I went to Tulleys Shocktober Fest on 12 October 2024 expecting a proper Halloween night out full of scare actors, chainsaws and chaos. What I got was slightly different: my friend was frightened, while I spent a suspicious amount of the evening laughing, bantering with the cast and basically thinking, “Go on then. I dare you.”
That is not a criticism. I love horror, and because I knew I was inside a controlled attraction, my brain never quite bought the idea that I was in genuine danger. Shocktober ended up being much more fun than frightening for me — and I had a brilliant night.
This is a retrospective review of my own visit in October 2024. I have deliberately kept my experience as I remember it rather than rewriting it to match the current event.
Arriving at Shocktober
One thing I did find frustrating was the parking. During our 2024 visit, I found the signage unclear and we ended up parking further away than we needed to. That was our experience that night, though, and I would not assume the parking arrangements or signage are exactly the same now.
Once we were in, though, it was very much Halloween mode: dark atmosphere, performers, screams in the distance and plenty going on around us. My friend had been to another scare attraction before that she personally found scarier, but Shocktober still absolutely got her. This became excellent entertainment for me.
Haunted Hayride: Route 666 — Finally Off the Bucket List
The Haunted Hayride was the big one for me. I had wanted to do a proper Halloween haunted hayride for years, so finally getting onto that trailer felt like ticking off a genuine spooky-season bucket-list item.
And I loved it.
Travelling through the dark park and woodland, with coloured lighting cutting through the night and performers appearing around the trailer, gave it exactly the theatrical Halloween atmosphere I had hoped for. My surviving video footage has a good chunk of the Hayride on it, and watching it back brings the whole thing straight back.
There was a huge dinosaur set piece, close interactions with the cast and one male performer in particular who was absolutely hilarious. For me, the strongest part was not simply something jumping out and shouting. It was the performers actually playing with the people in front of them and adjusting their reactions.
My friend gave them fear. I gave them a grin and a challenge. Both reactions gave the cast something to work with.
Coven of 13: The Performers Who Had Me in Hysterics
Two of the performers I remember most clearly were the women around Coven of 13. They were hilarious. Rather than frightening me, they had me in absolute hysterics, and that interaction is one of the bits that has stuck with me.
I also have a photograph standing between the two of them underneath the Coven of 13 sign, which probably tells you quite a lot about how my evening was going. I was meant to be surrounded by creepy characters. I looked delighted.
Chainsaws, Chop Shop and Me Being Completely Unhelpful
Then there were the chainsaws.
I loved watching other visitors run when the chainsaw performers came after them. There is something wonderfully chaotic about a crowd suddenly realising a performer has picked them as the next target.
When they tried it with me, though, I essentially stood there smiling.
Creepy character? Smile.
Chainsaw? Smile.
Someone trying very hard to make me run? Apparently my brain’s answer was still: go on then, I dare you.
That does not mean the attraction “wasn’t scary.” Fear is ridiculously personal. My friend was frightened by the same night that had me laughing and bantering with the cast. I also knew I was in a controlled theatrical environment, which makes it much harder for my brain to interpret what is happening as genuine danger.
I actually enjoyed the chainsaw sound and the atmosphere it created as much as the chase itself. There is another conversation in there about why controlled fear can feel so good, but that one belongs over in Clarissa After Dark rather than hijacking this review.
And Then the Shock Seat Got Me
Of course, after spending the evening being far too pleased with myself, the shock seat did manage to get a reaction.
Creepy characters + chainsaws = 😏
Shock seat = 🙃🫠
Apparently that was the button to press.
The Cast Made the Night
If I had to pick the biggest strength of my Shocktober visit, it was the cast.
The performers I enjoyed most were the ones who reacted to the individual visitor instead of delivering the same jump scare and moving on. That is why my friend and I could go through the same event and have two completely different experiences. She gave them genuine frightened reactions; I gave them laughter, banter and a playful challenge.
Good scare performers can use both. For someone like me who is difficult to scare, personality and interaction are what stop a scare attraction becoming a procession of predictable jumps. Shocktober’s cast gave me plenty of those memorable little moments.
Food Prices: My Wallet Was More Frightened Than I Was
I remember burgers being somewhere around the £10 mark, although that is from memory rather than an exact historical menu price, and I thought the food was expensive.
Personally, if the prices had been a bit lower I would probably have bought more food while we were there. Instead, there was a definite moment of: “Hmm. That’s expensive.”
But Obviously I Bought the Spooky Pin
This is where my financial logic becomes indefensible.
Burger: “Hmm, that’s expensive.”
Tiny Shocktober pin: essential expenditure.
I bought the pin. I still have the pin. I regret nothing.
So, Is Tulleys Shocktober Fest Scary?
I do not think there is one useful yes-or-no answer to that question.
My friend was scared. I was not particularly frightened. We were standing in the same attraction, on the same night, surrounded by the same performers.
If you are already comfortable with horror, know the mechanics of scare attractions and find it difficult to suspend disbelief when you know you are safe, you may react more like I did. If live performers, pursuit, darkness, sudden interactions and chainsaws get under your skin, you may have a completely different night.
And that is part of the fun.
My Tulleys Shocktober Fest Verdict
Looking back at my 2024 visit, the word that comes up again and again is fun.
I finally got my haunted hayride. I loved the cast interactions. The Coven of 13 performers had me crying with laughter. I got to watch the chainsaw chaos, soak up the Halloween atmosphere and discover that, yes, a shock seat could apparently get more of a reaction out of me than someone charging around with a chainsaw.
The parking signage frustrated me during our visit and I found the food expensive, but neither of those things changes my overall memory of the night.
For me, Shocktober was more fun than frightening — and I mean that entirely as a positive. I went for a Halloween night out and came home having had a brilliant one.
More Halloween on Clarissa’s Corner
If you are planning your own spooky season, head to Face Your Fears 2026: 31 Days of Halloween for more current Halloween ideas. If scare attractions are your thing, you can also read my guide to The Nightmare Realm London 2026 at Avery Hill.
Planning a Current Visit
Current visitor information to be checked before publication. This section can be updated with the latest dates, tickets, age guidance, parking, accessibility, travel, current attractions and official booking links. I have kept those details separate so they do not overwrite what I actually experienced in 2024.
Disclosure
I visited Tulleys Shocktober Fest on 12 October 2024 and paid for my own visit. Nothing about the experience was gifted or sponsored.
This is a retrospective review based on my personal experience, original photographs, video footage and memories. Attractions, ticket prices, food prices, parking arrangements, accessibility information and other practical details may have changed since 2024, so check current information before planning a visit.
