6 October 2023
Tulley’s Shocktoberfest Scream Park returns for its 27th year and they are ready to put on one of the best events around once again. For those who have somehow missed the name in the last 26 years, Shocktoberfest is one of the largest Halloween events in Europe, boasting eleven attractions, numerous food & drink options, a large team of roaming characters and a whole host of other surprises.
You can find this event between London & Brighton in a place called Crawley and it is recommended to drive to Tulleys Farm, as we’ve always done as the best way to get to the venue. There are bus, train and taxi routes available also, and if you head to the official website, a full list of details are provided there to assist you.
Tulley’s Shocktoberfest is a premium experience and tickets do range in price depending on the package you are wanting and when you buy tickets. Limited tickets do start selling from February and throughout the year and the earlier you get the tickets, the cheaper it will be. With plenty of options available, it is worth noting what works best for you and your group before going. All mazes and shows are unlimited to experience and this is included in your standard Xscream pass, though it may not be possible to take on all the attractions on a busy night. For those wanting some fastrack, you can purchase a 3, 6 and 11 fast pass ticket to skip the queues for some, if not all of the attractions. For those wanting fastrack all night, you can buy the RIP bundle and for those looking to attend the event multiple times, why not get a season pass?
This event is open throughout the last part of September and selected dates in October, with it being open from either 5/6pm all the way through to 11:30pm. With such a long time at the event, check out below our thoughts of 2023 and being back for yet another year…
Our thoughts for 2023…
Another year and another visit to this incredible event and with some new changes and additions, we were very excited to experience many of the mazes and attractions as always. As we entered into the event, there was a swarm of roaming characters that were more than happy to get in your face right away. The clowns provided our first scares as we tried to make a break into the main event arena.
This year the roaming actors had a great presence around the whole event, which is impressive to do as there is such a large ground to cover. We met most of the actors and had many interactions with them over the course of the night. One of our favourite moments of our visit was on the main stage in the main arena as you enter the event, as all of the roaming actors join the band on stage each with a song about them, as they dance away with everyone at the front. Keep an eye out for this later in the evening.
The Wastelands area was also very good with another year of an intense fireshow. This has changed up from last year and the cast really went full out when we watched it, with the use of grinders, flame throwers and even a little show going on between the roaming characters amongst the 360 fire show.
We found our time at the event was enjoyed so much, that time flashed by and it quickly came to an end. There is so much to see & cover as always and we could easily redo this event this year as we had such a great time. Below we rate and review each of the eleven attractions.
To know more about the ratings before you read below, do click here!
Doom Town
Theming 100% | Storyline 85% | Screams 65% | Laughs 80% | Actors 80%
Doom Town has an insane theme as you step back into an 80s video game as you enter into a real town with a hoard of zombies. Taking a classic zombie theme, but they have brought it to life with such a range of characters and scenes you travel across, like if the world was actually swarmed with zombies in the 80s. From a church, a chinese takeaway shop to the hairdressers, you wouldn’t believe how realistic Doom Town is. This is the future of theming we expect to see in mazes that have a large budget and attraction, like Tulley’s do. The actors provided some decent scares but this year, we found them much more comical as each character was very different to the last. This is one of the best mazes you will encounter here and across the UK and it provides a horrifying essence of what Halloween attractions should provide as an experience.
Chop Shop
Theming 65% | Storyline 80% | Screams 90% | Laughs 45% | Actors 95%
Chop Shop is always known to be one of the more scarier mazes at the event and each year when you feel like you know what is going to happen, you will become more immune to the intensity. Yet, we feel the opposite as we get more jumpier, more scared and running through the maze much quicker than ever before. The actors this year are truly a highlight to this attraction from giving a detailed story at the start of their hillbilly garage, before terrorising you in the second half in the endless corridors of chainsaw wielding maniacs! We had the chance to do this maze twice and would advise for the best experience is to wait until it is dark outside, to have the best immersive run of Chop Shop but, during the day still provides plenty of top frights.
