Scare Kingdom Scream Park – Lancashire’s Scariest Halloween Entertainment Venue Opens in October 2009

‘Scare Kingdom Scream Park’, the UK’s newest Halloween scare entertainment venue will open in October 2009. Hosted at Hawkshaw Farm Park, on the A59 between Blackburn and Preston, it has been developed and produced by ‘AtmosFEAR! Scare Attractions’ www.atmosfearuk.com – the UK leaders in independent location based scare entertainment. Following the sell out success story of last years ‘HEX in the Harvest’, hosted at the same venue last Halloween, AtmosFEAR!, lead by TV presenter and author Jason Karl, have been working on Scare Kingdom for the past 10 months, and have stepped up the fright factor for 2009 with new special effects, more live actors and even more terrifying attractions for thrill seekers and families!

PREPARE TO BE SCARED!

During the October half term, Scare Kingdom opens daily and delivers Halloween fun with everyone in mind. For children under 10 – ‘Hubble Bubble: A Spellbinding Trick or Treat’ is a 45 minute interactive theatrical experience. Featuring songs and games that will enthral youngsters, friendly witch sisters ‘Toil and Trouble’ will cook up a spell to keep everyone entertained. After the show, why not try and navigate the ‘Wicked Witches Corn Maze’?

At night the Kingdom comes alive with two headlining terrifying scare attractions that will leave guests screaming for more! For families and young adults – ‘Dead Alive: Legend of the Pumpkin Man’ – amid the 8 acres of rotting mist covered cornfields lay the ruins of Strangleweed Hollow, in its day a booming town where many made their fortunes during the gold rush. Now nothing more than a ghost town… This 40 minute fright fest begins at Mother Strange’s old decaying farmhouse, here she waits, night after night still longing for her long lost son who disappeared into the fields so long ago – the Pumpkin Man!

For thrill seekers and families – ‘Blood Bath; the Mad Doctor will see YOU now!’ – in the heart of a derelict war bunker, long since forgotten, a diabolical doctor – Cornelius Van Der Blood, has set up his secret blood soaked chamber. Evicted from Gaunt Hill Asylum under a cloud of accusations and rumours of unspeakable deeds, he is now continuing his bizarre and twisted experiments deep underground, away from prying eyes, where the screams of his ‘patients’ cannot be heard…

ADDITIONAL ATTRACTIONS

In addition to the headlining attractions, Scare Kingdom will offer a variety of additional attractions designed to ensure guests have an experience to remember; ‘Sir Scare-a-Lot’ – imported from the USA especially for Scare Kingdom, this impressive projection special effect is a speaking statue that delivers grave advice with a sinister sneer. ‘Moaning Mordred’ – entombed inside his ivy clad tomb, Mordred whispers twisted tales and ghoulish gags for guests to listen too while they eat. ‘Street Theatre’ – come face to face with the Undead Court as King Morbius and his legion of frightening fiends roam the dark pathways of Scare Kingdom each night. ‘Frightful Photography’ – have your photograph taken with our creepy character as a scary souvenir. Extra cost £1 per person. ‘The Greedy Gargoyle Café’ – enjoy a Halloween treat from our selection of themed cakes, soups, sandwiches and drinks. Extra charges apply.

BACKSTORY

Scare Kingdom Scream Park is based on the mythical tale of Morbius Blackscar, the tyrannical self proclaimed King of the undead realm, who has returned to his throne eight centuries after his kingdom was destroyed. Through Asmodeus’ enchanted mirror, his legion of terror invades dreams, searching for twisted nightmares which manifest in his new world; no longer Scar’s Kingdom but Scare Kingdom – The Land Where Nightmares Never End!

SCARES WITH AN EVEN BIGGER BANG!

On November 5th 1605 Guido Fawkes tried to destroy parliament in a secret gunpowder plot. Now he is back, centuries later, and will deliver scares with and even bigger bang for one special ‘Fireworks Phantasmagoria!’ featuring a professional fireworks display and bonfire. Come early and stay late as our evening attractions come to life for one last time this year, before Scare Kingdom closes its doors to dream up new nightmares for 2010! All other evening attractions will be operational. Operational on November 5th only.

