We visited Yorkshire Scare Grounds on a quiet Sunday evening. On arrival there were numerous characters interacting with patrons from the get go. The actors were talking to pretty much everyone who walked past having improvised chats, stopping for the odd photo and scaring a few distracted folk.
This is an attraction where the mazes run one after the other so once you’re in it’s non stop through to the end where there are numerous food outlets, a bar and merchandise shop.
The Mazes
A.I. Artificial Intelligence – Programmed to Kill
This first maze started with a humorous introduction from an android which set the scene. I thought the animatronics and theming in this maze was good and the actors added some humour to to the well placed scares.
The Sewer – Mutation
This attraction took place in the dark woods. I felt that there were a few areas that could have benefitted from additional actors as you spent a lot of time walking expecting a scare that didn’t come. The wooded walk was creepy but didn’t really deliver much in the way of scares.
Witchcraft – Bloody Mary is Back!
This maze had a good concept and storyline running throughout. The theming was effective and the actors lead you through the story while generating a few good impact scares.
Hotel Hell – Undead Vacation
This maze was exceptionally themed. I liked how everything tied together and how you walked through all parts of a hotel. The standout part for me was the reception scene leading to a brilliant lift effect. The rest of the maze was consistently strong on theming but I felt the scares didn’t quite come as strong.
Clown Asylum – Breakout!
Unfortunately this was a disappointing maze to end on. I felt that the concept didn’t fit with the theming and found the scares didn’t really hit the mark. I can see the ending could work well but I felt that the timing was a little off.
Summary
Overall I feel there could have been a few more actors in the mazes so that they could work the scares from the front to the back. The use of a light to signal when to send the next group was a great idea and definitely helped eradicate the batching issues experienced on our previous visit. It was really good to see the actors moving people around the group giving everyone the chance at the front this was really effective and helped give everyone an equal chance of getting a scare or two.
I enjoyed my time at Yorkshire Scare Grounds but felt that there were a few bits that fell a little flat. With slightly more lighting, a few more actors and some changes to the last maze I think this attraction could go from being average to good.
Yorkshire Scare Grounds is running until the 3rd November.
