AEG will be casting for a pool of 12 national performers to take part in a casting day in Manchester in early March.  Interested performers must be aged 21 and over and between 5’6 and 5’11 in height.  The chosen performers will travel across the UK and to Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo, portraying the friendly lion, and promoting his positive message of living with Cystic Fibrosis.  Accompanying Brandon will be his ‘Minder’ – AEG are also casting for this role, and applicants should be over 21 (any height).

Interested performers should send a CV and current full length photograph to casting@atmosfearuk.com.

A Message from Brandon;

Hi, my name is Brandon the Lion –and I’m the softest, cuddliest and caring friend you could wish for. I would like to tell you about a terrible disease called Cystic Fibrosis which effects lots of my friends around the world.

Did you know that more than 9000 babies, children and young people battle with this life-threatening disease on a daily basis.  Over two million people in the UK carry the faulty gene that causes Cystic Fibrosis – that’s around 1 in 25 of the population and only half of those living with the illness are likely to live past their late 30s.

My very best friend is also called Brandon which is how I was given my name !  Brandon Beech is an 8 year old boy who lives in Lancashire in the UK and he suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. Brandon was diagnosed at the age of three and his daily routine consists of taking 50 tablets, two inhalers, antibiotics through a special machine and over 40 minutes of special exercises to help him every single day.

Brandon’s dad is Chris Beech, ex professional footballer who played for Blackpool FC, Hartlepool FC, Huddersfield FC and Rochdale FC for whom he is currently the under 18s coach. Brandon’s mum is called Gillian and she is fantastic at keeping up with all Brandon’s medical needs and keeping him well. Sometimes it’s very very hard to fit it all into a day and sometimes Brandons mum and dad get very sad about it, but because Brandon is so brave and such a wonderful boy they all get through it together . Brandon also has a beautiful little sister called Jasmine who does not have Cystic Fibrosis but she loves to play with her brother and cheer him up when he is having all his treatment. I love to spend lots of time with them as they are a very special family.

I have already met lots of celebrities and been to lots of great parties and there will be many, many more to come ! You can keep up to date with my travels on my website and I promise to let you see all my exciting photos of the people I meet and the places I get to !

SO !!! I am going to travel the globe to make new special friends and to spread the word about Cystic Fibrosis and hopefully we can all help to raise awareness and help to fund research. Why don’t you follow me on my travels?! You never know where I might turn up !!!

If you want me to come and see you at one of your events then just drop me a line ! I love to meet new people and make new friends and most of all I love cuddles.

For full information please visit www.brandonthelion.co.uk

The newly created ‘House of Fear’, located at Allou! Fun Park, in Athens, is an interactive scare attraction created by AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group (AEG) www.atmosfearuk.com , based in Lancaster, UK.

The House of Fear is AEG’s 47th scare entertainment project over its 11 year history, with Ireland being the only other European country which has hosted their attractions outside Britain.

The House of Fear represents a significant investment for Allou! owners, Hellenic Entertainment Parks, who have made theme park history by introducing the first attraction of its kind to Greece.

The new scare attraction is expected to stun Greek audiences who are not used to these kinds of horror based entertainment experiences. Allou! welcomes more than 3 million guests per year and The House of Fear has been designed with a variable throughput to allow for high and low season operation.

Eleven professional scareactors, a 2,300 square foot set with 13 individual horror environments, special effects, illusions, environmental scents, specialist lighting, a multitude of soundscapes and Hollywood style costumes and makeup combine to create the chilling House of Fear including a seasonal scare in the form of a twisted version of Santa Claus.

The attraction was launched just before Christmas 2011 with a national television and radio commercial campaign, and wide media coverage, which has generated 3.5 hour queues on busy nights. Greek scream-seekers are clearly eager to experience the horrors inside the House.

AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group’s creative director, Jason Karl, said: “Creating the first scare attraction for Greece has been an interesting journey for the AEG creative team. With no obvious cultural benchmark or point of reference we had to develop a theme which the Greek audience could relate too, but without creating an actual storyline. After exploring several ideas we finally decided that The House of Fear would challenge guests to endure a series of disconnected ‘nightmares’ featuring instinctive and common fears like coulrophobia, cannibalism, madness, inanimate objects coming to life, demonic possession, blood sacrifice, murder, being burned alive, total darkness and claustrophobia.”

