The Curse at Alton Manor
Entrance archway - previously 'crypt' on Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back!
Foreword
Before we get to involved with the review and article about this ride, I will preface this by saying that I rode it on opening day, and a few visits after, totalling 10 rides, and it has been publicly said that the ride isn't 100% signed off yet, and the 2-3 month mark from opening will be the sweet spot for everything being as it should be, so take all my criticisms with a pinch of salt.
And of course there will be spoilers!
Background
As we all know Alton Towers' long-serving haunted house dark ride has undergone its 2nd make over, changing from Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back! to The Curse at Alton Manor, which arguably is its biggest transformation. The previous refurbishment way back in 2003 was during the parks, slightly odd period of changing ownership every season, before Merlins purchase of The Tussauds Group in 2007. Ive spent many hours trying to research the timings from ownership during that period but after having little to no joy, the main thing to bear in mind is that neither Tussauds or Merlin owned the park at this time, and during this period it would see Alton Towers ditch the tradition of 'World's First' designs and opt for tried and tested off-the-shelf hardware, such as RITA which is a standard layout Intamin 'Rocket', and Spinball Whizzer which is a Maurer-Sohne SC2200 model, with a unique, but extremely generic layout. And of course during this time, the park decided that the parks flagship dark ride, The Haunted House, was becoming slightly forgotten about and needed some TLC to bring it back to life and make it a popular ride once again. I didn't ride the attraction at all until 2007, on my first visit to the park, so I couldn't properly and whole-heartily comment on the state of the ride in 2002, however gathering from what other people tell me, it was in a sorry state and was well overdue a makeover.
The park owners carried on with their trend of off-the-shelf gimmicks and proven items, rather than trying new, groundbreaking technologies and ideas. Two years before The Haunted Houses' refurbishment, Tussauds had done similar with Terror Tomb over at Chessington World of Adventures, turning it into Tomb Blaster. To many enthusiasts dismay, the park had completely redeveloped the ride, turning it into a interactive, shooting dark ride, removing the main storyline that was so fondly loved by many, and that of course meant the removal of the infamous Abdab. However painful this was to see this huge scale, story driven dark ride, the public and families seemed to love it. The ride was able to be marketed as a brand new attraction and guests would flock to it. With this in mind, it was a given that The Haunted House would have the same treatment of 'blasters' being installed in the trains, and targets littered throughout the ride for people to try and compete for the highest score, which was displayed on a display in the car. Films such as 28 Days Later were all the rage during that era, so the park felt it was right to add zombies to the ride, which would go against the story and feel of a 'haunted house'. The rides name got changed to 'Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back!', and would be marketed as a brand new attraction when it (re) opened its doors in 2003.
The ride would operate for almost 20 years in the Duel guise, nearly doubling 'The Haunted House' lifespan from 1992-2002. It was never really loved from what I can gather anyway, and as previously mentioned, I never had the pleasure of experiencing it during the rides earlier theme, however I did have tens if not hundreds of rides on Duel during its time in the park, and quite simply, I didn't mind it, it wasn't ground breaking, it wasn't jaw dropping, but it was a enjoyable ride nonetheless, so to some degree you could say it was a successful addition to the park.
During Duels lifespan it received very little changes or improvement, very minor touching up and simple fixes of some, but not all effects (i'm talking about you, tromell tunnel), also 2008 and 2009 saw the addition of Duel: Live! which saw the addition of some actors within the attraction and the target system disabled, however this was only during Scarefest and after 3pm, so to say it was temporary is a understatement.
Effects began to really become obviously broken or just retired, and Duel very quickly became a shell of its former self, even in both guises. Towards the end of its life, it was very clear to see, it wasn't at the forefront of the parks upkeep schedule, however to everyones surprise that very quickly changed...
Queue line theming
Build Up Begins
Duel would close its doors shortly before Scarefest 2022, after whispers in the community that it may be having some work done too it, but nobody, at the time really knew to what degree, however very shortly after Duel closed its doors, of course people were speculating, then in January 2023 Alton Towers began marketing the latest guise for the parks ghost train. 'The Curse at Alton Manor' was to be its name and with easter eggs being left in Duels queue line it was decoded that it would be ready for the parks March 18th opening date for the 2023 season.
