Shocktober fest - Scream park 2013 - At Tulleys farm, Turners hill, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 4PE - Selected dates in October and November 2013

Shocktober fest returns to Tulleys farm for the halloween season 2013!
Beginning on the 5th of October with a vampire world record attempt this fearsome festival runs until the 2nd of November where the ripped and bloodied curtain comes down on the show with a festival finale firework display! Tulleys farm has run an annual halloween festival for the last 15 years. Beginning as a simple affair of selling pumpkins to the local populace, the festival has now grown into an award winning behemoth of a haunted attraction!

Shocktober fest 2013 is an interactive and immersive horrifying journey through a series of six main haunts which includes the infamous haunted hayride, twisted maze, wood shock, hell-ements, the cellar and the creepy cottage. Those that survive these terrible trials may attempt to numb the inner turmoil of their now fractured souls with a beverage at the after life bar which is open from 9pm until 11pm. As well as the main haunts, Shocktober fest is a celebration of street theatre as undead denizens and demented creatures of every kind wander around the shocktober fest park, looking for members of the public to harrass, torment and indulge in some banter!

Shocktober fest has become a much beloved event to fright fans all across the UK and is considered by many to be the best event of its kind in England. Clearly the people behind the festival have a great deal of love for the horror genre and this results in the attention to detail and quality of scares on offer that has led to various awards in the haunted attraction industry.

Whilst there is no strict enforced age limit for the Tulleys farm shocktober festival, it is not recommended for children under the age of 12. People need to be aware that this is a genuinely frightening and at times shocking event and are urged to use common sense in regards to what they should expect! Whilst recommended for adults and older children, younger kids are admitted to the park and any child under the age of five enters free of charge, of course parents will need to use their discretion as to how much of the frights on offer they expose their younger children too!!!  

Tickets are already on sale via the Shocktober festival website.
The festival is open on the following evenings:

Various levels of passes are available with prices starting from just £7.95, see below for full pricing details and contact details for Tulleys farm and the Shocktober festival 2013.

Event info summary:

Name of event: Shocktober Fest 2013 Scream Park.

Date of event: Selected dates in October and November 2013 (See post above)

Location: Tulleys farm, Turners hill, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 4PE

Booking office telephone number: 01342 710 471

Booking online: http://www.halloweenattractions.co.uk/shocktoberfest/prices

Event website: http://www.halloweenattractions.co.uk/shocktoberfest/

Chucky iOS game "Slash and Dash" coming soon from Slimstown studios

To coincide with the release of the new Chucky film “Curse of Chucky”, developer Slimstown studios have very recently announced a new iOS and android game featuring everybody's favorite erstwhile serial killing demonic doll! Little is known about the game thus far but with the current title of “slash and dash” i think we should be expecting an endless runner. Whilst the app store has more endless runners than AMC's Walking dead has zombie extra! as this title features “Chucky” i think there is definitely room for at least one more! I dont have a solid release date yet with the title currently slated as “coming soon”. More news as we have it.

Up coming vampire game - Shadow Vamp! - Looking monstermendously awesome!!! - Ghoulie get yer game on!!!

Now this looks very interesting indeed!!!

Shadow vamp, listed as “coming very soon” from developer games mould, employs a rather unique game mechanic, whereby you the vampire must make your way home during the daylight hours using shadows to protect your delicate undead skin from the sun!
From what i can tell from the trailer you are able to rotate and manipulate the world around you to create shadowy paths to travel down. Of course the proof is in the pudding but so far this title is looking monstermendously awesome!!! Incidentally games mould is the publisher of one of my favourite ios games "spooky hooves" which gives me even more reason to have high hopes for this.

Check out the screenshot and gameplay trailer below! Review from the Ghoulie as soon as this launches!

The Conjuring (2013) - Horror movie review (No Spoilers!)- The Creepy Critter

I have to start this review by giving credit where its due! I watched "The Conjuring" with a casual cinema goer and they were suitably absolutely terrified and unnerved! Certainly they got what they came and paid for, and in that respect therefore "The Conjuring" is a success. How does the movie hold up however, under intense scrutiny from the bloodshot beady eye of the dedicated horror fan?

"The Conjuring" supposedly recreates the real life events as experienced by members of the Perron family and paranormal investigators / demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. The PR for the film would have you believe that this is a case file so horrendous, that the Warrens’ kept the details hidden from the public eye for many years! The case in question concerns the demonic infestation of a house with a long history of tragedy and murder, that was once inhabited by a satanic witch! The Perron family purchase the house completely unaware of this horrible history, and ready to start their new lives in the country. Of course its not long before all hell comes a’ knocking! and the family are forced to turn to the Warrens’ to try and save their souls! The main story arc is interwoven with the story of another famous Warren case file, concerning the demonic inhabitation of a "creepy as feck" old doll.

"The Conjuring" is very well acted throughout, with Vera Farmiga (Lorraine Warren) and Patrick Wilson (Ed Warren) deserving special mention for their depiction of the Warrens. The chemistry between the two actors is completely believable and endearing. Indeed you will care about all of the main characters in this film, and that is a very important part of the what this film does so right.

It is totally fair to say that "The Conjuring" does nothing new, in fact it contains every haunted house movie cliche in the book, and as with so many demon inspired movies of late, much of the space between the truly scary parts of the film are filled in with much demonic door slamming from the unseen entities! I mean jeez if i was a paranormal investigator i would solve half the problem by removing the doors in the house and shouting “how you like them apples!” loud enough for all of hell and its pesky demons to hear. Let me suggest a drinking game for you to play whilst you watch "The Conjuring"! Make a check-list of every haunted house movie cliche you can think of and then take a shot of vodka, tequila or whiskey whenever you see one of these cliches in the film. I can assure you that you will be as drunk as a skunk before the half way mark of the movie!