Wastelands Penitentiary
Theming 80% | Storyline 85% | Screams 70% | Laughs 45% | Actors 75%
Wastelands Penitentiary is always a strong and solid attraction each year since it joined the lineup. This was the maze that set a new boundary level for immersion level in theming, actors and story telling. This indoor maze contains a number of rooms you would come across in a prison and tells a story with the actors as you travel through very clearly. The intensity builds up the further you travel in before the ending section provides chaos in a strobe filled jail. Everything this year was still commendable and satisfying as previous years but with the scares and actors needing some minor improvements, which we are sure to see change as the Halloween season progresses. Another attraction not to miss.
Haunted Hayride 666 – Updated for 2023
Theming 80% | Storyline 85% | Screams 50% | Laughs 85% | Actors 90%
Haunted Hayride has been a long running attraction and a fan favourite year upon year and this year, they have changed things up with it now being known as The Haunted Hayride 666. Whilst everything seems the same, the new route takes you down a darker path with new scenes and characters around each corner. For those who love this hayride, don’t threat as the overall concept still remains the same. The new scenes were terrifying to see as we travelled through and there is still so many recognisable moments from years past. Of course we lost our favourite characters being the dancing nuns however, we love the addition of the Christmas Chainsaws and more innuendos than ever before being used. As always, Haunted Hayride only works thanks to the dedicated actors who provide many laughs, a handful of screams and provide the short story moments with the time they have with you. We certainly approve and like the changes for this year!
The Cellar
Theming 65% | Storyline 60% | Screams 65% | Laughs 40% | Actors 55%
The Cellar is what we would like to class as a middle of the pack attraction. It provides everything you would want to experience in a maze, from terrifying actors coming at you from all angles, a decent storyline and numerous cool themed rooms you travel through. With this said, it is a very forgettable maze amongst the rest of the strong lineup the event has. We feel the actors were some of the weakest in here this year but, they still did provide moments that had us jumping and made great use of the space when we did find them lurking around the cellar.
Creepy Cottage
Theming 65% | Storyline 60% | Screams 50% | Laughs 40% | Actors 70%
Creepy Cottage is one of the oldest mazes being longest running at the event, and over the last few years, we have felt it’s time was up. This year, it was a pleasant surprise with some revamped scenes and the actors were really stepped up, more so than ever before. It felt a lot more passion went into this attraction this year and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. For those who have never been, this is always a good start maze for your visit, and it still is, but for 2023 we feel the team overall have stepped up and we wouldn’t be opposed to seeing it return next year.
Hell-elements
Theming 15% | Storyline 50% | Screams 25% | Laughs 15% | Actors 45%
Hell-Elements is the events hooded maze and these are known not to always be the scariest for some. Unfortunately, it was the weakest maze for us during our visit and provides very little in terms of screams & laughs. The actors we did come across did provide a few jumpy moments and the effects are always cool to see. The new introduction video (or one we don’t remember) was a nice start to this attraction. Ultimately, we believe the maze needs a huge revamp or to be cut from the lineup for next season.
Coven of 13
Theming 65% | Storyline 60% | Screams 65% | Laughs 30% | Actors 70%
Coven of 13 is the witch themed maze and is another maze that we feel falls very much in the middle of the pack. This year, it was noticed from the very start that the maze has had a little revamp and starts very differently from how we remember it. The new start was a welcomed change as it was super disorinating and provides an eerie start before you encounter the creatures. We had many memorable moments this year from the maze, with the most stand out being the witches chanting a ritual as you enter into the village. This was something we’ve not encountered before and really set us on edge as we had to walk through. As they talk to you in their native tongue, it’s super unnerving all the way and our love for the ending is always a stand out moment. Another good and scary year for Coven and to top it off, the new bar area outside the maze and soundtrack really helps get you in the mood before stepping inside.