NOW CASTING!

A cast of local performers will populate the Kingdom after undertaking AtmosFEAR!’s ‘Fright School’ monster training programme in early October, any interested performers should contact AtmosFEAR! imeediately by email info@atmosfearuk.com. Annie Cabasa – Makeup Designer from Preston-based ‘Facecrew UK’ will create a group of diabolical demons and rotting zombies to inhabit the park!

 TICKET SALES LINE  Ticketweb – 08444 77 1000 Tickets also available online through the Scare Kingdom website.

WEBSITE www.scarekingdom.com

LOCATION Hawkshaw Farm Park, (home of Mrs Dowson’s Ice Cream) Longsight Road, Clayton le Dale, Blackburn, Lancashire. BB2 7JA.

OPENING TIMES Exact opening times are posted daily on the Scare Kingdom website under ‘Opening Times’. The Kingdom will open during the evening on selected dates between Thursday October 22nd and Thursday November 5th 2009, it will open during the day on selected dates between Monday October 26th and Friday October 30th.

DISCOUNTED ENTRY Guests can register for discounted admission at www.scarekingdom.com to receive £2 off standard ticket prices.

VIP LAUNCH NIGHT Members of the press and media are invited to join special guests on Thursday 15th October for our VIP Launch Night, for tickets please contact Jane Willis PR (see below) with your name, contact number and the name of your publication, TV or radio channel (if applicable).

COMPETITIONS & PROMOTIONS We would be delighted to offer tickets and discounted entries to readers for press and media promotions, please contact Jane Willis PR (see below).

SPONSORS Scare Kingdom has been sponsored by a variety of local businesses, further details can be found on the Scare Kingdom website.

VIDEO TRAILER A video trailer giving a taste of the forthcoming park has been produced. This is available for using on any websites with video compatibility, please contact Jane Willis PR for further details (see below).

DIGITAL IMAGES A selection of images are available for press and media use, these can be obtained from Jane Willis PR (see below).

CONTACTS Jane Willis PR are handling PR for Scare Kingdom, email willisj@live.co.uk or call 07952 394674.

AtmosFEAR! Scare Attractions www.atmosfearuk.com  

Scare Kingdom www.scarekingdom.com  

Hawkshaw Farm Park  www.mrsdowsons.co.uk

A New Happy Haunt!

With the ongoing success and popularity of AtmosFEAR! Street Theatre characters, we will be adding several new characters over the coming months. The latest addition to the troupe is ‘Haunted Henry’ a friendly costume character from the Tudor era who is available now for meet and greets and walkabout entertainment.

Perfect on his own or accompanying face character ‘Sir Humphrey Howling, he will delight with a fright!

Meet ‘Haunted Henry’ and ‘Sir Humphrey Howling’ in these video vignettes.

A Swashbuckling Success!

AtmosFEAR! Scare Attractions latest street theatre show ‘The Pirates of Pasty Bay’ was performed in Lincoln city centre last Friday (7th August) to delighted audiences.

The show consisted of three different vignettes in which audiences were sworn in as pirates, taught the Pirate Jig and took part in the pirates quest to find the famed ‘Golden Pasty’.

‘Lady Mary Killigrew’ and ‘Captain Henry Killigrew’, both pirates from Cornish history, and ‘Duggery’, the skull carrying bungling Bosun, entertained crowds to promote The West Cornwall Pasty Company www.westcornwallpasty.co.uk  

With visually arresting costumes and makeup, the trio paraded the city in search of treasure and ship mates to join them on their quest. ITV News covered the story and recorded the show as part of their ’Calendar’ regional news programme, and the Lincoln Echo newspaper sent a  roving photographer to catch the swashbuckling action for their readers to enjoy.  Keep an eye out for ‘The Piratess of Pasty Bay’ they may be on their way to a town near you very soon…

The Roots of Evil Have Sprouted…

The cornfield for Scare Kingdom’s forthcoming outdoor scare attraction ‘Dead Alive’ is now looking decidely creepy. The skeletal stalks have burst through the land and devoured the eight acre site leaving all who enter the field disoriented and confused…

Park owner Eric Dowson said “it’s a very creepy feeling walking through the silent corn! having seen AtmosFEAR!’s master planning for the attraction I know people are going to be very scared as they make their way through the various scenes, buildings and sets – I’ll be outside on security!”

