[2023] The Curse at Alton Manor

[cookiee_munster]

If the dolls house theme is what is going ahead, then I'm certainly excited to see what comes about it. I was never really a fan of the Duel makeover, and even before then, as much as i enjoyed the original Haunted House ride, it was difficult to actually get any real storyline/narrative out of it. Except for it being a load of jump scares and effects.
The trommel tunnel I'll be happy to see go. I never really understood why it was there in the first place. Were you entering some kind of hellish portal?
Hopefully the re-theme will ground the attraction a little better. Although I like the idea of you being shrunk down to the size of dolls and being taken through scenes that look like parts of a dolls house with oversized furniture and toys etc.

 

[Matt N]

The trommel tunnel I'll be happy to see go. I never really understood why it was there in the first place. Were you entering some kind of hellish portal?

It was always referred to as the “Tunnel of Doom”, and I think the intent was that you were “entering hell”.

Although to be honest, I think it mainly served as more of a cool visual effect than anything particularly narrative-based.

It appears to be a controversial view, but I do agree with you when you say about hoping that slightly more narrative/story is added with the makeover. Not an overly contrived or elaborate story, but I feel like a slightly stronger onus on storytelling and ambience rather than solely on jumpscares would make it a stronger dark ride that really fits the 2020s.

 

[rob666]

Sorry to help rewrite history here, but "The Tunnel of Doom"?
Rode it loads at the time and loved it as a decent family ghost train, but never heard that name before today.
Tunnel, yes, trommel by the geeks, yes.

 

[Josh555]

L

Sorry to help rewrite history here, but "The Tunnel of Doom"?
Rode it loads at the time and loved it as a decent family ghost train, but never heard that name before today.
Tunnel, yes, trommel by the geeks, yes.

Google ‘tunnel of doom Alton towers’ there’s a fair few references to it, including an article on Tower Street’.

Id never heard of it either to be fair

 

[rob666]

So," known and requoted by a few geeks over the years" then.

 

[Josh555]

So," known and requoted by a few geeks over the years" then.

We’re on a theme park form at 1pm on a Tuesday afternoon discussing old names for a spinning tunnel which was part of a 30 year old ghost train.

I think geeks is a pre-requisite at this point.

 

[dazza4783]

If it isn't the Doll's House theme and they are going for an IP, one that has sprung to my mind would be Goosebumps. Sony seem to be touting their IPs for theme park rides of late, Ghostbusters, Jumanji, Uncharted... Goosebumps would fit a haunted house ride, and I know some will say it's an outdated IP but I think there is a third movie in the works which would likely be out in the next couple of years. Thoughts?

 

[Trooper Looper]

If it isn't the Doll's House theme and they are going for an IP, one that has sprung to my mind would be Goosebumps. Sony seem to be touting their IPs for theme park rides of late, Ghostbusters, Jumanji, Uncharted... Goosebumps would fit a haunted house ride, and I know some will say it's an outdated IP but I think there is a third movie in the works which would likely be out in the next couple of years. Thoughts?

No. Full stop.

 

[Matt N]

I digress that Goosebumps would be a cool IP that would certainly suit a haunted house ride, and I also digress that it’s one that I personally would quite like to see made into a theme park ride at some point.

However, I don’t think the right point for Goosebumps’ entry into the theme park market is this particular project. I’ll be very surprised if this project entails an IP, personally.

 

[Altonadvocate1]

Personally, I think that every time an IP is used, the magic of escapism is lost a little, with TWODW being the worst example.

Let AT be AT.

It has it's own history and magic that is easily lost on the iPad generation who seem to need a new 5 minute gimmick to be interested in anything (download, novelty, delete, download, novelty delete).

They wouldn'thave lasted 5 minutes when I was a kid in the 1970s.

AT is more than capable of creating a fantastic original theme for this ride if given the chance and the budget would go so much further.

Fortunately, I'm not getting IP VIBES from this at the moment. As far as I know JW has never been been involved in an IP and his services would be wasted if they just plaster Ghostbusters all over it.

 

[Venoose]

This is my first ever post although I’ve been reading this forum for years.

I think they might go for a theme that’s a bit meta and have it so the “classic“ haunted house we all know and love has been possessed by an actual real life poltergeist (Emily Alton?). Therefore allowing AT to keep a certain amount of the nineties-tastic theming and combine it with more modern projection effects and animatronics. I’m thinking something along the lines of that sparkly laser effect that Symbolica and Mystic Manor use where objects seem to come alive, a spookier version of that. Maybe.

 

[QTXAdsy]

This is my first ever post although I’ve been reading this forum for years.

I think they might go for a theme that’s a bit meta and have it so the “classic“ haunted house we all know and love has been possessed by an actual real life poltergeist (Emily Alton?). Therefore allowing AT to keep a certain amount of the nineties-tastic theming and combine it with more modern projection effects and animatronics. I’m thinking something along the lines of that sparkly laser effect that Symbolica and Mystic Manor use where objects seem to come alive, a spookier version of that. Maybe.

Welcome to the forum! Prepare for much closed season antics from those on here and some pretty...uh, very strong opinions on here!

But yeah, I do feel that Emily Alton will have a part in this ride either in a small or major way.

 

[Bert2theSpark]

Just an idea, if all the zombies have been removed but most of the scenes are staying, what if the former giant/zombie horde animatronics gets turned into a giant Emily Alton to give a sense of scale in the ride!

Also I can definitely imagine thethe scenes that would fit within the context of a haunted dollhouse refurbished to as it was in its original iteration (eg dining room scene or electric bill scene), but the scenes that have been heavily tempered with over the years being converted into brand new scenes (eg zombie lab finale).

