Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand: creatures crawl in search of blood, to terrorise your neighbourhood... Jo Roberts reports

Freaky Friday

Arguably the county’s biggest scare attraction for over-16s is FREAK WEEK RESURRECTION at Maidstone’s Hop Farm . Reviewers Wendy Atkins and Debbie Edwards braved demented clowns and axe-wielding mad men to give us their verdict.

Sufferers of coulrophobia – that’s a fear of clowns in case you were wondering – may want to take someone to hold on to! Freak Week Resurrection at the Hop Farm consists of five new attractions ‘that will test even the hardened scare freak’.

The first attraction was Mississippi Madness. Locals have been mysteriously disappearing and the only clues lead to a maze of blood-soaked tunnels to navigate with a few unwelcome visitors along the way.

Next up, and one of Wendy’s favourites, was The Creep. Where have all the children gone? You will never listen to nursery rhymes in the same way again! Anyone with dodgy knees may want to give this one a miss as you have to crawl on your hands and knees through tunnels.

After this was The Fun House, where the clowns are certainly not there to make you laugh. Big Top fun it isn’t!

The Infected was our favourite, described as ‘the first multi-theme interactive maze’. Not wanting to spoil too much of the fun, it’s safe to say that in the first part you require a blindfold and in the second you don’t! Wendy’s own blood made a temporary appearance after an over-enthusiastic member of The Infected skidded into her, causing her to bite her lip! But it just added to the night’s fun, especially when the blood-soaked mad man started apologising before moving on to his next victim.

Last on the agenda was The Asylum. “We’re saving the best till last,” they say! And they certainly throw it all at you in this one: the ‘inmates’ are relentless in their pursuit of those who pass through.

The crew really do put in a great performance and make the experience truly creepy. With all the screaming, shouting and howling, we do wonder how they will still have voices left for Halloween!

Freak Week Resurrection is at the Hop Farm in Paddock Wood, near Maidstone, until Friday, October 31, from 6.30pm daily. Tickets from £22.25 online. Visit
www.hopfarmfreakweek.co.uk

Zombie walk

‘Bring out your dead’ is the sinister-sounding tagline of the Folkestone Zombie Walk from the LEAS CLIFF HALL on Saturday, November 1, at 3.30pm.

The walk takes place in aid of East Kent Hospitals and is free to enter. A zombie makeover is available to buy at The Office Bar from midday, before the walk leaves at 3.30pm.

Afterwards, a bar crawl will kill some time before the Leas Cliff Hall throws its own Halloween disco from 8pm.

Tickets cost £5. Visit www.atgtickets.com/folkestone or call 0844 8713015.

Ropewalk riddle

Staff and visitors have glimpsed a shadowy figure and heard strange tapping sounds at the HISTORIC DOCKYARD CHATHAM. Now is your chance to chase the ghost yourself with a one-off Halloween event at the historic site.

On the Ropewalk within the ancient buildings of the Ropery Complex, intrepid ghost walkers will step into the creepy shadows of this gallery in the dark, where they will stop for a while, stay quiet and listen to the building. Shrouded in an eerie atmosphere, the dockyard provides the perfect backdrop for ghostly stories of history, intrigue, murder and mystery.

The tours on Friday, October 31, last one and a half hours. They start at 8pm and at 10pm.

Prices vary. Spaces are limited, and places must be pre-booked and pre-paid. Call 01634 823852 or email ghostwalks@chdt.org.uk

Castle Creepers

Will you survive a night hunting ghosts at DOVER CASTLE? Hear the strange but true experiences of those who work in the haunted tunnels and corridors, and discover the myths and legends surrounding this atmospheric ancient site, during special evening ghost tours on Friday, October 31.

Book your tour between 6pm to 8pm, or 8.30pm to 10.30pm. Tickets cost £25 for English Heritage members or £30 for non-members. Participants must be over 14. Visit www.english-heritage.org.uk

Boo! baby

For some age-appropriate thrills aimed at little ones, a one-off event called Baby Loves Disco, courtesy of the CANTERBURY FESTIVAL, is just the ticket.

Boogie Halloween invites parents and their little terrors on to the dance floor for some shiny, happy toddler-friendly funk.

It takes place at the Canterbury Festival Spiegeltent at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, on Saturday, November 1, at 2pm.

Tickets cost £6. Visit www.canterburyfestival.co.uk or call 01227 787787.

Theatre thriller

A Thriller dance workshop led by an assortment of enchanted characters and culminating in a flash-mob performance in the forest is a Halloween highlight at GROOMBRIDGE PLACE.

A theatrical spectacular is also in the Halloween mix at the venue near Tunbridge Wells, thanks to the colourful and enchanting performers of the Human Zoo Theatre Company.

Prepare to be spooked to the spine as you step on to the ghost boat and ride down the runaway river to the Pirates’ Lair and Captain Timber’s Tavern. The Halloween special events run until Sunday, November 2.

Tickets cost £9.95 for adults, £8.45 for children, or £33.95 for families, and are valid from 10am until gates close at 7.30pm. Visit www.groombridgeplace.com or call 01892 861444.

Glow in the dark

The grounds of historic building IGHTHAM MOTE will eerily light up with the glow-in-the-dark sculptures of internationally acclaimed artist Guy Portelli.

Not only will Guy’s ghostly dancing dresses thrill Halloween visitors, but also Beatrix Potter’s Jeremy Fisher will be making a guest appearance on a lily pad on the moat. The sculptures are in place until Sunday, November 2. On Halloween itself, take part in scarecrow making between noon and 3pm.

Entry costs £10.40 for adults and £5.20 for children. Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ightham-mote