A horror attraction has closed because it was 'too frightening' but creator Ed Walley hopes to move into bigger premises within a themed pub environment.
Mr Walley opened the Chester Shop of Horrors in Watergate Street earlier this year and accepts the concept didn’t work at that location.
Customers paid £4 for a six minute experience which involved walking around a maze in the dark with automatic pop-up features like a jumping skeleton and a coffin lid that opened.
Mr Walley says a similar attraction at his Crocky Trail children’s adventure park in Waverton worked because nervous types would often put off going in but would eventually enter after taking part in other activities.
“The situation in Watergate Street was if they didn’t go through the first time, we’d lost them,” explained Mr Walley.
Hen parties
“You get four hen parties every Saturday afternoon in Chester but we never had a hen party go through because there was always one girl who would not go in.
“Even with a couple, if the bloke said ‘Yes, let’s go in’, the girl might say ‘No’ and we had lost it.
“Everyone who went through loved it but it was a real problem that there was always somebody in the group who was too frightened to go in.”
Mr Walley is now in talks with the owner of new premises, near The Cross, and says income could come from renting the experience to the operator.
“I want to move to bigger premises within a pub, a Dracula themed-pub. It would be a free experience,” he said.
“The pub at the moment is doing badly and is currently empty,” he added.
