One of York's popular Halloween attractions reveals spooky season preparations

Performance manager at York Dungeon, Olivia Mortimer, has spent nearly a decade bringing the city’s dark history to life, and Halloween is her favourite time of the year.

Olivia, from York, first joined The Dungeons team 10 years ago, and after eight consecutive years at the attraction, she’s become an expert in delivering spine-tingling experiences for visitors.

Her love for Halloween goes beyond costumes and decorations—she sees it as the perfect opportunity to combine history, creativity, and a playful sense of fear.

"Halloween is when the York Dungeon truly comes alive," Olivia says. "It’s a time when people embrace the eerie, and we immerse them in the scariest parts of York’s past."

Liv and her team begin planning for Halloween well in advance. "We spend around a week's worth of work on research and scriptwriting," she explains. York, known as one of the most haunted cities in Europe, provides a wealth of material for the shows, with local legends and ghost stories serving as endless inspiration.

"We’re lucky here in York," Olivia adds. "There’s always a new chilling tale to tell."

The Halloween season is the Dungeon’s busiest time of the year, with visitor numbers skyrocketing by 98%. The unique blend of live actors, special effects, and eerie storytelling draws in thousands looking to be frightened in a way only the Dungeon can deliver. Olivia estimates the Dungeon will perform over 1,000 Halloween shows this year alone.

"Visitors love the atmosphere here during Halloween," Olivia says. "There’s something about the combination of York’s history and the spooky spirit that keeps people coming back year after year."

Behind the scenes, the team at York Dungeon is as dedicated as ever to ensuring each show is as terrifying as the last. Every morning starts with a group warm-up, and during Halloween, these sessions take on a spooky twist. The actors have just 15 minutes to get into full makeup and costume before their first performance of the day, a routine they’ve mastered over time.

Olivia’s favourite part of Halloween at the Dungeon? "It’s the excitement and the energy from the team," she says. "Everyone embraces Halloween fully. We even have themed treats and social events – it’s a real team effort to make the season as fun and immersive as possible."

One of her fondest memories involves the Dungeon’s popular Curse of the Witch show. "It was so scary that visitors joked we should sell themed underwear in the gift shop!" she laughs. For Olivia, creating these moments of fear and excitement is what makes her job so rewarding.

As the performance manager, Olivia oversees everything from scripting new shows to creating the perfect eerie atmosphere, and Halloween offers her the chance to do it all on a grander scale.

Halloween at the York Dungeons will feature ‘The Black Widow’ from 12th October – 3rd November. Discover the chilling truth behind Britain's most notorious female serial killer, Mary. Did you know she would lace her teapot with arsenic to kill her victims. But who can refuse a good cup of tea?

Are you brave enough to step into the shadows of Victorian England and come face to face with the Black Widow herself?

Beware…for her charm is deadly.

Pre-Book now: Halloween: The Black Widow (thedungeons.com)

For further information, and to visit The York Dungeon, please visit the website here: https://www.thedungeons.com/york/