Scare City 2025 Review

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7 October 2025

INTRODUCTION

Scare City opens its world of terror once again, boosted by the uniquely haunting backdrop of the abandoned Camelot theme park in the North West of the UK. Voted one of the UK’s best scare events, Scare City has won awards in both 2023 and 2024 for different elements, and 2025 is set to be another thrilling year with 10 zones of fear along one continuous, multi-mile route.

Running on selected dates throughout October and early November, you must book a specific entrance time to start your journey. Once inside, you proceed along the 10 zones. The event offers two ticket options: Standard entry (from £29.50) and Gold Entry (from £44.50). The crucial difference is that Gold Entry provides Fast Track access to the main entrance and all zones, while Standard entry may require queuing between certain zones.

Held mostly outdoors with some indoor sections, Scare City is also one of the few horror events in the UK where you are allowed to photo and film throughout the experience!

KEY INFO

Location – Camelot Theme Park, Chorley
Operational Dates – Select nights 3rd Oct – 2nd Nov
Opening Time – 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Closing Time – 11pm approx
Cost – £32+
Attraction Count – 11 Zones
Time Spent – 2-3 hours

THE OVERALL EVENT…

WOO – Variety | WOO – Uniqueness | BOO – Side Shows

Scare City is always a highlight on our calendar when it comes to Halloween, defined by its captivating lighting, unique location, and terrifying trails of horror. The location is truly what makes it unique; hosted in the abandoned Camelot Theme Park, it possesses a haunting charm that Scare City masterfully utilizes. The entire event feels like a blend between a scare trail and a spectacular light experience due to the visual lighting effects used both inside and between the zones. Outside of these trails, however, the lack of ancillary entertainment is noticeable. At the entrance hub, there is a small bar, a merchandise stall, restrooms, and a simple football side game. We’ve certainly seen better event hubs in previous years and hope they further develop this area in the future. Despite this, Scare City offers immense variety. While all areas are technically listed as zones, some feel like full mini-mazes, while others are closer to traditional scare zones. They boast a plethora of distinct themes, with no two being the same, allowing them to change a few each year to keep the experience fresh for regular visitors.

Contained

WOO – Actor Performance | WOO – Storytelling | BOO – Flow

Contained is the first zone you encounter and immediately sets the story of the creatures that lurk in the dark. The narrative begins with a quarantine check that quickly goes wrong, thrusting you into a labyrinth where you must dodge and weave past these creatures for your own safety. While the story was a great start, the flow was unfortunately inconsistent; we often became bunched up at the halfway mark and in the first scene, causing a queue within the maze itself and losing the scariness and immersive atmosphere. However, the actors maintained excellent energy and creepiness throughout, ensuring their performances did not go unnoticed.

The Hollow

WOO – Screams | WOO – Actor Performance | BOO – Theming

The second zone was The Hollow, which took us into the dark woodland with shadows of creatures lurking in the campsite. The cast once again did an amazing job utilizing their open space and coming at us from all angles; even though the area was open and dimly lit, it felt like they were magically appearing. The theming does feel minimal, relying on the natural woodland and a few tents to set the scene, but this is made up for by the incredible scares and screams we experienced. With a terrifying stilt-walker monster and other killers grouping up to pursue us, we were left wanting to escape as quickly as possible!

Settlement

WOO – SFX | WOO – Flow | BOO – Screams

Settlement is the next zone, themed around a military/post-apocalyptic world. Here, we experienced excellent flow; we never caught up to any groups, and the actors were able to interact freely. While we encountered many different actors, we weren’t necessarily scared compared to the other zones, suggesting the overall intensity levels could be raised slightly. Settlement did, however, feature some unique special effects, such as actors wielding hand sparks, which are incredibly impressive and unnerving when used right in front of you.

Puppet Master

WOO – Concept | WOO – Enjoyment | BOO – Flow

Puppet Master took us inside the Toy Maker’s workshop, where you witness his creations spying on you, promising a truly terrifying time. The concept is a fun one, with the Toy Maker and his dolls providing a compelling overarching theme that isn’t too often used. The flow was unfortunately disrupted with a few bunching points, even from the very beginning, although the cast did try their best to split everyone as much as possible. The zone was a firm favorite of the night, and we thoroughly enjoyed the colorful lights and the unique take on childhood fears.

Infirmary

WOO – Theming | WOO – Actor Performance | BOO – SFX

The final maze before our halfway break was the Infirmary, a horror lab filled with insane patients who were far from happy to see us. The cast inside brought incredible energy, and we were left genuinely terrified by multiple actors working to split us up and pursue us. While the Infirmary does lack on the special effects side, the park makes up for it with detailed theming, featuring many scenes that looked both realistic and spooky.

