Review – Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018

I’ve been covering Merlin based Halloween events for many years now. This year I was keen to expand my horizons somewhat, I first tried out House of Horror, and then an invite to Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 appeared in my inbox. I was excited to see what the Crawley based attraction had to offer. I’ve heard many good things about Tulleys Shocktober Fest in the past, I know that Jordan at Cupcakes and Coasters rates it highly. Despite the Press Launch of Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 being the night after Fright Nights launch, and the night before the Scarefest launch I couldn’t turn the chance down.

Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 Location

Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 is on Tulleys Farm in Crawley, it’s not too far off the M23, which is accessible from junction 7 of the M25. It’s very well signposted on the local roads and was really easy to find. You pass through a faux stone gate, with fire-torches blazing. There is a massive car park, each row has a has a Halloween themed icon and number to make remembering your place easy. There were plenty of marshals and security ensuring everyone knew the correct way to go. It’s a very slick operation. Because we were attending the Press Launch of Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 there was a separate entrance, they’d set up a private bar and food area which was amazing. There was a great vibe going on, even though the event had only just started.

Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 takes place on farm – they host different events throughout the year.

Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 Mazes

I’m not going to go through each Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 Maze. I’ve written about the line-up here, but there are around mazes / attractions for you to tackle. It was our first time here, and the choice and size of the event was a little overwhelming. Someone had told me that the ‘Creepy Cottage’ was a good start, as it was a little ‘tamer’ than the rest.

I’m not sure if that was correct – the Creepy Cottage was bloody scary. It was themed around a haunted Victorian cottage, the theming was spectacular, the actors were amazing and it just went ON and ON. Each corner you thought you were nearly done. But no.. It felt like being trapped in a nightmare. I loved it. The detail was amazing, even the safety announcement was ‘themed’ to the story.

We made our way around all the different mazes. There wasn’t one that failed in any way. All of them were of such incredible quality. A lot of the queue lines and batching areas are within large tents / marquees, and you might be fooled into thinking the mazes are similarly ‘temporary’. This isn’t the case at all. The mazes are of such incredible quality. I was actually shocked at how good Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 was. There’s so many different types of scares going on, a mixture of old school illusions, and high tech effects. You’ll scream, you’ll laugh, and you’ll have an amazing time.

One of my favourites was the ‘Horrorwood Hayride’ which takes you on a trailer on the back of a tractor around the woods around Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018. You encounter a mixture of ‘Hollywood’ inspired scenes, complete with ‘actors’. It’s not just a case of watching stuff from a distance – these actors jump aboard the trailer to terrify you up close. It is such a giggle. It isn’t the scariest thing there, but the scale of it all is just immense. The ‘junkyard’ scene was one of my favourites.

Twisted Clowns 3D was a mash-up of a fun-house, Hocus Pocus Hall and the old Big Top at Thorpe Park. The clowns in there are bloody insane too. If you don’t like clowns Twisted Clowns will probably leave you gibbering in a corner crying. It’s very extreme.

You don’t feel short changed in any of the mazes, they are all very long and satisfying. I didn’t leave any of them with a sense of ‘Oh… Is that it?’.Every single maze and attraction is an absolute must-do – Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 is breathtaking in so many senses!

Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 isn’t just about the scares

I’d say you could go to Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 and not do the mazes, and still have a blast. It’s a proper night out and it has lots of little independent stalls to grab some food, there are some bars too if you fancy a drink. Dotted around Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 are some open fires to sit around if it’s a little chilly. Plus there are two stages with live bands and performances throughout the night. It’s more like a festival than a scare event. Also, if you don’t want to do the mazes, and just want to womble around, they have a cheap ticket (from £12) – you don’t have to pay full whack to NOT do the mazes.

I really liked the vibe whilst walking around Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018. There was a real mixture of folk. Groups of teenagers, families, old people, young people – a real cross section of people keen to have a fun evening. There are a handful of fairground rides at Tulleys too including a giant Fabbri Booster that towers above the event. These cost extra – we didn’t go on any rides while we were there admittedly, it was all about the mazes for us!

The staff were all lovely too, one of the girls managing the queue told me she’d been visiting Tulleys since she was little and had started working there as soon as she was old enough. She’d been there for three years and loved coming back to it. There didn’t seem to be any expense spared, all of the fires were proper fire, not wind machines and tissue paper. I dread to think of their gas bill! There were plenty of creepy roaming actors too. It had the best vibe of any Halloween event I’ve ever visited.

Only thing worth noting is not all the food and drink sellers take cards, so make sure you’ve got cash.

Overall

Honestly, I couldn’t fault Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 in any way. The mazes are immense on every level, I loved them all – they have put so much time and effort into everything there. You don’t feel like you’re traipsing around a farm in Crawley, you could easily feel like you’re at a Halloween event in the US. It’s got the scale and attention to detail that isn’t often found in UK Halloween events. I loved wandering around and watching everyone, people seemed to be having the time of their lives. Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 is a must do – if you can only manage one Halloween event this year, it has to be Tulleys. I actually felt a little annoyed that I’d never been before – it’s been running for years!

The prices are very reasonable too – if you’re wanting to do the mazes the tickets start at £33-45. If you want to Fastrack the mazes once, the tickets are £48-60, there are VIP Unlimited ‘VIP’ passes for £63-£75. Personally I’d look at the Fastrack tickets so you get to jump the queues, and get all the mazes done, and still have time to enjoy all the entertainment and grab some food and drink too.

Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 is the jewel in the crown of the UK Halloween events, without question. Go!

Check out my vlog from Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2018 below –