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GHOUL RIDER
I braved Alton Towers’ Scarefest for Halloween – the new horror maze makes Nemesis look like soft play
Plus, the big Halloween events happening at other UK theme parks
ALTON Towers is adding two new attractions to its annual Scarefest celebrations for Halloween - one for families and the other not for the fainthearted.
The UK’s biggest theme park has created Amigos in the Afterlife, where guests magically step into the afterlife to meet some colourful and friendly spirits, in a series of rooms themed around the Mexican Day of the Dead.
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The new attraction takes over the previous site of the Alton Towers Dungeon and features spooktacular effects, encountering mischievous characters who challenge guests with tasks to earn their passage back to the living realm.
My crack team of 'terror testers,' aka my son Clark, nine, daughter Lily, 12 and her friend Faye, 12, loved meeting such silly characters as one minute they were in a Mexican wrestling ring and the next they were solving riddles and silly songs.
Just next door is more glow-in-the-dark fun with the return of Trick O’ Treat Town with HARIBO, where the kids filled their bags with tons of sweets while travelling from room to room, howling with laughter at some of the goofy spooks they met along the way.
If you fancy treating yourself to this family fun you need to purchase the , costing £15 per person.
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For people who like their Halloween more terrifying, Alton Towers also offers you the for £34.
This gets you into four seriously scary attractions. We did Altonville Mine Tours - Tiny’s Revenge, which is this crazy maze in the dark based around the concept that an escaped killer is on the run from a US prison.
We were screaming our heads off as insane characters in gas masks jumped out at you from every nook and cranny, while we squeezed through a wooden maze in the dark, with haunting sounds and smoke along the way.
12-year-olds Faye and Lily were shoved to the front by two adult participants who clearly just wanted to survive with a killer on the loose.
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The girls loved being scared like this and it's perfect for teens and older, but anyone younger needs to be seriously brave to take this on.
We had our fill of scares after this one but there’s plenty more eerie-sistible frights for horror fans.
As part of the Combi Frights package you also get access to Daz Games: Panic Reloaded. The flagship attraction is best described as an immersive experience where escape room meets live-action scare.
It's concocted by and unlike the usual live-action horror experiences where you simply follow a path to the end, this one has an active aim - finding symbols to escape.
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The frenzied running of people desperate to find their symbols and escape the hellhole, along with flashing lights, ominous music and obstacles, makes it all the more thrilling.
Alton Towers has brought back another scare maze from last year too - The Attic: Terror Of The Towers - which sees you go on a spooky ghost hunting tour around the grounds of Alton Manor.
But most terrifying of all is its brand-new attraction COMPOUND. This disorientating live-action scare maze is based on the story of Nemesis Reborn, which has had an alien-themed facelift this year to celebrate its 30th birthday.
In COMPOUND, guests find themselves as a subject of the Phalanx – a shady organisation originally tasked with keeping the Nemesis beast under control.
It is an intense and disorientating scare attraction, set within an intimidating scientific facility featuring dark and claustrophobic environments amongst the hallways and chambers of their labs.
HALLOWEEN EVENTS AT OTHER UK THEME PARKS
Legoland
Legoland will celebrate Halloween from September 27 to November 3, transforming Windsor into a "pumpkin-filled wonderland."
Enjoy Monster Street, the Monster Jam Show, sweet treats, LEGO freebies, and photo ops with Halloween characters.
Drayton Manor
From October 4 to November 3, Drayton Manor gets a spooky makeover.
Meet Sir Topham Hatt, follow the new Hay Bale Trail from October 26, and book tickets from £27.50 online in advance.
Chessington World of Adventures
Enchanted Halloween – Trick or Treat returns with treats, animal townsfolk, and award-winning shows like Banyan - the Final Flame.
Enjoy dusk rides on Vampire and the World of Jumanji, with entry tickets from £29 per person and some events costing extra.
Paultons Park Halloween
Paultons Park, home of Peppa Pig World, hosts Halloween from October 17 to November 4.
New for 2024: The Great Halloween Mystery Show and Spirit Squad Ghoul School. Late night openings until 7.30 pm on October 29, 30, and 31.
Guarded by their screaming operatives, guests are plunged into a sinister sci-fi experiment where their DNA is the next weapon.
It makes the nearby Nemesis Sub-Terra ride look like a kiddies soft play and will be irresistible to people who like their Halloween horror turned up to ten.
All around the park there was Halloween-themed fun, with entertainment on the resort’s front lawns arena featuring shows with the Freaky Five characters, meet and greets, photo opportunities and more.
CBeebies Land gets into the fun too with its Monster Ball being held in Big Fun Showtime.
In it, guests can join their favourite CBeebies friends to dance, play games and enjoy a skele-fun party.
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And guests are also able to enjoy Rides in the Dark across the Resort throughout Scarefest.
Alton Towers has a range of offers this autumn, which includes Scarefest. See for more details.
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