Dark Hollow
The Dark Forest welcomes a new scare zone: Dark Hollow. This free-to-experience attraction draws on characters from Alton Towers’ history, including the iconic “Thirteen girl” from early marketing campaigns, the Hampton twins from The Boiler House, and even props such as statues from The Invitation.
The atmosphere is heightened not just by the roaming actors and eerie lighting, but also through cleverly designed audio. Among the soundscapes, fans will spot nods to past marketing, including the famous “Don’t Go Alone” tagline woven into the clips. It’s a subtle but effective Easter egg that long-time Scarefest visitors will appreciate.
At night, the area feels deeply immersive, with even the window of the old Swiss Cottage themed to match. At around four minutes in length, it’s short but highly enjoyable, and one of the best scare zones the park has produced in years.
2026
Back again for 2026 after being introduced in 2025, Dark Hollow is a free scare zone located next to Edge of the Forest.
Guests walk through the area as the creatures of Dark Hollow come to life around them.
There appeared to be more actors in the scare zone this year and possibly some new characters too. We’re not sure whether that was simply because of the time of day we went through or whether new characters have actually been added.
Either way, the costumes are great, the actors are brilliant and Dark Hollow continues to be a lot of fun.