Creepy basement - Check
Spooked pets - Check
Stopped clocks - Check
Child playing with unseen friend - Check
Reluctant priest - check!!!! etc etc etc

You get the picture!!!

For me the film was particularly reminiscent of “Amityville” and “The haunting in Connecticut” which of course are two other horror films based on supposedly true events that involved the warrens'. One could therefore argue that many of the haunted house cliches the film contains are actually the typical signs and symptoms of a home gripped tight in the grasp of demonic forces.

So there you have it "The Conjuring" is 112 minutes of cliche after cliche......................
All of them used superbly! and boy is "The Conjuring" ferociously fantastic for it!!!!!

As with the recent "Evil Dead" remake, yes "The Conjuring" is nothing new, but its something old remixed, relaunched and tweaked almost to perfection! There is no filler in "The Conjuring", no dead space at all, the pacing of the movie is absolutely spot on, you are always unnerved, constantly worried for the Perron family and the Warrens' which keeps you intently focused on the film and therefore the scares as they start to come thick and fast in the last half of the film have all the more impact and jump effect! Its all in here! Witches, demons, exorcisms, ghosts and possessions all held in place by a tight script that slowly reveals the mystery of the house and just how big a demonic kahuna the Perron family and Ed and Lorraine are facing! The creepy Annabelle doll subplot works really well and is seamlessly interwoven with the main storyline despite initially beginning as a very separate story, this in itself a sign of a really well written and directed film.

Is "The Conjuring" the best haunted house movie of all time? i wont answer that right now, but the fact that i a seasoned, battle scarred horror film veteran is even thinking about that question, should tell you just how brilliant this movie is. 8.7 Skulls out of ten!

Knightmare Tower! IOS Game review - Ghoulie get yer game on!

Whilst the iTunes app store continues to see a rise in more complex proper console type gaming (x-com, grand theft auto, final fantasy), it remains for now overwhelmingly the spiritual home of casual gaming! Many of the most successful and highest grossing games on the App Store are played with controls that require little more physical input than repeatedly tapping the screen with a single finger at the appropriate moment! Knightmare tower the latest offering from developers Juicy Beast is certainly of this ilk.

With such simple game mechanics, ultimately these type of games live and die by the quality of their presentation and addictiveness! That elusive “just one more go factor!”. Well i can tell you ghoulfiends and gentlecreeps that Knightmare tower has both in abundance with big shiny cherries on top!

You are the titular Knight of Knightmare tower! Your job is to reach the top of a treacherous and terrifying tower rescuing princesses and generally being a medieval bad ass along the way! You begin the game free falling down through the tower after launching into the air atop an iron rocket and must attempt to rise back up by slamming down on a myriad of flying beasties, monsters and demons! Every monster you hit in succession results in an increase of speed of ascendancy and takes you further away from a fiery lava that is also climbing the tower literally “hot” on your tail! Movement of your Knight is achieved by tilting your device left or right and touching the screen to perform a downward attack on your monstrous legion of enemies! Every so often you will reach and smash through a ceiling, freeing the princess of that part of the tower. As with all the best examples of casual games, there is a hidden tactical depth to the gameplay of Knightmare tower and as the game progresses quick thinking and good hand eye coordination will certainly be needed to see you through! As you reach greater heights within the tower you are confronted by an ever widening array of beasties to slay and not all of them are simple sword fodder! Many will take multiple hits to destroy, wizard types will attempt to bring you down with magic orbs, dragons will fill the screen with fireballs and other creatures are only temporarily vulnerable displaying for the rest of their time on screen large sharp spikes eager to take one of your lives if you slam down on them at the wrong moment! The higher you rise the more the action intensifies and soon you will find yourself with every type of monster to deal with on screen at once and the deeper tactics of monster time management come into play!

 Having just one go on Knightmare tower would be the equivalent of helping yourself to just a single pringle from a newly opened tube...it just aint gonna happen! This game is stickier than bubble gum dipped in honey! The action is fast and furious with each play lasting an average of just 2 or 3 minutes. The rate of progression is paced perfectly and you find yourself constantly wanting to inch closer to different achievements and goals or collecting enough money to level up your character! The game contains a shop, where gold you have collected during gameplay can be spent on more lives, potions, stronger attacks etc.

Monster fans will love Knightmare tower! It features a lovingly crafted menagerie of creatures, all depicted in a detailed and colourful art style that to me was almost reminiscent of eighties british comics such as whizzer and chips and the likes of OINK!. The game doesn't credit the artist but i believe its a person referred to as “J-P” on the developers website. The games soundtrack supplied by “HyperDuck soundworks” also deserves special mention, its an absolute perfect fit for the game. Heroic and jaunty with medieval overtones conveyed by an occasional choir of maidens.

As with all these casual type games Knightmare tower does of course have a limited shelf life. Such simple game mechanics can only afford a game so much longevity before actions start to feel repetitive. However for a period of a good few days i literally played nothing else and for the paltry sum of just £1.99 the level of enjoyment you will get from the game represents brilliant value.

So there you have it! Dag nabbit! Knightmare tower is a great example of casual gameplay executed with style and aplomb! Ghoulie recommends you get your game on!

Click here for Iphone version of "Knightmare tower" on the app store

Click here for the Ipad version of "Knightmare tower" on the app store