Our Slasher Review
Our short review
On the 19th of October, we headed to Walsall Scare Maze to take on the 2023 edition of The Scarehouse. There is a reason why we always come back to Walsall Scare Maze and that boils down to beautiful set design, provocative smells and of course the crowning glory, a scare cast that are masters in the art. And this year has proven to be no exception. The scares came quick and fast and the theatrical parts were delivered to perfection. We also came along to experience ENOLA, the 18+ Extreme attraction which unfortunately at this time was unavailable. However, it was unavailable for good reason. To quote the Scarehouse head creative. "I wasn't going to open a half-arsed show, If ENOLA isn't 1000% per cent at the level we expect from Walsall Scare Maze then I won't open it till it is." For this honesty, we highly applaud and respect Walsall Scare Maze and look forward to ENOLA when the time comes.
Top Tips- Expect a bit of a wait, Walsall Scare Maze has some of the best batching around by our experience but this does come at the cost of a short wait.
Things that bite- We've said it time and time again but absolutely nothing bites about Walsall Scare Maze.
Value for Money- Absolutely, a resounding yes
Scare Rating- This is hard as it starts off around a 3, builds to a 4 and then hits a 5 in the lead-up to the end and the finale.
Do we reccomend-1000% YES
Our Stalker Review
Our long review-may contain spoilers
On the 19th of October 2023, we headed to Walsall to one of the most unassuming locations for a scare attraction in the UK, In our opinion that is. Located behind The Lion bar and club is Walsall Scare Maze, the crown jewel of scares in the West Midlands, Possibly even the UK. We arrived at 7 pm and headed for a quick bite to eat at the reasonably priced and fantastic quality "Burger Queen". Appetites satisfied it was time to enter the queue line to the welcome soundtrack of horror title scores such as Hellraiser and Saw. After around 15 to 20 minutes it was time for us to enter into the 2023 incarnation of The Scarehouse.
After our obligatory photo opportunity where we get heckled for our "scary faces" it was time to head down into the depths and into the new scene that originally hosted 3 or 4 lines of batching for the maze. This new scene and approach was a great addition to The Scarehouse and really set the scene with some light scares to get us warmed up and on our way.
What followed took us into the Master's house, led in through the kitchen if we remember correctly, with some great interaction with the cook. She made us feel eerily welcome in the house, a feeling that would soon disappear. Next, we continued our tour of the master's house with fantastic narration given by the more theatrical characters whilst still getting scares in the most unexpected places. But before long whilst immersed in the sights and smells of The Scarehouse we found ourselves with a warning, Don't go into the cellar.
Rest assured it wasn't long till we found ourselves entering into the aforementioned cellar and into the heart of the maze. Long gone were the lavish living rooms and rusted kitchens, now we were in the areas of "renovation" that the construction workers had uncovered. Some perfectly timed scares came from the construction worker in the sewer.
Another thing which we love about Walsall Scare Maze is the sublime set design where no detail has been left unthought about. Right down to the neon green, toxic water flowing out of the rafters, The smells this deep in the maze were akin to that of The Sanctuary which is always a welcome scent and it just goes to show the lengths the creative team goes to really sending you down the rabbit hole into the worlds of Walsall Scare Maze within.
Now deep into the maze, the scares start to pick up intensity, as did the use of smoke, strobes and even sparks, all designed to either catch you off guard or disorientate you completely. This seemed especially evident when we entered a pitch-black section of the maze, illuminated only intermittently by a high-up spark box. I swear we must have looped this entire section twice before being let out into the final sections of the maze.
Onto the final scenes of the maze where the scares are ramped up to 10 and come quick and fast from all angles and just when you think The Scarehouse can't throw any more, you face an intense double team of chainsaws in a frantic dash for the exit. Being at the back of the group I felt the full force of this scene as the chainsaws became very close for comfort and when one was running up the inside leg heading for the crotch, real or not, it was time to get out. The two actors that fill this short but effective scene must be commended, they set the bar exceptionally high for what other scream park/scare attraction chainsaw wielders should be achieving when trying to provide this scare.
And that leaves us to our final statement, we cannot praise Walsall Scare Maze and The Scarehouse highly enough, the cast in this attraction are masters of the art of scares and clearly love what they do, it's in their blood and it shows. Thank you to the entire cast and crew for putting on such an amazing show and we can't wait to return again and hopefully enter the new nightmare of ENOLA too.
If you would like to book The Scarehouse by the phenomenal Walsall Scare Maze, and we think you should. You can do so at the link below along with the dates.
Walsall Scare Maze operates on-20th to the 22nd then 25th to the 31st of October and finally 3rd and 4th of November.