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2023: The Curse at Alton Manor

Riding this coming Sunday, but are these dark bits as long and bad as made out? Is it simply a case of a missing scene, likely down to budget or time?
 
Jb85 said:
Riding this coming Sunday, but are these dark bits as long and bad as made out? Is it simply a case of a missing scene, likely down to budget or time?
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No it’s not bad at all, if they just turned the sound up and put some UV writing on the walls it’d be a good scene instead of just ok.
 
Jb85 said:
Riding this coming Sunday, but are these dark bits as long and bad as made out? Is it simply a case of a missing scene, likely down to budget or time?
Click to expand...
There is one long dark section (the one being referred to as the "audio experience" bit). It would potentially work better if the dialogue was a bit louder, but even if this were the case it does frankly feel just a bit too long without anything visual. Particularly given the vehicle is changing directions, which makes you feel as if it should be doing more. In addition I think, if they can, they could work on balancing out the speed of the ride vehicle at various points. It's too fast towards the beginning when there's a lot to see, then too slow towards the end as you approach the final few turns.

The mirror effect though is absolutely excellent - without a doubt, along with the revamped Trommel, the best thing about the ride.
 
Jb85 said:
Riding this coming Sunday, but are these dark bits as long and bad as made out? Is it simply a case of a missing scene, likely down to budget or time?
Click to expand...
It's definitely down to the lack of time they had yes. I personally think it's noticeable but the scenes they have changed in there are good
 
Jb85 said:
Riding this coming Sunday, but are these dark bits as long and bad as made out? Is it simply a case of a missing scene, likely down to budget or time?
Click to expand...
It's the audio that isn't clear enough for me. I heard someone explain she blows a candle out before the first black bit and watching the POV back it just about makes sense but again its the execution. The audio needs to be clearer in the mix.

As for the second black spot, I think things are supposed to be visible but just aren't much/at all.

What would be bad is is they filled these dark spots with things just for the sake of it. I think they are potentially great areas but need improvement on execution.
 
Well, I rode this for the first time today! I'll admit that I initially struggled to coherently review the ride, and my actual first ride itself was a bit of a blur, but having watched a few POVs of the ride, I can better process what happened, and I now feel more at liberty to talk about it in a bit more depth.

Be warned; this review does contain spoilers of The Curse at Alton Manor. If you do not want spoilers, read no further.

Let me start with the area. Gloomy Wood looks brilliant; given that they haven't changed much, the area feels weirdly fleshed out and lively compared to how it did before, and I'm a big fan of the darker colour scheme that they've adopted with the facade and area buildings. It looks great!

As the ride was walk on when I did it, I didn't get to see an awful lot of the outdoor queue, but what I did see looked very nice. I particularly liked the copious amounts of smoke; this made it feel very ambient!

Moving onto the indoor queue; this hasn't changed a huge amount, but has been spruced up somewhat to fit the new theme. The vestibule looks very similar to how it did before, but they have added some cloth over the theming items to make it look like it's been "repossessed". The more notably different room is the Drawing Room, which, although quite similar to how it was before on the face of it, does feel notably enhanced to me. There's now a pre-show telling the story of Emily Alton, and this culminates with some brilliant projection mapping and a really surprising reveal of UV paint all over the walls, showing what seem to be Emily Alton's deranged ramblings. I thought this was a very clever effect, and set up the ride very nicely!