“Each environment is vaguely thematically related to its predecessor which creates cohesion in the production design, but we can adapt and add different scares, environments and characters as the attraction evolves in the future. This way the attraction can remain permanently fresh, maintain guests interest and encourage return visits to see what has changed inside.”

Vaya Klingou, Commercial Director of Allou! Fun Park, said: “Allou! Fun Park introduced The House of Fear to the Athenian people during this Christmas period. Thousands of people queued up to live the fear experience and many of them returned for more!

“The AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group team worked tirelessly to create the attraction in only a few weeks!  AEG did an excellent job in training the scareactors which made The House of Fear the talk of Athens.  We are certainly glad that we found AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group and trusted them to create the first scare attraction in Greece.”

The three casts of 11 performers are a team of 33 scareactors who will inhabit The House of Fear.  They each underwent specialist scareactor performance training from AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group’s ‘Scream School’ over three days in Athens, the training course is usually based in Blackpool, UK.

The House of Fear is now open permanently at Allou! Fun Park in Athens.

For more information on AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group visit www.atmosfearuk.com For further details of The House of Fear visit www.allou.gr

AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group, www.atmosfearuk.com based in Lancaster, will create CarnEVIL of Horrors, the festival’s first interactive walkthrough scare attraction, which will be located in the town’s Winter Gardens as part of the annual February half-term festivities.

Live scareactors, special effects, sights and smells will combine when the ‘spooktacular’ Victorian circus of oddities rolls into town on Feburary 14th and 15th 2012.

Creative director of AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group, Jason Karl, said: “We are really excited to be part of Showzam in 2012, CarnEVIL of Horrors will delight and entertain guests with a mixture of quirky, odd and mysterious characters.”

Thrill-seekers will make their way through a twisted maze of disorienting passageways and rooms housing the CarnEVIL of Horrors, created by sinister showman, Valentino Diablo, and all is not what it seems.

For within the gothic splendour of the Baronial Hall the failed showman has lodged his sinister sideshow and scare-seekers will encounter a hoard of hungry horrors with a dark tale to tell including Flextra, the living snake, the creepy living doll Scarionette and his hellish puppetress Mortana Gaunt.

Other sinister characters include Madame Phantasma, the seer, Grudge, Zombo and The Amazing Mystero as well as nine foot killer clown Svenghastli and Diablo, the sinister, eccentric showman himself, or could he be the devil in disguise..?!!

Professor Vanessa Toulmin, curator and programmer of Showzam, said: “We are delighted to have the AtmosFEAR! team involved in Showzam 2012 and I have no doubt that the CarnEVIL of Horrors will be a winner.”

Mike Williams, operations director at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, said: “We are very pleased that AEG has agreed to put on the CarnEVIL of Horrors as this will offer a new and exciting element to this year’s Showzam which is something we are always keen to keep fresh and different year-on-year.”

CarnEVIL of Horrors is open Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th February 2012 between midday and 9.00pm, at The Winter Gardens, Baronial Hall, Blackpool, and is suitable for families and thrill seekers aged 10-plus. Entry is every 5 minutes and admission is £5 per person.

For more information visit www.showzam.co.uk  or www.blackpoollive.co.uk or to book tickets call Ticketmaster on 0844 856 1111 or the Winter Gardens Box Office in Blackpool.

Taking the scare entertainment format and combining it with elaborate dining escalates the typical dinner experience to another level.  With haute cuisine, themed environments, scareactors, dramatic music, effects and lighting, these productions offer an alternative evening’s entertainment in sumptuous, and historic, surroundings.

For dates, prices and full information visit www.thegreathallatmains.co.uk

AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group’s Themed Dining Experiences

Themed dining experiences are usually commissioned as one off productions, but they can be offered over several dates in the same venue once a format is established.  These experiences can be plussed with the addition of roaming scare characters and even small scale installation custom scare attractions.

