Review – Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019

It’s been nearly a week since I went to Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019, and whilst I’ve chopped together the vlog of our evening there for the Press Launch – it’s been hard to start writing this review. You see, when I write a review, I aim for 600-800 words. I try and give you an overview of all the pros and cons about the subject. However, Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019 is a hard thing to review in such length because all I’ve wanted to write is.

“Stop reading my nonsense, and go to Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019 – NOW!”

So that’s this review done.

Okay, I’ll try my best to write something nuanced and balanced, but considering I’ve just opened with that – well, you know how the review will go. However, I know people need convincing to part with their cash, so if you want a review – you got it! If you want to know the full ins and out of Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019 then start here – i’ll try not to repeat myself in this post.

Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019 Atmosphere

Put simply the atmosphere at Tulleys Shocktober Fest is probably the best you’ll find in the UK. Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019 isn’t about just the mazes, or the scares – it’s best described as the ‘Festival of Fear’. Think of it as a music festival, but instead of wandering around from stage to stage, you go from maze to maze. In between that, you’ve got everything you’d expect to find at a festival – street food, entertainment, fairground rides, and a really great atmosphere. There are several stages with live music and performances throughout the evening. Oh, and the toilets at Tulleys Shocktober Fest are MUCH better than any you’d find at a music festival.

Tulleys Shocktober Fest isn’t just some roughly cobbled together place – it’s wonderfully slick, well thought out operation – Tulleys have been doing this for years, and it really shows. They are the masters of Halloween events now. It’s ALL about the mazes, the scares and entertainments – they don’t have to worry about running rides, or putting up guests for the night. Their focus is entirely fixed on their spooky offering, and my goodness, it shows!

You don’t just have to go to Tulleys Shocktober Fest to be scared, you can buy a ticket that will just let you into the place to sample the entertainment, grab some food, and soak up the atmosphere. It’s perfect if you have friends or family that don’t like being terrorised but don’t want to miss out.

Also something to marvel at this year is the show in the ‘Wastelands Penitentiary’ area. I think it runs every half hour or hour and is a mixture of music, dance, lighting, video, theatre and fire! It’s a REAL spectacle. The actors around Tulleys Shocktober Fest whether roaming or in the mazes are SO good. They aren’t just grumpy teens with make-up on, they REALLY get into character, and don’t break. They are some of the best I’ve experienced.

Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019 Mazes

There are mazes aplenty, so I won’t go into masses of details in each maze, because this would go on for pages and pages. So I’ll be brief –

Wastelands Penitentiary – New for 2019

Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019 brings 2 new mazes, and Wastelands Penitentiary is the first. This is, without doubt, the most spectacular looking facade of a maze in the UK. The scale of it is INSANE. Once you’re inside, you find yourself in a 1980’s Mad-Max inspired jail, and it’s all gone INSANE. Think of it like walking through the Orange is the New Black set after the end of the world, and there are a LOT of insane people trapped inside. It’s a really long maze, with an insense, strobe flanked free-flow section. You’re not allowed to leave until the sctors have given you both barrels of their maniacal charms. This is what ALL mazes should be like. It is perfection.

The Chop Shop

You want chainsaws? You got chainsaws aplenty! The Chop Shop is best described as Kwik-Fit in the Deep South, run by a family of inbred maniacs. You will get chased by hillbillies wielding chainsaws. It is insane!

The Wreckoning – New for 2019

The Colony is gone, and the nautical-inspired ‘The Wreckoning’ has replaced it. It doesn’t have the best start, the first scenes were devoid of actors or scares. I was left wondering what was happening, move past this, and you see the normal Tulleys Shocktober Fest quality shining through. The ‘Dock’ scene is just incredible, the massive boats, and lighting really gives the illusion of being by the sea. It’s very clever. It’s really good – it just needs tweaking at the start.

Creepy Cottage

One of the oldest mazes, and probably the tamest of the mazes too. But it’s still wonderfully themed and has some great scares. It’s been our first maze both years, and it’s a great way to start!

Vixi

This largely hooded maze is something a little different. There are spooks and scares, but you can’t see them coming because you’ve got a fabric bag on your head. The loss of your vision really heightens all of your other senses. Just make sure you keep hold of the rope / chain – you’ll be lost in the depths of hell forever if you don’t!

Twisted Clowns

Clowns are a scare maze staple, and Twisted Clowns has them in a mind-twisting ‘Fun House’ for you to navigate whilst wearing 3D glasses. You really have to take in the wonderful scenic painting on the walls, it’s awesome – but keep an eye out for the crazy clowns!

The Village – Coven of 13

These Witches be Crazy! I love this maze, it takes you inside and outside, and back again. It’s crammed with insane, chanting, shouting, and screaming witches. The actors in here are LOUD, I’ve got no idea how they do it! Don’t mess with these witches!

The Cellar

We had a run with just the two of us, and The Cellar is a real gem of Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019. It’s got a vibe of The Creepy Cottage, but a ramped-up version that’s darker, and scarier. Beware what lurks in The Cellar!

The Horrorwood Haunted Hayride

This isn’t strictly a maze – it’s a ride on the back of a trailer, driven by a tractor, through some Hollywood (well Horrorwood) inspired scenes. Be warned, you won’t be alone for long! It’s a lot of fun, although the car driving at you was missing on our run – that was one of my favourite things last year. Hopefully, it was just not ready, or not working when we went.

The quality of the mazes is just outstanding, sure, there were a few niggles – but honestly, you’d be hard pushed to find a better collection of scare mazes, in both quality and quantity in this country.

Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019 Overall

If you can only do one Halloween event at this end of the country, go to Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019. Yes, if you’re a fan of world-class rollercoasters, and like doing scare mazes, then a LOT of the Theme Parks have you covered. However, aside from the ‘ride in the dark’ element, you can do those at any time of the year. Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019 isn’t around for long, so you should really get your bum down there!

So this review ends pretty much as it started –

Stop reading my nonsense, and go to Tulleys Shocktober Fest 2019 – NOW!

Disclaimer – The cool kids at Tulleys Shocktober Fest invited us down to enjoy the Press Launch. All thoughts and opinions are my own