Let's move onto the ride itself. Now as I said, I found this to be a bit of a blur when I physically rode, and as stupid as it sounds, I had to watch a few POVs to actually process it. It is a lot to take in, and as someone who's a bit of a weakling when it comes to horror stuff, I did find the first ride a bit overwhelming. With that being said, I do feel that the ride is a definite improvement on its predecessor Duel, and in terms of production value, I think it's a nicely done ride overall, although there are odd things I'd improve. I won't do a scene-by-scene breakdown, but some key points of interest include:
  • I thought that projection mapping was used to great effect within the ride, and I felt that it definitely did add something.
  • The Trommel Tunnel is working again, and I have to say that this effect did surprise me! I'd never actually experienced this effect in a working state (i.e. spinning) before, and I never really understood what people thought was so great about the Trommel Tunnel. I have to say that its use within The Curse at Alton Manor definitely proved me wrong on that front; it is a surprisingly convincing effect, particularly when paired with the spinning clock at the end, and it was probably one of my favourite individual effects in the ride!
  • The mirror scene that replaced what was previously the Skeleton Corridor now houses a very clever effect, wherein you seem to disappear from the car and Emily Alton "replaces" you. I thought that this was very clever!
  • The ending is an excellently executed jumpscare; I have to admit that I audibly shrieked when the massive Emily head suddenly appeared!
  • Paradoxically, the ride feels very similar to how it was before, yet also very different, if that makes any sense?
  • There was perhaps more reuse of old scenes from the previous iterations than I was expecting, but I think that this mostly works well because the park have made these scenes befitting of the new storyline; they feel very different to how they were before.
  • There were some surprisingly impressive physical sets built new for the ride; I was particularly impressed with what they've done with the Attic scene.
  • I've heard people mention the dark area between the Trommel and the Attic scene. I think the audio does still make this area feel quite unnerving, but I do get what people mean when they say that it feels a bit unfinished. I think it could do with an extra something to properly finish it off; maybe some UV paint like in the pre-show and exit corridor, or some light flashes?
  • The other scene that I don't think entirely works is the Screaming Heads scene. I'm not entirely sure how it fits into the ride, and it feels a bit out of place to me.
  • As I said above, I do think that it's quite an overwhelming attraction overall. When combining the noise, the darkness and the jumpscares, it is quite a lot to take in. Although with that being said, that could just be because I'm not the biggest horror lover and it was my first ride on a ghost train-style attraction; I felt similarly about Duel the first time I rode that.
Overall, I thought that it was a nicely executed ride; Merlin Magic Making have done a very good job given the budget and timeframe, and they have definitely improved upon Duel, in my view! If I'm being completely honest, however, I didn't exactly come off feeling entirely blown away. I'd stop short of saying that I was disappointed, because as I said, it is a very nicely done ride with high production value overall, in my view, and my initial gut reaction upon exiting could well be due to my initial struggling to process it all. I did only have 1 ride, after all.

I must admit, though, that I'm not sure the ride entirely lived up to some of the hyperbole being thrown around for me. It's a very nicely executed ride overall, but it's not my favourite dark ride in the UK and I would still say that I prefer Hex within the park. That could be down to it not being entirely my sort of thing, it could be down to the fact that I felt a little overwhelmed by it on my first ride, or it could be down to the fact that I only got 1 ride on it, but for whatever reason, I'm perhaps not feeling as enamoured with it and enthralled by it as many others seem to be. It's nice and it's well executed, but I'm not quite gelling with it like everyone else seems to be for some reason; I don't deny that they've done very well, but I'm not quite on board the hype train like everyone else seems to be. I apologise if I come across a bit cynical or moany here, but I'm just being 100% honest about how I personally felt about the attraction on my ride.

Nonetheless, it is a nice ride overall, I'm sure that it will be tweaked and improved with time, and Alton Towers should be really proud of what they've pulled off!
 
Matt N said:
Well, I rode this for the first time today! I'll admit that I initially struggled to coherently review the ride, and my actual first ride itself was a bit of a blur, but having watched a few POVs of the ride, I can better process what happened, and I now feel more at liberty to talk about it in a bit more depth.

Be warned; this review does contain spoilers of The Curse at Alton Manor. If you do not want spoilers, read no further.

Let me start with the area. Gloomy Wood looks brilliant; given that they haven't changed much, the area feels weirdly fleshed out and lively compared to how it did before, and I'm a big fan of the darker colour scheme that they've adopted with the facade and area buildings. It looks great!

