Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach Resort opened the gates to its terrifying Journey to Hell event last night – and for the first time, thrillseekers could walk through a ride that’s more than a century old.
The event debuted a brand new for 2025 scare zone, ‘Abyss’, which invites thrillseekers to walk through the 120-year-old River Caves ride in near-darkness.
River Caves, which was built in 1905, has been given a hell theme for the Halloween event, and features live actors lurking behind the ride’s famous scenes from around the world.
With animatronics that many considered creepy even by day, the ride is a favourite of Hollywood horror royalty and Wednesday director, Tim Burton, who once said he used the ride for inspiration.
Other scare zones featured in Journey to Hell for 2025 include ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ which sees the park’s usually beloved Alice in Wonderland ride transformed into a nightmarish world, featuring live actors.
Another ride-based zone, ‘The Ghost Train: Vault of Shadows’, is set inside the world’s first Ghost Train; notoriously one of the most haunted attractions in the world and said to be haunted by ‘Cloggy’, a former ride operator whose footsteps can still be heard.
‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ sees guests explore the lair of a macabre collector and try to escape the house of mirrors. Meanwhile ‘Twisted Tunnels’ transports visitors to the Victorian era, and takes place in a 100-year-old passageway that is usually closed to the public, but was once used to travel between rides.
In addition to the scare zones, there are unlimited rides after dark on Pleasure Beach’s newly re-imagined Launch Pad ride, the Grand National rollercoaster, Derby Racer, and Flying Machines. However, Pleasure Beach is warning guests that they may not be alone in the rides.
There is also live music and live entertainment, including roaming actors, the witch parade, fire breathers, rollerskaters, and the return of Lougarock, the seven-foot-tall werewolf.
Halloween-themed food and cocktails are also be available throughout the evening.
Journey to Hell is now in its sixth year and continues to push the boundaries of immersive, live entertainment, which is exactly what people are looking for at this time of year.
CEO of Pleasure Beach Resort, Amanda Thompson OBE
“It’s important to us to never stand still and to lean into the things that make us so special. This year’s addition of the 120-year-old River Caves as a scare zone is a way for us to draw on something that no other scare event in the area has – our fascinating history.
It’s a perfect example of how we blend our incredible heritage with innovation to create truly unforgettable experiences.
Fact sheet:
- There are five scare zones: Abyss (Walk-through – new for 2025) Cabinet of Curiosities (walk-through), Twisted Tunnels (walk-through), Down the Rabbit Hole (ride based), and Ghost Train: Vault of Shadows (ride based).
- New for this year, Abyss will take thrillseekers to the depths of the 120-year-old River Caves ride, built in 1905.
- Launch Pad, Grand National, Derby Racer, Flying Machines are open for unlimited riding.
- 110 actors make up the cast of Journey to Hell. They’re hiding in rides, bringing scare zones to life, roaming the queue lines and performing in the Opening Ceremony and the Witches Parade.
- That’s not all: there are also fire breathers, rollerskaters, musicians and a live DJ throughout the night.
- Actors have been trained by the team behind Pasaje del Terror, the UK’s longest running scare attraction which has operated in Blackpool for 27 years
- Every single one of the ghoulish zombies, scarecrows and terrifying corpses that have transformed the park for Halloween has been made in house by talented modellers in Pleasure Beach Studios.
- There are 500 pumpkins decorating Pleasure Beach for the Halloween season.
- All the costumes have been handmade by three seamstresses in Pleasure Beach’s wardrobe department, who also make costumes for events across the world.
- Journey to Hell actors spend more than three hours per night undergoing their terrifying transformations in make up and prosthetics.
- Limited edition themed food, snacks and cocktails have also been developed for Journey to Hell and the Halloween period.
Journey to Hell opened on Thursday October 23 and runs nightly until Saturday November 1.
Tickets start at £39.50 and can be booked online at www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com/events/journey-to-hell/
