This past weekend saw the start of Scarefest 2025 at Alton Towers Resort, with two new scare attractions joining this year’s line-up alongside returning attractions and entertainment that together provide something for all the family. TowersTimes rounds-up all that’s on offer!
The headline new for 2025 addition is Edge of the Forest, a scare maze which expands on the lore of the nearby Dark Forest. The maze is located in a building installed last year just off from the pathway which runs parallel to the gardens, between the front of the Towers and the far end of Dark Forest. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to preview the scare maze as part of the Content Creator Programme, with the Resort also providing us with admission to the other attractions (although we had already purchased this ourselves) and Platinum Fastrack for use on the rides.
Edge of the Forest’s queue line takes the form of elevated scaffold platforms, with the entrance marked by an overhead sign. This enables the queue to be diverted through the nearby woodland whilst causing minimal disturbance to the natural environment, with ambient woodland sounds adding to the atmosphere. Other than a noose hanging from a tree there is no additional queue line theming, although it is enhanced by green lighting after dark, with the darkness also making the building itself much less visible from the queue.
After being batched, guests wait in an area outside the door to a cottage – this would have perhaps benefitted from a little additional theming to further disguise the corrugated walls and truly sell the setting. Upon being invited by the maze hosts to knock on the door, guests are welcomed inside by an unassuming old lady. Once inside, she tells the story of how many travellers have sought to venture to the Edge of the Forest but have fallen victim to the Leshwall, a lurking presence that twists the trees and plays tricks on the mind. Indeed, a door marked “Beware Leshwall” has been ominously chained up within the cottage. With the old lady seemingly disappearing into thin air, a door opens leading guests out into the forest beyond.
Through the use of a significant number of tree trunk theming features and complementary lighting, the maze does a good job of immersing guests into a moonlit woodland, where they’ll find numerous travellers in increasing levels of distress. Clever thematic design is used to create a disorienting experience, which ultimately culminates in guests coming face to face with the Leshwall numerous times. One of these encounters takes place in a bedroom, where, upon exiting the maze, guests will come to realise that in-maze videos and photos are captured. The pacing and layout of this room is somewhat awkward, with further confusion being created by there being two exits from the room – the main intended route and a wheelchair accessible route. Beyond lies the final claustrophobic and twisted corridors of the cottage, leading guests back out into the open to escape the Leshwall’s grasp.
Overall, Edge of the Forest is a well-executed addition to the Scarefest maze line-up. Whilst not the most intense attraction which Scarefest has seen, the maze and the actors within do a good job of building tension and then implementing multiple high-impact scares in the maze’s final third – the Leshwall is particularly aggressive, even more so than you might expect. The maze did feel like it would benefit from one final scare as guests head towards the exit, but this doesn’t take away from the rest of the experience. Ultimately, Edge of the Forest can only improve over the rest of Scarefest, as the cast establish the most effective techniques at scaring those who come in search of the Leshwall.
Following its debut in 2024, COMPOUND returns for its second Scarefest, with the Phalanx seeking more subjects for their sinister experiments. As far as we could tell, the scare maze is unchanged from last year, although its multiple routes may still mean that guests come across new rooms which they haven’t previously explored. Nonetheless, if the intention is for maze to stick around longer term, it would be great to see some sections reworked each year to allow guests to explore new parts of the facility. The maze still delivered a solid couple of run throughs in any case.
Although only the third Scarefest in its refreshed format, the return of Altonville Mine Tours – Tiny’s Revenge represents the tenth outing for this scare maze. Again, this maze appeared to be unchanged from last year, remaining a much darker variant of this long-running scare attraction, with guests encountering members of the sheriff’s department, teens and a gas-masked clad Tiny amongst the darkness. After an underwhelming first run through where the maze felt light on actors and scares, we had a much stronger experience later on in the evening, where it was just the two of us in our group. With recent years seeing the Resort transition away from using the Towers themselves as a venue for scare mazes, combined with the maze’s long lifespan, it seems likely that 2025 will be the final year for Altonville Mine Tours – it certainly seems time for something new to take its place.