Themed dining experiences held at atmospheric historic locations allow the scare factor to be escalated to new heights.  Why not let our scareactors lock your boss in a fright filled dungeon, entertain you with alternative magic, or perform a gory illusion stage show featuring impaling and disappearance!

If you operate a venue which you feel might be suitable for regular themed dining experiences, or you want us to create a perfect proposal for your team building dinner, stag/hen party, celebration, or wedding, contact us with your requirements, number of guests and budget, and we will do the rest.  For full details visit www.atmosfearuk.com and click ‘Themed Dining’.

CARNEVIL OF HORRORS

Valentino Diablo’s Victorian circus of oddities has rolled into town.  Within the gothic splendour of the Baronial Hall the failed showman has lodged his sinister sideshow.  A twisted maze of disorienting passageways and rooms houses his Carnevil of Horrors, where all is not what it seems.

Guests will encounter a hoard of hungry horrors with a dark tale to tell.  Meet ‘Flextra’ The Living Snake, the creepy living doll ‘Scarionette’ and his hellish puppetress ‘Gracey Pike’, ‘Madame Destiny’ the seer, ‘Grudge’, ‘Zombo’, ‘The Magnificent Magnus’, the 9 foot killer clown ‘Svenghastli’ and ‘Valentino Diablo’ the sinister showman.  But is Valentino simply an arcane eccentric, or the devil in disguise..?

AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group presents Showzam’s first interactive walkthrough scare attraction with live scareactors, special effects, sights and smells which will have you howling one minute, and SCREAMING the next!  Suitable for families and thrill seekers aged 10 plus.

Creative Director of AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group, Jason Karl, said “we are really excited to be part of Showzam in 2012, and will be delighting guests with a mix of mystery, magic and monsters”.

CarnEVIL of Horrors is open Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th February 2012 between midday and 9.00pm, at The Winter Gardens Baronial Hall, Blackpool.  Entries every 5 minutes.  £5 per body.  For more information visit www.showzam.co.uk  or www.blackpoollive.co.uk, or to book tickets call Ticketmaster on 0844 856 1111 or the Winter Gardens Box Office in Blackpool.

The state of the UK’s economy might spell a bum deal for many people ’butt’ everyone can bum a credit crunching discount at Scare Kingdom Scream Park by quoting ‘bumadeal’ when booking tickets to the Lancashire Halloween horror attraction.

That was the message given to Preston shoppers this week after being slapped with an eyeful from this pumpkin peach.

Cheeky Preston model Nona Nightmare, 26 braved the chilly weather to bare her pumpkin rear-end as part of a Halloween treat for Scare Kingdom Scream Park, in Lancashire.

Her pumpkin bottom was the butt of a joke for shoppers in the city’s Friargate area, after they passed grizzly drag witch, Simon Sutcliffe, 32, from Burnley, holding a placard which read: “What is Halloween?”.

Yards down the busy shopping street, outside the entrance to St George’s Shopping Centre, the same shoppers then bumped into ’naughty’ Nona with her sign stating: “Without a full moon!”

The stunt shocker was created by the Halloween theme park creators, AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group, the UK’s biggest independent company of location-based scare entertainments, to promote the ‘bumadeal’ discount campaign which gives £2-off every ticket purchased for the evening fright attractions.

Creative director of Scare Kingdom Scream Park, Jason Karl, said: “We are very aware that the economic climate in Britain has put many people and families under a cloud of darkness so by running a discount on evening ticket sales we hope people don’t feel they have to miss-out on this year’s Scare Kingdom which is bigger than ever before.”

Scare Kingdom Scream Park runs from October 21 to November 6 inclusive. Go to www.scarekingdom.comfor details and bookings.

On a dark and cloudy night of October 14th, 2011, the Terror Attractions team crossed the threshold of Hawkshaw Farm Park to enter Scare Kingdom Scream Park, created by AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group`s Scream Parks UK division.

