I was NOT prepared for my first ever visit to Walsall Scare Maze as a talented cast, insane theming and an attractions director so dedicated to his craft that his passion and love for all things horror ooze from every corner of this midlands horror gem.
Celebrating six years of fear this is the first time I’ve visited this scare attraction that year after year receives rave reviews. Nestled next to The Lion Bar and Club in Walsall is a lovely little hangout space with food, entertainment, covered seating area and then two entrances to your worst nightmares.
Prices do vary so make sure you grab your tickets online in advance as early bird tickets will always save you a few pounds but you can pay on the door also but it’s in slot format so it’s advised to get them in advance as the attraction can get busier.
As this was a Christmas event I was expecting it to be fairly quiet but there was more than enough people in the cosy little outdoor space which is also linked to a horror bar and a horror shop stocked with goodies.
Brand new for 2023 they’ve also added a shocking chair, simply sit down and hold on tight as guests have to brave three rounds of shock therapy and whoever can hold on and complete the rounds will be rewarded with a little prize.
I’ve heard good things about the theming within Walsall Scare Maze and even the hang out area had a nice little facade around the back, the shop and bar were quaint but looked the part and I was very optimistic about what lay in store for us in our first maze experience.
With the choice between a standard scare maze and the 18+ extreme waive-signed demented experience we decided to get the standard maze out of the way first. Let’s dip our toe in the water here and see what the fuss is all about!
The Scarehouse Review – Walsall Scare Maze
As part of the Christmascare festive fright selection between the two mazes we entered The Scarehouse and the synopsis for the maze read as follows:
“With a ticket to the best underground Christmas rave in town. Its time to throw on those Xmas jumpers, jump into your best elf costume, splash on the neon face paint and enter the newly abandoned “Scarehouse” museum as you embark on a journey through the old rundown house before finding the cellar, where the secret rave is set to be!
Lets hope there’s no creatures left over from the Scarehouse museum at this fast paced, heart pounding Christmas party! Grab a glow stick… the electricity isn’t that reliable here and in places may become SHOCKING”
Equipped with just a glow stick we navigated the usually somewhat lit maze in the darkness but the forbidding darkness became a character in its own right as it had us covered from start to finish.
Characters would be shrouded by the shadows to then suddenly pop out with even greater effect as the small light source that we held in our hand made the scares more intimate and intense.
Even during the dimly lit scenes you could see the detail of each and every room that has been themed to perfection.
Every corridor felt immersive and no corner was left unthemed and thanks to Walsall Scare Maze we were given a tour of the attraction (hence the photos within this article) to really appreciate the finer details of this wonderfully crafted maze.
Laughing one minute to being terrified the next it was the second we came to a lovely lit set with a staircase (similar design to how TV shows make theirs when they just lead to nowhere) we headed into the sewers and the fun really began.
Water effects aplenty and scares aplenty this was as visually beautiful as it was chilling. I spent most of my time looking behind me or running my hand over various theming elements to see just what they were made out of or how they had been constructed but I didn’t have a great deal of time in-between being on edge 24-7 and jumping at every actor who came my way.
Lots of littered Christmas theming decorations were dotted around the maze from themed lights to Christmas decorations but a festive finale had me clapping my hands together like a little kid as I was terrorised by elves and the big man himself.
Cornering me off from my group this scene was intense and intimate and I loved every second on it, Santa had a lot of surprises up his sleeve and a snow filled (I hope it was snow) finale had us coming out of the maze laughing.
From being on edge all the way through to laughing at the finale you’re definitely on an emotional rollercoaster.
Awe and amazement one minute to pants slowly changing colour the next The Scarehouse delivered and it made me look forward to what it would be like during a normal Halloween season.
What I also appreciated about the maze is that it’s all made in house, props and effects that would usually cost thousands have been made on a budget and have been made without compromising the quality of the effect.
Whether it’s a special effect, theming piece or jump scare using technology it’s all in-house and works beautifully. Having an attraction with heart is a rare experience here in the UK but this one has it in spades and it’s such a pleasure to even walk through something of this scale and to appreciate it.
You’re in the maze for a around 20 minutes which such a long amount of time for a scare maze but if you’ve got just the one maze (before ENOLA opened) then make it as special as this one!
It’s good value for money when you’re in there for such a long period of time with only a few actor stops and a few theming pieces allowing throughput to be spaced out and worked perfect so all scares are well timed for the actors.
The entire maze controls can be operated from a mobile phone and seeing just how easy it was to control the entire maze, not to mention the thought that goes into the behind the scenes corridors for actors etc you get a real appreciation for the work that has gone into this large scale project.
A maze that has grown over time as it once occupied only the pub owned land but now extends into a warehouse next door that is owned by the attraction operators themselves. A maze that has been proven time and time again every single year and gets many returning visitors ready to do it all again when the Halloween season rolls back around once more.
Dotted around The Scarehouse were props from Drayton Manor including some animatronics / theming from the old Pirates Adventure ride and a few other little Drayton Manor winks and nods throughout.
This maze has not only been crafted by someone who loves their horror but who loves theme park / celebrating the local area too.
Smell pods galore inside so get those nostrils prepared and get yourself into one of the UK’s best themed scare mazes by a long country mile!
Missed our review of Scarehouse at Walsall Scare Maze and the 18+ extreme maze edition brand new for 2023 ENOLA? Then check out our VLOG from our visit to the event.
Our first visit, but absolutely not our last!
Visit the official website https://www.walsallscaremaze.co.uk/ for more information and to book your tickets!
