If you’ve never been, Psycho Path in Burnopfield is basically my idea of a fun night out mixed with my idea of an absolute nightmare. There are terrifying scare mazes, creepy characters, jump scares around every corner and plenty of opportunities to question why on earth you willingly paid money to be frightened!
This year, it’s bigger and better than ever, with loads of new additions and revamped attractions. There’s the new and improved bar, Bite Club VIP, as well as an extended IScream, Flightpath 666 and Psycho Path VAR.
And speaking of new experiences… we finally made it into the dreaded Doll House!
Usually, this one is so busy that we don’t even bother going near it, but this year we decided to brave it. Big mistake? Potentially. We came out alive, at least — although the terrifying dolls decided that what I really needed was a makeover and proceeded to decorate my face with some lovely face paint. Because apparently being scared senseless wasn’t enough!
Sadly, The Hunt is no longer at Psycho Path this year and has been replaced by Flightpath 666. We didn’t get to experience this one during our visit, but if the rest of the event is anything to go by, I think the general public are in for a treat. Or a nightmare. Probably both.
And I have to mention Psycho City, because this is sadly its final year.
It’s always been one of our favourites, so I’m genuinely gutted to see it go. The set is always absolutely top-class, the attention to detail is brilliant and, this year, the scare actors seemed even more terrifying than usual. If you’re heading to Psycho Path this year, make sure you give it some love before it disappears — they’re definitely going out on a high!
Of course, we couldn’t make it through the night without bumping into a few familiar faces.
Krampus kindly decided to chase me around the park — because apparently I haven’t got enough problems. The Nun was there too, and she still manages to give me nightmares every single time. And then there was Art the Clown, who, rather unexpectedly, I ended up having a little boogie with!
Only at Psycho Path, eh?
From clowns and masked men to classic horror characters and some rather naughty pirates, there really isn’t an attraction where you can completely relax. You can go in thinking you’re brave, but give it five minutes and you’ll be clinging to your friends for dear life.
One of the biggest changes this year is the new Bite Club VIP, and I absolutely loved it. There are interactive props, plenty going on and even a resident DJ, so it’s the perfect place to grab a drink and recover from whatever trauma you’ve just experienced! They also have limited-edition cups this year for just £1, which obviously meant we had to get one. Because if you’re going to spend an evening screaming, you might as well have a souvenir to prove it.
And talking of souvenirs… we all ended up buying some merch this year too. Of course, I went straight for the ‘Bite Me’ hoodie. As a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fiend, I really didn’t have much choice, did I?
Once again, the Psycho Path team have pulled it out of the bag. While I’m definitely sad to see The Hunt go — it was our previous favourite and always left us absolutely buzzing with adrenaline — there’s still more than enough to keep you shaking in your boots. Isolation, Crawl Space, Psychotorium and Vandalised are all still there to put you through your paces, alongside the new additions, and there really is something to scare everyone.
So, if you’re looking for something a little different to get you into the Halloween spirit, Psycho Path is definitely worth a visit.
The Halloween event runs through October right up to Halloween. Just remember… you’ve been warned. And if you hear screaming coming from the next maze, it might just be me! For more information or last-minute tickets, head to: psycho-path.co.uk
Author: Amie
Author of Amie's World, Amie works on Hartlepool Life's social media pages, covers advertorials, writes the occasional feature and news story!