10 October 2026
INTRODUCTION
This October, Doncaster Fear Factory returns bigger, better and darker than ever before. Coming back for its 7th year now, they have plenty of returning favourites and new experiences to keep you occupied. With the launch of The Mortician, a brand new scare maze, 2 new scare zones across the scare park and even a brand new bar experience, Doncaster Fear Factory is continuing to grow and dominate.
With the event now being in its 7th year, we have seen the event grow from just having 3 attractions when we visited in 2021, to now having 5 standout mazes, multiple scare zones, themed bar experiences and even a stage show. The team have had to battle the council, for their name and everything in-between to keep the event going over the years, and it’s great to see them continuing to grow.
Doncaster Fear Factory is on throughout October on selected dates. Standard tickets get you one time access to the mazes, with fast track also being on offer to skip the queues. Found in Doncaster at Thornhurst Manor, they have a woodland setting for the event which is open from 6:30pm till 11pm.
We previewed the event during the press event they put on, allowing us once again to be some of the first to see what they have created for the 2026 Halloween season.
KEY INFO
Location – Doncaster
Operational Dates – Select Dates in October & 1st Nov
Opening Time – 6:30pm
Closing Time – 11pm
Cost – £33 standard, £53 fastrack
Attraction Count – 5 mazes + 3 scare zones
Time Spent – 4 hours
Top Tip – head to the attractions at the back first (quinlens & The Mortician)
THE OVERALL EVENT…
WOO – Variety & Quality | WOO – Entertainment | BOO – Operations
Doncaster Fear Factory have really come into their own with some excellent elements for the UK scare industry. For example, the facades for their latest mazes such as Shellton Motel and Quinlen & Co have been some of the best in the UK. They also have a great level overall of the variety of the attractions, from the new Mortician maze having a French overlay with a death theme, Shellton Motel being an American style motel and Diabolus being a spiritual church style attraction. Where they need to continue to work on is their operations, as the queues can move a little slow with extended gaps and during busy periods, potentially long wait times. With a busy event, it is a difficult balance and the use of fast track and entertainment does help. Leading on to their entertainment offerings, they have a brand new stage show with enhancements from last year, with shows every 40 minutes, containing lights, Halloween hits and a full dance crew in operator uniforms. It’s great to see this grow and we look forward to seeing more in future years.
The Mortician
WOO – Storytelling
The new maze, The Mortician, is heavily story based. With a detailed back story on the website and that follows with an introduction scene as you step in the maze, even before you enter with a video shown before you go in. Throughout, that story expands and you become immersed into that story and feel a part of it. Getting to step into the Dr Dubious world was a fantastic dark, twisted story that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
BOO – Audio
There was plenty of audio used throughout The Mortician, however nothing remained standout in how they used it and what they used. It was the most forgettable part of the attraction, hence why we think it needs to be improved.
WOO – Screams
The way this attraction is designed, it feels impossible not to be scared. They have tight pathways where scares will come from every side, up close and guaranteed to get you jumping. The characters inside took advantage of their spaces, with no room from start to end being safe. Getting scared from the beginning, with the intensity picking up as you ventured further in. For its first year, they have created a monster.
Quinlens & Co
WOO – Theming
Back for its second season and it still looks as amazing as it did in its first year. From the facade, to the introduction scene, constantly giving that Victorian setting all the way through. There are many great set scenes inside which blend you into their immersive world and really are standout in the UK scare industry.
BOO – Audio
Once again, audio does feature inside this maze but it still feels like one of the weaker elements of this attraction. They do have a lot of different sets, from the bakery, the sewers and tunnels, and it would be great to see audio play more of a dominant role inside.
WOO – Actor Performance
All of the inhabitants inside Quinlen & Co were fantastic. They were scary, creepy, frightening and just pure terrifying. There are no weak links and we had some of the most intense moments from this team of the night. Could they be the best cast of 2026?
Shellton Motel
WOO – Actor Utilisation
Shellton Motel is filled with plenty of hidden runs and routes for the cast to get around. This felt like they were everywhere, coming from windows, doorways and the dark. When you thought they were gone, you are wrong.
BOO – Audio
Shellton Motel does have some great audio but with the rest of the attraction being so standout, it just again felt a little on the weaker side. Don’t get us wrong, it’s hard to be standout in every element but we feel this could be upgraded to be more noticeable.
