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2023: The Curse at Alton Manor

Benzin said:
Main benefit is the spinning so people could actually see certain effects instead of completely missing them. Don't think the system would work for a Haunted House style attraction though.
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And tracked can do that too... look at Gangsta Granny.

I think The Curse is fine as it is. The fixed position cars work because they take the riders in the direction they have to go but it's up to them where they look - therefore they're guaranteed to miss something and likely be on edge for the scares and this adds to the re-rideability because many will want to ride again to see bits they missed before. Make the cars spin spin and it becomes like a guided tour - "turning left we have a giant spider you must look at, now turning right to guarantee you'll see that jump scare etc." Having said that, the one area spinning cars could work in the Curse is inside the trommel to help disorientate the rider even more.

Also with fixed trains, you still have that feel of a traditional fun fair ghost train, adding to the atmosphere and experience.
 
Steve74 said:
And tracked can do that too... look at Gangsta Granny.

I think The Curse is fine as it is. The fixed position cars work because they take the riders in the direction they have to go but it's up to them where they look - therefore they're guaranteed to miss something and likely be on edge for the scares and this adds to the re-rideability because many will want to ride again to see bits they missed before. Make the cars spin spin and it becomes like a guided tour - "turning left we have a giant spider you must look at, now turning right to guarantee you'll see that jump scare etc." Having said that, the one area spinning cars could work in the Curse is inside the trommel to help disorientate the rider even more.

Also with fixed trains, you still have that feel of a traditional fun fair ghost train, adding to the atmosphere and experience.
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Fixed spin would also work better on some of the effects that’s are too slow to trigger. The Hall of mirrors scene to see Emily and the peppers ghost affect of Emily disappearing in front of you. But it doesn’t need to be trackless to achieve this effect!


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Fair comments about the trackless. Maybe a topic for another time. That Ratatouille ride is awesome and yes the area is lots bigger. But it's definitely something I feel could be used for a haunted house.
 
Trackless dark rides can be absolutely great, as ever it comes down to the implementation.

I’d love to see Alton Towers invest in a real quality, modern dark ride at some point but there’s absolutely no need for it to involve a change of hardware for Curse which is brilliant as it is.

I’ve said it before but I honestly think they’ve hit the nail as close to on the head as it’s reasonable to expect for that. Just a great ride, great story, the effects are good and it’s just the right side of scary.

It gives me a bit of optimism that if they do invest in a more modern dark ride system at some point in the future that we won’t end up with something a bit underwhelming as we did with Sub Terra or something just totally crap as we did with Ghost Train.
 
Personally I think you should only use trackless cars if what you're using them for couldn't be achieved otherwise, such as the multiple routes around Symbolica or the final ballroom scene. Otherwise it's an utter waste.

The ride system for Haunted House/Duel/Curse was designed to ensure that each car received the right jump scares at the right time and no guests could see any other cars on the circuit which might spoil the surprise. This (usually) works really well, so it's the right system for the ride.
 
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