‘Dead Alive’ is just one of the brand new attractions debuting this scare season at Scare Kingdom. It is joined by ‘Blood Bath’, a blood soaked underground lair inhabited by a diabolical Doctor who carries out bizarre experiments on all who dare enter. Attraction designer Paul Howse said “with Blood Bath we have created a very sinister set of characters and a labyrinthine maze of passageways with dead ends, claustrophobic sections and even theatrical scent – it will be an assault on the senses and is certainly not for the faint of heart – especially as some of the characters give chase and others come a little too close for comfort – will they touch you?!”.

For more information on Scare Kingdom visist the website at www.scarekingdom.com

AtmosFEAR! Scare Attractions Television Casting Call

Virgin1 are making a new series hosted by Duncan Bannatyne.  Could you play Captain Jack Sparrow or Elizabeth Swann? TwoFour and AtmosFEAR! Scare Attractions need pirates for an existing Newquay tourist attraction.

Auditions are on 15th August from 2pm – 6pm at The Victoria Hotel on East Street, Newquay TR7 1DB and will be filmed for the series.
The audition will be in two sections:

1.Present a short piece of script (provided)

 
2.Scare the Casting Director to prove you can think fast and really frighten people!

 
Performers are initially needed to work 20th – 23rd August (more dates to follow) The attraction features a band of friendly pirates and a separate band of scary pirates, so we need passionate performers aged 18+

Remember, we are looking for pirates so be sure you dress to impress but don’t worry if you don’t have any pirate clothes as personality is more important than experience!

For more info call Matt on 01752 727 633 / 01752 727 406 Email: matthew.christian@twofour.co.uk

A New Scare Attraction for Liverpool is Unlocked!

THE SCARE ATTRACTION THAT BITES BACK!

Venture into a long forgotten wing of old Croxteth Hall, and descend into the candlelit lair of Count Cruentus Sefton! Explore rooms and passageways never seen by the public before, as you follow in the footsteps of an unwary Vampire Hunter…

Lazarus and Vivian Van Helsing, intrepid Vampire Hunters need your help to save their apprentice, Grace Tombs, and have enlisted you as their ‘Hunters’. Together with Lazarus or Vivian you will explore a 210 room mansion drenched with ‘blood red’ light, as the secrets of centuries past creep back to life, and a household of horrors manifests around you. Watch out for ‘Brimstone’ the giant Butler, ‘Miss Crow’ the Governess, and ‘Violetta’ the Vampire Bride as you navigate your way through the catacombs of Croxteth Hall!

Centuries ago, a dark secret was locked away behind closed doors; hidden from view and spoken of only in whispers, but recently the doorway has been exhumed, and Apprentice Hunter Grace Tombs has disappeared through the door. Now the dark force that was held within has escaped, the past is bleeding into the present, bringing the undead into the realm of the living…

AtmosFEAR! Scare Attractions presents ‘Vampire Vault’ a unique interactive scare attraction experience featuring state of the art special effects, lighting, sound and live scareactors in a startling spectacular that you can really get your teeth into. Stake out the undead in ‘Vampire Vault’ this Halloween season, it will frighten the YELL out of you!

LOCATION

Vampire Vault is situated at;

Croxteth Hall.
Croxteth Country Park.
Liverpool,
L12 0HB.

For directions and further information please visit the locations website at www.croxteth.co.uk

OPENING TIMES

Vampire Vault will open on several nights during 2009 beginning at 5.00pm on Tuesday 20th October 2009. This attraction operates a timed entry batching system with entries every 15 minutes, the experience lasts around 35-45 minutes.

