Nightmare Unleashed-The Collectors Nightmare 2026

While we were gifted two tickets and paid for a third , we retain editorial control of what the review says.

Our Slasher Review On Halloween Night, we headed across to Loughborough for a relatively new event known as Nightmare Unleashed-The Collectors Nightmare, which is hosted at Loughborough Laser Quest. Now, while the attraction, in terms of floor space, is not one of the longest attractions in the UK and is minimal in theming outside of the Laser Quest itself, what they do have is a killer cast with fully realised characters, great improv and timing skills, and of course confident scares too, and that is what is important to remember. They are not trying to be something over the top regarding set design, but rather a celebration of scares and the tactics that come with it, complete with a dark atmosphere that pervades the night from the moment you are called to enter the attraction. And at a top price of £8 a ticket, you really can't go wrong. The cast here are a dedicated bunch that have clearly taken the time to hone their craft and deliver performances that stay with you. The only critiques we have are the length of time in the attraction, but again, that is completely out of their control, and we do believe there are plans to expand in the future. And maybe the finale scene could elaborate on the hands-on nature of scenes beforehand, but other than that, I feel this attraction is a fantastic addition to Loughborough, and the performances on the night put some of the bigger events we have visited to shame. So congratulations on that. Top Tips: Arrive maybe 10 minutes before your spot so you can relax in the reception before your time comes. Things That Bite: We have thought long and hard about this, and the usual suspects (Batching, Timing, Scare performance in general and facilities) were all on the high end of the scale. I think this is one of those occasions where we are proud to say the event has thought everything through and therefore, other than the two critiques mentioned above, which aren't really things that bite, we don't really have anything to add here. Scare Rating: Now, although we are rating 3.7/5, and that is not because the scares were bad- far from it. It is because, based on our experience alone and the fact that we see it as more of a theatrical scare experience in places rather than your traditional 5-second interaction scare maze. We see this as a very good thing, and it gives the attraction a unique feel. Value for Money: 100% without a shadow of doubt, this attraction is worth the low price it costs to come in. Do We Recommend: Put it this way, had we had more time, we would have probably paid for another 3 runs, so YES, absolutely we recommend it, as long as you go in not expecting theming over acting quality, which we believe strongly, as we have said before, this attraction is about the cast. Our Stalker Review On Halloween night, we headed west from our Nottingham base on the train towards Loughborough for our final scare of the season. Also joined by a long-time friend and guest reviewer for the night, Tom(Time of the Tom) Keetley. Flash back to the 19th of September; you might remember an unboxing video with me, extremely wooden, leading the proceedings. I swear you put me in front of a camera without scare makeup on, and I go like a branch, but put me in a scare maze, and I come to life. Well, this unboxing was from Nightmare Unleashed, based in Loughborough at Laser Quest and was full of goodies, from sweets and eyeballs to our complimentary tickets and a note with this year's story for Nightmare Unleashed about the Collector and his curiosities that happened to be still rather alive. After a short 20-minute journey, we arrived in Loughborough and made our way to the event location. It was surprisingly easy to find, and after a short wait outside, as Tom's ticket was booked for 6:30 pm and we didn't want to intrude, we headed upstairs to the reception. Met by a wonderful team of staff; check-in was easy and without fuss, and they asked one beautiful question: "Do you mind being touched and grabbed?" Absolutely not! And all that was left to do was wait until our turn. Now we were told that the event was running 15minutes late, which is absolutely fine, and we appreciate that sometimes tech needs checking or make-up runs a little over, but 15 minutes soon turned into 3 minutes, and what was a friendly face at first stared at us through the doorway and silently ordered us one by one into the dark of the attraction's opening room. Here we learned a bit more about the Collector and his creations, and that we were possibly destined to join them should we not be able to escape. And with that, the room went quiet, with just the ambient audio playing. This moment built great tension before being literally grabbed into the attraction; this was done with pure confidence, which is great to see and reminded me of runs of Sub Species (Trap door room). This scare was orchestrated perfectly, which, while knowing it was safe, felt beautifully chaotic.