Satan’s Soiree

WOO – Enjoyment | WOO – Actor Performance | BOO – Theming

Satan’s Soiree acts as the halfway break from the chaos of the other zones. Here, you can stop, grab a drink or a bite to eat, and watch some entertainment on the main stage. Unfortunately, we visited during Storm Amy, meaning we didn’t experience the full offering; the large marquee had to be taken down, and the stage offering was limited, as the high winds made it too dangerous for acts involving swords or fire juggling. While this was a slight disappointment, we greatly enjoyed the elements that were running, including some fire performances and the loud party music. The theming was a bit sparse—likely due to the storm constraints—but the actors still provided solid entertainment, and it was a lot of fun watching guests run around the area, trying to avoid them. The interaction was exactly what we look for in these events.

Castellum

WOO -SFX | WOO – Storytelling | BOO – Audio & Lighting

Castellum is the first zone of the second half of the trail, taking place inside the abandoned Camelot castle—a genuinely spooky venue. This year sees a strong vampire takeover, with a cohesive storyline that guides you through the area, featuring key scenes like a dining table, a ballroom, and the catacombs. The audio and lighting were a little simple throughout and could have been improved to create a more chilling atmosphere. However, Castellum includes some standout special effects; the most noticeable was the use of a bungee jump scare, which came out of nowhere and landed a perfect fright.

Abyss 2.0

WOO – Audio & Lighting | WOO – Flow| BOO – Actor performance & Utilisation

Abyss 2.0 is the zone where your fears are meant to come true. The maze is fairly short, consisting of a dark walkthrough that had a remarkably good flow, with us constantly moving without any holdups. However, this excellent flow was likely due to the unfortunate absence of actors or a limited cast during our run-through. As a result, nothing much happened in this zone, making it our weakest experience of the evening. The simple audio and lighting package used were appropriate, but we strongly felt this maze was designed to be a hooded or chain-following experience—a mechanic that was missing during our visit.

Carnivalley

WOO – Theming | WOO – Actor Performance | BOO – Storytelling

Carnivalley is the penultimate zone and is home to the classic clowns that everyone either loves or hates. This madhouse features plenty of circus theming, some fun elements like an inflatable maze and illusory effects, plus lots of carnival freaks to make you jump and scream. The theming is distinctive and clear, which is exactly what you want from a clown-themed attraction. The storyline felt limited, as there wasn’t much of a clear narrative, but the actors more than made up for it by providing plenty of entertaining moments that gave us both scares and laughs throughout.

The Slaughter House

WOO – Actor Performance | WOO – Screams | BOO – Concept

The final zone in this year’s Scare City lineup is The Slaughter House, which is an interesting decision given it served as the opening zone last year. This year sees notable improvements to the zone, with a new maze-like introduction where you can easily get lost and be tormented by the butchers. The cast were exceptional at delivering high-intensity scares, even though the core concept is quite basic. The team clearly worked hard to provide the best possible finale to the night, and we thought the repositioning and improvements were a success.

@thrillnation Who else wants to visit an abandoned theme park? @Scare City Experience #scarecityexperience #halloween #camelot #abandoned #scary ♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs - Skittlegirl Sound

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7 October 2025

INTRODUCTION

KEY INFO

Location – Camelot Theme Park, ChorleyOperational Dates – Select nights 3rd Oct – 2nd NovOpening Time – 6:30pm – 9:30pmClosing Time – 11pm approxCost – £32+Attraction Count – 11 ZonesTime Spent – 2-3 hours

THE OVERALL EVENT…

WOO – Variety | WOO – Uniqueness | BOO – Side Shows

Contained

WOO – Actor Performance | WOO – Storytelling | BOO – Flow

The Hollow

WOO – Screams | WOO – Actor Performance | BOO – Theming

Settlement

WOO – SFX | WOO – Flow | BOO – Screams

Puppet Master

WOO – Concept | WOO – Enjoyment | BOO – Flow

Infirmary

WOO – Theming | WOO – Actor Performance | BOO – SFX

Satan’s Soiree

WOO – Enjoyment | WOO – Actor Performance | BOO – Theming

Castellum

WOO -SFX | WOO – Storytelling | BOO – Audio & Lighting

Abyss 2.0

WOO – Audio & Lighting | WOO – Flow| BOO – Actor performance & Utilisation

Carnivalley

WOO – Theming | WOO – Actor Performance | BOO – Storytelling

The Slaughter House

WOO – Actor Performance | WOO – Screams | BOO – Concept

PHOTO GALLERY

Halloween Ratings

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Thorpe Park Fright Nights Ratings ()

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Thorpe Park Fright Nights Ratings ()

Thorpe Park Fright Nights Ratings ()

Thorpe Park Fright Nights Ratings ()

Thorpe Park Fright Nights Ratings ()

Thorpe Park Fright Nights Ratings ()

Thorpe Park Fright Nights Ratings ()

Thorpe Park Fright Nights Ratings ()

Location – Camelot Theme Park, Chorley
Operational Dates – Select nights 3rd Oct – 2nd Nov
Opening Time – 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Closing Time – 11pm approx
Cost – £32+
Attraction Count – 11 Zones
Time Spent – 2-3 hours