Throughout winter, teaser campaigns started to roll out, using visuals of Emily Alton, who was in both previous guises, however she was just seen in the dolls house in the queue line with her cat, Snowy. So even after these teasers, the full extent of the ride and story was yet to be discovered. Alton Towers announced that they would be holding a press event on the outskirts of central London, as marketing ramped up shortly before the march opening date approached. It was a popup style event, with a human-sized dolls house for the press to explore, which on the surface seemed like a well dressed marketing tool, yet on closer inspection, the press realised it was flooded with easter eggs and hints about the makeover of the ride, there are plenty of videos on YouTube from this marketing event, so take a look for yourself.
On the 13th of March, Alton Towers posted 4 photos on their social media from inside the attraction, which came as a shock to most, mainly because it was very rare that any theme park would divulge to the public what lies within, and ever rarer to do so with a ride that hadn't even been opened to the public.
Opening day - Opening ceremony
Happy New Year
To those who haven't ridden yet, that subtitle won't make much sense, and we're keeping it that way for the time being.
I have never done a ride opening day, but it was always something that I really really wanted to do. I wanted to experience the atmosphere of guests, enthusiasts, press and ride designers cutting the rope to their latest offering to the public. The opportunity arose and a ride I was shamelessly excited for was going to be my first opening day.
Armed with my camera and arriving at the plaza of the resort by 8am, with flocks of enthusiasts and excited guests, I was giddy with excitement.
The gates opened and there was of course a rush, which I did indeed get involved with, however it only lasted to the end of Towers Street due to the fact I completely forgot I am close to 30 years of age and my office chair based job, doesn't keep me the most active. But I ploughed on and kept the pace up, past Mutiny Bay, and opting for the route through the Haunted Hollow to place me at the gates of 'Alton Manor' as quickly as possible.
With heavy breaths and deep regret with wearing a grey t-shirt, I had arrived in the grounds of probably one of my most anticipated rides in a long time, purely due to the fact i'd be experiencing it on opening day, which was a huge tick off my bucket list.
The New Gloomy Wood
Upon entering 'Gloomy Wood' you wouldn't be wrong in thinking, that it is very familiar and on first glance, seemingly identical to how it was prior to this. However, once I had gathered by thoughts and really had a look. I started to notice signs that were hand painted and then patina'd to give a authentic feel, a horse drawn hearse with 'Doom and Sons' scripted on it and again, lots more signs reading 'Burton & Ward', 'Sparks Estates' among others, which nicely leads me onto another relevant point. This project saw Merlins new Creative Lead, John Burton in the drivers seat, however he was helped and guided by the now 'retired' John Wardley, who we all know has a special love for this ride, as it was his first large scale dark ride. John Burton understood the rides importance within the community and the ride is absolutely brimmed with easter eggs and nods to other team members. The easter eggs we shall talk about later as they're mostly within the ride itself, but if you're particularly nerdy (like me) you will know that the 'Sparks' name is of incredible relevance.
Opening ceremony - Opening day
Giving the ride it's 'Spark'
Sparks Creative Services was a company based in Colchester, and at the helm was Keith Sparks, who was an eccentric, creative and passionate set designer among other things. Keith and his team had helped Alton Towers and John Wardley previously to bring rides to life, creating huge props, gags and scenery pieces to immerse riders into the world they had created. Keith Sparks came from a family of undertakers so clearly had a knowledge for the slightly macabre and dark, however Keith decided to go a different path, although the knowledge from the family business that came before him would come in handy with horror based attractions. Sparks Creative Services, brought Doom & Sons to life (remember from the hearse) which was a walk through horror attraction at Alton Towers, because of this talent and high quality finished product, Tussauds enlisted Keith again for the original Haunted House, so that's why you see the 'Sparks' name so frequently throughout the ride area. The story is bittersweet, it was said that The Haunted House ran so over budget and had so many issues to fix after opening that Sparks Creative Services filed for bankruptcy shortly after the rides opening. It has never been confirmed whether this ride tipped the company over the edge, but it seems like a coincidence that it happened so close, to what should of been a huge payday for them, but I digress. Keith sadly passed in 2011 however, with thanks to John Burton and John Wardley, 31 years on, the ride still proudly has the Sparks name everywhere, so his legacy lives on.