(Now I just want to say before we head into the depths of the review, all the characters stood out in various ways, but we didn't get all the characters' names, so if you are not mentioned by name, please don't think you did anything less because you were all on form, and if we happen to miss out a section it is simply because it all happened so fast)

One by one, we entered the first scene with the first suitably creepy Vampiristic(if that is a word) character appearing out of the void as if by some dark magic, handing us a single candle(don't worry, it wasn't real), but not before taunting us with perfectly delivered lines, an intimidating stare and even some unnerving noises; we were then sent on our way into the darkness. After some tense moments of eerie quiet, a brilliantly timed jump scare led us onto our next character. This character was like the slightly more unhinged relative of the first, showing some great development, and we were only two cast members in. This is the moment where we lost our candle, which was clearly just to direct us into the Collector's domain. It was great to see that this gimmick moment was only a temporary thing and was used just enough to add some variety, even if we were only at the start of the attraction. The next scare was a strange one that worked so well: a cast member lying in an open coffin. Was it a prop, was it alive? We were all unsure as we slowly worked our way around the coffin in question, and with perfect timing, right at the last minute, building the tension, the scare came, and it worked! If there is one thing we would change here, it is simply the idea of the coffin being a see-through box, like something that the Collector was showcasing. Rather than a generic coffin, but these are very small points. Next up was the first of a few sustained/ scene scare moments, and it was the spin-the-wheel game; the cast member(Ponky) was full of so much energy and kept us engaged the entire time we were in the scene. Now, this is one of those moments that could, if done differently, slow down the proceedings. But we all felt in good yet very twisted hands, awaiting to see if we would win or lose. Again, another stellar performance. And we were winners!, which meant we got a very welcome audience with the next character, who I believe was called (Pinky) Pinky". Pinky, just like all of the other characters who had come before them, was a fully realised character who played the role with great confidence; they kept us on our toes and left us unable to anticipate what was to come next from them and were fantastically filthy yet playful with delivery. We all ended up being painted on with some kind of pen or makeup; I think it might have been a crayon.

Next up after leaving Pinky was the ever-intimidating "Stitchface"; if the two before were the more playful side of terrifying, then this one was the darker side of that coin. This one came across as less welcoming in the best way possible and seemed to have a vendetta against our small group of three. Pinning us in quick succession against the wall, taunting with great glee at our impending fate, this was a beautifully hands-on moment that added an extra dimension and style to what had come before. This event is evolving in front of us, and we love them all for it. Leaving Stitchface and Dane, I headed into the darkness, with Tom not far behind. This is where the attraction becomes truly twisted as dark, smiling creatures known as "The Smilers" start stalking your every move. What starts as one creature eventually develops into three of the creatures. One could be behind you, another popping out by your feet, with another staring you down at the end of a corridor. One great moment of interaction came from a foot grab, which turned into a leg grab, stopping me from going any further; these creatures, although silent, reminded me of the Gentleman in the Buffy episode Hush, which shows how far a sustained scare can go, culminating in a final moment of almost surrendering to them. The only critique we had at this point is that, although The Smilers were very close by, a note for next year, if this scene returns, is to not be afraid to go full-on hands-on at this moment. Don't get me wrong; no cast member in this scene was bad at all. This is just a personal issue of mine with many attractions; if you are going to trap people in a finale scene, which is great, giving a reason as to how you escape also adds to the theme and ties up those loose ends. Maybe a bright light trigger causing The Smilers to recoil after their attack and giving you a chance to escape would work well. But these are small details in an overall fantastic attraction.

Usually, we use a review to help the cast and crew develop, pointing out helpful critique along the way. However, this is one of those moments where there really is so little that we would actually change. I think if the attraction wanted to get that 5/5 scare rating, then maybe it might be worth looking into more ways to provide that hands-on element, but we respect the cast for doing what they feel comfortable with each group. As for us, we are gluttons for punishment, and next year you have full permission to push those boundaries even more. But rest assured, what you have created is something truly special, with a killer cast of great combinations and styles of performance and scares, and what else is so evident is how much of a family cast this group is; they all work together, bouncing off each other, and you can tell not only do every cast and crew member have a great love of scares, but it is clearly in their blood too; what they do performance-wise is effortless. In one sentence, Don't sleep on Nightmare Unleashed, because if you do, you will regret it. Thank you to all the team at Nightmare Unleashed, from the reception to the crew and, of course, the fantastic cast. I wish you could do more nights; you all deserve all the success going forward. You guys smashed it! The event has now finished for 2026, but as always, I will leave the link below for you to check them out.

https://www.nightmareunlashed.com/