TICKETS

Adult Entry £8.00
Concessions £6.50

Please contact Croxteth Hall to book tickets by calling the Box Office on 0151 233 6930, credit and debit cards are accepted, a small postal charge applies.

PLEASE NOTE

Vampire Vault is intended for children aged 10 and over, although younger children will be admitted with parental guidance. The attraction includes darkness, loud noises, strobe lighting, live actors and tactile effects which are intended to scare you. No imitation weapons, face masks, recording equipment or light sources are allowed. You can watch highlights from last years ‘Scary Nights’ production ‘The Phantom Feast’ which was performed at Croxteth Hall at http://www.atmosfearuk.com/phantom_feast.html

AtmosFEAR! Scare Attractions Shoot Cinematic Trailer for Scare Kingdom Scream Park

It’s getting extremely busy in the Scare Kingdom production office – we have recently completed post production on the elaborate cinematic trailer created to promote the park, which opens in October 2009. 

Filmed entirely on location a team of 30 performers and production staff took over Stirk House hotel in Gisburn, Lancashire for an entire day and night.  After constructing a set depicting a medieval banqueting hall, complete with 25 foot table, authentic food, pewter tableware and 12 performers we successfully filmed the tale of the Scare Kingdom which sets up the backstory for the park.

The tale begins many centuries ago as Morbius Blackscar, an evil lord and self proclaimed ‘king’, tasks his magical minions to find a way of granting him and his followers everlasting life.  A mage named Asmodeus discovers a spell in an old tatty grimoire which grants the king’s wish, and the court is consumed by the evil magic.  Meanwhile, local villagers and townsfolk have taken up arms, after years of maltreatment by their evil overlord, they plunder the castle – burning Scar’s kingdom to the ground!  But the roots of evil cannot be vanquished, and the mirror mage places the spirits of the king and his court into a magic mirror where for centuries they wait.  By the power of the mirror King Morbius invades dreams of sleeping victims, collecting ideas from nightmares which he can manifest in his new kingdom – each year the attractions change depending which twisted tales the king wants to tell, and with each scream his kingdom grows more powerful once more, no longer Scar’s kingdom but SCARE Kingdom!

Don’t forget to keep your eyes on www.scarekingdom.com – a full interactive website is about to go live featuring admission times, prices, discounted entry registration and more – you might even meet Asmodeus in person….

The Pirates of Pasty Bay

AtmosFEAR! Scare Attractions increasingly popular street theatre troupe will be out on the streets of Lincoln city next week (Friday 7th August) promoting the West Cornwall Pasty Company. Lady Mary Killigrew (Monica Vaness), Captain Henry Killigrew (Gary Oke) and Duggery, the Bosun (Anthony Dowling) will roam the streets in search of new pirate shipmates and treasure!

After leaving their creaking ship ‘The Penzance Pearl’ in Pasty Bay, West Cornwall, the pirates are searching for the long lost treasure of Pasty Bay – and each of them has their personal favourite flavour!  Using an old treasure map they will attempt to find the golden pasty!

Join the Killgrews and (skull) duggery for a swash buckling performance around Lincoln next week, if you dare!

Scare Kingdom Special Effects Designer Hosts Makeup Show

Scare Kingdom Scream Park’s makeup effects designer, Annie Cabasa, is to hold a major competition for makeup, hair and beauty students, at the Reebok Stadium complex, Bolton, on Monday, June 1, 2009.  Makeup designer Annie, who is based in Preston and is the owner of Face Crew UK – Preston’s first make-up school – has organised the Student Makeup Competition, at the De Vere Whites Hotel, Bolton, on Monday, June 1, 2009, from 10.30am to 5pm.

To date, about 60 individuals and students from colleges nationwide have signed up to take part in the competition, which will see each contestant vying for the top place in one or more of eight themed categories entered ranging from Bridal Makeovers to Halloween horror.

Jason Karl, AtmosFEAR!’s Creative Producer will be joining other industry professionals to judge the event which will be a chance for the creative contestants to showcase their talents to a wide audience with certificates for all those taking part and prizes for the top scoring entrants. Having worked with makeup and special effects professionals for many years.