House listing in entrance
Waiting Game
The queue line for this attraction is, in itself an attraction. Now as we dawn closer to me finally talking about the ride experience, this is your final warning for spoilers.
The external queue line is entered by passing through an archway, which many of you will know, used to be the 'crypt' that sat outside the front of Duel and The Haunted House, there's your first queue line easter egg. As you make your way through the exterior queue line, you will notice something similar to when the ride was Duel, and that is the tombstones, however some more have been added, giving nods to previous rides, such as Ripsaw, Black Hole and so on. It is also worth noting that the queue line is absolutely flooded with mist, which I assumed was a little treat for opening day, however as I write this in mid-may the mist is thankfully still there and adds a real atmosphere to the queue, it will really excel when ScareFest comes around to see it in the dark.
Further along in the queue you notice a large doll sculpture wearing a cape(?) of some sort. It is cool and adds to the queue, albeit a bit random, since it is the only one. Towards the front doors to the now Manor House, on the right, tucked away in the overgrowth, there is a children's block playlet and picnic laid out, the blocks spell out 'Happy Birthday Emily', I am still yet to work/find out the relevance of her birthday in the whole story timeline, but anyway, its a little something to look at in the queue, and I'm not complaining.
After the relatively short walk of the external queue, we find ourselves at the doorway into the manor and after being kindly escorted in by one of the (i'm told permanent) staff members in full costume, we enter into the foyer room of the manor and it is clear to see the manor is for sale at the low-low price of £1,992,000 (a subtle nod to The Haunted Houses opening year of 1992). Not much apart from the signage, and a few little details, such as the covered up paintings and deer head have changed, or not noticeably anyway.
As we progress we follow the open doorway to the left and enter the 'main' room of the queue line and are greeted by the same layout for the queue line, and a familiar dolls house, fireplace, rocking horse and book which appears to be turning pages on its own. These effects are nothing new and have been in the ride for its entire life. However, they kind of haven't, the dolls house is no longer a simple, peppers ghost effect with Emily and Snowy playing in it, it is a projection mapped large scale dolls house, featuring screens within it too.
As the pre show begins we see a very upset Emily Alton, getting told her by her parents that she is not allowed to their New Years Eve party (get the reference now), the parents go off to the party which is taking place in a living room that you can see through the dolls house window. Emily, enraged seems to erupt with anger and burst into the air with a puff of purple smoke, the smoke spreads, out of the dolls house and across the entire room, at which point UV floodlights fill the room, to reveal hidden messages written all over the walls in UV paint. This effect, when you see it for the first time is extremely good, and is still impressive on subsequent rides, I will always try and stop and watch the pre show from start to finish, to try and notice something new, as there is so much writing on the wall, it would be impossible to take it in, on one visit.
Once we picked our jaw up off the floor, it was time to embark on the ride...
Pre-show room
Shrunken Down
The first this that I noticed in the ride station, was the paper bunting draped from the ceiling, over the ride cars, and a big banner over the archway into the ride, reading 'Happy New Year 1892'. Once again, there isn't much change in the station area, but a nice amount of subtle changes to freshen it up.
The ride cars now seat 6 guests (again) as opposed to 5 during its Duel guise, and the blasters have now departed the cars, which in my opinion, is just, so well overdue. The cars have had the books on the back removed and those books actually now reside in the shop.
The ride layout remains unchanged since 1992, however don't let that sway you one way or another, believe me when I say, this incarnation is a brand new ride in every sense. Yet somehow John Burton and the MMM (Merlin Magic Making) team have managed to keep the essence of the ride intact, and have created simply a bloody good ghost train.
