thing I remember being at the back was just how close the chainsaw was to my bare legs, I could literally feel the air coming off the machine, We've had some chainsaw exits at other attractions kind of phone it in a little at the end, but not here and this was evident throughout the night with the many screams of running guests leaving The Fort. Two down and both great experiences.

Next Up it was time to get competitive and get our running shoes on for The Hunt. Now for those unfamiliar with The Hunt, It is effectively a game of capture the flag... but you are the flag. Starting at the entrance of The Woodland you are given a Velcro belt and 2 coloured tags, Now last year I was very successful in The Hunt and escaped with both tags intact. This year was not the case. Now partly this was my fault as I opted not to wear my glasses that night which was a big mistake and played greatly into my downfall in The Hunt. Back to the prep stage, we were standing at the edge of the woodlands and then all the lights ahead go off signaling a cacophony of animalistic calls from within. It really does set the scene for the event ahead. The lights come back on and it its our time to run for our lives. Within seconds Dane and Abby both left me to my own fight and the first hunter knew they had me down. I tried to weave and dodge but it wasn't long till my first tag was taken, I then rather bravely with minimal vision tried to sprint my way down the course, All was going well until I nearly ran straight off track and into a bush of nettles. But the cast member saw what was about to happen and stopped me just in time. The second tag felt like a fair trade off for saving me from a sticky stinging end. Trying to get my breath back and my sight in check I headed down the final stretch of woodland with no tags left to take, the other hunters went into intimidation mode, my prize for failing so spectacularly. On exiting The Hunt I soon saw just how far ahead Dane and Abby were and then realised how much I got stuck. PSA Wear your glasses for The Hunt. We all left out of breath but ecstatic on how good The Hunt was in its second season. Its so simple of a concept but works so well and is executed perfectly. If you are looking for something competitive with your scares, The Hunt might just be what you are looking for.

Next up was a complete change of pace with Restless Waters. Now Restless Waters won't be for everyone, its not a scare maze by any definition but rather an immersive walkthrough with some very dedicated cast along the way. Now the walk down Restless Waters is quite dark with the odd theatrical lighting along the way. So I might not be able to remember individual characters themes. But what I will say is as an ensemble cast each know their respective backstories well enough to bring you into a walk of dread and dare I say emotional sadness. The lost souls at the beginning through to the middle set the scene , If you however you are looking for impact scare after impact scare then this might not be for you, but that is not what Restless Waters is about, this attraction is about drawn out interaction and sustained scares that stay with you long after you have left. After the lost ghostly souls at the starting sections , all who seemed wanting to adopt Dane and Abby, I was a sinner so no adoption for me , we came across the witch Agatha I think she was called. The one character that made me feel more welcome in the route, maybe for my pentacle and crystal I was wearing. But she soon changed her tune to foreboding and warning of the priest ahead. I love how each of the cast in Restless Waters all kind of merge into each others stories, making it feel like they have been around for a long time indeed. Finally we found ourselves face to face with the final lost soul , that of the priest. And true to Agatha's warnings he began an strange onslaught of Latin whispers, Drawing the cross over me while Dane and Abby looked on, not helping my situation. This cast member just like the others in Restless Waters kept the sustained performance even after we were gone, we could see him stood staring at us, drawing the sign of the cross long after we had left, Its these little interactions that just make an attraction stand out.

Finally it was time for attraction no5 and the final one on the list. Shadowbound. Now im going to keep this relatively short and spoiler free as its only fair to the creatives of Goostrey Graveyards that some things are best experienced blind. What I will say is that although Shadowbound might be the shortest of the attractions at the graveyard, it for us at least was one of the most impactful. Shadowbound is situated in shipping containers and instead of utilizing what you can see to scare you, it does the opposite. It is a trip on the senses, and in some aspects overloads the senses and can become quite intimidating. I will say as it no longer matters that Shadowbound in its first year contained a puzzle mid way through, this has now changed and the attraction extended a little. The only critique we have is that the second half like we said before could do with some thick black plastic flaps or another staff member to man the exit door, The light bleed did take away some of the fear of the second half but again we are really splitting hairs at this point. After Shadowbound we headed for one more run through the Toybox of Terror, which I will quickly mention that the cast remembered us from before and switched up the scare tactics and interaction skills which was great to see. We then headed for a bite to eat in the form of a cheesy garlic, stone baked "I think" pizza which was £11 but absolutely delicious and a pot of Crumble and Custard, just what Abby needed to warm up after the temperature dropped, I will say although there is not much in food options at the moment, but I think with the low guest cap as mentioned before, having too many options might not be workable for the event. But what they have chosen to work with is fantastic. So now we reach the end of the review and want to say a huge thankyou and congratulations to all the cast and crew at Goostrey Graveyards for a very successful preview night. It is always a joy when the review is so easy to write, not that we are known for sugar coating out experiences. Every cast member played their respective roles down to an art and we love you all for it. We can't wait to see what year 3 brings. Thank you once again for inviting us up to your preview night, if last night was anything to go by for the rest of the season, your guests are in for a wonderful ride. If you wish to visit Goostrey Graveyards you can book your tickets at the link below, also a side note If you book an 18+ night, Do not forget to take your ID. Goostrey Graveyards runs for the following nights and until the 7th of October you can get a discount with the code ScareMe10.

https://goostreygraveyards.com/