Now in it’s fifth year, the event returns to Blackpool's Pleasure Beach Resort with new scare zones, extra entertainment and more rides in the dark than ever before!

70 actors make up the cast of Journey to Hell, hiding in the rides, bringing scare zones to life, roaming the queues, performing in the new Opening Ceremony (a brilliant addition) as well as taking part in the Witches Parade.

The FY4 plaza is once again the main hub, with fire breathers, stilt walkers, roller skaters, musicians and a live DJ throughout the night. There are specially themed food and drink options available, including a delicious Vampire Burger and Zombie Cocktail.

Like previous years, Journey to Hell uses a coupon based system where guests hand over a ticket on entry to each attraction – allowing guests to choose the order in which they tackle the night.

After soaking up some of the initial atmosphere, we headed off to confront our first attraction and opted to go 'Down the Rabbit Hole'.

Down the Rabbit Hole (ride based, new for 2024)

Alice has gone insane. The once whimsical Wonderland has become a nightmarish world inhabited by grotesque figures, still locked in an eternal tea party of madness. The Mad Hatter is deranged; the White Rabbit is violent; and the Cheshire Cat now a skeletal spectre, taunting with his sinister smile. Stumble deep down the rabbit hole where horrors lurk around every corner and reality and insanity blur. Will you escape Wonderland… or find yourself, like Alice, lost to the madness of your mind?

Much like the adjacent Ghost Train, this classic ride provides the perfect backdrop for a very special Halloween overlay. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a weird and trippy story full of surreal encounters, so all of that is dialled up for the Down the Rabbit Hole scare zone.

Ghost Train: Vault of Shadows (ride based, revamped for 2024)

The world’s first Ghost Train is notoriously one of the most haunted attractions in the world, where the line between living and dead is terrifyingly thin. Staff members report feeling watched by unseen eyes, and the unnerving sensation that the ride’s twisted animatronics have somehow awakened. Legend has it that malevolent spirits hide in the shadows… and even if you’re lucky enough to escape, you’re left with the chilling feeling that the spirits might just follow you home…

As with previous years, the ghost train works perfectly as a scare zone and was once again a real highlight for us with the inclusion of even more live actors than before. This year, the park has reinvigorated the attraction with new and improved scenes.

Cabinet of Curiosities (walk-through, new for 2024)

Curiosity has gotten the better of you, and you cannot resist a journey to the dark heart of a macabre collector’s warped obsession. These narrow corridors are home to the inexplicable and the bizarre, each gruesome creature more disturbing than the last. Spend too much time in the company of these dreadful treasures and you might just become one of them, so you’ll be forced to flee through the maze of horrors. After all, you know what they say: Curiosity kills.

Taking over the previous Impossible Freak House scare zone, this new experience played out like a live action version of 'American Horror Story: Freak Show' with everything from a twisted ventriloquist, two creepy girls, an evil clown and a lively performance from a bearded lady.

Twisted Tunnels (walk-through, revamped for 2024)

Far below the surface of Pleasure Beach Resort is a forgotten labyrinth dating back more than 100 years. These tunnels are the lair of unspeakable horrors from bygone times, long buried but never truly at rest. As you navigate the winding passageways you’ll discover that the hidden alcoves hold more than just shadows: You are not alone down here, and they have waited long enough. The disembodied noises of the amusement park high above will do nothing to calm you – they are simply a terrifying reminder of a place to which you may never return.

This walk-through scare zone is filled with an impressive number of actors and it was good to see that whilst the route will still be familiar to those who have attended before, some scenes had been refreshed. The experience uses a series of different sections with unrelated stories, the strongest being the Jack the Ripper part.

9 rides after dark

In a substantial upgrade to the event in 2024, a total of 9 rides are available: Valhalla, Big Dipper, Flying Machines, Infusion, Derby Racer, Grand National, Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic, Ghost Train (as Vault of Shadows) and Alice in Wonderland (as Down the Rabbit Hole).

So, Valhalla. Although the idea of riding what's probably the world's wettest water ride on a chilly October night may not seem that appealing, it was without doubt one the highlights of the night. Just do it, don a poncho and brave the elements for a spectacular dark ride unlike anything else you'll ever experience.

On the media night Grand National wasn't open due to technical issues but the park more than made up for this by substituting it with the UK's first double launch roller coaster, ICON.

Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic was running with all lights and sound turned off, so it was a very odd 4 minutes in silence and the dark. This didn't work at all, and the attraction would be better operating as normal, or with a 'Curse of the Were-Rabbit' overlay.

With that, our experience of Journey to Hell 2024 was over and we headed towards the park exit just after 10pm. Guests can opt to extend their stay by visiting Pasaje Del Terror. We're so glad we had the opportunity to do so, as this year-round scare attraction delivered the biggest scares of the night.

Pleasure Beach Resort has clearly taken on board feedback from previous years and has worked hard to improve the event.

Condensing the event into one half of the park, introducing an opening ceremony, opening more rides and increasing the number of roaming actors has all contributed to making the 2024 edition of Journey to Hell the best one yet.

Guests can enjoy Journey to Hell between the 11th – 31st October 2024. Tickets start at £39.50 or £51.50 with Pasaje Del Terror added.

Find out more and buy tickets at blackpoolpleasurebeach.com