THORPE PARK'S FRIGHT NIGHTS IS BACK
A freakish graduation, terrifying twins' 21st birthday celebrations and the Creek Freak Massacre all play a part in this year's most gruesome theme park event
FRIGHT NIGHTS have returned to Thorpe Park and are celebrating a birthday milestone in the only way they know how - with an unhealthy amount of blood, guts and horror.
The annual event - recently named the Best Halloween Event by Theme Parks UK and Attraction Tickets - turns 21 this year and will come of age with a host of new scare attractions that'll make a rollercoaster look tame. In fact, they claim to have left "no fear untouched," which presumably means there'll be heights, spiders, tight spaces and ten more years of Tory rule.
If you've not yet been to Thorpe Park's Fright Nights, let us explain. The entire park gets a terrifying makeover after hours, with regular rides and attractions supplemented by a long list of terrifying mazes and specially built rooms and venues that host games and interactive experiences. This isn't your average Halloween pumpkin-fest - we're talking 'serial killers with chainsaws chasing you through a deserted, blood-covered house' levels of scary.
As if the fear of getting stuck in a maze for eternity isn't enough, Thorpe Park's Scare Mazes like to up the ante by adding a few people who'd rather like to kill you, given half a chance.
This year sees the return of two favourites: Trailers, which sees guests transported inside the trailers of a series of horror movies, and a last chance to experience Creek Freak Massacre, which takes you inside a sawmill (top tip: if you're in a horror movie, avoid the building with all the sharp blades) where the Buckwheat family are a bit miffed about the potential demolition of their building and would like to take out their anger on you.
This year also sees the introduction of the brand new Survival Games, which borrows from Netflix hit, Squid Games to create a game where the production crew seem to be as keen on killing you as your fellow contestants. It's the biggest and most expensive indoor maze Thorpe Park has ever created and every journey through this maze will be different - expect to get grabbed, pulled and terrified.
Death's Doors is also brand new foe this year and invites guests to open as many doors as they wish - or as many as they dare, as behind each door is a scene more terrifying and gruesome than the last.
Elsewhere in the Scare Zones, The Crows of Mawkin Meadows invites you into the world of The Crows, where creatures of the undead silently creep out of the straw as you make your way to the site where a witch was once burned at the stake.
Terminal takes guests on a dystopian journey, which begins inside an ominous looking shipping container and bombards the senses using soundscaping and audio effects to create a truly terrifying experience.
Even the mention of a Flash Mob should be enough to terrify anybody who lived through the noughties, but Thorpe Park's version takes a nostalgic trip through the 80s to bring you a dance show somewhere between High School Musical and Michael Jackson's Thriller.
But it's not all about the Fright Night-specific attractions, because there's also the chance to ride Thorpe Park's rollercoasters in the dark, which gives them a whole new dimension. From the world's first horror movie-themed SAW to the death defying drop of Stealth or the world's first TEN loops of Colossus, there's something about riding a corkscrew into the dark night sky that makes it all the more terrifying.
Age 13+
10am - 9pm until October 31 (some dates excluded)
Tickets from £39 (online)
Thorpe Park Resort, Staines Rd, Chertsey KT16 8PN
