A quick trip to Northampton for an evening of fun and scares. I’d been looking forward to this event for a long time after I’d heard many good things.

Dr. Frights has been running solid for 10 years. The event is unique in that the whole thing is held within a series of marquees. Because of this the whole event is set up in just a couple of weeks.

Taking this into account it’s incredible what the team at Dr. Frights manage to deliver. A fun and enjoyable night of scares. 

You enter through a massive Dr Frights sign that’s glowing brightly. This leads you into a central hub with two mazes either side, a bar to the left and food to the right. What more do you need for an enjoyable evening?

All of the mazes manage to cram a lot into a small area the facades are brilliant and set the scene nicely. 

The Mazes

Redneck Redemption

First up was Redneck redemption your classic hillbillie/western type maze. I liked the way this was set up making your way in and out of different parts of a western village from a bar to a bank and even a prison cell. Each scene was full of frights and humour. The actors improvised well and gave what felt like a personalised experience. 

The Woods

The next maze was The Woods. I really liked the concept of this maze, being based in a boarding school was a great idea. The maze took you winding through woods as well as parts of a school. This was definitely more on the creepy side rather than jumpy but it was very enjoyable. There was one scene where smoke was used to create a particular effect. I think this area could have had a little more smoke to increase the effect but none the less it was great fun. The actor in here used the area well to create a good impact scare. Other standout scenes include a school with sinister pupils starring at you and a dormitory scene with a great actor crawling around my feet. I loved the sheer number of actors in this scene but would have liked to have seen an impact scare towards the end so that you left on a crescendo. 

It’s also worth noting that you really want to look up in this one as you spend most of the maze under a starlit sky.

Killer Clowns on a Spaceship

This was a seriously fun maze with a brilliant soundtrack. I just wanted to dance throughout the attraction. The clowns were everywhere and the interactions were fun with some clever scares from all directions. The lighting and effects were cool, especially in the spaceship and the strobe section. Speaking of the strobe section the actors in here were great and they worked well together making you feel like you were getting lost. I think I spent too long soaking up the atmosphere as groups behind me caught up. 

Hollywood Horror Directors Cut

This maze was definitely one of two halves the first half felt very thin on scares. Now I don’t know if this was due to the presence of a security guard in front of me with his torch shining I will never know. Thankfully half way through the maze I was able to overtake the security guard and the scares started coming. Standouts for me were Freddie who seemed to come out of nowhere, a fun Michael Myers scare and a brilliant Leatherface who came running at me. 

Final Thoughts

Overall this is a fun attraction. There are a good number of actors all working well together. It’s exceptionally impressive what they manage to create in such a short space of time. The theming is brilliant with great facades. If you’re in the area it’s definitely worth a visit. 

Dr. Frights are running on selected nights through to the 2nd November

Ashley
Author: Ashley