• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

2023: The Curse at Alton Manor

I don’t think we can blame John Burton, he’s incredibly creative, had the passion and provides amazing back story’s for rides and themed areas. He’s not in control of budgets so who knows if half of his planned ideas even are allowed to become a reality, many of which would definitely have to be restricted because of the “Merlin Budget” understandably. To be honest he must be shattered working on Gangster Granny, jumanji hyde park, jumanji chessington, The curse and any other projects he’s involved in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Trooper Looper said:
It's nice to see reviews with some nice criticism with some valid point about the ride experience. It's something a bit different, compared to the universal praise It's been getting from enthusiasts as of recently, but I guess you gotta expect that with a new ride. It has lots of good bits, but a lot of not so good bits personally. My favourite bit was easily the trommel, it's a fantastic effect!! So simple, yet so effective. The 2nd biggest highlight for me is the mirror corridor (when it works), I love it!! Though the flash at the end feels a bit unnecessary, and you can see it when ot triggers by the car in front just before you enter the scene, but hey, that's a tiny criticism and doesn't affect the ride heavily whatsoever.

My 3nd favourite bit has to be, the new Ghoul that replaced the very last one in the screaming heads scene with the smoke exhaling out of of its mouth just before you enter the garden. It's a genuinely really cool prop and it was nice to see a prop that wasn't Emily or a doll for a change. It definitely fits that scene a lot more than the troll ever did, and that's coming from me, a huge fan of the original HH.

I'm still confused to why they thought the screen of Emily in the Grand Hall would be a good replacement, it kinda makes the mirrors feel very redundant, and the scene feels a bit empty personally. They could've just repainted the demon prop or replaced it with a new one with Emily or something to fit the rides Theme and it would've been a huge improvement personally. It wouldn't have been that hard to fix the mechanical arm for the prop, new or old. The company that made the original effect (aside from the prop of course) are still around, heck, they promote it on their website for their special effects page.


As a whole, the ride does seem to be in a work in progress so far, so hopefully the technical issues will be resolved this season. Some genuine really good effects in there, and there's some not so good ones.
Click to expand...

Your constant insulting of people who like this ride is getting really tedious.

Of course there will be a range of opinions, particularly as the effects will now be starting to have errors (all mechanical devices tend to be error prone at the early part of their operating life as any dodgy parts are exposed through usage). Even if it’s working perfectly there will be some who do not like the ride as these things are subjective.

Doesn’t mean you get to label everyone who does like it as blind fanboyism.
 
At this stage, it’s unlikely that the ride is “completed” per se.

Dark rides often have modifications in the first couple of months to a year; at this stage, I seem to remember hearing that both Hex and Sub-Terra were still operating in their original forms. Hex in particular was apparently really enhanced by the changes it had a few months in, and I gather that it didn’t really come into its own until that point.
 
Problem is that a lot of people tend to get their own concept in their head about what they think should be the end result then get annoyed when the people actually employed to do that job do things differently.

Too much nostalgia juice going on it feels. Like a generation is frustrated they missed out on an old ride that has somewhat through time become spoken about as if it was the best ride known to man and any changes or removal to it is an affront to everything.

Just sit back, let those in the roles do what they can. At least the park has a different mindset to these rethemes compared to the 2000s. Imagine how we all felt then!
 
Matt N said:
At this stage, it’s unlikely that the ride is “completed” per se.

Dark rides often have modifications in the first couple of months to a year; at this stage, I seem to remember hearing that both Hex and Sub-Terra were still operating in their original forms. Hex in particular was apparently really enhanced by the changes it had a few months in, and I gather that it didn’t really come into its own until that point.
Click to expand...
TBH with Sub Terra, it was down that it was far from ready and likely needed another month before getting into something of suitable state which would see it close for a time. This rush that Towers have an obsession of having a new ride ready for the opening day 80% of the time with many rides over the years never works with Alton Manor being the most recent and I'm sure nowhere near the last example of this unless the park realise that rushing it for a March opening probably isn't a good idea but alas are forced into it by the higher ups.

Funnily enough, Sub Terra possibly opening for a May(?) opening is a rarity for the park in which the last time that happened was Smiler, albeit that was for different reasons.
 
The Curse was running very well yesterday. Two rides and I didn't notice a single effect not working, including the mirror effect. Reliability seems to be improving and hopefully small tweaks can be made to improve the experience further.
 
RIPCorky said:
20 years ago does seem like last sunday to me :rolleyes:
At the moment this ride kind of reminds me of people who take it on themselves to "make better or restore" a priceless piece of art. They mean well, intentions are good but they kind of end up looking like this...

MAINARTRESTORATIONFAILS.jpg
Click to expand...
But this wasn't a restoration project. It's a new attraction with a new concept. They never said they'd be taking it back to HH, though granted there are a few nods/Easter eggs for fans of it.

