Our Slasher Review
Xtreme Scream just outside Melton Mowbray at Twinlakes Park returns for another year. This year the park hosts 7 attractions, 6 paid for scare mazes and one free unlimited-entry attraction. The paid mazes this year are Uncle Eno's Open Acres, Ash Hell Penitentiary, Belvoir Manners, The Pie Factory, The Village and the new for 2023 Witches of Hard Luck Wood. The free attraction is Warehouse of Weird.
The Event also features a selection of food and drink vendors, roaming entertainment, burlesque, 2 rides for your enjoyment and the return of the ever-captivating Toxic Dolls spitting flames into the dark of the night sky. The strongest maze of the night by far was Ash Hell Penitentiary providing an intense and terrifying run through the aforementioned prison and the weakest was sadly Uncle Eno's Open Acres which in comparison to other attractions felt very low on scares bar one scene in particular.
Top tips-Arrive early, the park opens at 6:30 with mazes opening at 7.00, so get in line for one of the longer mazes first.
Things that bite-Unfortunately on our night we faced problems with batching being around a consistent 20/30 seconds at most for each maze meaning we found ourselves catching up with the group ahead a lot.
Value for money-As the whole package of what the scream park offers, that's a yes from us.
Scare Rating-4/5
Do we recommend-Although in some areas we were low on scares, the theming levels have to be applauded as they are consistent, so yes!
Our Stalker Review
On the 11th of October, we arrived at Twinlakes Park just outside of Melton Mowbray for Xtreme Scream Park 2023, Now diverting quickly from the review I'd like to mention that this is the first time Abby, Our newest member had visited the Scream Park. And this is also her debut review. Now onto the reason you're here, the maze reviews.
We started at Warehouse of Weird. An aesthetically pleasing attraction and every inch a wacky warehouse. Though limited actors there were lots of ploys to make you think that someone was lurking around any corner. Actors were a mix of jumpscares and entertainment trying to throw you in different directions. The maze section of red and white blinds can take you in multiple directions and the fear that someone is behind them is amplified by the fact that the jump scares come from other people who are also as much scared of you as you are of them. I really enjoyed the set of chopped-up slides and fairground attractions. For an unlimited maze, I would do it again and again.
Next, we decided to start on the paid attractions and the first for us was Uncle Eno's Open Acres. After a wait of around 20 minutes, we entered the maze and were greeted by a redneck-themed farm. However, what you are met with is very much not what you are thinking. The length of the maze and the lack of scary actors made the experience rather disappointing. If all the cast in the maze acted like the sex manic-only fans caravan there may be more interest. Some of the props were made to look like they were real, however, there were many missed opportunities for a good scare. I was very disappointed in the weak acting in areas simply saying nothing but "hello" and letting us greet them with a 'hey''back. There were various tunnels that could have given way to some good scares and corners that needed some good jumps. Overall a well-themed maze with very little on the scare front.
After Xtreme Screams corn maze we decided to take on one of the most anticipated attractions, The Village . A brilliant story told in a varied way of love and could be done better. The house has fantastic attention to detail in the way of props and sets. The actors had ideal hiding places however I would've liked there to have been more of a link to the storyline of why the scarecrows hadn't taken over the house. There were long periods of walking through rooms with no one there. Walking through the garage, I fell into the realms of the scarecrows. The timings of the car engine noises and the reactions from the scarecrows, worked brilliantly. The shadows within the woods make you feel like someone could launch at any time. This led well into the animatronics along the route to the School. As you walk from the school venue into the lab you're greeted by a live-action operation and a strong clinical smell that repulses the nostrils. This was by far the best and most thorough section. As the scarecrows glare at you invading their space you are left wondering if they will attack. The church scene has you questioning who is real as the intermittent light flashes plunge you into darkness and things start to move. The scripture read by the Crow figure was clear and cult-like. The Church scene left you wondering who was real and who was fake. A well rounded and dramatic ending.
