'Classic Horror Vibe': Halloween at Notts Maze

Halloween in the UK has seriously leveled up over the past decade, bringing a wave of spooky events for every scare-seeker out there. From family-friendly frights to heart-stopping horror experiences that make you question your life choices, there’s something for everyone.

Now, we love a good scare, so when we got the invite to check out The Notts Maze for their Labyrinth – Backwood Terror: The Hillbilly Harvest event, we couldn't say no! If you’re over 40, you might remember the movie Children of the Corn—well, this experience brought that classic horror vibe to life in the best (and creepiest) way possible.

From the get-go, we were welcomed by a wonderfully friendly parking and box office team who got us prepped for the experience. They even handed us clipboards with a word search to complete as we made our way through the maze, hunting for letters to decode the final word. Spoiler alert: we failed miserably. We managed to find a grand total of… four letters. Why, you ask? Well, it’s hard to focus on a word search when you’re trying not to jump out of your skin!

Before long, we had our first encounter with a character who looked ready to join Slipknot on tour—an absolute fright and the perfect warm-up for what lay ahead. He set the tone beautifully for a night full of laughs, jumps, and the kind of fear that only a Halloween maze can deliver.

Approaching the maze was an experience in itself. Fires crackled, mist and fog rolled in every direction, and spooky lighting set the stage, creating that perfect old-school Hammer Horror atmosphere. And then came the screams—piercing, blood-curdling shrieks from visitors ahead of us. We knew that in just a few minutes, we’d be adding our own screams to the mix.

As soon as we stepped into the maze, we couldn’t see a thing. The mist was so thick it felt like it was pressing in on us, making it a little hard to see! The ground was super muddy, and we found ourselves slipping all over the place! We definitely recommend leaving the trainers at home, boots or wellies are an absolute must, along with a spare pair of shoes for the ride back.  It didn’t take long before we were stumbling over each other after our first jump scare. Even though we had a flashlight, the towering corn blocked almost everything, making it impossible to see who (or what) was lurking until it was right in front of us.

That was it—we were officially in the thick of it! Two 40-something mums, braving a Halloween maze. We kept going, and so did the jump scares. We encountered all kinds of creepy characters—a pig-faced woman, a half-deer half-human, what looked like a dead farmer’s wife, and more Slipknot wannabes than we could count. You’d think after the first few we’d have gotten used to it, but nope! Every single scare had us jumping as much as the last. The eeriest parts were those sections of the maze where no one else was around; it was pitch black, and the only sound was the pounding of our own terrified hearts. The maze really messed with our imaginations, and we found ourselves spooking each other as much as the characters did.

Were we scared? Definitely. But every scream was followed by fits of laughter. We laughed so much that by the end, our stomachs hurt almost as much as our nerves.

We spent a good hour and a half in the maze before realising it was time to get home to our kids—otherwise, we might’ve stayed even longer. We didn’t get a chance to try the food or drinks, though they looked and smelled amazing. We also handed in our word search with, as mentioned, a big fat fail (seriously, other people found all the letters, so don’t be put off by our performance).

All in all, it’s safe to say we had a fantastic time, and we’ll definitely be back next year. Next time, we’ll bring a bigger group and stick around for some food and a beer!

---

This guest blog was written by Rebecca McGlone