The second new addition for Scarefest 2025 is Dark Hollow, an outdoor free-flowing scare zone. The entrance is located near to that for Edge of the Forest, with the attraction making use of a lesser-used path which overlooks the gardens. Open from 5pm until 9:30pm and included with park admission, the new scare zone features a disconcerting array of characters alongside the presence of the TH13TEEN girl. Dark Hollow is likely to subvert the expectations of what many may have been expecting from this scare zone, with the attraction’s concept centred around the TH13TEEN girl’s desire to play with toys and of course guests. Therefore, instead of wraiths, guests can expect to encounter living statues, haunted dolls and ferocious bears – the latter taking inspiration from the Teddy Bears Picnic line “if you go down to the woods today, you’d better not go alone” that is featured by TH13TEEN. The scare zone is especially atmospheric after dark, with some beautiful lighting to complement the somewhat less beautiful inhabitants. Even though the concept could easily pass for something instead inspired by Emily Alton and The Curse at Alton Manor, this doesn’t take away from what is a fantastic addition to the Scarefest line-up.
Burial Grounds also returns for a third year, meaning that Scarefest 2025 features two free-to-access scare zones. The walkthrough follows the same route as before, primarily utilising the pathway which runs adjacent to Wicker Man as well as an area beneath the Skyride. This takes guests through the sacred sanctum of The Unchosen, a cult of modern-day fanatics obsessed with the lore of the Beornen, with it seeming like the scare zone has its most sizeable cast yet.
Family walkthroughs Amigos in the Afterlife and Trick O’ Treat Town are also both back for 2025! The former returns following its debut in 2024, with the overall experience unchanged from last year but still packed with UV effects, wonderful smells and lots of interactivity. The walkthrough sees guests accidentally cross through a portal into the afterlife, encountering different characters in each scene, with Barry the Tequila Worm making a triumphant return! Meanwhile, the latter returns for its fifth year, this time sponsored by both MAOAM and HARIBO to ensure guests leave with plenty of treats. This interactive walkthrough invites guests to explore a quirky town where the residents’ favourite pastime is hosting trick-or-treating for the town’s visitors! Guests are encouraged to knock on doors in order to collect plenty of sweets, although sometimes they may be surprised with a trick instead.
It wouldn’t be Scarefest without the Freaky Friends, with the gang performing on a stage located in the Mutiny Bay Courtyard this year. This year’s line-up consists of only Phil’s Halloween Dance Party, alongside meet and greet opportunities, with the programme of entertainment starting in the early evening – although we assume this scheduling reflects where actors are used elsewhere in the park, the shows would perhaps benefit from commencing earlier in the afternoon. Whilst the new location for the stage means that the existing canopy structure can function as a covered seating area, the lower capacity relative to the Front Lawns does make it very busy during show times.
The Alton Ancestors also make a return with an energetic new dance routine, which also features some audience participation this year, performing on both Towers Street and Fountain Square followed by their ‘Final Haunt’ dance on the Courtyard stage in the evening. Ghost Pirates were also found roaming around Mutiny Bay, making for some fun interactions with guests. In CBeebies Land, younger guests can once again enjoy the CBeebies Land Monster Ball, with this once-a-day show featuring all of their favourite characters.
The food vans have been relocated from X Sector to the Mutiny Bay Courtyard and Fountain Square, offering Freaky Fish & Chips, Tormented Topped Fries and Spooky Smoothies. Special Scarefest-themed food and drink items are also available from the permanent outlets around the park. Meanwhile, Towers Trading has been stocked with plenty of Scarefest merchandise. New items for this year include Freaky Friends resins and patches, plushies for Zombob and Vampurr (in addition to those of the other five Freaky Friends), and limited edition pin badges.