Jason is delighted to judge this competition, he said “it’s a chance for the contestants to really go wild and create some ‘over the top’ designs that will be out of this world!”  In October this year Annie and her team of makeup artists will be on the set of Scare Kingdom Scream Park, based at Hawkshaw Farm Park – home to Mrs Dowson’s Ice Cream – Clayton-le-Dale, Blackburn, applying scary makeup to more than 30 cast members.

As Scare Kingdom Scream Park’s makeup effects designer Annie will be creating a range of theatrical makeup effects using exclusive designs and prosthetic to give each chilling character an authentic Hallowe’en image.  Annie, who has worked in the fashion, arts, hair and makeup industry for about 30 years, and has been a lecturer and course tutor in specialist makeup at Lancaster and Morecambe College for the past 13 years, said: “The competition is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. “Even though this is a national student competition, I felt it was important to stage this independent event in the north of England not only because we have a wealth of talent but the usual London or Birmingham based venues, involve added expense for northern students, with travel and overnight accommodation.

“The De Vere Whites Hotel, Bolton, is a premier accessible venue and an ideal location. “The competition will be an annual independent platform for students to show off their skills.  Entrants can be makeup, hair or beauty students or individuals from public or private training environments, or trainees who are in their first year of work or from work experience or placements.  So far we have had a lot of interest in the competition; those who have already entered are extremely excited about the competition and their prospects.”

Exclusive prizes include a range of hair, makeup and beauty products from professional makeup companies nationwide as well as work experience with top production companies including AtmosFEAR! Scare Attractions, the company behind Scare Kingdom Scream Park, and the acclaimed West End theatre company, Delfont Mackintosh, famous for shows such as Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera and Mary Poppins.  Since officially opening her makeup school, Face Crew UK, in Fylde Road, Preston, earlier this year, Annie and a number of her students have been called upon to create makeup effects for a range of groups and individuals. The single mum-of-two is skilled in all areas of makeup from creating high fashion editorial looks for industry to applying realistic graphic injuries for real life scenarios. Working with her students from Lancaster and Morecambe College, Annie recently helped recreate a car crash scene on behalf of the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety and the emergency services, aimed at raising awareness among young people about driving dangerously on rural roads.

Annie said: “I am passionate about this work and have been involved in numerous reconstructions throughout Lancashire.” Later this year, in conjunction with Lancaster and Morecambe College, Annie and her students will be travelling to Italy to re-create yet another accident scenario. Any makeup, hair or beauty students and individuals, who wish to take part in the Student Makeup Competition, but have not already registered, can still enter but must contact Annie as soon as possible at annie@atmosfearuk.com

Scare Kingdom Imagineering Plan Preview

AtmosFEAR! Imagineering have released an image detailing plans for Scare Kingdom Scream Park, the UK’s newest Halloween entertainment venue which is due to open at Hawkshaw Farm Park in the North West of England in October 2009.  The park includes three brand new scare attractions, ‘Dead Alive’ an outdoor cornfield attraction is set in the fictional ghost town of Strangleweed Hollow and tells the tale of the legendary ‘Pumpkin Man’ who roams the fields seeking lost souls. 

The attraction is set in 8 acres of land and will incorporate small scale buildings and outdoor spaces to deliver the story in a 40 minute fright fest.  Visitors enter the attraction via ‘Strangleweed Farmhouse’, a delapidated creaking shack in which Strangleweed Hollow’s only living resident resides. 

The Scare Kingdom brand has been designed with a strong generic backstory featuring a maniachal medieval king and his ‘Undead Court’ who, by sorcery, are rebuilding their ‘Kingdom of Fear’ scream by scream!  With each scream emitted in the Park, another brick of Scare Kingdom’s ‘Castle Blackscar’ is rebuilt!  Each year the intention is to feature new attractions with new themes; the underlying story being that anything dreampt up in a nightmare, can become real in Scare Kingdom. 

Keep a close eye on www.scarekingdom.com for updates, galleries and details and keep checking this blog for regular park updates.  Subscribe to the Scare Kingdom website and receive discounted entry in October – register now!