The Slasher Review
On Thursday 28th October we visited another Parks, Scares and Glitter first. This time it was Screamfest near Burton on Trent. The attraction features 4 scare mazes and 1 live experience as well as zombie paintball, live bands, street performers, a DJ and even onsite thrill rides. Our favourite maze of the night was Love Hurts which left us all running for the exit and Creed Farm was the weakest. It must be noted we visited on a sell-out night which led to some very large queues for the mazes, even though the batching was averaging around 12 to 16 at a time.
Tips for the event - Arrive on the first timeslot if you can and if you decide to visit on a sell-out night we highly advise fast track if you want to see all the event has to offer.
Things that bite - Even though mazes were batching at around 12/16 guests at a time the queues can get very very long.
The park layout can be confusing for first-time guests
Value for Money - Oh Absolutely
Scare Rating- 4.5/5
Do we recommend - We can't wait to go back, so YAASS!
FOR A MORE IN-DEPTH REVIEW PLEASE READ BELOW
The Stalker Review
On the 28th October we headed to Screamfest nr Burton on Trent. Due to some satnav related buggary in Derby we arrived a little later than anticipated but the park was extremely accomodating and said "Don't rush, arrive when you can and drive safe" so that has to be commended. Upon arrival to Screamfest, the first sight you see is the KMG Speed towering over the park, lighting the night sky, welcoming you in. We knew it was a sell-out night but on entering the car park the truth of how busy it would be started to sink in. Fearing a huge line to check-in we were pleasantly surprised at how quickly and efficiently they process guests. Show your code, hand you your wristbands and off you go into the plaza of lights, live entertainment and roaming creatures of the night.
After a little while gathering our bearings we decided to head to our first maze of the night, Hillbilly Joe's Zombee Zoo. After a long cattle pen tent we found ourselves at the front of the Zombee Zoo getting ready to be allocated a room for our briefing. This scene works well as it's like a safety blocker to keep guests and zombies separate... for now. Once the room was nicely crowded the spiel played out about Hillbilly Joe and his Zombee Zoo, plus the usual maze safety too. Before long the door swung open and we were sent into the zoo. Inside there is such a mix of different styles of characters and sets and just when you think you've reached the end, you're really only halfway through. Zombee Zoo was packed with actors which is great given its length and the actors ranged from scary to comical to the damn outright unexpected IE Zombie Santa. And just when you think you cant push the theme even more there is even a mine shaft for some up close and personal scares. Exiting Zombee Zoo we were all very happy with the first maze of the night.
Next up was the NEW for 2021 Creed Farm. This attraction is located right at the back of the park and luckily for us quite short on the queue time although strangely enough this didn't stop a batching of 14 guests. Maybe this is the norm for Screamfest to group guests to this level although it was slightly disappointing to see. After a short wait, there was a little safety info and we were sent off into the maze. Not long from entering we found ourselves in the near pitch-black being guided by a rope and terrorised by actors with night vision goggles or so it seemed. As fun as the scene was it didn't seem to add much to the story, not that much had been given at this point and seemed a very odd way to start. Leaving the dark we entered into the first of many corn maze sections, It's a shame the corn wasn't higher and more enveloping but we know these things can't be helped. Due to our group being so big, from this point onwards we were bumping into the front members of our group after being split-up somewhat in the dark before, which left upcoming scares open to see. One thing that has to be commended is the stunning masks that the actors wear in the corn sections, They really are a new take on scarecrow and feel almost cultish, Maybe this was the theme but we really weren't sure. Another stand out scene was "the incinerator" which in reality is just a flamethrower on a tower but it provides some great aesthetics. As we neared the ending of the maze the sounds of chainsaws began to fill the air. This is sadly where Creed Farm really fell flat. There was such a long length to really get guests running but the chainsaw guys just didn't seem to have much energy, Maybe due to the rain there were H+S implications but it was unfortunate nonetheless.