Speaking of new tech in the ride, definitely would love to see new Animatronics like what we've just seen in the new Jumanji ride, some projection mapping would look really cool, but screens would be a disappointment if they are the focal point of scenes but would add depth to scenes if used as backdrops to supplement films.

 

[AT86]

Just wanted to post these, but I never knee how different HH's Gift Shop was to when it was turned into Duels.

Credit for the HH one: Parksmania.it

Check out his videos! Lots of old archive footage from the 90s I'm his playlist.

Just looping back to this for a sec. I didn’t realise it, but from those photos (and this aerial one from themeparkjackk on Instagram) it appears the HH/Duel shop was extended at some point?



You can see the original facade from the first pic above behind the current frontage. Based on that it seems the original shop was much smaller than it is today.

Edit: including the pic I was referring to from Trooper Looper’s post as so some reason it’s not included in the quote.

 

[RIPCorky]

Personally, I think that every time an IP is used, the magic of escapism is lost a little, with TWODW being the worst example.

Let AT be AT.

It has it's own history and magic that is easily lost on the iPad generation who seem to need a new 5 minute gimmick to be interested in anything (download, novelty, delete, download, novelty delete).

They wouldn'thave lasted 5 minutes when I was a kid in the 1970s.

AT is more than capable of creating a fantastic original theme for this ride if given the chance and the budget would go so much further.

Fortunately, I'm not getting IP VIBES from this at the moment. As far as I know JW has never been been involved in an IP and his services would be wasted if they just plaster Ghostbusters all over it.

The older you get the more interesting the past becomes. They'll be like us one day....Reminiscing about the "good old days" at Alton Towers which will involve the long removed Smiler, Thirteen and the world of David Walliams

With a ride like the original Haunted House you had to be there in that era to really appreciate it. These days it wouldn't surprise me if the majority of people go round dark rides looking at their phones, or simply aren't interested in a dark ride that doesn't look like a computer game.

 

[Trooper Looper]

The older you get the more interesting the past becomes. They'll be like us one day....Reminiscing about the "good old days" at Alton Towers which will involve the long removed Smiler, Thirteen and the world of David Walliams

With a ride like the original Haunted House you had to be there in that era to really appreciate it. These days it wouldn't surprise me if the majority of people go round dark rides looking at their phones, or simply aren't interested in a dark ride that doesn't look like a computer game.

I've never even rode the original ride as I wasn't even born when it was converted to Duel, but even I can see how special It was. Its a really unique dark ride and Ghost Train as I can't recall any other dark ride having that ride system, and that style of theming. Yeah, Ghost trains do have their fair share so ghouls and Apparitions, but the ghosts in the Haunted House are incredibly unique and look to take a mot of inspiration from the Theatre, as they props look like those old fashioned style of Props you'd find in an old play based of a fairy Tale book.

They also incorporated a lot of unique scares in the ride, even in its current not so good state, I can't think of any other Ghost trains that has really gone outside the box for unexpected and great concepts such as Screaming heads flying around you, a Giant demon Ghost jumpscaring you from behind a column, and the Swamp finale, filled with unique ideas, monsters and scares that you probably won't ever find in a Haunted House ride again.

Let's hope with whatever is going in will be as unique as those ideas were.

 

[RIPCorky]

I've never even the original ride as I wasn't even born when it was converted to Duel, but even I can see how special It was. Its a really unique dark ride and Ghost Train as I can't recall any other dark ride having that ride system, and that style of theming. Yeah, Ghost trains do have their fair share so ghouls and Apparitions, but the ghosts in the Haunted House are incredibly unique and look to take a mot of inspiration from the Theatre, as they props look like those old fashioned style of Props you'd find in an old play based of a fairy Tale book.

They also incorporated a lot of unique scares in the ride, even in its current not so good state, I can't think of any other Ghost trains that has really gone outside the box for unexpected and great concepts such as Screaming heads flying around you, a Giant demon Ghost jumpscaring you from behind a column, and the Swamp finale, filled with unique ideas, monsters and scares that you probably won't ever find in a Haunted House ride again.

Let's hope with whatever is going in will be as unique as those ideas were.

One of the best parts of the original ride was in fact the lighting (Or lack of) and the audio you could actually hear without the laser sound effects.

Like Toyland Tours, when it's gone it's gone.

 

[djtruefitt]

Just looping back to this for a sec. I didn’t realise it, but from those photos (and this aerial one from themeparkjackk on Instagram) it appears the HH/Duel shop was extended at some point?



You can see the original facade from the first pic above behind the current frontage. Based on that it seems the original shop was much smaller than it is today.

Edit: including the pic I was referring to from Trooper Looper’s post as so some reason it’s not included in the quote.

Yes it was extended. Originally the photo kiosk was just as you came out the ride (in its later years it was just an empty room near to where that chalk board on the wall was).

Then when the shop was extended the photo kiosk was also moved.

Not actually sure when that happened but @Squiggs probably knows.

 

[Skyscraper]

Yes it was extended. Originally the photo kiosk was just as you came out the ride (in its later years it was just an empty room near to where that chalk board on the wall was).

Then when the shop was extended the photo kiosk was also moved.

Not actually sure when that happened but @Squiggs probably knows.

I believe the photo kiosk was moved as the original was too small and got overcrowded.

 

[Zeock]

and the Swamp finale, filled with unique ideas, monsters and scares that you probably won't ever find in a Haunted House ride again.

Let's hope with whatever is going in will be as unique as those ideas were.

They really shouldn't have got rid of it in the first place.
Let's hope that whatever is going on will be able to impress as much as some of the original props in the HH when it opened in 1992.