“Purgatory” somehow captured the imagination of uncertain times brought about by the global pandemic with its spiritual half-way house between life and death. Never intended as a metaphor for the new COVID-19 world, the attraction did, however, provide amazing fun for visitors who unanimously declared it as brilliant.

The attraction was held at Whatton House in Leicestershire for the Halloween period and was deemed so successful it will be back next year.

Under a canopy of starlight and mood lights, Halloween thrill seekers wandered around the beautiful and ornamental gardens of Whatton House alongside free-roaming spirits and ghouls who criss-crossed each other in a stunning show of ethereal gloom that held visitors in awe.

Visitors took a one-mile walk through 15 acres of alluring 19th century woodland and garden areas at night accompanied by miscellanea of spectral and other-worldly figures that appeared as if from nowhere to startle .
It marked the debut of what Area 51 hopes will become a long established Halloween attraction for future years at a beautiful location off the A6 between Kegworth and Loughborough.

Immersive theatrical set pieces were staged throughout the route and visitors to the attraction had encounters with soothsayers, Reapers and a collection of ghastly monks, among other metaphysical and eerie characters, before discovering their ultimate fate from an unearthly judge at the climax of this atmospheric experience.

Consciously created as an alternative to the modern trend of more extreme and terror-inducing Halloween experiences, Purgatory proved to be a smash hit success with its mood of haunting ambiance, brooding fear and an elegance that combined to chill the bones and pique the senses at the same time. A stunning new scare attraction has been put on the map.

GALLERY