Fright night fiascos! The UK's worst Halloween events laid bare - from the 'most depressing' pumpkin patch to 'outrageous' rip-offs and a ticket scam

As millions prepare for a weekend of spooky thrills, some families have already had a Halloween nightmare – and it has nothing to do with ghosts or ghouls. From a pumpkin patch branded the UK’s ‘most depressing’ to a £90 festival slammed as a ‘huge disappointment’ and a ticket scam advertising events for up to £140, some Halloween attractions have turned scary for the wrong reasons.Others have been criticised for half-built attractions, eye-watering prices and disturbing experiences, while one scarefest was forced to shut down halfway through its run.With furious visitors branding events everything from a ‘shambles’ to ‘outrageous robbery’, the question is whether these supposedly thrilling days out are worth the money – or whether the only real fright is the price of admission.Here are the Halloween horror stories that have left families fuming...The UK's most depressing pumpkin patch One event was dubbed the 'UK's most depressing pumpkin patch'Suffolk Pumpkin Patch has been branded the 'UK's most depressing pumpkin patch' by one visitor, with footage highlighting the autumnal event's failure.Alex Dodman wrote on Instagram, alongside a video he shared of the attraction: 'A real review of the UK's most depressing pumpkin patch.'As you enter this place, you walk up past the food stalls, into the fairground area, before you can then go into the pumpkin patch.'He had to pay £19 entry for a family of five – but noted this did not include the purchase of any pumpkins.He added that the attraction had 'Glasgow Willy Wonka vibes' in a reference to the viral event in 2024 where children were left sobbing by the experience's poor quality. Alex added: 'So when I think about it, I've just paid £19.52 to walk into a field with sparsely scattered pumpkins, questionable Halloween decor and all surrounded by a metal fence.'Nothing really seems to work, and the main attraction being a camp-looking skeleton with a new Five Guys sign restaurant [sic] and a lovely stretch of the A11 heading towards Norwich roaring in the background.'He added it cost £9 for three children to ride a single ride. Alex Dodman said the attraction included a field full of pumpkins - which you had to pay extra for It was located nearby the A11, so you could hear cars in the background'Is this actually a worthwhile tradition?' he asked.Alex concludes: 'This was one of those places that was so s**t we had a great time.'Comments on the video noted the attraction was 'bleak' and a 'shambles'. Suffolk Pumpkin Patch, in Barton Mills, told the BBC they had tried their 'very hardest' to make it a success.'The guy in question is comparing us to large scale events that have been going for more than 10 years,' they added.'We're a family of three and pleased with what we've achieved and we have seen lots of smiles and laughter. We guarantee to come back bigger and better next year.'The Daily Mail has contacted Suffolk Pumpkin Patch for further comment. Half of Halloween pumpkin crop ruined by heatwaves Pumpkin farmers are feeling the gruesome effect of the unseasonable warmth on their cropsIn dire news, British farmers are facing a scare this Halloween as summer droughts caused by consecutive heatwaves have left pumpkin crops barren.The summer of 2026 became the warmest in Britain since records began and led to droughts being declared up and down the country.Now farmers are feeling the gruesome effect of the unseasonable warmth on their crops, which are now struggling to grow and becoming much smaller.Niall Smith, who works at Picking Patch, a seasonal farm attraction in the New Forest, said it is the second summer where they have struggled with water problems.He said that unlike previous seasons, this year they asked a local family farm to grow their pumpkins for their Halloween events.Mr Smith added: 'We managed to get some pumpkins, but I mean, the biggest one is 50 per cent, 60 per cent smaller than what our normal sizes are.'And so we've kind of reimagined what we do. We have a pumpkin market, it all looks very pretty, but then we've gone very much into Halloween activities, and we're not just a pick-your-own site.'Some patches have even been unable to open altogether. Liz Paterson and Andrew King have run a successful pumpkin patch for several years at Ruffins Farm in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.However, this year they face a particularly gruelling Halloween, as the couple are not able to open to the public for pumpkin picking as the drought has devastated their business.In previous years they have grown around 10,000 pumpkins, but this year around only 50 developed.As temperatures soared during the summer, they were forced to decide between watering their dying crops or giving the water to their flock of sheep.Ms Paterson said: 'The pumpkins just didn't grow this year. We could have tried to irrigate, we have got water, but we also have 500 breeding ewes, so we needed to give the water to them.'I think the weather was too hot as well, they just didn't pollinate, so it just never worked at all really.'The farmer said the drought has been 'horrendous' for their business, both financially and emotionally, as even the grass on their fields was unable to grow.A festival with a 'Covid jab queue' and extortionate prices Cardiff Bay's eagerly-anticipated Halloween Festival in 2025 was a flopA Halloween event charging £57.50 per family ticket was branded the 'new Willy Wonka Experience' and a 'huge disappointment' by visitors. Cardiff Bay's eagerly anticipated Halloween Festival in 2025 was held over half-term week – with a 'ghost ship' taking families from Mermaid Quay out to the 'island' at Alexandra Head. One woman who attended said it was the 'worst event' she's ever been to.Her review on Facebook read at the time: 'Never one to do this but if you have booked the Halloween Festival in Cardiff this year at the new location try and get a refund!'It's honestly the worst event I've ever been to.'After paying nearly £90 for the five of us, waited 45 minutes to get on the 'pirate boat' which was actually just a water taxi, to then enter through what looked like a Covid jab queue and get inside to pay for absolutely everything separately, even £5 per person to do arts and crafts, £9 per person to walk round a maze in a tent, £9 to dance per person - the list goes on. There was a spooky theatre show - but visitors criticised much of the festival'Not even sure what the original £90 was for. Actors dressed up not even acknowledging anyone, wandering aimlessly, and no atmosphere. Honestly the most disappointing event I've ever been to! Such a shame as previous years have been fab!'Similarly, one father who took his children to the event said he was left 'severely disappointed'.He wrote on social media: 'On entry to the festival it became pretty clear quickly that minimal effort had been made to make the festival Halloween themed - the music was more Christmas/cringe music.'I noticed that many attractions were not even open and half built. I understand today (Saturday) was the first day, but that's no excuse. People have paid a lot of money for this. I was infuriated that it cost £18 for a pizza fries and a fruit shoot equivalent for my toddler this is outrageous robbery!'A spokesman for Cardiff Halloween Festival said: 'We're very sorry that some guests did not have the experience we wanted for them during our opening day... We are listening closely to feedback and making improvements every day.'Halloween Haunt Fest forced to cancel mid-run Halloween Haunt Fest in Hertfordshire was forced to cancel mid-run in 2025 (taken from @halloween_haunt_fest social media) Immersive experiences were meant to be on the cards (taken from @halloween_haunt_fest social media)Staff were left furious after a Halloween attraction in Hertfordshire was forced to cancel mid-run in 2025.Halloween Haunt Fest, at the Hertfordshire County Showground in 2025, featured scare mazes based on horror movies.It was intended to run October 17-November 1, but on Tuesday, October 28, the company running it, In The Scenes, ceased trading.Around 100 'fear actors' were set to be paid £1,000 for the whole stint - but some were left unpaid. In a social media post, In The Scenes's chief executive Nick Doherty said: 'Despite the team's best efforts to deliver this year's event successfully, unforeseen financial challenges have made it impossible for the company to continue operating sustainably.'He added, according to the BBC: 'This situation breaks my heart.'The moral and right thing is to focus on supporting everyone affected and ensure the process is handled fairly and correctly.'The company is consulting with a licensed insolvency practitioner, who will provide formal information and guidance to ticket holders, contractors, staff, and freelancers in due course.''Degrading' and 'disturbing' attractions Newsham Scream Park, Liverpool has been criticised by some visitors (taken from Newsham Scream Park's social media)Newsham Scream Park, Liverpool has been embroiled in controversy over 'degrading' and 'disturbing' attractions.Robyn Clove, 33, who lives nearby, visited earlier this month – and raised concerns over the Hellfire Club experience.She questioned if the attraction fully informed visitors of what the attraction would entail – which, she explained, was a series of scenes using sexualised language, reference to incest, blindfolds and simulated physical contact.Robyn told the Echo: 'I don't think I fully realised the scale of it myself until all these other people started coming forward.'I've had countless people in my DMs sharing similar stories, men and women, girlfriends and boyfriends, and the common denominator has been the same: it's degrading, humiliating and quite disturbing.'I think it's more complicated than just a scare. It's not a fun, physical scare - it's psychological. Because it's presented in such a light-hearted setting, people aren't prepared for it. These young, impressionable kids and people who might have experienced past trauma aren't prepared for it, because it's in a light-hearted setting.'She added that one performer tried to squirt liquid from a bottle into her mouth, which she declined.A spokesman for Newsham Scream Park told the Daily Mail: 'The Hellfire Club is an optional, adults-only immersive horror attraction designed to deliver an intense experience. It is clearly identified as an 18+ attraction, with ID required for anyone under the age of 21. 'All guests must complete a digital waiver before entering and there is CCTV in place covering the entirety of this attraction and the full event to protect all participating guests and actors.'Guest welfare is a priority throughout the attraction and our terms and conditions, which must be agreed to before entering the attraction, outline the nature of the experience, including its adult and horror themes, physical interaction and sensory effects.'Halloween ticket scam A Halloween event ticket scam made headlines earlier this monthThe next Halloween event was so bad it wasn't even an attraction – just a scam.UK venues issued a warning to thrill-seekers after tickets to a Halloween scarefest were revealed to be a scam.Halloween Nights Fear, the company behind the sales, listed ten events across the UK despite three hosts confirming the listings are fake, the BBC reported.The events, listed as between October 20 and November 1, were sold for between £14 and £140.The website said events would include 'candle-lit ghost hunts, haunted houses, after-dark walks and scare mazes'. However, technology expert David McClelland told the BBC: 'The website looks so convincing. It's one of the most impressive scams I've seen - there's so much content on there.'Sometimes one of the tells that you might expect from a scam or a fake website is that they're quite shallow - there isn't very much text or there aren't very many pictures.'But this Halloween Nights Fear website is huge.'What I think has happened here is that the scammers are employing artificial intelligence to create these sophisticated, impressive looking websites.'