Dave
TS Founding Member
I wouldn’t say more realistic but there are some new spiders and the big spider has been restyled and looks really good
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2023: The Curse at Alton Manor
- Thread starter Craig
- Start date
Zeock
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Journey to the Center of the Earth
AstroDan likes it! That's all I need to know. I am even more excited than before to ride this!
Rick
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Crux
We had the opposite experience of @Danny whereby the Emily in the car alongside trick worked the first time but not the second. On the second run we were much closer to the car in front and I wondered if the trick had maybe not had time to reset ? I do wonder if that mechanism is going to have enough time to be ready with such a constant flow of vehicles - feels like it could be problematic going forward - hope not, as it is cool - but does feel a bit clumsy !
The easter eggs are cool - I wonder if there were too many ? Not sure ... I guess if you know enough about the ride and the park to enjoy them, happy days - but some of them felt a bit forced, some of the gravestones were clever, others not so much.
When you're riding something for the first and second time it's difficult to know if you have missed something previously or if it didn't work/appear. The first time I didn't see the Flume duck, the second time I did (when it was pointed out to me). The first time I thought I saw something resembling the fabled 'flying ghost' but the second time it was either not there or missing?).
The long black corridor when Emily is talking to you is a curious choice - some areas had loads going on, that section was notable for being 10 seconds of nothing.
Not going to write a blow by blow review - it's a cool ride. I am curious to understand how its popularity endures.
The easter eggs are cool - I wonder if there were too many ? Not sure ... I guess if you know enough about the ride and the park to enjoy them, happy days - but some of them felt a bit forced, some of the gravestones were clever, others not so much.
When you're riding something for the first and second time it's difficult to know if you have missed something previously or if it didn't work/appear. The first time I didn't see the Flume duck, the second time I did (when it was pointed out to me). The first time I thought I saw something resembling the fabled 'flying ghost' but the second time it was either not there or missing?).
The long black corridor when Emily is talking to you is a curious choice - some areas had loads going on, that section was notable for being 10 seconds of nothing.
Not going to write a blow by blow review - it's a cool ride. I am curious to understand how its popularity endures.
emmerse2891
TS Member
I'm not visiting until late April at the earliest - not sure I can hold off on spoilers .....I so need to see
siralgenon
TS Member
I just thought I'd post my review (over 3 rides) today. Hopefully I don't ramble on too much but I can't promise. Overall I'm very impressed with the ride, it's brought a layer of quality to the ride and area which it didn't have before, if I'm being really picky I have a few negatives but that's just coming from someone who's been on a lot of rides...
To start I think the exterior looks fantastic, the Gloomy Wood plaza, facade, and outlets are brilliant and I love the added details of the hearse and the gates and signs added to the pillars. Downsides: I don't like black cut out in the upstairs window, it just looks naff and the fact that there is not one bin in the queue line was a big pain.
Moving on to probably my favourite part of the attraction, the pre show room! An absolutely brilliant atmosphere in here, I love the dolls house and the story that plays within, I can only hope Im able to watch the whole thing one day as you only get a snippet moving through the queue. You can tell the designers took some major inspiration from Phantom Manor for this re-theme as the portraits / announcements and certain scenery are hugely similar (in a good way).
The first half of the ride is my favourite such as the first scene with the clock and changing portrait, the ballroom and tromwell. Theres also some fabulous Easter Eggs in this area.
After this there is a large blank spot which I've been told the scene is still being worked on which is why it's currently in darkness.
Now my first negative scene. For someone who's terrified of spiders I thought this scene had become naff. Gone are the realistic hanging spiders which have now been replaced by three pound land ones which jump onto a box. The large spider has also now gained disco eyes and no longer growls at you.
The mirror scene we found to have a lot of technical issues today and only worked on one run through but when working we found to be brilliant. I found the garden scene had become a bit naff, I don't think the voodoo dolls really fit into the theme of the ride and they don't really add anything to the story.
And finally I find although the ending scene is full of Easter Eggs and is beautiful to look at, it's just not scary at all apart from the final scare.
