*****
Rhondda Heritage Park
Mon 16 Oct
If you’ve ever dreamt of acting in a horror movie, this Halloween scare attraction is perfect for you. The website describes X Scream as more “terrifying, blood-curdling and ghastly” than any horror film you have ever seen before, stating that a horror movie, with you playing the starring role, is what you will be creating during your experience.
Taking place in the terrifying setting of Rhondda Heritage Park, an old colliery site, the atmosphere instantly puts you on edge. Throughout the whole 40-minute walk (less if you decide to run the whole way) there is hardly any lighting; it’s very difficult to see whether anyone, or anything, is going to jump out on you.
Despite the setting making the walk scary already, it was the actors that made the experience so good. During the walk, you will come across a Russian prostitute (who greets you first and calms everyone’s nerves with her raunchy jokes), zombies, clowns, creepy children and some recognizable horror-movie favourites.
There is also a run-in with a group of shouty army men, who lined us all up, put bags over our heads (one told me to keep mine on even after we were told to take them off because I looked better with it on…) and marched us into the unknown. Their orders and the way in which we were treated made the atmosphere extremely tense and it was definitely the most frightening part.
Tensions rose even higher when we were crammed into a lift and taken down into the mines. One of the actors was in the lift with us and he kept pushing past us and running back and forth, panicking about how to get out of the lift, threatening to stab himself with the scary-looking screwdriver in his hand (to which I replied with a loving “it’s okay!”)
It was the finale that really got hearts racing, however. The ominous sound of a chainsaw getting louder and louder forced us all to sprint towards the exit. Sweating, shaking and hyperventilating, I was more than relieved it was over… And yet, I would happily do it again. Scary stuff.
words CONNIE MATTHEWS
X Scream at Rhondda Heritage Park, near Pontypridd. Until 31st October. Info: http://www.x-scream.com/
