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[2023] The Curse at Alton Manor

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Only Corkscrew really had a closing down event that was fully planned out. As they decided to extent the season by a week and there was a room on towers street where they displayed corkscrew still they sold over the years and lots of information.
Black hole final afternoon must have been limited to roughly 500 guests
When: Saturday 5th March

Where: Corporate Hospitality Suite, Alton Towers Theme Park

Timings: Arrive at 12.30pm (Park on Coach Park and enter via Admissions)

Welcome drinks in CHS from 12.30pm – 1.00pm

Lunch served between 1.00pm and 2.00pm

Presentation by Terry Dunn, Head of Engineering from 2.00pm – 2.30pm​

Last ride in the dark between 2.30pm and 3.30pm

Ride with the lights on between 3.30pm and 4.00pm

Last ride EVER at 4.00pm!! All depart

Price: £40 per ticket

The log flume would have had the same closing down final rides if it wasn’t for the Smiler accident.
Also with Toy land tours closing down I remember seeing signage outside on the queue lines that gave guests roughly a month before it closed its doors for good.

Anyway I think they had a closing down event for Duel as I do honestly think the whole attraction is getting stripped out and a whole new version of the HH is going in. When it was turned into Duel that only took just over 3-4 months to add all the new scenes, led targets everywhere and add the new hardware onto the ride vehicles and then test it.​
 
I think all this talk of past ride closures/reworks and the fanfare or lack of which has accompanied it is slightly redundant to be honest. When a ride has closed for good or in preparation for a reimagination in the past the fact of whether or not it has had some kind of ceremony or big announcement will have ben more to do with specific budgets and decisions made by individual staff members at the time, rather than some kind of long running formula for how to shut down a ride based on the level of change coming to it.

I dont think we can take too much from the way Duel's closure has been advertised other than Alton's marketing department clearly has some decent people working in it at the moment, and whatever it becomes will retain a horror theme. Whether that has a connection to Duel/HH or a separate IP is something only those at merlin know for now.
 
Themeparksandy1981 said:
Only Corkscrew really had a closing down event that was fully planned out. As they decided to extent the season by a week and there was a room on towers street where they displayed corkscrew still they sold over the years and lots of information.
Black hole final afternoon must have been limited to roughly 500 guests
When: Saturday 5th March

Where: Corporate Hospitality Suite, Alton Towers Theme Park

Timings: Arrive at 12.30pm (Park on Coach Park and enter via Admissions)

Welcome drinks in CHS from 12.30pm – 1.00pm

Lunch served between 1.00pm and 2.00pm

Presentation by Terry Dunn, Head of Engineering from 2.00pm – 2.30pm​

Last ride in the dark between 2.30pm and 3.30pm

Ride with the lights on between 3.30pm and 4.00pm

Last ride EVER at 4.00pm!! All depart

Price: £40 per ticket

The log flume would have had the same closing down final rides if it wasn’t for the Smiler accident.
Also with Toy land tours closing down I remember seeing signage outside on the queue lines that gave guests roughly a month before it closed its doors for good.

Anyway I think they had a closing down event for Duel as I do honestly think the whole attraction is getting stripped out and a whole new version of the HH is going in. When it was turned into Duel that only took just over 3-4 months to add all the new scenes, led targets everywhere and add the new hardware onto the ride vehicles and then test it.​
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Think you're correct. I did notice today that Bubbleworks at Chessington closed on exactly the same day in 2016 (September 6th) When it opened again the following March it had been totally stripped out.

Also note it took until January 1st to announce what they were doing with it.... Will be a long winter
 
Take this with as much salt as you like, but coasterverse on Thorpe Park Mania found an interesting social media post where someone claims to have heard a manager at Alton Towers spreading a rumour: https://forum.maniahub.com/topic/2701-duel/?do=findComment&comment=283652

If you don’t wish to read the link, the social media post being alluded to says as follows:
Heard an interesting “rumour” from a manager at Alton Towers this week.

Duel is going to be Emily themed and the ride is going to be inside the doll’s house.

Everything is going to be massive so you feel like you’re Emily’s size in the doll’s house!

As I say, it’s a rumour from a reliable source, but to me, it sounds like an EPIC idea!
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That sounds intriguing… it would certainly line up with the suggestions that the new ride might be Emily Alton themed, and it would also line up with the “want to play” hidden in the “Property Repossessed” signs in the area…

It sounds like quite a cool concept to me! I still maintain that I wonder if Emily Alton might be slightly too much of a niche reference for most guests, but if they’re able to sell Emily Alton well enough as a new character, then I think it sounds like a really interesting concept!