Now I've not heard this mentioned in any review so far but the effect in the exit corridor is absolutely brilliant and it's something I've never seen it before. I feel like I don't want to mention it here even though it's in a spoiler tag but if anyone wants to know I'll pop it in a separate post but this surprised us all and made us jump.
Overall a massive improvement on Duel and it can only get better with it's upcoming tweaks.
Moving on to probably my favourite part of the attraction, the pre show room! An absolutely brilliant atmosphere in here, I love the dolls house and the story that plays within, I can only hope Im able to watch the whole thing one day as you only get a snippet moving through the queue. You can tell the designers took some major inspiration from Phantom Manor for this re-theme as the portraits / announcements and certain scenery are hugely similar (in a good way).
The first half of the ride is my favourite such as the first scene with the clock and changing portrait, the ballroom and tromwell. Theres also some fabulous Easter Eggs in this area.
After this there is a large blank spot which I've been told the scene is still being worked on which is why it's currently in darkness.
Now my first negative scene. For someone who's terrified of spiders I thought this scene had become naff. Gone are the realistic hanging spiders which have now been replaced by three pound land ones which jump onto a box. The large spider has also now gained disco eyes and no longer growls at you.
The mirror scene we found to have a lot of technical issues today and only worked on one run through but when working we found to be brilliant. I found the garden scene had become a bit naff, I don't think the voodoo dolls really fit into the theme of the ride and they don't really add anything to the story.
And finally I find although the ending scene is full of Easter Eggs and is beautiful to look at, it's just not scary at all apart from the final scare.
Now I've not heard this mentioned in any review so far but the effect in the exit corridor is absolutely brilliant and it's something I've never seen it before. I feel like I don't want to mention it here even though it's in a spoiler tag but if anyone wants to know I'll pop it in a separate post but this surprised us all and made us jump.
Overall a massive improvement on Duel and it can only get better with it's upcoming tweaks.
Morgan Price
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Hyperia
Interested to hear more about the exit corridor! Rode twice today and didn’t experience anything either time 
siralgenon
TS Member
Post-Ride effectInterested to hear more about the exit corridor! Rode twice today and didn’t experience anything either time
There is a lighting effect in the exit corridor which makes everyone look as if they're dead / corpse like / ghosts. We didn't notice until our second ride when we turned to each other and we all jumped. 
Keep an eye out next time, you're in for a surprise...
Keep an eye out next time, you're in for a surprise...
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TroySmith1
TS Member
Interested to hear more about the exit corridor! Rode twice today and didn’t experience anything either time
I’m interested?
Also was there any element that makes the riders disappear like stated in the media press release?
They actually achieved so much in such a short space of time, all looks and sounds great from what I’ve seen! It’s not an embarrassment of a ride anymore.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
siralgenon
TS Member
Yes there's a mirror scene where you appear to disappear in your vehicle and Emily appears instead.
Rode it 4 times today and there is so much in there it will take multiple rides to get to take it all in. I did feel the ride cars were going too quickly to really take it in and I hope that can be slowed down.
The music is amazing as were the sound and vocal effects from Emily in the house. The pre show I thought was awesome.
Initial ride I was a little underwhelmed. I guess I was expecting some state of the art illusions, but with more rides I got to appreciate it more and really get immersed in the story. You begin to appreciate the amount of thought and effort that has gone into the ride with every re ride.
I don’t think it’s finished in places and I heard it there is still work to do, but as it stands I found it very creepy, immersive and very re-rideable.
I can’t wait to wander through the queue line at Scarefest with that music playing.
The music is amazing as were the sound and vocal effects from Emily in the house. The pre show I thought was awesome.
Initial ride I was a little underwhelmed. I guess I was expecting some state of the art illusions, but with more rides I got to appreciate it more and really get immersed in the story. You begin to appreciate the amount of thought and effort that has gone into the ride with every re ride.
I don’t think it’s finished in places and I heard it there is still work to do, but as it stands I found it very creepy, immersive and very re-rideable.
I can’t wait to wander through the queue line at Scarefest with that music playing.