After a short break, it was time for Freakout On Tour, Screamfests clown maze. When we say the queue was long for this we mean LONG to the point of "is anyone queueing anywhere else", we thought that the batching might be smaller until we saw a group of 14 spill out the exit. After the long wait we finally found ourselves ready to go into Freakout On Tour. We were told we were here for an illegal rave but moments later our hedonistic host was overthrown by the first clown and we were told to run and "Get Out" (urrgggh the one line I hate being used), But it fit the scene so i’ll allow it. This is where it gets hard because so much happens in such a short space of time, it really is hard to recollect everything that happens in this maze. Maybe to start by saying all the actors were high energy which is great to see and the attraction has a good mix of different styles to keep you guessing, From curtain mazes to mystery doors, fully smoke-filled rooms where you can't see a thing in front of you and even a room with a giant exercise ball suspended from the ceiling. I will mention this scene did seem to get unnecessarily aggressive at times with Dane being launched across the room and myself being thrown into another guest. The finale was a mash of crazed clowns, strobes and smoke, it's just a shame by this time the entire group and come together again and a lot of the final scares were lost. By nevertheless a great clown maze and totally worth the wait.
Next it was time to visit the most anticipated maze of the night, The infamous Love Hurts. I had heard so much about this attraction, some said it was fantastic yet others said it can be a flop but only experiencing the maze would give us answers. We entered a moderately busy queue before stepping down into the "underpass" just past the Love Hurts sign and ahead of us "The Diced Heart" pub/club. The music was pumping and a real atmosphere was building. Occasionally the sounds of chainsaws came over the air but this added a strange sense of intimidation, you knew it was there and most guests were running out but I suppose we're gonna have to wait to see the impact. After a short while it was our time to stand next to the bar for our "Speed Dating" night, Only accompanied by a creepy orderly overseeing the patrons. Then the time came, we entered a door and found ourselves in the toilet block, I think something wrong happened here with the batching because we hit 16 and even the host in the scene looked shocked that we were still coming in the room. Once all in we were read the safety and sent into one of 2 doors which turn out to be the dingy pub toilets. Honestly, they stink. One thing you soon learn about Love Hurts is the use of smells in this attraction is insane, but before long a trick happens that leads to the groups being somewhat split up. We were off into the darker side of the Diced Heart, that darker side being the sewers whilst the denizens called us "The Rejected", I Do like some personal touches. As we ventured further in, the sets just get better, using water literally dripping down around you, smoke and some seriously gory scene pieces. Love Hurts starts to truly feel like Screamfests darkest offering especially when you're seeing a victim actor screaming for their lives while a worker puts half of their body through a grinder, Such a great scene. As the tunnels become more narrow the smell of rotting flesh fills the air worse than the toilet scene leading to the finale. A doctor it seems is rounding us up in front of a white sheet with the logo on, She's telling us congratulations for making it so far, but our congratulations is short-lived, the curtain pulls back one of the most intense chainsaw scenes we have endured, Maybe not Junkyard 2020 but pretty damn close and safe to say had us all bolting for the exit.
With just one attraction left it was time for the Le Theatre Noir. Now it has to be said straight off that this attraction is not a scare maze but rather an immersive theatre show and if we are honest should be experienced completely blind. We will say that depending on your seating your experience might change. We were on the second row on the edge and although the scares are fun they are not as impactful as they would be say on the front row in the middle. The audio in the room is also very loud so unfortunately some of the story narratives was lost. What we can say is to expect a dungeons style show using light and darkness to great advantage, don't get us wrong we enjoyed Le Theatre Noir but there is definitely room for improvement for the entire group to get the same experience which in this kind of show should be paramount.
That leads us to the end of our Screamfest trip, sadly we didn't get to experience the rides or much of the street entertainment due to making the mazes priority. But what we can say is we absolutely loved our night even though it was extremely busy. We shall definitely be returning for next years instalment. Thank you to the amazing actors and teams that made this night such a success. Screamfest is now closed but for more information please visit the Screamfest Website.