Once you've left the station your greeted by the first of many projection mapped effects, which I believe were done by the team at Holovis who have been doing this for quite some time and have become renown for their installations around the globe. The first few scenes aren't overly different, a few new set pieces here and there, but the lighting has had a major overhaul and completely transforms the scenes. The zombie heads that were in duel have been replaced by more appropriate dolls, mirrors and other effects for the first half of the ride, for example, near the beginning, a zombies head would burst out at you, this has been replaced with a large mirror prop that 'explodes' and gives you a nice little scare and a taster of what's to come.
The next scenes is one of the largest, and that's the dining room, which now is flooded with purple light, keeping the whole feel from the queue line going. With skeletons now sat at the tables in that room, its much more fitting for the whole haunted house feel of the ride.
Now, im not going to go through every scene in great detail, as this would be even longer, however I will just be pointing out things that I think stand out for me, as there are some very good scenes and also, some not so good parts too.
The next major scene that you enter is the trommel tunnel and IT WORKS! that's right after god knows how long of being none functioning, we now have a working tunnel, with all new artwork inside utilising more UV paint and lighting, it looks better than ever, and now has a large spinning clock at the end of it to disorientate you even further. Following on from this the next scene worth mentioning is the attic, with spiders bursting out and of course the huge spider that has now become part of the furniture in the ride. This scene is one of my favourites, just because of how well themed it is, the detail, the props, everything is just, how I think it should be. Top work merlin...
There are two more scenes I am going to talk about, one of them is of course the notorious mirror scene, which is both the best effect in a dark ride we have in the UK but also the most frustrating, let me explain. The ride cars head directly towards a mirror in front of you, which smashes with Emily bursting through it, which naturally shocks you and causes the rider to look away (to the left) however while you're regaining your bravery, on your right hand side, there are 4 large mirrors, the first one is a regular mirror, however the second and third are 2 way glass with a ghostly looking Emily staring right back at you in a ride vehicle the same as yours, which is a truly jaw dropping effect, and executed perfectly. However, it is over so quick that from the shock of the first scare unless you know about this effect, you may miss is. I did this ride with a good friend and a seasoned Alton Towers fan and he missed it on the first run. So when you see mirrors, look to your right. The final notable scene is the garden scene which is as large and atmospheric as its always been, with improved audio, lighting and props, its just better than ever, and hasn't changed a huge amount, but enough to notice a difference and for it to feel completely new, which is all that matters.
There are a hundred more things I could talk about, but im sure most of you are bored by now.
New doll's house in queue line
Criticisms
Please take all of this with a dash of salt, this ride is very, very good. However the biggest gripe with this ride is one scene, to which I seem to echo many peoples thoughts and opinions. Which is the 'Hide and Seek' section of the ride, in which you are playing a game of hide and seek with Emily in pitch darkness as you hear her voice saying 'im over here' 'no, over here' and so on. Sounds pretty spooky? well, no it just is such a blank space in the ride, a ride in which is overwhelming with visuals to just darkness, dimly illuminated by LED's on the sides of emergency lighting, now how I would remedy this is by some simple UV writing or just any visual queues, just to keep your eyes engaged, it breaks the immersion quite a bit, and does let the ride down quite a lot in my opinion.
My second and final gripe is the safety announcements, which are in the internal queue line and of course on the ride itself, however, if a member of the public is holding up the queue or something, the announcement is played throughout the whole ride, which completely takes you out of it and is a jumpscare in itself. Also, there is an announcement telling guests to move through the indoor queue line, which to me, is counter-intuitive, as I think to the general public, the pre show is a key part of understanding the story, in a similar way to Wickerman's pre show. But the chances are the ride will be quiet and the staff don't seem to mind if you watch the pre show but let people behind you past, if they so please. So I urge you all to watch and enjoy the pre show.
Conclusion
For once, im not going to do a conclusion, for a few reasons. Firstly, I have spent probably 2-3 weeks on and off writing this, while I should be doing uni work. And also the long and short of it is, that the ride is extremely good, and gives me high hopes for Alton Tower's future rides (and existing, I mean you Sub-Terra).
If somehow you're still reading this, thank you, but also, im sorry for this average piece of writing about a 5 minute ghost train in Stafford.
See you next time.
Doll in external queue line
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