Poisson
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- The Giant Squid
Much improved ride system usage in places (extra pace was appreciated) and a vast improvement from Duel. Really enjoyed my 2 rides today. Is it the greatest dark ride I've done? No (I mean good luck topping Mystery Castle), but it's a good one which will improve when it is finished.
emmerse2891
TS Member
Would you say the negatives are things that could be improved if the ride wast weeks or are they fundamental?
siralgenon
TS Member
I would say the few problems with the ride (and they are only a few, it's a brilliant accomplishment) can be tweaked. I don't mean this in a bad way but there's still a lot of work to be done technically until I'd say it could be signed off as completed such as timings / lighting / audio etc.
I'd say for me the major which no longer fits into the story is the garden and the changes made to it are only minor and I don't think they give anything to the new story. It's like they forgot to change that part and at the last minute thought 'oh we better swap a few things around!'
But that's me being harsh, it's the only major fault I can see. The rest in fantastic.
NuttySquirrel
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Batman: Gotham City Escape
Got 2 rides in today and here is my half penny for what it's worth:
First of all, it took a long time to open today, technical issues isn't that unusual for a brand new ride but as the ride system is the same as it was for Duel I'd hoped it would be able to be opened up without any glitches.
It was a good atmosphere in Gloomy Wood, lots of roaming entertainment and banter between the actors and queues, definitely helped to pass the time! Even if the real estate agent apparently got dressed in the dark...
The queue line is ok, I quite like the reuse of the crypt from Duel as the queue entrance, it's a lot easier to see where to join it now. It was fun looking for Easter eggs in the new gravestones but hope I don't have to make a habit of using the extended queue line.
I really like what they've done with the area, tbf it was such a mess before but now the ride, gift shop and food outlet are properly themed together to create an immersive area. Huge improvement.
The preshow looked great and I'm really glad they've retained the ghost of Emily Alton in the dolls house although this time with her parents and additional story telling. I would have liked a bit longer to go through the indoor section a bit more slowly and absorb everything tbh.
There's been a lot more changed in the ride than I expected there to be given that the cars and track layout is the same. I don't think the use of projections took away from the experience though I'm glad they chose to use them sparingly with mostly physical props and effects.
There are a few blank areas and it's clear that more scenes are due to be added; however it just meant a few dark sections and doesn't ruin the enjoyment of what's there already.
None of the jump scares worked for me first time around but were much better the second time around, there may need to be some tweaking on timings for each car. I didn't get the mirror section at all, wasn't sure what I was supposed to be seeing so maybe that's not quite right yet.
The trommel section is the biggest improvement for me esp. with the rotating clock face dead ahead, really clever optical illusion.
It's a dark and unsettling theme with an intriguing storyline which puts it above a lot of ghost trains out there which are just a load of disconnected scenes full of ghouls and skeletons. The mutilated toys are pretty frightening looking and all the chalk writing on the walls makes you want to call a child psychologist!
Like others I had low expectations but they have definitely been exceeded, really hope Merlin can get some other areas of the park spruced up similarly in the years to come.
It really looks great after dark as well, pity we'll have to wait until Scarefest to see this properly again.
It was a good atmosphere in Gloomy Wood, lots of roaming entertainment and banter between the actors and queues, definitely helped to pass the time! Even if the real estate agent apparently got dressed in the dark...
The queue line is ok, I quite like the reuse of the crypt from Duel as the queue entrance, it's a lot easier to see where to join it now. It was fun looking for Easter eggs in the new gravestones but hope I don't have to make a habit of using the extended queue line.
I really like what they've done with the area, tbf it was such a mess before but now the ride, gift shop and food outlet are properly themed together to create an immersive area. Huge improvement.
The preshow looked great and I'm really glad they've retained the ghost of Emily Alton in the dolls house although this time with her parents and additional story telling. I would have liked a bit longer to go through the indoor section a bit more slowly and absorb everything tbh.
There's been a lot more changed in the ride than I expected there to be given that the cars and track layout is the same. I don't think the use of projections took away from the experience though I'm glad they chose to use them sparingly with mostly physical props and effects.
