Halloween is here and for the first time ever we went to The Howl Scream Park to experience the parks 5 top class mazes. Located at Mead Farm The Howl is home to Hotel De Basquervilles, Topper’s Twister, The Shed, Squealers Yard, House of Hounds and a Street Theatre. All of these offer a very different experience and one in particular gave us some of the best fright experiences ever!
House of Hounds
I did no research on the park before going so everything was a surprise for me, which is rare yet proved excellent at the same time and this started in the House of Hounds.
Afterwards it became apparent most people knew the ending to this, however I wasn’t one of these people. The House of Hounds takes you into the maze full of cages based around some freaky looking dogs, walking through the cages provides you with jumps and smoke but to be honest nothing with a great theme and nothing truly scary. Except at the end of the maze where you are greeted with side cushions waist height which you make your way through. From here this massive hound head springs your way as you fight to get out of the way which is easier said than done, to be fair I took a dive to the floor to get out of the way! Such a good ending to the maze something I hadn’t seem coming and it saved the maze from being ordinary, a solid 7/10.
Hotel De Basquervilles
The hotel was the one with the longest queue all night and was possibly the best looking maze. Entering a hotel full of inhabitants you are greeted by workers and occupants alike as you make your way through the maze. Every room from kitchen, lounge and kitchens are present and frights wait around every corner. The maze itself is very creepy but not really that scary, a few actors were hiding but generally the maze seemed to play on your fears that you might actually be staying there, unlike the Hounds the maze didn’t have a great ending whilst the rest of the maze did look amazing so again 7/10.
The Shed
This maze was all about bangs and frights and whilst a simple theme was presented, it was presented in a brilliant way. Walking into what is just a shed like theme it takes what many have abandoned in their own sheds and uses it as a theme of clutter as you make your way in and out of the building. Many frights along the way the theme really immersed you in the maze and experience with a brilliant yet very simple ending which we won’t spoil, a fantastic maze 8/10.
Topper’s Twister
The clowns are out in force in Topper’s Twister and to be fair for anyone who follows out episodes knows we have never found clown mazes very scary and tend not to like them. But this one continues from the Big Top trend and really sticks out as a fun yet jumpy experience. Inside lays a typical clown maze, bright colours, strobes are joined by uneven floors and some tight spaces, clowns hide behind curtains, in walls and around the corner ready to make you jump and they do a great job. Possible one of the best experiences was the spinning tunnel which went at a terrifying rate, an actor stops you on there (no idea how) and I was very close to falling over and took me a while to get the balance back! Once again a great simple car at the end made most of the group jump it was so much fun, 9/10
Squealers Yard
A real immersive maze