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[2023] The Curse at Alton Manor

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Dave said:
I think one thing people going on opening weekend need to remember is this will not be “complete”.

I can’t think of a dark ride (maybe Disney with their never ending build times) that didn’t have a lot of work in the first few weeks based on guest feedback (or due to tech struggling when run all day every day). Like theatre shows they will adapt as they see the ride running with real guests.

Just trying to head off the inevitable disappointment.
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1 million percent there will be teething issues.

We don't even know how high tech the actual ride is either at this point. I'm expecting a good mix of sets and screens similar to GG: The ride.
 
Dave said:
I think one thing people going on opening weekend need to remember is this will not be “complete”.

I can’t think of a dark ride (maybe Disney with their never ending build times) that didn’t have a lot of work in the first few weeks based on guest feedback (or due to tech struggling when run all day every day). Like theatre shows they will adapt as they see the ride running with real guests.

Just trying to head off the inevitable disappointment.
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I expect that it will be physically complete in the sense that it won't be unfinished, but I do expect that a couple of things will probably be switched and swapped around or even removed like the Ghost Corridor in the HH was after 1992.
 
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Dave said:
I think one thing people going on opening weekend need to remember is this will not be “complete”.
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I’d like to think it would be! To date, they’ve had 6 months, so about 2 longer than the closed season. We know there has been a lot of work to do and if they’ve had issues lately then the advertised date shouldn’t have been announced.
 
RyanUK said:
I’d like to think it would be! To date, they’ve had 6 months, so about 2 longer than the closed season. We know there has been a lot of work to do and if they’ve had issues lately then the advertised date shouldn’t have been announced.
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I understand your sentiment but I feel you misunderstood my point.

Unlike a rollercoaster, dark rides are as close to “theatre” as rides get. They need to work on an emotional level to some extent to create a thrill.

Big theatre shows have workshops and previews as they know that you don’t know how an audience will react until you have an actual audience.

I’m not a tying to excuse missing scenery or half installed lighting, if that happens then that’s just a bit naff. I’m just saying when you build a dark ride you don’t really know if it is working until you have guests so things will likely get changed in the first few months.
 
Benjsh said:
Why is that?

Screens can be great if they are done well and not just a lazy alternative.

I would be amazed if this new ride doesn't have some of them tbh. Reason being a full scale dark ride with no screens is mega mega expensive.
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It's probably a generation thing, I've seen one too many dark rides destroyed in my lifetime, hoping not to add this one to it.
 
Minor improvements into the season are commonplace. But presumably the honest feedback needs to happen in order to gauge reaction and make improvements, rather than people feel they need to hold back in case its "not finished". Im sure the teams behind the ride want that.

More likely that opening feedback from enthusiasts will be way overhyped and then slowly settle to reality. See the hugely glowing hype from fans when DBGT opened, bursts of applause and people saying it was Universal level of quality, for what turned out to be a very disappointing ride.

Although Im not pre-empting this will be disappointment like DBGT, Im sure it will be largely enjoyed!
 
RIPCorky said:
It's probably a generation thing, I've seen one too many dark rides destroyed in my lifetime, hoping not to add this one to it.
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I'm being realistic though. I think we'd all prefer a ride with zero screens.

I'm just going off the assumption that with the Nemmy rebuild and SW9 in the subsequent two years we won't be seeing a dark ride with £15m spent on it.

Doesn't mean it won't be good though even with screens. They can work if done well.
 
ChristmasPud said:
Minor improvements into the season are commonplace. But presumably the honest feedback needs to happen in order to gauge reaction and make improvements, rather than people feel they need to hold back in case its "not finished". Im sure the teams behind the ride want that.

More likely that opening feedback from enthusiasts will be way overhyped and then slowly settle to reality. See the hugely glowing hype from fans when DBGT opened, bursts of applause and people saying it was Universal level of quality, for what turned out to be a very disappointing ride.

Although Im not pre-empting this will be disappointment like DBGT, Im sure it will be largely enjoyed!
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Again not what I am saying. Folk can obviously provide constructive critique of the experience but I still think it’s important to understand how these things develop, in order to avoid hyperbole.
 
I'd be amazed if they have spent more than £5m on this renovation.

There's bound to be some cool effects in place I'm sure but realistically a dark ride of this size full of effects and no screens in this day and age is going to cost a hell of a lot of money.

This is where the realism comes in. A mixture of both cool sets and screens probably makes the most sense.
 
Dave said:
I understand your sentiment but I feel you misunderstood my point.

Unlike a rollercoaster, dark rides are as close to “theatre” as rides get. They need to work on an emotional level to some extent to create a thrill.

Big theatre shows have workshops and previews as they know that you don’t know how an audience will react until you have an actual audience.

I’m not a tying to excuse missing scenery or half installed lighting, if that happens then that’s just a bit naff. I’m just saying when you build a dark ride you don’t really know if it is working until you have guests so things will likely get changed in the first few months.
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I did understand you - also a good explanation there. To my knowledge I don’t know of many or any dark rides that have adjusted to its audience. I’m not a fan of the Gruffalo River Ride at Chessington after they changed it from Bubbleworks, I choose not to go on it but unfortunately that ride will not adjust to suit my or anyone’s experience who don’t enjoy it. Dark rides are created and the audience has to adapt to it, positively or negatively. The ride can make changes and improvements where it sees fit, but those changes wouldn’t be primarily aimed at its target audience.
 
Benjsh said:
I'd be amazed if they have spent more than £5m on this renovation.

There's bound to be some cool effects in place I'm sure but realistically a dark ride of this size full of effects and no screens in this day and age is going to cost a hell of a lot of money.

This is where the realism comes in. A mixture of both cool sets and screens probably makes the most sense.
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Then they may as well have spent the money to refurbish the old ride and add bits here and there.
 
Just a thought. Lots of AT’s social media responses to users asking about The Curse mention phrases like “the empty manor” and “catch me if you can”. This coupled with the for sale sign and open house sign, could this be why there’s been no sighting of any large set pieces going into the show building - because there aren’t any?

This is 2023 and perhaps the park have realised that people just aren’t scared of a big set piece that’s lit up when you go past it anymore. Perhaps this is going to be a much more chilling, never before seen dark ride focussing on multi sensory immersion and confusion rather than large detailed set pieces?

Obviously I’m not saying we’re going to be taken around an empty warehouse, more that the scenes/rooms of the Manor will be much emptier than they were and the scares are going to come more from clever effects and less so from big set pieces.
 
s_g_k said:
Just a thought. Lots of AT’s social media responses to users asking about The Curse mention phrases like “the empty manor” and “catch me if you can”. This coupled with the for sale sign and open house sign, could this be why there’s been no sighting of any large set pieces going into the show building - because there aren’t any?

This is 2023 and perhaps the park have realised that people just aren’t scared of a big set piece that’s lit up when you go past it anymore. Perhaps this is going to be a much more chilling, never before seen dark ride focussing on multi sensory immersion and confusion rather than large detailed set pieces?

Obviously I’m not saying we’re going to be taken around an empty warehouse, more that the scenes/rooms of the Manor will be much emptier than they were and the scares are going to come more from clever effects and less so from big set pieces.
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It's not there to be realistic or scare you to death. It's there to entertain, nothing more, nothing less
 
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