As always, Towers Street has been suitably decorated for the Halloween season. The frog fountains have been dressed in their witches hats and capes once again, alongside the addition of some new theming to the pond in the form of an overflowing cauldron and spell book. This year also sees a new look for the Nemesis pumpkins, to bring them into alignment with the ride’s reimagining as Nemesis Reborn. The Freaky Friends also return in their hearse, Spooky 2. Furthermore, it’s great to see some new theming features around the park this year, with the Freaky Friends also popping up in various locations to help bring the Scarefest vibes to more areas outside of Towers Street! From Patch’s Fast & Freaky delivery service, Gretyl submitting to The Smiler, and Zombob and Phil assisting with the bunting, these are definitely a welcome addition and hopefully the first stage of investment in park-wide theming.
Nightfall also provides an opportunity to experience the theme park’s rides in the dark. Whilst Forbidden Valley, including new for 2025 Toxicator, are enhanced by the permanent lighting installed as part of their development, it did not seem as though the temporary lighting and projections previously seen at rides such as The Smiler and Wicker Man made a return for the opening weekend of Scarefest.
Tickets for the Resort’s scare and spooks attractions can be purchased either online, via the Alton Towers app or from the Resort Box Office. On Sundays-Fridays during Scarefest, the scare mazes open at 3pm and remain open until park close, while Amigos in the Afterlife and Trick O’ Treat Town open 11am-4:30pm. On Saturdays, the scare mazes open at 1pm and remain open until park close, while Amigos in the Afterlife and Trick O’ Treat Town open 10:30am-6pm.
A Thrills Combi ticket provides access to Edge of the Forest, COMPOUND and Altonville Mine Tours, and is priced at £38pp for both Early and Late slots. Passholder discount is only available on Early time slots, reducing the price to £30.40pp. Early slots are between 3pm and 5pm Sunday-Friday or 1pm and 5pm on Saturday. Late slots are between 5pm and 9pm. A Family Duo ticket is priced at £16pp (or £12.80pp for passholders), providing access to Amigos in the Afterlife and Trick O Treat Town. Finally, an All Maze Ticket provides access to all five attractions for a flat price of £55pp (or £44pp for passholders) – this permits guest access once to each attraction at any time during their opening hours. One-shot Tickets for individual attractions can also be purchased via the app or from the Resort Box Office – these are £16pp (or £12.80 for passholders) for Edge of the Forest, £14pp (or £11.20 for passholders) for COMPOUND and Altonville Mine Tours, and £10pp (or £8pp for passholders) for Amigos in the Afterlife and Trick O Treat Town. Fastrack queues for the three scare mazes are also available this year, with Fastrack costing £5 per person per maze in addition to the purchase of maze entry tickets.
The two new scare attractions undoubtedly provide a welcome injection of freshness into Scarefest, which remains a strong all-around event. Although this is the first Scarefest since Merlin Entertainments appointed RWS Global to produce, deliver and operate entertainment experiences at several of its attractions, including Alton Towers, the product still feels as though it maintains the same quality. Of course this is supported by a large part of the line-up being retained from previous years, but the new additions do feel at home amongst the returning attractions. We can only hope that this is a positive sign for how Scarefest will develop under the stewardship of RWS.
Nonetheless, it is increasingly difficult to say that Scarefest offers overall value for money, with this year once again seeing price rises – notably the combination tickets increased in price despite there being one less scare attraction in the line-up. The queues for the scare mazes were observably quiet over the first weekend, raising the question of whether a growing number of guests are being priced out of experiencing all that Scarefest has to offer.
Scarefest runs at Alton Towers Resort on 27th-28th September, 3rd-5th, 10-12th, 17th October – 2nd November 2025, with the theme park open from 10am until 9pm on all dates. Some rides and attractions (such as The Curse at Alton Manor, Nemesis Sub-Terra and Hex) open at the later time of 11am. Additionally CBeebies Land closes at the earlier time of 5pm, and The World of David Walliams at 7pm.
Are you planning a visit to Scarefest this year? If you’ve already visited, what’s been your highlight? Let us know your thoughts via our social media channels.
