Fort Amherst Halloween Horrors Review (2026)

Before you visit Fort Amherst, there is a good level of information about the experience available online, with a comprehensive frequently asked questions section and directions on reaching the haunt. The haunt itself is well-managed by friendly staff, although once within its gates expect to be accosted by most brutal soldiers who will insist forcefully that you follow the rules. In a way, this is the entertainment whilst you wait, although the level of hostility can feel quite full-on. Groups here are very large, at over 15+ people, and this can ultimately detract from queue flow as you progress within, with moments of stalling as we waited for our entire group to get into the next room, and crowding as people gather around the tour guide.

Fort Amherst Halloween Horrors’ new “Operation: Hysteria” begins right in the courtyard of the fort itself. The ambience of the fort means additional dressing would be overkill in this area, but we think that perhaps a few more well directed lights could have accentuated the foreboding nature of what you were about to enter.

Once you are ushered into the initial induction room, you are commanded to watch a video by a military gentleman, which explains that exposure to a new vaccine has had adverse effects on the denizens of the fort and had indeed compromised our own senses. It was a simple conceit to set us up to see all sorts of different fears within. Unfortunately, some seams of the haunt were visible throughout and even though the actual edifice of the fort was hugely impressive, the design within it did not cover up the fact that this was indeed an attraction. Similarly, the ending leads you down a desolate track and abruptly deposits you in the general gift shop and cafe, with little reasoning for the transition.

We saw some very unique effects along the course of Fort Amherst. In a room of coffins arrayed in a church-like manner with giant projected stained glass, that same glass suddenly shattered via projection mapping, while one of the coffins shuddered with smoke and something sinister flitted from it and then disappeared. The timing was excellent as the shattering was timed with whatever flew forth, and after a blackout, vampires appeared all around us.

Projection mapping was again used to good effect to simulate rather realistic sparks on a command console, which is a much more re-settable and ecologically friendly method of executing this traditionally pyrotechnic effect. Elsewhere, simple but all-encompassing set design resulted in a room of dark hued mannequins in gas masks which we were forced to pass. However, other environments were less fully realised. A lot of settings utilised much camouflage netting rather than anything elaborate, and that simplicity, overall, was quite noticeable.

The sound design was also really strong, including the echoes of spiders and rats crawling down a little hallway, with thunder, lightning, and water sounds. Musical selections were wide ranging, and we heard “O Willow Waly” from the The Innocents and Insidious’ “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”.

We stumbled across some unusual character concepts at Fort Amherst, but we did find the execution of those concepts sometimes inconsistent. On the high end, the strange “Dancing Man”, who looked like a silent film actor with a broad, gaping, locked smile, being filmed by a skeletal, spidery creature with long fingers was incredibly unsettling and unique. It felt almost like an idea for a broader narrative, with all the weirdness of a Creepypasta. Together, these characters danced around the room in a truly bizarre sequence. In another area, a playroom featured a scarecrow wielding a pair of vicious shears, who ran up to one of us and enquired how we wanted to die before offering a series of options (do you prefer decapitation, impalement, or something entirely different?). And whilst in a corridor, the screaming and close contact of one of the inhabitants of this jungle-like area, along with his metal face mask, was certainly heart thumping.

Very sadly, some of the acting quality didn’t feel up to this standard elsewhere. Our tour guide to the site delivered her lines rather haltingly, frequently referencing a sheet of paper, which might have benefited from being an actual prop rather than lined notepaper. We understand that all the performers are volunteers, and therefore any courage to rise to the occasion and act in front of strangers is to be commended. But we do think, as a paid event (even with charitable objectives), that a stronger actor could have been employed in this role. Also intense was the military-style shouting in the intro, as each of us was rounded up into our groups. Whilst threatening, it felt more like a set of drill sergeants yelling expletives rather than a horror event buildup (but, of course, that may have entirely been the point).

Costuming was also varied: military fatigues fit the setting well, but we did notice certain characters, such as a man who locked one of us in a cage during the finale, were not wearing any costumes at all, just a t-shirt. Other inconsistencies also stood out, with a sea captain barking orders into a phone about ensuing zombies fighting werewolves, only for neither of those species to feature later.

We did find the clown room to have some boisterous actors, including one leaping from a Jack in the Box with great ferocity. But, what followed felt a bit too chaotic, the atmosphere resembling a party with all actors left to their own devices. With a little more coordination and individual interaction, this scene could really shine.

In a plant-laden corridor, very menacing characters actively moved up and down the line, with lots of unexpected encounters. Scares like this were very effective, as was the vampire coffin room, where characters almost burst into existence around us, aided by special effects. In the clown party room, a Jack in The Box at the centre provided a jolting shock, as an actor sprung up whilst we were misdirected by another performer.

Unfortunately, we did find many of the frights provided a touch light, and this is surprising especially given the intense experiences we had here last year. The example of the finale does stand out, where being locked in a cage was easily solvable by simply opening the door, leaving little in way of challenge or tension, only to realise that this was the final scare of the evening. Only two audience members were put into this cage, with the rest just waiting as a costume-less man stalked two women. This felt like a lost opportunity for a rousing fright that could have left us running for the exit.

At 55 minutes in length for only £30, Fort Amherst Halloween Horrors is very reasonably priced. It is nearly a solid hour of entertainment at far below the cost of similarly long haunts, and involves traversing a good portion of the fort itself. When thinking of everything that came with this ticket, however, the price feels more middling, and it is notable that the area at the end of the haunt, whilst providing refreshments, doesn’t include any additional entertainment, and this year the haunt itself felt slightly off-kilter. However, after hearing rumour that the event wasn’t going to return this year, we are very glad that the haunt has stayed open for yet another season and we very much hope that they can continue to grow and return for more frights!