As the ride was walk on when I did it, I didn't get to see an awful lot of the outdoor queue, but what I did see looked very nice. I particularly liked the copious amounts of smoke; this made it feel very ambient!

Moving onto the indoor queue; this hasn't changed a huge amount, but has been spruced up somewhat to fit the new theme. The vestibule looks very similar to how it did before, but they have added some cloth over the theming items to make it look like it's been "repossessed". The more notably different room is the Drawing Room, which, although quite similar to how it was before on the face of it, does feel notably enhanced to me. There's now a pre-show telling the story of Emily Alton, and this culminates with some brilliant projection mapping and a really surprising reveal of UV paint all over the walls, showing what seem to be Emily Alton's deranged ramblings. I thought this was a very clever effect, and set up the ride very nicely!

Let's move onto the ride itself. Now as I said, I found this to be a bit of a blur when I physically rode, and as stupid as it sounds, I had to watch a few POVs to actually process it. It is a lot to take in, and as someone who's a bit of a weakling when it comes to horror stuff, I did find the first ride a bit overwhelming. With that being said, I do feel that the ride is a definite improvement on its predecessor Duel, and in terms of production value, I think it's a nicely done ride overall, although there are odd things I'd improve. I won't do a scene-by-scene breakdown, but some key points of interest include:
  • I thought that projection mapping was used to great effect within the ride, and I felt that it definitely did add something.
  • The Trommel Tunnel is working again, and I have to say that this effect did surprise me! I'd never actually experienced this effect in a working state (i.e. spinning) before, and I never really understood what people thought was so great about the Trommel Tunnel. I have to say that its use within The Curse at Alton Manor definitely proved me wrong on that front; it is a surprisingly convincing effect, particularly when paired with the spinning clock at the end, and it was probably one of my favourite individual effects in the ride!
  • The mirror scene that replaced what was previously the Skeleton Corridor now houses a very clever effect, wherein you seem to disappear from the car and Emily Alton "replaces" you. I thought that this was very clever!
  • The ending is an excellently executed jumpscare; I have to admit that I audibly shrieked when the massive Emily head suddenly appeared!
  • Paradoxically, the ride feels very similar to how it was before, yet also very different, if that makes any sense?
  • There was perhaps more reuse of old scenes from the previous iterations than I was expecting, but I think that this mostly works well because the park have made these scenes befitting of the new storyline; they feel very different to how they were before.
  • There were some surprisingly impressive physical sets built new for the ride; I was particularly impressed with what they've done with the Attic scene.
  • I've heard people mention the dark area between the Trommel and the Attic scene. I think the audio does still make this area feel quite unnerving, but I do get what people mean when they say that it feels a bit unfinished. I think it could do with an extra something to properly finish it off; maybe some UV paint like in the pre-show and exit corridor, or some light flashes?
  • The other scene that I don't think entirely works is the Screaming Heads scene. I'm not entirely sure how it fits into the ride, and it feels a bit out of place to me.
  • As I said above, I do think that it's quite an overwhelming attraction overall. When combining the noise, the darkness and the jumpscares, it is quite a lot to take in. Although with that being said, that could just be because I'm not the biggest horror lover and it was my first ride on a ghost train-style attraction; I felt similarly about Duel the first time I rode that.
Overall, I thought that it was a nicely executed ride; Merlin Magic Making have done a very good job given the budget and timeframe, and they have definitely improved upon Duel, in my view! If I'm being completely honest, however, I didn't exactly come off feeling entirely blown away. I'd stop short of saying that I was disappointed, because as I said, it is a very nicely done ride with high production value overall, in my view, and my initial gut reaction upon exiting could well be due to my initial struggling to process it all. I did only have 1 ride, after all.

