WHAT: Fear at Avon Valley Scream Park
WHERE: Avon Valley Adventure & Wildlife Park (Pixash Ln, Bath Rd, Keynsham, Bristol BS31 1TP)
WHEN: Saturday 14th October – Sunday 29th October 2023
PRICE: £35-£195.00 (for their most VIP packages)
OUR RATING: Do It!
This Halloween season if you’re looking for a big scare night to give you the spooky boost you need, we recommend Fear at Avon Valley Scream Park for one heck of a bloody good night. With two gigantic and immersive scare zones, five incredible and interactive scare mazes, an additional add-on Exorcism, fair rides and games, stage shows, food and drinks galore and the best roaming scare actors around, Fear is certainly THE place to be. They provide the full terrifying Halloween experience with endless hours of fun in sight! We visited Fear at Avon Valley Scream Park for the first time last year, and while the mazes stay the same, we think Avon has really amped up the intensity of the actors and their electric atmosphere – they offer unforgettable frights!
The immersive experience starts right at the beginning – as soon as you grab your tickets from the box office you enter a tunnel through the mouth of a gigantic clown, only to be shot out into the world of Fear, which starts with the Stidham Village zone. This small village in England is home to a travelling circus, the inhabitants of which roam the streets, guaranteed to give you a fright along with endless laughs. The main bar is located in this town, along with two food trucks, character meet and greet opportunities, and lots of interactive bits. Apparently Frank, one of the circus clowns has gone missing, so we followed all of the posters plastered around the town and scanned QR codes and rang phone numbers to try and investigate! This additional immersion was fantastic – definitely give the number a call!
There’s so much fun in store in this zone, including three mega fun fair rides, electric shock chairs to test your courage, and the main Titans of Terror stage show, which incorporates music, lights, and pyro with all of the roaming characters and which is guaranteed to give you a thrill. Even though we’d seen the performance before we actually watched it three times again that evening – the characters are just so great and bring such energy to the show, and it was a welcome respite while regaining our equilibrium from both the mazes and the rides!
Now for the main attraction – the mazes! The village is home to two mazes – House of Clowns and Malefica, which resides within the walls of the local village church currently undergoing restoration, as well as the add-on experience – The Exorcism. Each of the mazes lasts about seven minutes, and are so different from one another that you really get completely unique experiences in both. In House of Clowns you learn more about the disappearance of the travelling circus’s most infamous member, Frank, and how the troupe themselves may be to blame. And apparently they will do anything to get back on top! There was great use of sensory effects in this maze, from a laser swamp to black light rooms full of colour, to candy stick punching bags, an endless mirror maze, and iconic circus sounds to boot.
Meanwhile in Malefica, which won the ScareCon awards in 2022 for ‘Best Experience,’ you learn of the restoration of the local village church, only to find out that things aren’t going quite right, and that the church has a darker history than anyone could have anticipated. The batching in this maze could do with a bit of work and attention, but the actor dedication and sensory effects of this attraction were amazing, especially with two of the rooms which played with water and fire effects and made the experience incredibly immersive. The actors gave it their all, and provided some of the most memorable performances of the night.
Finally there is The Exorcism, an add on experience that lasts a bit over ten minutes and which is more of a theatre performance about a young woman named Evelyn Grace who has been possessed by a demon. The audience is invited into the space where Father Thomas and his aide Sister Amelia attempt to perform an exorcism. With the use of special effects, brilliant stage work, and choreographed movement and lighting, this intimate experience provides an ominous and terrifying atmosphere, and while this is a sit-down show, everything is always moving, and we were intensely impressed by how coordinated each aspect was and how brilliant all the special effects and stunt work were. Definitely worth the add on!
As you traverse beneath a border post, flanked by an imposing military vehicle and a vigilant machine gun adorned with ominous propaganda posters, you step into the heart of the Republic of England. This dystopian realm is home to the immersive trilogy of mazes known as the New World Order, featuring Vita Nova, X4, and The Core. Binding this surreal space together is a troupe of roaming scare actors, their dedication so convincing that they slip into various roles, from menacing doctors to stern military officials. They scrutinise your presence as you journey through, putting your loyalty to the test.
What sets these actors apart is their remarkable commitment. As we revisited the mazes many times over many hours, these performers not only recognised us but also wove our interactions into the unfolding story, making each pass a unique and evolving experience.
Vita Nova thrusts you into a world of dystopian despair, with Omega Industries creating a “quality of life” programme and the treatment “Vita Nova”, which erases memories and induces euphoria. But some of us hadn’t been taking our medicine! You begin your journey confined in individual cells, separated from your group, and navigate through a disorienting maze of corridors filled with mirrors and lasers. The sensation of air blowing at your ankles adds a shocking element of immersion, as you find yourself compelled through a compressing “birth canal”, where vulnerability and tension peak. Some of our number were forced to face themselves in mirrors and endure merciless inspections, and in a twist, a few unlucky souls are seized and dragged off to the side by actors embodying sinister nurses and doctors. When a glimmer of hope appears as you enter a tunnel toward the light, the illusion shatters, and you’re attacked by the infection, intensifying the terror to an almost unbearable level. Vita Nova combines these elements to create an unforgettable and terrifying experience.
Now 30 years later, X4 delivers an electrifying descent into terror, immersing visitors in the nightmarish world of Omega Industries. Set within a research facility gone awry, the attraction’s detailed lab setting, neon and glow-in-the-dark masks, and makeup create an unsettling atmosphere, while the aggressive lift effects (yes, there seems to be an actual working lift in this one!) and well-timed air cannons keep your heart pounding. The transition into a nest cave filled with bizarre creatures is both eerie and immersive, with a creature hanging from above in netting adding a haunting touch. X4 blends storytelling and intense scares well, and continues the story of a world gone terribly wrong.
Finally, we made our way to The Core, where the Republic of England has risen from the ashes of civil unrest, but a resilient rebel alliance seeks to restore what’s lost. Set in the eerie depths of an abandoned sewage plant, this maze draws you into the edge of society where the rebels recruit and prepare to battle the New World Order. Unbeknownst to them, a lurking peril looms as toxic waste from Omega Industries Research Facility has contaminated their underground sanctuary, causing a transformative and chilling twist in the tale. The maze’s standout features include you donning waders, because you will be navigating waist-deep waters! Engaging in hair-raising encounters, you’ll confront eerie creatures lurking in a laser-infused swamp of sewage, who aren’t afraid to get hands on – and splashy. The innovative use of sound electric guns, air cannons, and air horns adds a sensory dimension, while the looming presence of creatures from above who sometimes touch your hair keeps you primed. The maze is a gripping and unique experience that blends suspense, action, and immersive storytelling, making it one of our favourite experiences of the night.
Throughout the evening, we also got to experience the full array of what the park had to offer, including stomach churning thrill rides, a bit of bottle smashing, and some rather challenging (yet awesome!) axe throwing. And whilst we didn’t get a chance to try any on, there’s also a huge selection of merch with brilliant designs.
Final Thoughts: Fear at Avon Valley Scream Park is a heart-pounding, exhilarating experience that immerses you in a world of terror and fun. Spending five hours here, and that’s without considering the time spent waiting in queues, is an adrenaline-fuelled journey that leaves no moment lacking in spine-tingling excitement. The meticulous attention to detail, executed by the actors and designers, creates a realised and all-encompassing horror universe. As we anticipate what the future holds for Fear, we’re confident they have even more bone-chilling thrills in store for us. This was a night of pure, blood-curdling delight!
