I went to Alton Towers’ Scarefest – and was left terrified by the new rides

ALTON Towers has taken the screams up a spooktacular notch this year with three new attractions for its annual Halloween Scarefest – and they’re not for the fainthearted.

As if going on rides late at night wasn’t scary enough, the UK’s biggest theme park has enlisted YouTuber Daz Games to concoct its freshest thrill, fittingly called Daz Games: Panic.

2

2

The flagship attraction is best described as an immersive experience where escape room meets live-action scare.

Of course, a bunch of freaky actors running at you from every angle are thrown in too.

Unlike the usual live-action horror experiences where you simply follow a path to the end, this one has an active aim – and you can’t rely on your mates for help either.

You’re assigned two unique symbols that you need to find within a chaotic and crazed room before the time runs out.

You may have to complete a task to unlock the symbols too.

Don’t make the same heart-pumping mistake I did, so engrossed in the puzzle only to find a monster leaning right over me ready to yell in my face as I turned around.

The frenzied running of people desperate to find their symbols and escape the hellhole, along with flashing lights, ominous music and obstacles, makes it all the more thrilling.

Alton Towers has also introduced two more new spine-tingling areas, including the one that scared me most, Altonville Mine Tours – Tiny’s Revenge.

It’s another escape experience, except this one is a maze and you’re forced to navigate tight walkways with virtually no light as frightening foes wearing gas masks jump out at every corner.

At one point you are split up from your group for an added creepy effect and there’s a nasty surprise at the end.

Alton Towers has brought back some other scare mazes from last year too, such as The Attic: Terror Of The Towers.

While much of the Halloween festivities are aimed at adults and big kids aged 12 and up, there’s still something for the little ones.

Trick O Treat Town is a colourful zone where you can knock on doors to receive some Haribo treats.

Elsewhere, there’s the CBeebies Land Monster Ball for a dance with Bing, Ubercorn, Peter Rabbit and others.

However, the top Halloween-themed attractions cost extra.

The “4 Scare Attractions combi pass” is probably the best value, with access to four scare mazes for the price of £34.

But that doesn’t include Daz Games: Panic or Trick O Treat, which will set you back £10 and £12pp, respectively (time slots have to be pre-booked).

The third new Scarefest attraction, Burial Grounds, comes at no extra cost, though.

Here you’ll find a creepy free-flowing outdoor scare zone shadowed by the mighty Wicker Man with a hefty army of live actors in pig masks carrying blades.

Aside from the more technological aspects in Daz Games: Panic, a lot of it is the same old scare tactics that work so well time and again – not to mention a generous number of fantastic live actors that really make the Scarefest terrifyingly good.