Spread across three mazes, as well as a lovely tipi area, A Nightmare in Rainton is one of the newer editions to the haunt scene. Audiences experience Haunt, Blackout and Salvage Yard, with a variety of characters and settings to tingle the spine. Some of these mazes were much more creative and immersive than others, but for a first year this was an interesting adventure.
The variety and number of cast greatly varied between the three mazes. We were particularly impressed with the denizens of Salvage Yard, who were extremely enthusiastic and interactive, getting right up close to you and in your face. They taunted us as we struggled our way through the various segments of the Salvage Yard (lost, as we were, in the mazes) with no end in sight. When we cheated by hopping some hay bales, they got very angry (in character)!
In the other haunts, we felt the actors were less believable and perhaps a little less present, especially in Blackout where we rarely encountered another actor. It might have been the intent of the maze, but it would have been more exhilarating to have more interactions.
As we were some of the first in the attraction, we did happen to notice an actor very visibly scrolling through their phone, which of course broke the immersion for us.
How complete, unique, detailed were the costumes, accessories? – (35% of score)
Were the masks, makeup creative, detailed, realistic? – (30% of score)
How appropriate were the costumes for the respective scenes, themes? – (20% of score)
How believable-, detailed-looking were the queue actors? (See Note if N/A) – (15% of score)
The costumes in Salvage Yard especially were appropriate and evocative of their locations. These included people dressed as scarecrows and bag-heads in the hay bale segment, and others dressed with the remnants of their mechanical masterpieces spread out through the maze. There were also evidently child actors here, and one in particular was in a creepy teddy bear mask that stuck out for us.
Unfortunately, the costuming and makeup in Blackout and Haunt was less complete and mainly involved the application of white face makeup and tattered clothing which, whilst appropriate, perhaps lacked the truly immersive quality of those featured in Salvage Yard.
How easy was it to locate, park at, navigate the premises? – (25% of score)
Safety (Only dock points for TRULY DANGEROUS hazards!) – (30% of score)
How professional, helpful, friendly were the staff members? – (25% of score)
How easy was it to find pertinent information before arrival? – (20% of score)
Perhaps because this was a brand new haunt, there was very little information available about what to expect from this attraction, including what the attraction actually included and how long it would last. However the digital customer service was great, and we were able to find some answers to our questions via email and social media. The attraction was relatively easy to locate and very easy to park at, and all of the staff at the attraction were very helpful and lovely.
The only place where this attraction could grow in would be in the safety of the event, particularly in the Haunt maze. There were a lot of areas of complete blackness where we ran into walls, including areas where we were already crawling through. This forced quite a few other guests to have to turn the torches on their phones on, which tainted the experience a bit but was also necessary as it was often completely pitch black with a lot of confusion about where to go.
How well did the pre-haunt areas ("vibe") prepare you for the attraction/s? – (25% of score)
How obvious, creative, believable was the storyline? (See Note if N/A) – (20% of score)
Were you completely, consistently immersed inside the attraction/s? – (40% of score)
How well did the "vibe" flow after, between the attraction/s? – (15% of score)
Entering the haunts, you meet a decked out tipi area in the centre, decorated with an array of skeletons, cobwebs, and ghoulish delights. It was a pretty space that made a nice respite before and after the haunts. The pre-haunt environment of the main attractions was not extensive, plunging you more into them than allowing for ambiance.
Blackout was immersive, in that you were deep in the heart of a winding maze with no obvious exit – with the resulting confusion this entailed. This disorientation did mean that we were lost, but we’re not sure this was entirely the intent. Haunt was also quite confusing, but was not themed in such a way that felt immersive – it was definitely set-like.
The most immersive of the mazes was Salvage Yard, which made you feel you were in a vast abandoned series of lots with cars, trucks, and other forsaken items strewn about. We didn’t much understand the storylines for any of them, but we got the gist as we progressed.
How effective were the sound effects? – (20% of score)
How realistic were the scene designs, details? – (30% of score)
How effective, realistic were the props, animatronics? – (30% of score)
How well did they use creative, special, sensory effects? – (20% of score)
Blackout and Haunt had quite minimal set designs, mostly with tight flats and hanging material with lots of ups and downs – the design was very simple but it was definitely quite fun to have to crawl and re-route constantly as it was never quite clear where to go and the dead-ends seemed endless. The Salvage Yard maze was the clear winner of the three in terms of set design and effects – it was a lot of fun to climb through a double decker bus and then to traverse scaffolding on the roof only to come down inside of yet another double decker bus. While there weren’t any props and animatronics, there was a vacant bar that had fun lighting and mannequins and some fun mini-labyrinths we had to trundle through hay bales and pallets, just as numerous killers were stalking us amongst them!
How scary was it? – (35% of score)
How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? – (15% of score)
How predictable were the scares? – (25% of score)
How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? – (10% of score)
How strong was the ending / finale? – (15% of score)
We think that people just starting out with scares will probably enjoy these mazes, but ultimately they weren’t very scary. Most of the scares in Blackout and Haunt were shouts and characters jumping out at you. Salvage Yard was again best in terms of scare factor, as there was always a creeping sensation from the monsters in the junkyard who stalked us in a variety of manners. They were definitely intimidating in the hay bale part of the maze as well, climbing and jumping over the hay bales and blocking our every attempt at escaping!
How satisfied with the entertainment provided by the MAIN attraction/s? – (50% of score)
How satisfied with OTHER entertainment INCLUDED with the ticket price? – (25% of score)
How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s? – (25% of score)
The mazes lasted for a good amount of time – you really get a lot for your money in terms of haunt minutes per dollar/pound. Haunt and Blackout seemed particularly endless, especially as you have to constantly reroute yourself with endless deadends and the characters within always causing confusion in regards to which direction to go. You also get to enjoy a tipi area with lovely decorations, and a separate food court area which is also home to a little ghost train. We paid a few extra pounds for the ghost train, which while quick, included some nice effects and was quite fun. We definitely applaud this attraction’s first attempt at some haunts – we think if they focus on the uniqueness of their Salvage Yard haunt they’ll have huge success in the future!
Sunderland Live, Mercantile Road, Houghton le Spring, United Kingdom DH4 5PH