I didn’t even have time to call my solicitor to give him my last will and testament before we were accosted by the weird but wonderful scare actors Crazy Mavey and the ghostly monk; who’s piercingly shrill voices mocked and ridiculed victims passing through, making our initial entrance uncomfortable and incredibly uneasy.

Shortly after this ambush our group were forced to meet Lucifear to hear the mirrored ‘Angel of Death’ pronounce the general rules through an excellent mixture of audio visual media and live performance from an old hag. This was a completely unique way of introducing the rules of a terror attraction which we certainly had not experienced before, the mirror effects were superb and a scare in itself.

Onwards and outwards, yes, OUTWARDS! All seven of us walking in single file with hands latched onto the persons shoulders in front, almost looking like seven scared penguins in wellington boots, waddling down to the beginning of the attractions “Voodoo Bayou” and “”Day of the Dead” which are set in an immense corn field maze, making it the ultimate dark  trail. In these two similar attractions we found ourselves shuffling like lost souls through the small and winding mud paths, following the story of the murderous serial killer Delphine La Laurie, and afraid that she was going to attack any minute and use us as a human sacrifice. The storylines were well thought out and scripted, and the makeup and costumes were theatrical, bizarre and beautiful. The journey in-between sets seemed a little too long and repetitive at times, however the setting certainly did bring a chilling atmosphere to the performance, driving the audience out of their comfort zones and into a surreal and dangerous new world.

As soon as we thought that we were safe and sound, we were dragged into the next terrifying attraction “HMS Hell”, an ocean liner which disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle along with its crew. This was undoubtedly a much more terrifying attraction than the earlier two. The dark enclosed tunnels and narrow passageways were claustrophobic leaving us exposed and defenceless against the haunting ghosts of the ships lingering past. With strobe lighting and sinister surroundings, we were scared at every turn by the most fear-provoking actors who relished our screams and played into our deepest nightmares.

Once we had made our escape, we were quickly thrust into… .I want to cry even mentioning it… .Blood Bath II! This completely insane and terrorizing attraction sees the merciless Dr Van Der Blood and his sadistic followers carry out gruesome experiments on human subjects. Scare Kingdom definitely saved the best till last! Blood Bath II makes you feel completely vulnerable; you are constantly filled with fear as there is no safety or space anymore, the actors touch you! We were impressed with the chosen background music which wasn’t your typical scare attraction music, with its fast dance/techno beat which gave us a surge of panic throughout. Without giving too much away Blood Bath II is intelligent and inventive, using all of the human senses to achieve the gritty realism that had everyone screaming for their lives. Honestly, I have to admit that I actually wet myself a little bit!! Its fast pace and frequent scares made us confused and disturbed. This is a horror masterpiece that pushes the boundaries of the modern day scare attraction.

After nearly having a heart attack in Blood Bath II I was very thankful to see the new Bloody Mary’s bar, and got myself several Scare Kingdom Ale’s and checked if all my limbs were still attached.

Scare Kingdom Scream Park is a must see for those who dare!

Terror Attractions Rating : 10/10

Review by  Luci Teal – Presenter,  Bolton FM

If you’re looking for somewhere to go this Halloween, look no further, I have just the place, and Scare Kingdom truly does have something for everyone…

When you first enter it looks like an ordinary Fun Fair with a ghost train, spooky dodgems and waltzers but this isn’t even half of the story!

All year round Hawkshaw Farm Park is nothing out of the ordinary but now the spirits have been set loose and have taken over.

For children (and those of a nervous disposition) the friendly Witch Pink Hazel awaits and audience with you as she takes you on a journey in search of a spell caster to help wake up the magic mirror.

For the slightly braver there is a trip into the cornfield for ‘Voodoo Bayou’ and ‘Day of the Dead’. Two creepy tales to follow through the mazes with the added atmosphere of the wind rustling through the corn it is definitely enough to put a shiver down your spine.

For those of you counting down the days to Halloween and waiting for a good scream, may I direct your attention to ‘HMS Hell’ and ‘Blood Bath II’.

