London is one heck of a spooky place sometimes – and we’re not just talking about at the moment with that bed bug scare (and that is darn scary stuff). From paintballing with zombies to trying to escape Jigsaw’s terrifying traps from Saw, there’s so many things in our beloved capital this Halloween to give you the heebie jeebies. So, without further ado, here’s 12 of the most scary things to do in London:
1. The London Dungeon
Kicking off this roundup of the best scary things to do in London is none other than the London Dungeon – an interactive horror attraction that recreates various macabre historical London events with a gallows-humour-style theme. It’s a really fun spot with shows dedicated to escaping the shadowy figure of Jack the Ripper – the world’s most infamous serial killer – the Great Fire of London, Sweeny Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ and Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder Plot.
In terms of rides, the London Dungeon has also got a backwards boat ride which takes you to the fictional Traitor’s Gate to get your noggin’ chopped off and ‘Drop Dead’ – a drop ride designed to make you feel like you are being hanged at Newgate Prison. Spooky stuff!
📍You’ll find The London Dungeons at the Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7PB.
🚇 Nearest station is Waterloo.
2. Saw: Escape Experience London
Bringing to life Jigsaw’s absolutely fearsome traps and puzzles in an adrenaline-fuelled immersive experience, brave applicants who dare to enter this interactive horror experience will recognise iconic sets recreated from the franchise, including the bone-chilling bathroom and Jigsaw’s workshop. Franchise star and veteran horror actor Tobin Bell voices John Kramer, the Master of Games, Jigsaw, so they’ve really gone all out with this one!
In a quest to survive, players will need to outwit Kramer’s haunting SAW villain, Billy the Puppet, who puts morality, wits and courage to the ultimate test in a series of gruesome games to escape those terrifying traps… Those fortunate to survive this immersive experience can unwind in ‘The Traproom’, a themed bar inspired by Jigsaw’s workshop. Pint to calm the nerves, anyone?
📍You’ll find Saw: Escape Experience London at 1 America Square, London, EC3N 2LS.
🚇 Nearest station is Tower Gateway.
3. The London Bridge Experience & London Tombs
When it comes to scary things to do in London and scary attractions, then this one would have to be very close to being top of the list. Often voted the scariest attraction in the whole of London, the London Bridge Experience is an award-winning visitor’s attraction set within the deep historical vaults of the world-famous London Bridge. You’ll get to experience the dark history of London Bridge first-hand as it is brought to life right in front of your eyes, with appearances by William Wallace and *gulp* Jack the Ripper along the way.
You can also have the option of entering into the London Tombs – an immersive scare maze playing home to a multitude of crazy characters and creatures including clowns, doctors, zombies, dentists, butchers, murderers and more. Plus, this Halloween they’re doing a terrifying extra show called ‘Ci-Curse’ – which is only suitable for those 16+!
📍 You’ll find The London Bridge Experience at The Rennie Vaults, 2– 4 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2SY.
🚇 Nearest station is London Bridge.
4. In With The Spiders at London Zoo
Now, if you’re suffering from arachnophobia dear reader, then this is certainly one of the most scary things to do in London. Based at the beloved ZSL London Zoo, this is the UK’s only ‘spider walkthrough’ – where nothing stands between you and mighty golden orb spiders and Madagascar weavers in their beautifully-intricate webs.
As well as these fascinating species, you’ll also come face-to-face with some other amazing arachnids, including the venomous black widow, the mighty huntsman, the rare fen raft spider – one of the UK’s most endangered animals – and the goliath bird-eating spider, the world’s biggest tarantula. Don’t worry yourselves though – all of these will be behind glass!
📍You’ll find In With The Spiders at London Zoo, Outer Circle, London, NW1 4RY.
🚇 Nearest station is Camden Town.
5. The Ghost Bus Tour London
A London ghost tour with a difference, this fun 75-minute tour bills itself as the ‘world’s only comedy-horror theatre show on wheels’, and throughout the duration of it, you’ll pass by some of the capital’s most signature attractions.
You’ll enjoy your ride on an elegantly-refurbished 1960’s Routemaster bus – billed as the ‘necrobus’ – and actors and on-board technical trickery are designed to conjure up intriguing tales of murder, execution and hauntings throughout the whole experience. You’ll pass by landmarks including the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London and the famous Tower Bridge. Prepare to get pretty spooked with all the family at this one, which also runs in Edinburgh and York too.
📍You’ll find the Ghost Bus Tours at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5BY.
🚇 Nearest station is Charing Cross.
6. No Escape
Now, with a name like ‘No Escape’, we’re really onto something a bit damned spooky aren’t we? At this fantastic escape room, we’ve got some of London’s creepiest escape plots, all of which look pretty goddamn terrifying. In Aldgate, you may find yourself locked in the workshop of ‘The Butcher’ – a bloody scary killer – or solving the mysteries of ‘The Haunted Toy Store’ where toys are found in rather odd places and children are constantly going missing.
Alternatively, book yourself in at Oxford Street for a trip to ‘The Dentist’, or perhaps you’re long overdue a cut with ‘The Demon Barber of Oxford Street’? All we know is that all of the above sound really rather terrifying…
📍You’ll find No Escape at various different locations in London. You can find out more here.
