Killer Clowns, Saint Sinisters, Project 13 & The Tunnel of Terror

Killer Clowns – WOO – enjoyment | Boo – storytelling | WOo – lighting & sfx

Saint Sinisters – WOO – theming | Boo – audio | WOo – screams

Project 13 – WOO – actor performance | Boo – audio | WOo – costume & makeup

The Tunnel of Terror – WOO – theming | Boo – enjoyment | WOo – screams 

There were so many standout moments in Scream Factory and these 4 zones really highlight that. You start your experience with the Killer Clowns and as a typical clown maze, they have done this well with a great UV overlay to the maze, which was lengthy with plenty of scares. The clowns were right up in your face, intimidating and loud, meaning the scares came thick and fast. St Sinister’s had incredible theming and was a true highlight of the night, with so many hospital-based props with blood splatters across a large space. Every corner you turned, there was just so much to take in. They have created a true immersive attraction that guests wish to be in. On top of that, they were big on the scares and we were left frightened.

The Tunnel of Terror took you down into the mines where you walked amongst the infected with gas masks on. With so many low light sections in this maze, it meant that they could scare you constantly, getting scare after scare after scare. With some tight corridors and the gas mask faces popping out of everywhere, it was simple but effective. We also had Project 13, which is one of the brand new zones for 2026, which takes you into the latest government project. This is where they have taken some of the worst people over time and tried to rehabilitate them in this facility. You are given a tour of the place and come across some familiar creatures along the way who may or may not have changed. The actors inside played their characters well and created some truly fantastic moments, and the costumes and makeup side of things were impressive. A really good addition for Scream Factory.

Garden of lost souls, waking the dead, chemical cavern & the restless hallows

Garden of lost souls – WOO – costume & makeup | Boo – concept | WOo – actor performance 

Waking the dead – WOO – actor utilisation | Boo – lighting & sfx | WOo – costume & makeup

Chemical Cavern – WOO – concept | Boo – audio | WOo – lighting & sfx

The restless hallows – WOO – actor performance | Boo – screams | WOo – costume & makeup 

These next zones were some of the shorter and snappier sections in Scream Factory. Chemical Cavern had a fantastic facade of rockwork and a skull blended in. As you step inside, you can see absolutely nothing. It is pure smoke and some dim lights. That is the whole zone unfortunately, but it does what the name says and it does make you lose all sense of where you are and how long you will be in there. The next 3 attractions, being Waking the Dead, The Restless Hallows and Garden of Lost Souls, kind of blended in as one zone for us. Looking back, it was hard to work out where each zone started and ended and from what we could work out, it would seem there is a blend of themes as they are very similar. Waking the Dead was your classic zombie style attraction, moving around an outdoors section, dodging and weaving from the zombies, which looked very scary with their impressive makeup. The Restless Hallows, which was the shortest zone, had an actor with the hearse who was ready to guide you on the right path. The interaction we had with this character was fantastic, as he kept us talking and interacting in this walkway. Then you entered the Garden of Lost Souls, which had inhabitants who roamed the forest lands but were just a little friendlier than the zombies. Again the cast had brilliant costume and makeup design, with a more ghoulish style to them and just overall freakiness about them. Whilst they did blur, there were still fantastic moments across all the zones and overall, it was great to have a mixture of different themes, elements and characters within them.

THe blood Shed, A twist in reality, kirkleatham playthings & meat the mechanics

The blood shed – WOO – costume & makeup | Boo – audio | WOo – storytelling 

A twist in reality – WOO – audio | Boo – storytelling | WOo – lighting & sfx 

Kirkleatham Playthings – WOO – enjoyment | Boo – theming | WOo – lighting & sfx

Meat The Mechanics – WOO – actor performance | Boo – audio | WOo – theming 

The final four zones we got to experience were a mixture of some great and some weak. Starting with The Blood Shed, this was a simple zone with a butcher in a shed. It was very minimalistic and low on characters, which was a shame. We would have loved to have seen a bit more theming and characters in here. Also we have A Twist in Reality, which was arguably the shortest zone of the night. It did have a large bear hidden away and a pretty fast spinning tunnel which gets you dizzy, but outside of that, this zone was over before it began.

Meat The Mechanics was completely the opposite, with plenty of mechanics and plenty of theming. With a large gas station piece of theming surrounded by a town on the outside, it looked the part. They also had some incredible characters who did a lot of interacting, being creepy and making you feel not welcome in their part of the world. It worked really well as a zone and was very much enjoyed. Lastly we have Kirkleatham Playthings, which is an attraction that takes away your sight with blindfolds. Therefore, the theming was limited to the first room we saw, as for the rest, your other senses have to work a little harder. From wet things being placed on your hand, being prodded on your sides and even getting tickled, they had all bases covered. It was nice to see a hooded attraction as such be more fun, with lots of techniques used to scare you. The best part is when the actors mocked us about going into a tunnel, but we don’t even think there was one!