The York Dungeon Review
The York Dungeon
Reviewed by Claire Giles
From the minute I arrived at The York Dungeon with my husband and our 10 year old daughter the entertainment started. Even whilst we waited in the queue we were entertained by character actors interacting with people in the queue. We arrived early shortly after the dungeon opened and therefore only waited a few minutes but imagine these are a great source of amusement for busier times when queues are longer. Whilst we were waiting outside the dungeon and on entry whilst waiting for our tour to start we were greeted by staff members. They were all very friendly, helpful and approachable.
The tour consisted of 11 shows based on real parts of York’s history. You walk around the dungeon from set to set seeing each part come to life. Most of the shows used actors playing characters from York’s past to recreate the history making it interactive and fun whilst still educational. The actors were excellent and totally believable as the characters they portrayed. They were enthusiastic in their parts and this showed in their acting. Most of the shows involved audience participation and interaction with the characters. My poor husband ended up locked in a cage by the torturer much to my daughter’s horror and then amusement! This made the whole experience more fun (and sometimes scary) for everyone involved. You constantly went from screaming to laughing out loud.
The sets and costumes were highly detailed and brilliantly recreated right down to the sounds and smells. The scripts we well written so the history was put across in a fun and amusing way. The special effects were good and unexpected. We went the week of Halloween and the shows had been cleverly adjusted to take account of this with clever script changes and added props. All the way round the dungeon there was an almost scary undercurrent and you were on edge waiting for what would happen next. The dungeon is quite dark inside and this added to the scary atmosphere. I don’t think my daughter ever let go of my hand all the way round the dungeon (not that she would ever admit it!).
It was a great family attraction and I would definitely recommend it to others. The dungeon though is dark inside with can be quite scary in itself and with the context of the shows I would definitely say that it was not suitable for children under 10 years. I believe it is reasonable priced as the tour lasts approximately 80 minutes. Tickets can be pre-booked on line at a discounted rate and with priority entrance once you arrive at the dungeons. Family tickets are also available.
Rating: 5/5 
Suitable for children age 10 years + (at discretion of parent or guardian).
Tickets cost from £7.95 to £15.95 (get the cheapest price by booking online).
For more information or to book tickets visit www.thedungeons.com/york.
The York Dungeon: 12 Clifford Street, York YO1 9RD