What do you guys think?
 
jon81uk said:
Emily (or any other doll) is the correct size in relation to dolls hours furniture. Making everything massive would make you think you are the dolls size in a human size house (like Toy Story).
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I’m guessing that’s what was meant. My guess is that they meant that we as guests will go through a super-sized house as though we’re seeing it from Emily Alton’s perspective.

It sounds really interesting to me! If it is like that, it should be very different from the existing HH while still maintaining some subtle nods towards it, and I think that sounds great!
 
sounds like a terrible idea, many guests won’t “get” it. The British public don’t pay much attention to anything other than the most basic level of theming - in this case, scary house
 
tayspru said:
sounds like a terrible idea, many guests won’t “get” it. The British public don’t pay much attention to anything other than the most basic level of theming - in this case, scary house
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Which is fine. Those that don't get fully immersed can just enjoy it for what it is: a scary house. Whereas those who take more notice in the story can appreciate more of the details. I doubt everyone who goes on Haunted Mansion/Phantom Manor fully appreciates the details of the story!
 
Rob said:
Which is fine. Those that don't get fully immersed can just enjoy it for what it is: a scary house. Whereas those who take more notice in the story can appreciate more of the details. I doubt everyone who goes on Haunted Mansion/Phantom Manor fully appreciates the details of the story!
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I agree. I think this idea sounds like it could add a layer of narrative/story to the ride, which is something I certainly like the sound of and something that HH/Duel arguably lacked.

Even those who aren’t so into narrative would still be able to enjoy the ride for what it is, but this idea sounds as though it would add a subtle layer of narrative for those who appreciate it, which the HH/Duel never really had.
 
Sounds an incredibly vague "rumour" with zero substantial evidence to suggest this is but a complete guess based upon this weird storyline goons have decided will be the riders new story.
 
It's admittedly a trippy idea in principle, and would be a nice setup for scares from classic horror foes such as doorstops, odd socks and of course, dust.
 
Well this is...uh, interesting if true.

Why do I have this vision in the ride finale is a Terror Tomb like ending in which instead of that Mummy playing that heavy metal guitar solo it's Emily Alton doing the guitar riff in which she yells at the riders, 'You dare enter my house, so now you shall become ghoul!' 😂
 
Rob said:
There was a doll that you saw when looking through the spy holes in the fence surrounding the building, so a theme relating to dolls in some way does not seem too farfetched at all.
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By that reasoning you could claim the ride will be themed to the Annabelle films.
 
Benzin said:
Sounds an incredibly vague "rumour" with zero substantial evidence to suggest this is but a complete guess based upon this weird storyline goons have decided will be the riders new story.
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I’m not saying that there necessarily is any substantial evidence to back this theory up. This is very much a rumour, and feel free to take it with as much salt as you like.

To be honest, though; when is there ever much substantial evidence to back up a rumour? That hasn’t stopped many from within the last few years turning out to be true.

The more I think about it, the more logical this theory sounds. I apologise if I sound a bit far-fetched, but let me put on my tin foil hat for a second and speculate… because in my view, it could possibly add up based on some of the limited info we have from Alton Towers:
  • On the day the closure was “announced”, the park put “This is my house” on the chalkboard announcing it. Many assumed that this was written by Emily Alton. With this in mind; what if it was talking quite literally and hinting towards the ride being turned into Emily Alton’s doll’s house?
  • On the “Property Repossessed” signs around the Gloomy Wood area, certain letters in the sign were highlighted in red as though written in blood. These letters spelled “Possessed, Want to Play”… I don’t know about you, but to me, “want to play” would certainly line up with the ride being themed to Emily Alton’s doll’s house.
  • As @Rob has said, the teaser videos seen through the peep holes in Gloomy Wood showed a hand holding a doll… could that have been Emily Alton playing with a doll, hinting towards an Emily Alton doll’s house theme?
As I say, this is just me putting on my tin foil hat and doing some good old speculation… that rumour being true is far from a foregone conclusion. Just about anything could be happening at this stage. However, I’ll admit that in my eyes, that theory may possibly add up based on the limited evidence we currently have from Alton.
 
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