Chessington Howl'o'ween 2017
Chessington have been celebrating Halloween for over 20 years in some shape or form, but it is in recent years, where they have added more and more scare based entertainment to the line up, including Hocus Pocus Hall Live, Mystery of Hocus Pocus Hall and The Vampire: The Haunting in the Hollows.
All have been very entertaining and perfectly targeted at thrill seeking youngsters, but for 2017, the park decided they wanted to get scary. And by that we mean REALLY scary! In the search for a new location, the closed Creepy Caves were identified and over the summer period has been gutted and completely transformed . The transformation itself was no easy task – the floors inside the animal cages obviously contained animal waste so couldn’t just be binned, and some of the walls were nearly two feet thick ( the building used to be part of a polar bear enclosure before the critters moved in!)
The work and effort involved was definitely worth it, as the finished attraction is stunning. Mixing a theatrical story line with some very aggressive scares and monsters, Creepy Caves Unearthed actually had a few more scares that some of its counterparts at other Merlin parks! It genuinely was that scary and we saw many people running out the end terrified. It doesn’t help that despite a 12 + age restriction people were still trying to take their kids in, thinking it was just another family attraction. In our group we saw several absolutely traumatised kids and the actors weren’t going easy on them! We were genuinely surprised at the intensity of this attraction and felt the re purposing of the reptile enclosures was perfectly execute,d especially with some of the enclosures providing some great hiding places for the very lively actors!
Returning to the event is the Curse of the Lost Tomb, which has had a few technical tweaks during its build. The show is a more family friendly experience, which still manages some great jumps and an engaging atmosphere. The sets are really detailed and immersive and the actors along the way are more theatrical than scary. Saying that, the actors mixed with the multiple stunning effects and combined to make a scarily fun show that left this group of adults screaming It’s a perfect training ground for scare attraction enthusiasts of the future!
By adding the scare maze, Chessington have really ensured their line up includes something for everyone. Adults and very brave older kids can do the Caves, brave smaller kids can do the Tombs and toddlers can enjoy Room on the Broom story telling session, the Halloween theming around the park, and a fun flash mob in the main square. Not bad for a family theme park!
All have been very entertaining and perfectly targeted at thrill seeking youngsters, but for 2017, the park decided they wanted to get scary. And by that we mean REALLY scary! In the search for a new location, the closed Creepy Caves were identified and over the summer period has been gutted and completely transformed . The transformation itself was no easy task – the floors inside the animal cages obviously contained animal waste so couldn’t just be binned, and some of the walls were nearly two feet thick ( the building used to be part of a polar bear enclosure before the critters moved in!)
The work and effort involved was definitely worth it, as the finished attraction is stunning. Mixing a theatrical story line with some very aggressive scares and monsters, Creepy Caves Unearthed actually had a few more scares that some of its counterparts at other Merlin parks! It genuinely was that scary and we saw many people running out the end terrified. It doesn’t help that despite a 12 + age restriction people were still trying to take their kids in, thinking it was just another family attraction. In our group we saw several absolutely traumatised kids and the actors weren’t going easy on them! We were genuinely surprised at the intensity of this attraction and felt the re purposing of the reptile enclosures was perfectly execute,d especially with some of the enclosures providing some great hiding places for the very lively actors!
Returning to the event is the Curse of the Lost Tomb, which has had a few technical tweaks during its build. The show is a more family friendly experience, which still manages some great jumps and an engaging atmosphere. The sets are really detailed and immersive and the actors along the way are more theatrical than scary. Saying that, the actors mixed with the multiple stunning effects and combined to make a scarily fun show that left this group of adults screaming It’s a perfect training ground for scare attraction enthusiasts of the future!
By adding the scare maze, Chessington have really ensured their line up includes something for everyone. Adults and very brave older kids can do the Caves, brave smaller kids can do the Tombs and toddlers can enjoy Room on the Broom story telling session, the Halloween theming around the park, and a fun flash mob in the main square. Not bad for a family theme park!
Chessington Howl'o'ween 2014
Chessington World of Adventures is predominantly a family theme park and over the years have tried many different types of attraction to celebrate Halloween. In 2012 they ventured just a little bit darker and introduced the Haunting in the Hollows, a genuinely scary attraction that upped the scare level in the park and last year Hocus Pocus Hall saw a transformation into a brand new attraction. Now in 2014 - the whole event has been re-branded into Howl'o'ween and we were recently invited along for a sneak peek at the line up (plus the chance to try a few rides in the dark!)
Despite the name change - there isn't much to differentiate the old Hocus Pocus from Howl'o'ween. The two signature attractions remain the same as last year, but the park has focussed on new entertainment offerings such as the Pumpkin High School of Rock, and the Hairy and Scary shows. Both were entertaining for smaller guests and the chance to get up close to some creepy crawlies is always a highlight for most kids at Halloween!
The scariest attraction in the Chessington line up is Vampire; Haunting in the Hollows and it still surprises us quite how scary this can be inside a family theme park. The whole attraction builds up successfully from outdoor sections to a truly intense finale that left both the adults and kids in our group jumping in fright. The show is a mix of character led narrative with a couple of surprises along the way, as well as some high impact scares. It is impressive how the park have managed to keep this attraction on the right side of scary. It's certainly very jumpy and it's subject matter (bodies drained of blood coming back to life) is actually quite adult in content yet the park have managed to create something that will appeal to young and old. Just make sure you have a firm grip on your young ones when you go through- not for them though - it's just a good excuse for you to have something warm and comforting to grab onto!
The Mystery of Hocus Pocus Hall is back this year with another mix of mystery, mild peril and impressive storytelling. As before - the attraction is a complete makeover of Hocus Pocus Hall and creates an exciting magical experience that is immersive and entertaining
The building is once again unrecognisable, but some of the standing effects (trommel tunnel and mirror maze) are used to great effect and complement the story. The main show seemed a little less scary than last year (there were less sudden appearances by actors) but the mirror maze was populated by a number of unnerving creatures lurking around every corner which left smaller members of our group a bit nervous. The whole design and concept of The Mystery of Hocus Pocus Hall is a brilliant use of the existing attraction and could easily be changed out in future with different" lands" to keep the attraction fresh.
The building is once again unrecognisable, but some of the standing effects (trommel tunnel and mirror maze) are used to great effect and complement the story. The main show seemed a little less scary than last year (there were less sudden appearances by actors) but the mirror maze was populated by a number of unnerving creatures lurking around every corner which left smaller members of our group a bit nervous. The whole design and concept of The Mystery of Hocus Pocus Hall is a brilliant use of the existing attraction and could easily be changed out in future with different" lands" to keep the attraction fresh.
Chessington have to be praised for the professionalism and level of detail in both these shows and the fact that neither of them talk down or condescend their target audience. Hocus Pocus Hall was magical with a few darker scary elements and the Vampire walk was just scary. Many people will leave Chessington off their to do list this year and that would be a grave mistake. The park is a perfect place for families and a great way to get your kids into something a bit scarier.
For opening times and details check out the Chessington World of Adventures website
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