THE OVERALL EVENT…

WOO – Value for money | Boo – Roaming Characters | Woo – Uniqueness

We always love when a new event surfaces in the UK and Clacton Fear has been one in the making for many years now. Speaking with the passionate team earlier in the year, they wanted to make sure that when they did launch a scare event, it was done properly. We managed to get to the event during a press preview event, which allowed us to be some of the first to see the two new mazes and scare zone.

The 2 mazes can be found in the Jolly Roger theatre building at the back of the pier, which is usually home to some shows during the summer months. They have taken over the top floor, which guests haven’t been allowed up in quite some time and therefore, lots of work has had to happen to make it safe (and keep its creepy atmosphere).

What is great to see with the event is the value for money and what you are getting. With tickets being £25, you do get unlimited goes on the mazes, as much time in the scare zone as you want, and selected thrill rides on the pier. For a brand new event, it is really done well. As they are in year 1, they didn’t have any roaming characters unfortunately, outside of the scare zone hillbillies, but it would be nice in future years for them to take over the whole pier, creating a pure chaos environment all round. Having an event on the pier is pretty unique as not everyone can have the eeriness of the sea surrounding them and the bright lights of the fairground.

Mourning Manor Hotel

WOO – Storytelling | WOO – concept | BOO – actor utilisation

Mourning Manor Hotel is the other maze, which takes over the other half of the theatre. It has a great story to start you off with, as you meet Mrs Grady as she welcomes you into the manor hotel. Here, she explains that she is doing her best since her husband passed and she is trying to make sure everybody checking in has the best experience. She tells you not to worry about the guests not checking out but, that soon comes to haunt you as the story comes to an end and she tries to shoot you upon exit! A really clever story, which takes a sweet elderly character before twisting her to be the murderer in this tale. There were plenty of actors inside here as it was more show scenes however, this meant the actors couldn’t be used as effectively, due to them needing to be in their set rooms. They do roam a little bit however, they would look out of place if they went too far, so it is a hard balance for this type of attraction. Overall, Mourning Manor is a great concept for a seaside town, playing on a hotel setup with an old couple running the place, just feels as immersive and as genuine of a maze as you can get. Another standout attraction across the UK lineup this Halloween and we’re super impressed with what the team have managed to create in their first year.