Ahead of the launch of its latest attraction, Pleasurewood Hills in Lowestoft has sought advice from film age rating body the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), to help assess its new terrifying underground mine attraction, Hobs Pit, which opens to the general public on Sunday 2 June.
The new Hobs Pit ride, which cost over half a million pounds, has been developed by Pleasurewood Hills in conjunction with world renowned special effects expert Rob Ostir and voice actor Corey Burton. The pair, who usually work with theme parks in the USA such as Disney World and Universal Studios have been involved with movie blockbusters like 2012, Mars Attacks! and the Chronicles of Narnia, as well as numerous feature animations over the past two decades.
The BBFC agreed to assess Hobs Pit, so Pleasurewood Hills could protect its younger visitors from the thrilling and scary effects of the new ‘seated’ and ‘walk-through’ attraction, which takes visitors on a journey through an old mine shaft.
Murray Perkins, Senior Examiner at the BBFC commented: “The BBFC regularly consults the public on a large scale about how acceptable they find moments of threat and horror on screen in films rated U to 18. Applying this knowledge to physical experiences is helpful for theme parks like Pleasurewood Hills who want to ensure their attraction is aimed at the most appropriate audience.
After experiencing the attraction first-hand, we would recommend that Pleasurewood Hills age rate the new Hobs Pit attraction a 12A. The BBFC's Guidelines at 12A allow moderate physical and psychological threat, provided that disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained, as well as occasional gory moments, if justified by the context. Hobs Pit contains some creepy moments and gory encounters and some people may find this a scary experience. Overall the attraction shares a similarity to scary scenes which may be experienced in ghost films and fantasy adventure films at 12A.”
Alexis Camelin from Pleasurewood Hills commented, “I believe this makes our park only the second attraction in the UK to apply and receive an age rating”. He added, “It was paramount to the Pleasurewood Hills brand, that there was a robust guide in place to manage expectations of our customers and all that ride Hobs Pit”.
Hobs Pit is designed to become one of the scariest indoor theme park attractions in the UK. It’s predicted that theme park enthusiasts will travel from across the UK to experience Hobs Pit, with over 2000 people already subscribing to the Hobs Pit mailing list via the rides own website.
The new ride is part of the £3.5 million investment that Looping Group owners pledged to invest when they bought the park two years ago. Hobs Pit is one of four new rides to launch in the park’s 30th anniversary year.
