In a complete revamp of the lineup for 2020, there is a new scare maze, four new scare zones and a new character encounter, plus some returning frights.

This new FRIGHT NIGHTS FEARSTIVAL also provides the opportunity to experience the park's fantastic collection of roller coasters and thrill rides in the dark.

Due to the continuing presence of the coronavirus (COVID-19), THORPE PARK has put in place various measures to reduce the risk of transmission, with modifications to the attractions and how they are operated.

The event features significantly fewer traditional scare maze attractions, and they are both primarily outdoors. Also, for the first time, they require the purchase of a timed ticket at an additional charge.

After a brief encounter with The Crows, who roam the park and creep up on guests, we got straight into experiencing all of this year's impressive offerings.

Roots of Evil (New for 2020)

Unearth the horrors that lurk within a forsaken forest and prepare to meet the terrifying abominations that dwell within. Move discreetly through the dark undergrowth and pray your presence goes unnoticed, or risk becoming one of the forgotten forever.

The park has cleverly created a new scare maze in the area previously used for Blair Witch and the pre-show room from Jungle Escape. The story is setup nicely at the beginning and before long you are let loose in the dense woodland where you encounter a series of hybrid plant-human creatures. Lots of prolonged darkness, jump scares and an excellent set piece finale make this a great addition to the event.

Platform 15

Depart on a one-way ticket and trek along the overgrown railway line, the last known route of the vanished locomotive - the notorious Sleeper Express. Don’t lose your tracks and risk disturbing the haunted souls that were once aboard, or you may just experience the same chilling fate. Can you outrun what lies at the end of the line or will your journey terminate here, at Platform 15?

With a modified route and an updated story for 2020, Creek Tours are now offering an insight into what happened to the notorious Sleeper Express. The previously pitch black tunnel at the end of the attraction is now merely a walkway to reach the start of the tour, and once this gets going the experience flows much better. As the action ramps up, we were really impressed by the suitably unhinged performances by all of the actors. There's also a completely new finale.

Creek Freaks: Unchained (New for 2020)

How much wood would a wood chop chop if a wood chop could chop YOU? The Freaks of the Creek have hacked their way out of the Creek Woods Saw Mill and are wreaking havoc on the town. Tread carefully past the deranged family of lumberjacks lest you find yourself chugging gasoline fumes on the wrong end of a chainsaw! Brace yourself and prepare for the gruesome worst as you take on the chainsaw massacre madness of Creek Freaks Unchained.

This is a genuine scare zone and it includes just as many actors and props as the two mazes. It's actually not far off being a scare maze, with a one-way route through a highly themed area and superb interaction with the guests. The characters from last year's Creek Freak Massacre scare maze have now escaped their Saw Mill and they do not like city folk wandering through their town. The actors are fantastic, both intimidating and at times aggressive, doing all they can to scare the living daylights out of guests... and with great success!

THE SWARM: INVASION (New for 2020)

Enter the dystopian wasteland after dark as THE SWARM has invaded, leaving a path of carnage and desolation in its wake. Head with caution as you pass through this alien infested landscape and pray you aren’t abducted by these other-worldly extra-terrestrials. THE SWARM: INVASION – the end is now.

This scare zone attempts to convey a narrative across SWARM Island and relies mainly on the existing theming in the area. The route was a bit too open and there were fewer actors, but the armed alien soldiers were definitely menacing and we found some of the rehearsed scenes to be rather visually powerful.

The FEARSTIVAL Arena (New for 2020)

A mysterious menagerie has rolled into the heart of the Island, but is it all just smoke and mirrors? Step into the dusty and dilapidated FEARSTIVAL Arena and witness the notorious Compère and their freakish cast astonish and disturb their willing spectators. This cabaret of carnage may sound fun, but will you leave shaking in FEAR or grinning in awe?  

With both roaming characters and a short show on the main stage, The FEARSTIVAL Arena successfully animates the centre of the park and creates a very creepy atmosphere. It's got a kind of carnival feel to it and the actors were making the most of what they had to work with.

Screamplexx Cinema

Nothing says Halloween like a terrifying horror movie marathon, so take a break from the thrills in the Screamplexx 4D! From 3pm, grab your popcorn and settle into your seat as you devour a series of tantalisingly terrifying short films…plus a few spooky surprises along the way…

The actors did a great job enticing people into the attraction, now taken over by Studio 13, and once inside an amusing pre-show warms up the audience before a couple of horror shorts are presented on the big screen. Some of the cinema's effects are used including smoke, lighting, leg ticklers and jolting seats. The films are presented by Bloody Cuts.

Terror at Amity High

It’s Prom Night at Amity High and the teens of Amity Cove invite you to join their bloodthirsty festivities up at Make-Out Point behind the old Speedway.  But these are no ordinary high schoolers – they’re always on the lookout for fresh young blood to join their gang. Stay calm, try to blend in and hopefully you’ll survive the night…

Billed as a scare zone, the Amity Speedway area includes some Amity High students standing around in a menacing way as guests make their way over to Stealth. The young vampires may try to block your path or chase you across the plaza.

The Howling of LycanThorpe High (New for 2020)

Chill out in the twilight with the students of LycanThorpe High but keep your wits about you and pray the moon isn’t full - these creatures can be a more than a little boisterous. New for 2020, you’re invited to The Howling of LycanThorpe High and they’re on the hunt for new recruits – but be warned, their bite is worse than their bark!

Similar to Terror at Amity High but this time with the werewolf students of LycanThorpe High lurking around a school bus converted into a DJ booth. As the interaction with guests seemed a bit limited it didn't quite come together, but this was possibly due to being located in a quiet area of the park.

Although both of the areas were a bit underwhelming on their own, there was a real treat at the end of the event when the students of Amity High and LycanThorpe High came together for an epic dance battle. The performance included a brilliantly choreographed routine set to music along with lighting and smoke effects. The performers put on an impressive show and it was one of the highlights of the event.

For the first time THORPE PARK has made the whole theme park part of the FRIGHT NIGHTS experience, and this has significantly improved the overall atmosphere of the event. We have to commend the whole team responsible for putting on one of the best iterations of the event despite the considerable limitations and complexities of doing so in these challenging times.

If you're able to go, make sure that you're prepared for something different to previous years, still packed with all the fear and terror that you would expect, plus plenty of scares delivered by a superb cast of actors.

FRIGHT NIGHTS FEARSTIVAL continues on 16th October - 1st November 2020, with the park open 10am-9pm every day.

Book now:

• Thorpe Park Fright Nights Tickets
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