Dr Frights returns to Earls Barton with 'Horrorworld' twist

People are coming from all around to experience Dr Frights, a Halloween exhibition that boasts four new mazes, each with its own unique theme.

The annual event takes place at Whites Nurseries in Earls Barton, and over the years has become very popular attracting people from across the county and beyond.

This year it has been given a unique spin, with each maze designed to be a ‘spoof of Disneyworld’, with some of its themes taken from popular films.

The event launched on October 14 and runs until October 31, with tickets ascending in price accordingly and being available both on the door and online.

Speaking about one of the mazes, co-organiser Joe Gray noted that ‘crazed, chainsaw-wielding hillbillies have overtaken the fantasy land’, alluding to ‘Grindhouse in Wonderland’, which takes the otherwise whimsical Lewis Carroll story and subjects it to a sinister, southern-bumpkin twist.

Work on next year’s event ‘starts as soon as it finishes’, proving the whole operation to be far more than a Halloween-fuelled whim, and the high production value shows that the hard work pays off.

The Northants Telegraph bravely went along to see what Dr Frights is all about this week.

‘Killer Clowns of the Caribbean’ has attendees desperately navigating tight corridors littered with interactive scenery as all-too-eager and convincing cast members find innovative ways to make each scare different.

The lighting is clever and does well to contribute to the unease, screechy, dense covers of popular songs keep people’s pulses sufficiently high, and creepy, ominous set designs ensure that Dr Frights will send shivers up the spines of those attending.

The harsh, mechanical smell of an overheating chainsaw is particularly creepy, doing well to blur the lines of what’s real and what’s not, and finding other scaredy-cats along the way can make the simple act of going through the maze feel like a desperate collaborative effort.

Queues were long for each attraction, but a fast track system did well to keep things moving, and the chatter before entering the labyrinth quickly became part of the fun.

There is a hub area that also houses the ‘horror bar’, as well as merch stores and food stalls, making it somewhere you could spend the entire evening.

More information can be found at http://www.drfrights.com/