Just think we need to stop wishing the world was like it was 20 years ago and accept that things move on and change.
 
It does feel like a couple of minor criticisms are being used to affirm some people's preemptive assumptions that this ride is a creative failure.
I've been on plenty of rides around the world and this IS a good one.
There are just a couple of effects that, as it stands right now, miss the mark. I'm sure these haven't escaped the attention of those involved either, not all ideas quite manage the leap from paper to reality, but there is plenty of time for adjustments and improvements.
 
Benzin said:
Problem is that a lot of people tend to get their own concept in their head about what they think should be the end result then get annoyed when the people actually employed to do that job do things differently.

Too much nostalgia juice going on it feels. Like a generation is frustrated they missed out on an old ride that has somewhat through time become spoken about as if it was the best ride known to man and any changes or removal to it is an affront to everything.

Just sit back, let those in the roles do what they can. At least the park has a different mindset to these rethemes compared to the 2000s. Imagine how we all felt then!
Click to expand...
I think it would be a combination of both of the below. It’s not just those that missed out, it’s also those who fondly remember the first incarnation of the ride.

1) Those that rode the HH in its original format (like myself)
2) Those that missed it completely.

This ride is probably the best they could achieve within budgets given. I also think if this was put in a brand new building away from gloomy wood it would receive better reviews than it perhaps has from point 1’s riders. I still feel they are a bit mixed generally.

I hope they have reserved some budget to make seasonal changes to the ride like JW planned for the original. Honestly, dark rides with jump scares need to be altered around but parks never do it. Probably too much cost and time to complete it.
 
NuttySquirrel said:
Just think we need to stop wishing the world was like it was 20 years ago and accept that things move on and change.
Click to expand...

Try 30 years. 20 years ago Duel was opening.

Scary thought.
Blackhole_Sun said:
I think it would be a combination of both of the below. It’s not just those that missed out, it’s also those who fondly remember the first incarnation of the ride.

1) Those that rode the HH in its original format (like myself)
2) Those that missed it completely.

This ride is probably the best they could achieve within budgets given. I also think if this was put in a brand new building away from gloomy wood it would receive better reviews than it perhaps has from point 1’s riders. I still feel they are a bit mixed generally.

I hope they have reserved some budget to make seasonal changes to the ride like JW planned for the original. Honestly, dark rides with jump scares need to be altered around but parks never do it. Probably too much cost and time to complete it.
Click to expand...

I too have ridden the original. Once. In 2001/2002 so it was pretty much already on the chopping board for Duel at that time. I don't have the same affinity as a result that many do when riding it regularly in the 90s.

But that's why my personal view for this attraction would've been to gut the entire original and start on a clean slate. Clearly the budget didn't stretch to it but then you wouldn't have a strange mix of old and new effects together. Plus you'd be putting a line under the old school side of things. Nor would I have gone down the route of "so many Easter eggs" as I felt that definitely altered a lot of perception towards the ride itself.
 
I was only on HH once in 1997 in which I barely remember anything from it compared to Duel in which I have better memories there though it's not saying much so when I do ride Alton Manor for the first time whenever that might be I'll won't have that same feeling for HH as others have to compare it too. Maybe if I had ridden the HH many times before then I might have been able to have an opinion on the matter.
 
I did HH and yes while it was superb, I also appreciate the work done in the Curse and enjoy riding it for the different experiences it provides, while keeping the original theme of the house and storyline.

Could it be better, yes of course but what they have done in the time they had I think is very good. There are tweaks to be made here and there but for me I think it’s a worthy successor to the original Haunted House.
 
Same I rode HH before it became Duel and I never understood the love people had for it. The scale of the ride was impressive but the rest was just ok in my opinion.
 
I apologise if this is a controversial view, but dare I suggest that some of the love for the Haunted House (as well as some of the other “Wardley classics”) might be based on nostalgia, both personal and borrowed?

I don’t deny that the Haunted House was clearly very successful in 1992, but I do wonder whether the happy memories from the ride’s early years might be making people remember it as better than it perhaps was, which in turn rubs off on younger enthusiasts who never rode the Haunted House. This then turns it into this godly ride that could do no wrong and is elevated onto a very high pedestal by both younger enthusiasts who never rode it and are hearing about how brilliant it was and by people who did ride it and might have some degree of nostalgia towards it coming into play.

That’s not discounting anyone’s opinions from the time, by the way, and I apologise if it comes across that way. I more mean that nostalgia can do funny things to people’s recollections of an experience (believe me, I know that from first-hand experience!), so I do often wonder whether the Haunted House and the other “Wardley classics” would be revered so much if they had stayed around for longer and lived into the modern era.

