Come October and November, the fun and cheerfully named Pleasurewood Hills, a nearly 60-acre theme park near the most easterly point of the UK in Lowestoft, transforms into Pleasurewood Chills with two haunts operating within its grounds: “Hell Express” and “Shaft 13: The Legend of Hob”. Unlike many other haunted attractions, these mazes are open during the day, and so make a great addition to an outing that’s already packed with fun rides and thrills that come with admission to the park. Featuring a full-length train in the former and an abandoned mine in the latter, these attractions might seem out of place in a mainly family-friendly park. But, we actually think that’s great: older kids and adults who love horror will adore this definitely more than PG detour! We were very lucky to be able to attend in 2025, as we hear that “Hell Express” is leaving after the season, and something new is arriving at the station…
“Shaft 13” had a mixed cast performance on the day, though some were very strong. Before we entered, a woman investigating what happened to her friends in the mines did a great job setting up the story. Deeper within, the mine owner (Hob himself) stood out with a real huge and menacing presence and talent for interaction. One of us was locked in a prison chamber by Hob while a demon’s voice came through the wall as the mine owner interrogated her, which was incredibly raw and hands-on. Other moments came out of the depths, including a miner who appeared dead on a barrel and then came to life after we went by and stalked behind us, which was a fun surprise and added a nice bit of tension. However, some of the other performers leaned on the usual shouting and “get out” frights.
“Hell Express” opened with a standout performance from the Conductor (who was also a queue actor), who stayed completely in character from the platform all the way into the haunt. His commitment added a lot to the opening scene and made it feel authentic – in fact, we’d almost say it was method acting as he never left character the entire time we saw him! Once within, though, our interactions with the rest of the cast were minimal and limited to jump scares. The energy was there, but it was hard to tell how strong the acting could have been without more opportunities for character work. Both haunts had standout moments that showed real imagination and a clear passion for showmanship.
The costume and makeup work in both “Shaft 13” and “Hell Express” reflected their distinct subjects and helped bring each haunt’s world into existence. In “Shaft 13” costumes fit the mine in which the characters were very well, with actors dressed in rugged overalls, hard hats, and lugging pickaxes. Their faces were smeared with coal, giving a dirty, shabby look that suited the subterranean surroundings. The simplicity worked in the maze’s favour and made the characters feel authentic to the story.
“Hell Express” featured more stylised costumes and makeup. The Conductor and his assistant stood out in dark, Gothic-inspired clothing. The assistant wore a blue conductor’s costume and the Conductor had a black formal overcoat, both enhanced with makeup that made them look reanimated. Within, the lighting was so dim and the encounters so quick that it was hard to catch many particulars, though a few full-face masks were seen. Even with those restrictions, the designs we could see added a chilly, eerie edge that matched the haunted train we were walking through.
We found Pleasurewood Hills’ staff to be friendly and very informative, pointing us in the right direction of the attractions, providing us with a site map, and always on hand to help out. From the main road, the car park is clearly signed, as is the exit, so there’s no trouble in navigation in that regard. Once inside the park itself, we did notice that the maps we were given were general, rather than Halloween specific, and so didn’t show the two mazes on them. But, park attendants were very helpful in showing us exactly where we needed to go when asked.
The park is very safe, and other than some low mine sleepers in “Shaft 13” which one of us bumped his head on a touch (perhaps these could be padded in the future), there was nothing outwardly dangerous in either of the mazes or the park itself.
We would have liked a little more information on the website prior to arrival, perhaps with specifics about each maze prominently displayed. That being said, staff were happy to provide answers to questions over email, and communication was smooth, quick, and kind.
Both attractions offered distinct worlds that aimed to draw visitors into their stories from the beginning. “Shaft 13” had a pre-haunt area with a small graveyard leading into mine cart tracks, complete with a mummy crushed beneath the rails. The actual haunt is within the old castle attraction at the park, which did feel a fitting atmosphere of stone and structure before our descent into the mine. Inside, we were told a story about how a woman’s friends had been lost, or perhaps captured, by Hob and his mine crew – and we were sent on a quest to rescue them. Most of the walkthrough maintained the sense of place within the mines, though we did lose our way at one point and had to be redirected, which broke the flow ever so briefly. The exit, which felt more like an emergency one, ended the experience a bit abruptly, but the environment captured the mining theme and left a residual sense of anxiety, especially for the member of our team who was imprisoned.
“Hell Express” introduced itself with an impressive setup resembling a ghost train platform, complete with a hellhound statue, a giant spider, and a pumpkin display. The exterior alone gave the sense of stepping into something filmic. We weren’t entirely sure of the story here, but we were told we were boarding a train bound for Hell. Once within, the dark corridors and light effects helped sustain an agitated state of mind, keeping the illusion intact through most of the trip – especially those effects that looked like glowing windows. At the end, you simply exit the other side of the train, back onto the platform.
We found strong use of sound and environmental effects to enhance the settings of these haunts. In “Shaft 13”, the dim illumination and continual moaning of mining equipment created a convincing underground feeling. The space was gritty, with burlap fabric hanging from the roof, wooden mine sleepers crisscrossing above, and an occasional burst from an air cannon. The underground laser swamp was splendid, and the hanging strings brushing against your head added to the sense of confusion. Parts of the ground even shifted underfoot, and flashing yellow warning lights created danger at every turn. A cushioned birth canal (rather than inflated) was a different sensory experience we hadn’t seen before. Small details like these made the mine feel very unpredictable.
“Hell Express” relied more on visual trickery. The dim lighting carried through the entire length of the carriages, and projections gave the illusion of cloudy windows on either side. Later, the scene transformed into a glowing boiler room, supported by a layered soundscape that deepened the sense of location. Wrapped bodies lolled in bunk cars, and which were actors or mannequins we did not know. Together, these effects created a strong atmosphere that made the train feel alive and a bit menacing.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 7
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 10
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 7.88
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 6.38
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 6.38
“Shaft 13” delivered a solid mix of startle and tension-based scares. There were some jumpy moments with actors pulling down panels and shouting at us, but the best scares came from the miners themselves. They emerged from the darkness, swinging their tools or following behind, creating a sense of real threat. The standout was a one-on-one encounter where one of our group was locked in a chamber by Hob the Head Miner with a demonic force echoing through the walls. It was unexpected, intense, and one of the most creative scary moments of the day.
“Hell Express” relied more on loud, sudden frights to keep the energy up. The most frequent scares came from actors bursting out of bunk beds or screaming from the shadows, which offered fast jarring frights. While the variety of scares was limited, the atmosphere kept things moving, with the setting itself doing a lot of the work to make each jump scare hit harder.
Pleasurewood Chills at Pleasurewood Hills provides two solid scare mazes that we felt pleased to experience, especially since “Hell Express” will soon be leaving the park. One of the huge bonuses of attending the theme park is that not only can you go in the mazes, but all the other rides are included with your ticket. A combined ticket for both the scare attractions and the park itself is £28, which leads to a deceptive minute-per-pound value of 0.29. But, don’t let that fool you, because you also get all the other entertainment, like rollercoasters, ferris wheels, carousels, big drops, water chutes and more, not to mention the bird house and sea lion enclosures. And, for the spooky season only, you can explore the Creepy Cave and get up close with nature’s more mysterious animals, like tarantulas, scorpions, and lizards.
If you want awesome family rides, hell-raising scares, and adorable animals (and some of the more creeping variety) then this is the theme park for you. It’s definitely a place where thrills, chills, and wild creatures collide for an ultimate day of frightful fun!
Leisure Way, Lowestoft, United Kingdom NR32 5DZ