The tension mounts as you wait outside and listen to the screams of the victims inside. These are two fantastic attractions with two very different stories. The visuals and music add to the gruesome experience to be had. A friendly warning – you will definitely get up close and personal with the people in your group for Blood Bath II …. and the residents within it. Be prepared to warm the vocal chords and stretch those calf muscles. But don’t worry as you conveniently escape in to Scare Kingdoms fully licensed bar and what better way to defuse and debrief than with a pint of Scare Kingdom Ale specially made for them by Thwaites the brewery. It’ll warm the cockles – if you managed to escape with them that is.

The characters, costumes and music at Scare Kingdom are all individually handpicked and come together beautifully to give you one of the scariest experiences you will ever have. In its third year running things are truly getting bigger and better for this place and I really can’t wait to see what is in store next year!”

For more details on Scare Kingdom, visit their website at www.scarekingdom.com Tickets are on sale now!  Quote ‘nightmare’ for £2 off per person.

The huge complex boasts 4 brand new night time scare attractions spanning several acres of land and includes Voodoo Bayou – a walkthrough scare experience featuring a real lake, woods, corn maze and lavish sets with live scareactors and unique ‘fire’ lighting throughout.

Day of the Dead is set in a second outdoor area and features sets and makeup created using ultra violet reactive paints to create a haunting and quirky walkthrough experience which places guests in the Mexican horror holiday.

HMS Hell plunges guests beneath the waves as they explore the rusty corridors of an old sea liner which disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle in 1913, while Blood Bath II is the park’s biggest and most elaborate attraction to be built in 4 years.  Including scent, smoke, strobes, live scareactors and a movie quality set the huge construction has been built over three months and includes rooms, corridors, crawlspaces and a whole host of horrifying surprises with a dramatic culmination!

Also new for 2011 is Hocus Pocus, a children’s daytime show for under 10′s, plus a merchandise shop selling T-Shirts, Souvenir Programmes, Scare Bears, CD’s and much more.

During the day guests can visit The Wicked Witch Cafe for a tasty treat, and mingle with our friendly street theatre characters Pink Hazel and Sir Scare-a-Lot, while at nights guests will meet a more terrifying bunch of minions roaming the park between attractions, plus Bloody Mary’s Licensed bar will be open for a range of hot food, alcoholic drinks and Scare Kingdom’s own beer – Blackscar’s Brew.

The Fright Fair is also open every night with The Ghost Train, Cauldron Waltzer and Dastardly Dodgems, plus shooting games and LuciFEAR’s Mirror.

Scare Kingdom Scream Park Halloween theme park has more to offer than ever before, and has held admission prices from 2010.  For more details and to register for discounted admission visit www.scarekingdom.com where you can book tickets online or call Ticketweb on 08444 77 1000 to book now!

Scare Kingdom Scream Park – Live the Nightmare!

Scare Kingdom Scream Park is the UK’s newest Halloween entertainment park, and the only attraction of it’s type to present all new scare attractions each and every year.  Following two sell out seasons, the park returns this year between 21st October and November 5th with 6 attractions for thrill seekers, families and children.

Chris Kerry, Director of Production for Scream Parks UK, who produce the park said “we are looking for a great male performer to join our hoard of scareactors this year.  Anyone can apply, enthusiasm and a passion for horror are more important to us than dramatic qualifications”.

Those interested in applying for the role should email chris@atmosfearuk.com with a headshot and full contact details.  Applicants must be able to get to and from the venue with their own transport.  See www.scarekingdom.com for full venue and attraction details.

Hopefuls screamed, scared and horrified the casting panel as they performed a short monologue and took part in movement and scaring exercises.

The scream park is looking for over 50 talented scareactors to populate its all new scare attractions for this coming scare season over October and November.

Casting Director and AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group Director of Production Chris Kerry said “our first casting day of the season brought in some frightening new blood who had us screaming and laughing in equal measure.  We are looking forward to working with these new performers alongside our existing pool of scareactors who have worked at the park over the last 4 years”.

A few roles are still available, interested parties should contact chris@atmosfearuk.com with contact details.  Performers must be aged 18 and over and be available for all operational dates of Scare Kingdom which can be found at www.scarekingdom.com.  All roles are paid freelance positions.