The Scare Woods, England

Hidden inside a small wooded area, there lies an abandoned horror attraction known as the Scare Woods. The attraction was doomed before it even opened, now its odd assortment of props and sets pieces are an interesting curiosity to explore.

On a cold autumnal evening a couple of years ago, I entered the Scare Woods. As the sun was starting to set, I moved around quickly snapping photos during the golden hour. The light brought the green and golden autumn leaves to life. The low sun allowed for some creative starburst shots as it peeked though the foliage.

A horror attraction, abandoned props in the forest

The attraction was set in a dark and atmospheric woodland, a seemingly perfect setting for an evening of spooky scares. The small party of guests would walk along a linear route, zig-zagging along what must have been a disorienting route in the dark.

The props only form the barebones of the attraction, losing most of their magic when viewed in daylight. Various special effects, such as smoke, music, loud bangs, and strobe lights, would have made this a multi-sensory experience. This was augmented with live actors to add to the immersive experience. The actors would both scare and keep people moving through the route.

Despite all the work creating the Scare Woods, this attraction never opened. Shortly before Halloween, a message on company’s social media pages cancelled the event.

A crashed plane, called Flamin’ Mamie 

One of the zones appears to be a 1940s America wartime themed area. The centrepiece of this area is a plane crash scene, surrounded by a few other related set pieces. A pinup model, and the words “Flamin’ Mamie” decorate the planes nose. This area appears to be based on the 1958 movie South Pacific and/or the Broadway musical productions of the same name.

The themed zones of the Scare Woods

The Scar Woods featured a variety of different scare zones the guests would pass through, each with its own unique theme. Visitors could expect to encounter everything from demonic swamp people and zombies to clowns and various other creatures of the night.

• 1940s wartime America, as mentioned above.
• Haunted graveyard area complete with gravestones, tombs, and gothic church windows. Probably the undead and creatures of the night were lurking in the shadows.
• Demonic swamp, inhabited by satanic forest folk and an alligator with a taste for human flesh.
• A military compound overrun by zombies (Resident Evil vibes, anyone?)
• A colourful camp area is at the end of the maze. Probably this is a chill-out area to relax after the walk-through portion of the attraction. It looks like there may have been stalls for food and drink.
• And….killer clowns! Apparently there were killer clowns; who knows what themed area they were in or what their backstory was? Who isn’t scared of killer clowns?