Electrick Circus
Theming 65% | Storyline 55% | Screams 60% | Laughs 65% | Actors 80%
Electrick Circus is a really fun clown attraction, and takes a unique twist on your classic maze and very different to how others have designed theirs. With it having a more electrifying nature about it, the actors have a spark about them as they jitter around and provide a beam of horrifying scares as you make your way through the circus. This maze has also had some touch ups and improvements and we have seen a range of new animatronics around which are quite cool to see, as we don’t get to see these in many mazes now days. Overall, the actors have found their space in this attraction and not one moment was bland, boring or repetitive.
The Island
Theming 50% | Storyline 40% | Screams 25% | Laughs 20% | Actors 45%
The Island is one of the larger mazes at the event and is mainly outdoors with a handful of sections that go indoors. This year, we didn’t see many changes and it continued to have a range of chaotic inhabitants lurking around, planning to get you everywhere and anywhere. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the best run through and actually got lost in the dark corridors within the maze however, we managed to work out the route in the end. There were some good moments inside but none that were terrifying or scary for us. Overall, it is a good starting attraction and is more worth seeing at night.
THE Circus of Horrors
Theming 60% | Storyline 65% | Screams 35% | Laughs 100% | Actors 100%
The Circus of Horrors is the returning show and has a residency at the event for the last few years. They provide a number of shows throughout the evening where you can witness some terrific circus acts that are death-defying & horrifying. We understand each performance is slightly different, during our show we managed to catch Camp Dracula with his naughty puns, in-between the acts that were going to come out. We got to witness an amazing aeriel artist, a pain man who stapled playing cards to his bum and plenty of dancing and other pieces. Overall, the actors and funny side to Circus of Horrors really make this show and is certainly a must watch this year.
Overall, Tulley’s Shocktoberfest is another year of premium experiences and spooktacular atmosphere. For 2023, they have now introduced the event as 16+ and ID’s for all have to be shown upon entry. With this policy now in place, we believe more puns and the scare factor has been turned up to create one of the best years yet. With so many different elements across the farm, pulling together to make this a truly large scale production work, is always incredible to see. As you won’t see many other events get to the scale of this event, and have the experience in producing an incredible, perfected scream park experienced.
For us, we have attended for so many years now and each year, we are able to find new changes or upgrades that keep it fresh enough to keep returning. Equally, each year we find new features that we love and this year, the highlights are for sure the Wastelands fireshow, Circus of Horrors and the roaming characters. This is to show you that the mazes are not the only thing to enjoy when coming to these events and everything else around it really does help.
We enjoyed plenty of food & drink at the event, with us trying out the boneless chicken with different sauces in the food court & the noodles. All was delicious and wanted us going back for seconds. We had the Tulley’s own lager and dark fruits and these were perfectly fine. It is good to note with the drinks for 2023, that to reduce the use of one time use plastics, you will have to pay £1 for a cup which you can keep at the end of the event. These cannot be taken in the mazes but when you get to the front of the queue, there is a bin to put the cup in and they’ll give you a token to keep for your next drink, which is a fantastic idea.
A huge thank you to the team at Ed Hopkins PR for inviting us down, they provided us 3x unlimited fastrack for the evening for the first Saturday of the event. With this said, the event was pretty quiet and you could get many of the mazes done without a wait at all, so we highly recommend you check them out sooner rather than later before it gets busier later on in the season.
We had permission to film and take photos, which we have highlighted more on the event over on our TikTok. Have you visited this scream park? Let us know over on our socials… #WeDareYou
Attractions 80%
Entertainment 95%
Atmosphere 95%
value for money 60%
uniqueness 55%
@thrillnation 🎃 @Tulleys Shocktober Fest 📍 Crawley #tulleysfarm #tulleysshocktoberfest #shocktoberfest #halloween #event #scaremaze #scarwactor #show #entertainment #pyro #crawley #gatwick ♬ Lets Go Gaming - sofians
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