WOO – Theming
Shellton Motel is another standout maze for theming, same as Quinlen & Co. With them both launching last year, they have really gone all out with filling the rooms, walls and facade with a lot of detail, which doesn’t go unnoticed.
Friargate Foundry
WOO – Actor Performance
Friargate Foundry has so many different scenes which showcase previous attractions that have been at the event. This means the characters are so diverse and allows for the freedom of having all the different themes and acting styles. They managed to get up close and deliver those impact scares, whilst also mocking us in other rooms.
BOO – Lighting & SFX
Whilst there is plenty of lighting effects and sequences inside Friargate, it seems to be missing on the effects side of things. With so many sets and scenes, we definitely think they can find unique ways to implement cool effects throughout.
WOO – Storytelling
Friargate Foundry starts with a detailed story coming from the Operator himself. What was nice to also see is him feature at the end of the maze as you try to leave his foundry. It has a simple story that overlays the whole overall event and we love how this attraction’s story can constantly live on with adaptation year upon year.
Diabolus: Visum Mortis
WOO – Actor Performance
Diabolus’ standout element has to be the actors. With the tight corridors and a lot of darkness as you walk through the first half, the actors have to blend in and get you with the right timing. As you get to the end, they ramp up with more energy and scares.
BOO – Lighting & SFX
As a dark maze in the first half and simple second half, it is extremely limited on its lighting. It does pick up at the end with a strobe finale. The effects are limited, which we would love to see more of inside, but with it being its final year, we hope its replacement comes with more.
WOO – Enjoyment
We did really enjoy Diabolus, it is simple in what the attraction is but it has different layers and it’s a different style to the others, giving it a bit of variety. Whilst not our favourite, it had its place.
Uncle DOnks
WOO – Audio
Uncle Donks is a very small scare zone and therefore, its pumping clown soundtrack fills its space. It’s noticeable each time you pass through and very much enjoyed.
BOO – Screams
The characters only had limited space and they don’t have any hiding spaces, so the scares are really if you fear clowns, which for us isn’t a fear. It’ll be great for it to expand, cover a larger space and then more screams could be conjured.
WOO – Costume & Makeup
The clowns are very clear with their outfits and makeup. They like spooky and for those who do fear clowns, will find Uncle Donks pretty scary.
Gatekeepers
WOO – Costume & Makeup
This is the brand new scare zone at the front of the park and every guest has to pass through to get inside the fear factory. The costumes and masks they used were pretty freaky and blended well with the dark setting, blending in and out of the woodland and tents they’ve set up. Simple yet really effective.
BOO – Screams
As a starting scare zone, the scares were pretty weak. There is obviously a lot of people passing through to get into the event and therefore, going through like a conga does limit the experience you get when in smaller groups and that affects the scares.
WOO – Audio
The audio is very noticeable as you enter through here, building the tension as you’re about to start your first attraction as such when you enter. It fits the atmosphere of The Gatekeepers and it was great to hear some memorable audio.
Dugham Cemetery
WOO – Enjoyment
Dugham Cemetery is another new scare zone and this follows on from The Mortician scare maze. With the blend of maze and then scare zone, it does create further immersion. It was enjoyed overall with a large setting of funny graves but also a very spooky atmosphere.
BOO – Lighting & SFX
The zone had some simple lighting to keep the area lit enough to see and walk through but it wasn’t anything standout. The effects were limited to some smoke and shovels scraping but outside of that, that’s all. Another attraction we would like to see more effects where possible.
WOO – Actor Performance
The grave keepers did a great job of keeping the urgency when moving through their land. Getting personal and in your space and leading you onto the second half of the zone where you’ll find a possessed girl and a father who is trying to cleanse your soul. Out of the three scare zones, these guys managed to keep us entertained each time we went through and did not disappoint.
As you can see, Doncaster Fear Factory have come leaps and bounds over the years and now each season, they continue to showcase some of the best attractions around. With their incredible facades, haunting scare mazes and unique themes, it really does show you how an event in the woodlands is done. With 4 of the 5 mazes getting our 5 star rating, this really shows you this is an event not to miss this season.
A huge thank you to the team for inviting us to experience the event on their press preview night. They did provide us complimentary entry and some free drinks in return for our honest feedback, review and content.
Dates are already selling out, so don’t miss out. If you want to see a little more of inside the event, make sure to watch our video!
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