Thrills and spills in-store at Warwick Castle this Halloween - review with pictures

With our Halloween mad 12-year-old and his friend who are both also crazy about history, the Warwick Castle Halloween attraction, The Haunted Castle, ticked all the boxes for us.

Three sets of attractions at Warwick Castle - each with increasing fear factors - make it easy for visitors of all ages to find the best thrill this Halloween: Scaredy Squires, Daring Dukes and Brave Knights.

New activities for 2018 include an Escape Room set in the medieval gaol and the House of Wax, which features a gut-wrenchingly grim finale. This year also sees the return of the popular Séance - an innovative binaural spatial audio technology experience; fire jousting displays; the plague-inspired adventure, Outbreak 1369; the spooky trails of the Haunted Hollows, the Witches Tower with an all-new show performed by horrid hags, telling tales of ghosts; and more!

So on a sunny autumn Sunday we headed to Warwickshire. Once parked, which was no nightmare, we made our way to the entrance. A slightly spooky and eerie piece of music greeted us, getting the family in the mood for what lay behind the turnstiles and letting us know this is no normal day at the castle.

We quickly realised Halloween really had taken over, hundreds of pumpkins were scattered around and staff were dressed in scary costumes to help guests get into the Halloween spirit.

Our first fright came in the way of the dungeon experience, not for the faint-hearted, but well worth a spine-chilling visit. With plenty of nervous laughter we moved from room to room witnessing unearthly delights such as animated ghost stories, toe-curling torture demonstrations – and a close shave with the plague. So with plenty jumps – or in my case bumps – as as some of the doors are very low, the dungeon really gets you off to the perfect start. And don’t be surprised if you are invited to help out with some of the grizzly scenes.

In between attractions the spooky entertainment continues with bizarre shows on the Dead Centre Stage. Plenty of audience participation guaranteed, it’s the perfect way to get your heart pumping, ready for more frights.

House of wax was next, this seemingly harmless walk around the property quickly turned to a darker, but still fun attraction, we needed to keep our wits about us in the gloom. Actors really got into their parts escorting visitors from room to room. There’s plenty to keep you on your toes, so beware scares and screams around every corner. You may wish to wax lyrical about this later . . .

If your heart can’t take any more then head for the castle’s more traditional attractions including the falcon displays, the famous Trebuchet which can launch a projectile 150m in the air, or just take a walk around the beautiful grounds.

So if you’re looking for some fearsome attractions, get your best Halloween costumes on and head to Warwick Castle, you won’t be disappointed. It runs until November 4. It will be open until 10pm on selected dates*.

By Steve Derry