Scarefest in 2013 saw very little change from what was introduced in 2012 with all four main attractions returning for another year. For the first time guests who were feeling particularly brave could pay an additional charge to experience an ‘extreme’ run through of either The Sanctuary or Terror of the Towers – a special run through after the park closed where all the usual scare maze rules were set to one side and anything could happen!

Key Information

Dates: 19th October – 3rd November

The Flume, Skyride and the Gardens shut at dusk.
Other rides shut at 9pm daily.

Prices

Terror of the Towers & The Sanctuary – £10.00

Freedom Ticket – £20.00
Freedom Pass – £50.00

Attractions

Thrill Attractions
The Sanctuary
Carnival of Screams
Terror of the Towers
Zombies! Scare Zone
Altonville Motel (Scare Rooms)
Extreme Mazes

Family Attractions
Franklyn’s Freaky Fun Zone
Halloween Characters
Phil and Franklyn’s Ghoul School
Skelvin’s Spooky Storytime
Patch’s Freaky Talks
Trick or Treat Rooms

Following its appearance at the start of the season to promote The Smiler, the Ministry of Joy once again threw open the doors to Dr. Kelman’s marmalisation clinic, ready for a new batch of patients. The maze saw no change from its appearance at the beginning of the season, although there were a few remarks from Dr. Kelman about the new correctional device in X Sector.

Alton Towers signature maze, Terror of the Towers, returned for its 11 years, once again featuring the ‘What Lies Within’ storyline. Once again the vampires had awoken and were hunting for the flesh of those who were brave enough to venture in search of the two missing urban explorers. The main route remained the same as in 2012 with the only change being the return of the monks in the chapel.

2013 saw the introduction of the Freedom Ticket and Freedom Pass, with the former allowing unlimited entry to Terror of the Towers and The Sanctuary throughout the day and the latter for the entire duration of Scarefest.

For 2013 Carnival of Screams was included with general admission for the first time, although a paid fastrack option was available. Much of the maze was similar to the previous year with the main difference being the addition of a new finale featuring Jack the Knife, whose back story featured throughout the entire maze.

Once again the un-dead invaded the park stalking the restricted military zone between the Gardens and Dark Forest. 2013 saw a significant makeover for the scare zone with the main route being reversed so guests now entered opposite Woodcutters Restaurant, and extra theming elements being added. Costumes had also been refreshed for characters throughout the maze.

With Old MacDonald’s Farmyard preparing to close in preparation for its transformation into CBeebies Land, Franklyn, Patch, Skelvin and Phil relocated to Fountain Square in Franklyn’s Freaky Fun Zone featuring a range of live shows and silly spooks and scares.

Over at the Alton Towers Hotel, the Altonville Motel once again opened for bookings. This year guests were invited to the wedding of Mary Miller and Caleb Winkles and were greeted by the bride herself at a dedicated check in. Invited to gather at the outdoor ‘wedding reception’ at a particular time, guests experience all the festivities before being led back to their rooms where the scares really began.

11th August 2013