There are a few blank areas and it's clear that more scenes are due to be added; however it just meant a few dark sections and doesn't ruin the enjoyment of what's there already.
None of the jump scares worked for me first time around but were much better the second time around, there may need to be some tweaking on timings for each car. I didn't get the mirror section at all, wasn't sure what I was supposed to be seeing so maybe that's not quite right yet.
The trommel section is the biggest improvement for me esp. with the rotating clock face dead ahead, really clever optical illusion.
It's a dark and unsettling theme with an intriguing storyline which puts it above a lot of ghost trains out there which are just a load of disconnected scenes full of ghouls and skeletons. The mutilated toys are pretty frightening looking and all the chalk writing on the walls makes you want to call a child psychologist!
Like others I had low expectations but they have definitely been exceeded, really hope Merlin can get some other areas of the park spruced up similarly in the years to come.
It really looks great after dark as well, pity we'll have to wait until Scarefest to see this properly again.
BigShadowtinytree
TS Member
That’s so cool! Definitely going to look out for this next time.Post-Ride effect
There is a lighting effect in the exit corridor which makes everyone look as if they're dead / corpse like / ghosts. We didn't notice until our second ride when we turned to each other and we all jumped.
My other half was sat next to one of our kids and said she had turned into Emily in the mirror and it totally freaked him out!
Dave
TS Founding Member
so decided to do a slightly more spoiler review
First the queue:
I like the new facade of the “manor” for the most part, the building looks great and I like some of the little touches. The new entrance uses the old canopy of the duel crypt and it works and is a good example of plussing something using existing theming.
The only negative I have is if I am honest I felt the “fan service” in the gravestones went a bit too far, but that is really nitpicking.
The pre show is done really well, I wish there was a way of batching the pre-show so you can watch it all as it’s not short so as the queue moves you may only see part of it. The creatives didn’t have much choice here though as there is no way to keep the throughput if they did that.
The ride station is pretty much unchanged for those who haven’t ridden. But it is a nice station so didn’t need anything l.
Now for the ride, it is the perfect mix of retaining what worked well and changing the rest. It also has a really balanced mix of projection and screen based theming against physical props and scenery. The lighting is good, music good, and pacing good. The finale is really very good with Emily appearing at the end being a good jump.
The trommel working as it was intended makes you realise how good an effect it was before it was butchered in Duel, the clock at the end of the trommel really adds to the effect to the point I did feel really discombobulated.
There is a big patch of dark between the trommel and spiders scene which feels like it need something. The old screaming heads scene is also a bit meh at the moment.
My gut feeling is we don’t have everything yet but it is darn good anyway.
MMM should be very proud.
First the queue:
I like the new facade of the “manor” for the most part, the building looks great and I like some of the little touches. The new entrance uses the old canopy of the duel crypt and it works and is a good example of plussing something using existing theming.
The only negative I have is if I am honest I felt the “fan service” in the gravestones went a bit too far, but that is really nitpicking.
The pre show is done really well, I wish there was a way of batching the pre-show so you can watch it all as it’s not short so as the queue moves you may only see part of it. The creatives didn’t have much choice here though as there is no way to keep the throughput if they did that.
The ride station is pretty much unchanged for those who haven’t ridden. But it is a nice station so didn’t need anything l.
Now for the ride, it is the perfect mix of retaining what worked well and changing the rest. It also has a really balanced mix of projection and screen based theming against physical props and scenery. The lighting is good, music good, and pacing good. The finale is really very good with Emily appearing at the end being a good jump.
The trommel working as it was intended makes you realise how good an effect it was before it was butchered in Duel, the clock at the end of the trommel really adds to the effect to the point I did feel really discombobulated.
There is a big patch of dark between the trommel and spiders scene which feels like it need something. The old screaming heads scene is also a bit meh at the moment.
My gut feeling is we don’t have everything yet but it is darn good anyway.
MMM should be very proud.
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
I got a few ?’s is the bats still in there? Is it still 5 to each vehicle or did they add the 6th seat back in?