I must admit, though, that I'm not sure the ride entirely lived up to some of the hyperbole being thrown around for me. It's a very nicely executed ride overall, but it's not my favourite dark ride in the UK and I would still say that I prefer Hex within the park. That could be down to it not being entirely my sort of thing, it could be down to the fact that I felt a little overwhelmed by it on my first ride, or it could be down to the fact that I only got 1 ride on it, but for whatever reason, I'm perhaps not feeling as enamoured with it and enthralled by it as many others seem to be. It's nice and it's well executed, but I'm not quite gelling with it like everyone else seems to be for some reason; I don't deny that they've done very well, but I'm not quite on board the hype train like everyone else seems to be. I apologise if I come across a bit cynical or moany here, but I'm just being 100% honest about how I personally felt about the attraction on my ride.

Nonetheless, it is a nice ride overall, I'm sure that it will be tweaked and improved with time, and Alton Towers should be really proud of what they've pulled off!
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It's just everyone on board the hype train that calls it the UKs best. When the hype calms down in the upcoming months, I'm sure we'll see more logical reviews as people are given more time to think over their thoughts of the ride. I personally still prefer Hex, and Alton Manor is a nice side grade from duel, though the revamped Gloomy Woods is a fantastic improvement!!!
 
Trooper Looper said:
Alton Manor is a nice side grade from duel
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All for people expressing their own opinions and know you’re not the biggest fan of the ride but this is quite the statement. Duel was a phenomenally poor ride experience and just an utter embarrassment all around. Considering how much reverence you have for the original ride I’m quite surprised how big your soft spot is for Duel - a ride that completely butchered the original. Getting rid of Duel was like putting down a sick, dying dog
 
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Trooper Looper said:
It's just everyone on board the hype train that calls it the UKs best. When the hype calms down in the upcoming months, I'm sure we'll see more logical reviews as people are given more time to think over their thoughts of the ride. I personally still prefer Hex, and Alton Manor is a nice side grade from duel, though the revamped Gloomy Woods is a fantastic improvement!!!
Click to expand...

Just because you don’t like the ride doesn’t mean you can dismiss everyone else’s reviews as part of a hype train…

Hex at its best is probably a better dark ride but it isn’t at its best.
 
Benzin said:
What other dark rides in the country are good quality though?

Claiming its the best dark ride in the country isn't the big claim some might feel. Though I'm sure when Valhalla reopens we can all enjoy that argument springing up constantly.
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I think pretty much everyone who has said it’s the best dark ride in the UK has in the same post said it’s not exactly a high bar to reach. I certainly did when I posted my review.
 
Towers have the two best dark rides in the UK for two very different reasons:

Hex is the best narrative-driven dark ride.
Alty Mans is the best effect-usage dark ride.

Given Valhalla is now a cost-saving exercise, I'm not confident it'll stack up in effect usage.

There's really nothing else comparable in terms of quality or narrative in the UK.
 
Also there’s plenty of good dark rides out there but there are several with difficult story lines to follow or no story lines at all. This is something Merlin are very focused on since “The Gruffalo river ride adventure” They continue to improve on there story telling even from there rollercoasters “Wickerman” I feel the curse has a solid and very intriguing and unique story line (no copy and paste here) I admire that and they can get away with some budget set backs with a solid well implemented narrative, well in my opinion anyway.
 
For me, the best dark ride in the UK will always be Alice in Wonderland 🙅 /s

Honestly, Hex at its best is a world class dark ride. You could put it in any S class theme park and it wouldn’t be out of place.

Curse, whilst still very good, isn’t at that level for me. But it is an excellent dark ride, make no mistake.
 
So I got to ride it a few times today after the disaster that was Saturday. I must say it's impressive and a significant improvement on what went before (not a difficult thing to achieve, granted).

Some great effects in there and saw something different every time. I did notice a few dark areas and wonder if these are scenes that aren't working properly yet. Time will tell.
 
I'd like to just add a point I think people are misunderstanding the "flying heads" scene as they think it doesn't fit with the new storyline. In Fact it does, it's the head of the spirit that's taken over Emily. so it's sort of Emily revealing her true form in a way I thought this might help clear things up. This is also hinted at in the "let's play hide and seek" scene
 
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