Looking for an attraction with a shorter queue, it was time for Belvoir Manners. Belvoir Manners tells the story of a hotel with a dark sadistic twist. This maze has scares on every corner that are both animatronic and actor-based. Greeted by the bellhop he gives you a glorious welcome to what's in store. The scares came so thick and fast, it's hard to recollect all the rooms that were available. Rooms that are burnt into my retinas are the music hall, mortuary, gambling hall, furnace and a macabre room full of experiments. The viewing galleries of mutilated bodies were so gruesome it was at times a double take to see if they were real. My weakness being smells, the odours down the tight corridors added to the sheer grotesque moments within them. This maze is a prime example of how animatronics can be used in time with actors to provide scares without the need to scream or shout.
The longest-standing maze at Xtreme Scream, The Pie Factory was our next adventure and although it may be the oldest attraction at the park it has managed to keep up with the times and remains relevant even with a few makeovers. Each section of this maze was uniquely designed to make you feel like you were walking from a factory and into an oven. Coinciding with the smells of raw flesh and onion one feels physically repulsed to be in there (in a good way). Looking at the actors each was dressed in factory uniform with realistic pig flesh masks right down to the tagged ears. Lurking around every corner and armed with a rolling pin, a simple sharp bang on a table was enough to unnerve you and get you walking through a little faster. The actors within this maze work really well together and make this attraction almost seamless. On the other hand, I entered the meat grinder vortex wondering what it was. The neon blue walls you're encapsulated in do not shout 'You're in a meat grinder!' Attention to this detail would make that section link a lot better.
Next up was the experience I could not have prepared for, Ash Hell Penitentiary. The evil prison crammed full of condemned cannibals is by far the best maze Xtreme Scream has to offer. This maze has you running, ducking and completely dumbfounded by the intermittent strobe lights. The layout of the maze means that you cannot see what lies in store around any corner or in the next room. From caged walls, and small crouching tunnels, to tight corridors made of barrels towering over you, there was nothing this maze didn't have. A lot less animatronics within this and those that existed, were placed in fantastic unexpected places that had me howling. Another delight I had never experienced before was the high-frequency vibrating floor. In disguise as a generator, this was a unique and fantastic addition to the maze.
The only thing I have to remark on was the unbearable sound levels making it at times virtually impossible to concentrate. Though this may play as a great ploy, the sound at times absorbed the narration of the actors as well as your screams.
The actors within this maze showed no mercy. From the very first jump scare, I found myself tiptoeing around every corner with my eyes shut tight. The use of the intermittent strobe light enabled the actors to be there one minute and gone the next. The choreography and training these actors have had within their maze shows and is a true testament to their work. Not one actor within that maze showed weakness. To the actors towards the end of the maze in the bunkbed rooms. Well done and how do you move that quickly? Without the massive spoiler of this review, this maze is not to be missed.
Finally with a few minutes to spare before the maze closing we got in line for the New for 2023 Witches of Hard Luck Wood. This came across personally to me as more of an experience as opposed to a scare maze. Witches of Hard Luck Wood is a semi-bagged experience that has participants follow a rope and are guided through a mystic woodland. Actors dazzle your senses by tickling and prodding you from all angles. Right down to your feet the walls and floors are textured at times throwing you off balance.
After the bagged section, you are treated to a medium-length indoor section with neon insignia, a swamp and another one of those pesky spinning tunnels. There is a small outside area and corridors that are in keeping with the woodland hut. From watching walk-throughs and reviews of previous years, it is very clear that very little has changed on the unhooded middle section from their past 'hoodoo voodoo' maze. The actors that were around this area of the maze didn't seem enthused and seemed like they were there to simply tell customers not to touch the cauldron. I understand that we were one of the last walk-throughs of the evening, but when you're acting in such a popular, renowned establishment such as this, you must remain on the ball till the very last paying guest.
With regards to our favourite theme of this review, animatronics, the ones they used in this made no sense at all. One that stuck out for me and made no sense due to no known narrative was a screaming vicar. The in-depth and quite captivating story of the maze showed small reflections in the maze but without reading the story there were too many elements of religion, witches and voodoo to get your head around. A fun experience but not a recommendation.
So that brings us to the end of our Xtreme Scream Park night. The night has been a mixed bag for sure but mostly positive which allows us to leave on a high. We would like to wish a heartfelt thank you to all the cast and crew that made this event possible.
Xtreme Scream 2023 runs through the following dates.13th,14th,17th,19th,20th,21st,24th,25th,27th,28th,29th and the 31st of October
If you wish to book tickets to Xtreme Scream Park you can do so at the link below.