7. Fright Nights at Thorpe Park
If you’ve never heard of Fright Nights at Thorpe Park, then quite frankly, you’ve been living under a bloomin’ rock. One of the UK’s most beloved theme parks, it has everything from ‘Saw The Ride’ – the world’s first horror movie themed coaster with a vertical drop of 100 degrees – and ‘The Swarm’, the UK’s only winged coaster which, in keeping with the horror theme, is themed to an alien invasion. They’ve even just announced that they’re in the process of building the UK’s tallest and fastest roller coaster, ‘Hyperia’ – we for one can’t wait for that one!
However, arguably their biggest and best time of year is their beloved ‘Fright Nights’ events – which see the park ‘transform into a heart-stopping playground of horror, where frights lurk at every corner’ in the form of scare mazes, spooky shows and rides in the dark! Don’t miss their new maze this year, ‘Stiches’, which is based in the eerie corridors of a malevolent toy factory. Jeepers, Creepers.
📍You’ll find Thorpe Park at Staines Road, Chertsey, KT16 8PN.
🚇 Nearest station is Staines and bus services directly to the park are available.
8. Howl’O’Ween at Chessington World of Adventures
Another beloved theme park here just on the outskirts of London, Chessington World of Adventures is a theme park, a zoo and a SEA LIFE aquarium all rolled into one and is, in their own words, ‘Britain’s wildest family adventure’. Rides here include the ‘Dragon’s Fury’ roller coaster, the ‘Tiger Rock’ log flume and the thrilling 25-metre-tall ‘Croc Drop’ which plunges riders into the jaws of a mythical crocodile. They also recently opened ‘Mandrill’s Mayhem’ – the UK’s only Jumanji-themed rollercoaster.
As with Thorpe Park, they also offer you the chance to get involved in Halloween activities, this time billed as ‘Howl’O’Ween’, which features rides at dusk, fancy dress competitions, spooky shows and a brand-new trick or treat experience called the ‘Enchanted Hollow’. Sign us up for that one!
📍You’ll find Chessington World of Adventures at Leatherhead Road, Chessington, KT9 2NE.
🚇 Nearest station is Chessington South.
9. Tulleys Shocktober Fest
Frequently voted the UK’s scariest attraction, Tulleys Shocktober Fest in Kent is ‘Europe’s largest scream park’ and it’s perhaps the place to go if you want to spook yourself senseless this October. They’re celebrating 25 years’ worth of screams, so expect big things for this instalment, as well as live actors, crazy special effects, immersive scenery, great street food and one *ahem* hell of an atmosphere!
The biggest draw here probably lies in their scare mazes, which this year features eleven different kinds, with everything from creepy clowns to chainsaw-wielding psychopaths. You have been warned…
📍You’ll find Tulleys Shocktober Fest at Tulleys Farm, Turners Hill Road, Turners Hill, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 4PE.
🚇 Nearest station is Kingscote, though we’d recommend driving to this one.
10. AIM Escape
Jack the Ripper aside (him again), if you’re ever in Whitechapel and are looking for something scary, then you really should make your way to AIM Escape just off Goodman’s Fields. ‘Patient Zero 2150‘ will see you tasked with saving the world from destruction (this one admittedly might be a tad scarier on the other side of a global pandemic…).
Meanwhile ‘Psychopath’s Den‘ pits you against an evil psychopath, so just hope you don’t become another one of his grisly victims! We understand this may all sound a bit too terrifying (no judgements here) but don’t worry, ‘Spy Heroes‘ will ensure everybody has a great time, living out their spy fantasies in an escape room complete with a laser maze.
📍You’ll find AIM Escape Rooms at Goodman’s Fields, 8 Canter Way, London, E1 8PS.
🚇 Nearest station is Aldgate East.
11. Bunker 51
Situated just down the road from the Docklands, Bunker 51 is a Cold War-themed nuclear bunker packed full of high-adrenaline activities. They’ve got two immersive indoor game zones here, as well as escape rooms and laser tag, but it’s the rather ominous-sounding ‘Zombie Bunker’ that has got us really rather spooked.
Basically indoor paintballing themed to a zombie apocalypse, you’ll need to ‘enter the secretive Bunker 51, undergo your combat and survival training’ and, well, fight blood-covered zombies. 28 Days Later eat your heart out.
📍You’ll find Bunker 51 at 3 Herringham Road, Charlton, SE7 8NJ.
🚇 Nearest station is Charlton.
12. Chamber of Horrors at Madame Tussauds
Rounding off this list of scary things to do in London is none other than Madame Tussauds, which is perhaps one of the most popular attractions in the whole of London Town. While some of the actual waxworks themselves might be considered scary (no offence MT), we’re actually talking about their ‘Chamber of Horrors’ exhibition, which features individuals whose different crimes have each had a significant impact on Britain’s social and criminal history.
Think Jack the Ripper (yep, that old chestnut again), serial killer Dennis Nielsen, The Krays and Ruth Ellis, who was the last woman to be hanged in Britain back in 1955.
📍You’ll find the Chamber of Horrors at Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5LR.
🚇 Nearest station is Baker Street.
So there you have it – a roundup of 12 of the most scary things to do in London – just in time for Halloween! From running away from knife-wielding clowns to coming face-to-face with all manner of arachnids in London Zoo, there’s something here for everyone, so how will you spook yourself senseless with these scary attractions?