We were given two free tickets with fastrack entry to the mazes to experience this years The Howl. Whilst we were given the free tickets, we have full editorial control of what our review of the event says.
Our Slasher Review
We were invited along to The Howl to experience their event for 2021. They have 5 scare mazes as well as street theatre a bar and a few food and drink outlets as well as a DJ. They have a great street team who like to interact with everyone. Squealers Yard is without doubt the strongest maze we experienced with Red, their supposed scariest attraction, being the weakest of the night. The event runs 15th - 17th, 22nd - 24th and 27th - 31st October and tickets start from £12.00 for just a street pass and £22.00 for maze entry
Tip for the event: Make sure you are outside and in the main aisle for the actors going to the attractions
Things that bite: Red was the only thing that really bit
Value for money:God yes
Scare Rating: 4.5/5
Do we recommend: YES!
FOR A MORE IN-DEPTH REVIEW PLEASE READ BELOW
Our Stalker Review
On Friday 8th of October we were invited along to experience this years The Howl event at Open Mead Farm in Leighton Buzzard. This was our first visit and we hadn’t really heard much about what to expect from the event. As you arrive there isn’t really anything that shouts scare event other than a couple of road signs for direction. Outside the entrance are two giant pumpkin head scarecrows and that’s all you get until you enter and arrive at the hub.
Here is where the Halloween vibe begins and it’s very cosy and relaxing. There’s a DJ, a fire pit and some small stands selling food and drinks. At the other side of the hub there is the bar and indoor seating area as well as another food outlet. There are about 7/8 roaming characters ranging from a wolf hunter to chainsaw wielding maniacs. The whole street atmosphere is so enjoyably relaxing mixed with a hint terror and humour. Let’s get on to the mazes.
I’m going to start with what i consider to be the weakest maze of the night, Red. For a maze with a scare factor of 10 I was extremely excited to see what it was about. We enter and get the safety briefing and we hear loads of screams which I thought was a good sign. We enter and we are greet by a corridor with quite a quiet actor who just snarled at us. As we progressed the attraction opened up and You could see the other groups moving through. Compared to the other attractions it’s got pretty basic theming but a wonderful house that does look stunning. The actors in here were trying their best to scare but because of the openness of the attraction you could see the scares coming. The only area in this attraction we got a scare was in the house but the house area doesn’t last that long. The maze also has no real ending and it’s incredibly short. This maze feels like it was missing a decent, high impact ending instead of it’s just wander out ending. It’s a shame as this maze has the potential to be something quite stunning but it just fell really flat. I can’t fault the actors as they were trying, especially Granny but I feel that comparison to the other attractions on offer at the event it was just weak.
Next up is The Shed. The only thing I had been told about this attraction is that it’s ending is different and they weren’t lying. It’s definitely the most memorable bit of the maze but that doesn’t mean the attraction is bad. It’s got high detailed sets and enthusiastic actors who use the spaces to their advantage. The problem The Shed has is it kind of feels like it’s a mash up of Attic and Squealers Yard so it kind of feels a bit confused of what it’s supposed to be. There isn’t really a story to the attraction but the scares were constant and out of no where which is what you want from a good scare maze and it’s enjoyable.
Toppers Twister is The Howls clown maze and I went in expecting something along the same lines as Twisted Clowns at Tulleys but I was wrong. Toppers Twister was hilarious, chaotic, terrifying and amazing. The improv ability of the actors in here was so good. They are rude, jokey, happy, intense and everything about this attraction was perfection. It has a trummel that has the speed turned up to 100 so half way through you get made to be disoriented by it. It was crazy. It’s also extremely terrifying as the clowns come out of no where and one even has a gun. It’s truly chaotic and it was just an awesome attraction.
Next up I want to talk about The Attic. This highly themed, creepy hotel is located away from the other attractions and is eerily beautiful. It’s tone is set immediately as you are warned not to go into the Attic. You enter reception and are greeted by an actor who then ushers you on to explore the hotel. You meet a variety of characters along your journey before you arrive at a set of stairs. Yes, you actually have to go up some stairs. The attic itself is dark and rustic and chaotic. This is where the actors really go a bit crazy as they come out of the wood work and littles holes. It was scary and it was intense. You then descend back down some stairs and explore the rest of the hotel. There is a scare in the hotel that is completely unexpected and you will look at the actor and go “was that a child?” And the answer is no. There is a corridor before the stairs going up that was pretty empty. It’s quite a long corridor so it would be nice to see an actor on this area. Other than that we had some really awesome and terrifying runs through it as the actors were on top form.
Last and certainly not least is Squealers Yard. Given this event used to have a big connection with Tulleys Shocktober Fest I was expecting Squealers Yard to be a copy of Chop Shop and boy was I so wrong. Squealers Yard is about a butcher family who use humans as their meat source so you are constantly referred to by the actors a piggy and they will oink a lot at you. As we went around we were visually attacked by different things, from wooden walls to a horse box to a strobe walkway, the sense were violated. The actors were on top form and really went above and beyond with the scares. They were coming from in front, behind, from the sides, from above and even from a freezer. It was chaotic, extremely intense, disorientating and I loved it. We ending up doing six runs through it throughout the night with the actors making more and more personal jokes as the night went on. Everything about this maze was on top form and was truly a highlight.
Overall The Howl is a very good event with some really top notch attractions and some really enthusiastic actors. Other than Red, I really can not fault the night we experienced and we are so grateful to have been invited along to check it out. This wasn’t a media event, it was just a regular opening night and if this is how they start than I would love to see how they finish. We'd like to add a huge thank you to everyone involved with the event with particular thanks to all the actors and the queue line staff who were also so lovely and upbeat and enthusiastic.
The Howl at Open Mead Farm runs 15th - 17th, 22nd - 24th and 27th - 31st October and tickets start from £12.00 for just a street pass and £22.00 for maze entry. For more information and to book tickets to this amazing event than visit The Howl website.