Do you want to play a game? Jigsaw has trapped you and your group, and now you have to come face-to-face with 6 of his most iconic traps to escape. Live or die, make your choice…

Saw Alive is different to other Fright Nights attractions in that is was designed and originally operated as a year-round experience. Following the success of Saw – The Ride in 2009, the park wished to capitalise on it further for the 2010. Rather than change the ride, or introduce another Saw-themed ride, the park opted for a horror maze, which was more in-line with the theme.

The park repurposed the old Thorpe Belle, a boat which has previously been used as a restaurant but not used by the park for several years, for the maze, and created a new pathway next to the roller coaster for the maze.

Saw Alive opened in March 2010, featuring a pre-show and then six subsequent scenes, one inspired by a ‘trap’ from each of the six Saw films that had been released at the time. These were:

Saw: The Bathroom trap

Saw II: The electric corridor

Saw III: The freezer trap

Saw IV: The mausoleum (see no evil / speak no evil trap)

Saw V: The pendulum trap

Saw VI: The carousel trap

As a result of being a year-round maze, and requiring the repurposing of the Thorpe Belle, the investment into Saw Alive was significantly larger than any other maze at Thorpe Park at the time, and indeed more than the modern mazes. This shone through with the quality of the theming, audio and effects present in the maze too.

The maze also featured a photo opportunity with the iconic Billy Puppet (which was sometimes incorporated into the pre-show) as well as a photo unit. In the 2011 season, there was a small electrical fire in the photo unit (whilst the park was closed), which caused some damage to the maze and required it to be closed for several weeks.

Saw Alive opened for the first few weeks of the 2012 season before the park made the decision to open it just for Fright Nights from that point onwards. There were some occasions it ran outside of Fright Nights (such as the summer of 2018, for example), but for the majority of its existence, Saw Alive was a Fright Nights only attraction.

The story set up from the pre-show of the maze was tweaked year-on-year. The pre-show room featured a variety of “security cameras”, showing how Jigsaw was watching you. Some years, a SWAT team member was in the pre-show, trying to help you escape, but warned you would have to see other victims and traps to do so. Other years, the SWAT team member was a puppet in Jigsaw’s game, and was the one testing you.

In any case, from this point, you would go through the maze and see actors recreating the traps. Some actors would plead for your help, whilst others would escape and try to attack you. This meant that, despite the maze staying the same, the narrative and feel of the maze did change throughout its life, helping it stay a bit fresher. And with lots of loud noises, changes in temperatures and sensory effects, Saw Alive did combine everything together.

The maze last operated in 2018. Being situated on a boat, the maze required regular checks to ensure the boat was safe for guests. Unfortunately, due to the age of the boat, it eventually reached the end of its usable life. The boat can still be seen near Saw – The Ride, at a slight angle as though it is sinking!

Having operated across 9 different Fright Nights, Saw Alive is the joint-longest serving Fright Nights attraction in the history of the event. Though it was seen as the highlight attraction, it was a consistent, dependable and popular attraction which has cemented itself as an iconic Fright Nights maze that will always be remembered.