THE OVERALL EVENT…

WOO – Entertainment | WOO – Side SHows | BOO – Roaming Characters

Fright Nights is consistently a top-tier annual event, and while there may only be one new maze addition, the park features plenty of updates throughout the entire resort. The general entertainment this year was probably the best we’ve seen in recent years: Lucifer’s Lair was pumping out immense fire effects, and the electric atmosphere at Creature Campus was driven by the new show, SHOCK to the system! Combined with the scare zones and live music outside of the dedicated shows, there is abundant entertainment to keep you busy.

We did note, however, that the roaming characters, a feature Thorpe Park has done well in the past, seemed lacking this year; we didn’t notice any special or new additions in this area. Conversely, the side attractions score highly by default, as the park’s permanent rides provide excellent entertainment outside of the Halloween attractions. Hyperia is always fantastic to ride at night, on top of SAW: The Ride, which is one of the world’s most prominent horror-franchise coasters.

Trailers

WOO – Concept | WOO – Enjoyment | BOO – Actor Utilisation

Stiches

WOO – Storytelling | WOO – Audio & Lighting | BOO – Flow

Lucifer’s Lair Hell Fire SHow

WOO – SFX | WOO – Enjoyment | BOO – Screams

Purgatory Town – new for 2025

WOO – Actor performance | WOO – Concept | BOO – Screams

As the sun sets in Big Easy Boulevard at Thorpe Park, all lost souls come out to play. Purgatory Town is the new scare zone for 2025, where the condemned wander the streets, dying to meet you as they await their souls to cross over. The zone features minimal theming, with just a few key props established in the area. The highlight of Purgatory Town is undoubtedly the cast; their performance is incredible, providing plenty of laughs and fun through highly interactive encounters. For instance, we watched a drunken pirate character run around the area after the rest of the cast stole his bottle of rum—simple, effective fun. While it is a fun area, there were very few scares or screams, making it more about enjoyment and atmosphere. Perhaps the park can find a way to integrate some genuine frights later? The concept is a clever one, allowing the park to create genius characters to take up residence in an area that previously had very little going on. This new zone successfully brings entertainment to the Big Easy Boulevard area, positioning it closer to the Creature Campus show, Lucifer’s Lair, and the Trailers maze.