I could be completely wrong here, but my thought is that while someone who rode the Haunted House in 1992 could have thought it was brilliant, the goalposts of what constitute a revered ride have changed considerably since 1992. Had the ride been “revived”, you’d be viewing it through the lens of the 2023 industry, which I do feel might have made people view it in a very different light.

The way I see it is that riding the Haunted House in 2023 would be like rewatching a film from the 80s or 90s that you’d remembered as being brilliant at the time. At the time of its release, you loved it, but in 2023, certain flaws become more apparent (think of all the films and TV shows from that time that are now being called out for racism, sexism, homophobia and the like, not to mention that special effects have come a long way in that timeframe too). It’s not a perfect analogy, as a film or TV show is different to a spooky dark ride, but overall, I feel like the same sort of sentiment rings true for both.

Having watched POVs of the Haunted House (which admittedly won’t tell the whole story), I must admit that I’m surprised that it is so revered while Duel was so hated. To me, it basically looks like Duel, but with better lighting, a different soundtrack and no blasters… at the time it operated, I don’t deny that it clearly worked well and was brilliant for the time, but I personally feel that for the 2023 theme park market, Curse is a better fit overall.
 
Matt N said:
I apologise if this is a controversial view, but dare I suggest that some of the love for the Haunted House (as well as some of the other “Wardley classics”) might be based on nostalgia, both personal and borrowed?

I don’t deny that the Haunted House was clearly very successful in 1992, but I do wonder whether the happy memories from the ride’s early years might be making people remember it as better than it perhaps was, which in turn rubs off on younger enthusiasts who never rode the Haunted House. This then turns it into this godly ride that could do no wrong and is elevated onto a very high pedestal by both younger enthusiasts who never rode it and are hearing about how brilliant it was and by people who did ride it and might have some degree of nostalgia towards it coming into play.

That’s not discounting anyone’s opinions from the time, by the way, and I apologise if it comes across that way. I more mean that nostalgia can do funny things to people’s recollections of an experience (believe me, I know that from first-hand experience!), so I do often wonder whether the Haunted House and the other “Wardley classics” would be revered so much if they had stayed around for longer and lived into the modern era.

I could be completely wrong here, but my thought is that while someone who rode the Haunted House in 1992 could have thought it was brilliant, the goalposts of what constitute a revered ride have changed considerably since 1992. Had the ride been “revived”, you’d be viewing it through the lens of the 2023 industry, which I do feel might have made people view it in a very different light.

The way I see it is that riding the Haunted House in 2023 would be like rewatching a film from the 80s or 90s that you’d remembered as being brilliant at the time. At the time of its release, you loved it, but in 2023, certain flaws become more apparent (think of all the films and TV shows from that time that are now being called out for racism, sexism, homophobia and the like, not to mention that special effects have come a long way in that timeframe too). It’s not a perfect analogy, as a film or TV show is different to a spooky dark ride, but overall, I feel like the same sort of sentiment rings true for both.

Having watched POVs of the Haunted House (which admittedly won’t tell the whole story), I must admit that I’m surprised that it is so revered while Duel was so hated. To me, it basically looks like Duel, but with better lighting, a different soundtrack and no blasters… at the time it operated, I don’t deny that it clearly worked well and was brilliant for the time, but I personally feel that for the 2023 theme park market, Curse is a better fit overall.
Click to expand...

No it was a brilliant ghost train. Very atmospheric and just worked.

Duel wasn't terrible either, especially in the early years where most of the effects were reliable. I preferred the HH obviously but Duel still had it charms too until it fell apart.
 
You have to remember that the effects on the Haunted house were state of the art at the time. The lighting, animations, sound effects etc made the ride very special, as did the sheer length of the ride layout and the detail in each scene.

Sadly many effects were lost or changed not long after the ride opened and became haunted house v2 so it’s possible while some did go in the haunted house it may not have been the original version.

I think we will see the same with Curse.

And dare I day in a few years it will change again maybe with blasters again to keep people visiting the attraction, who knows.
 
Dave said:
Same I rode HH before it became Duel and I never understood the love people had for it. The scale of the ride was impressive but the rest was just ok in my opinion.
Click to expand...
It works both ways though, you don't have to prefer this ride to the old one, It's personal preference, these days it feels like a crime to say you don't like something because someone "put a lot of effort" into doing it.. This ride has very mixed reviews from the general public, once the initial hype from the opening weekend had worn off people began to see faults.
You can call me out in two or three seasons time but I believe they've made a mistake with this ride. I don't think it will age well at all and some the the effects already in there look bad. I've ridden all three versions of this ride and I preferred the previous two, hope they kept the blasters...
 
Soooo...would we consider Alton Manor still a success or not in compared to other rides. Towers just seem to have a lot of failures if our thoughts on them are anything to go by E.G Sub Terra and TWODW.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top