• 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.

Drayton Manor Park

I think it is more scary than it ever was. Victor Creations have done a great job on the haunting and the pre show and the skeleton corridor was all rethemed for the 2020 season but they wasn’t allowed to open it.
My daughter who’s 9 this year is scared of the woman in the picture and I hear lots of kids crying after the 2nd room and gone straight out before they gone on the ride or crying after she’s come out of the tomb.
 
The 2016 ish revamp was awful. Shockingly cheap preshow video. Pointless change because small kids will still be scared by the rest the attraction, while older kids will just find the Mr Ghostman voice interrupting annoying.

Strange decision to hide some of the best effects in the chapel room which I think now been put back. The better adjustments since then have helped rescue it but doesnt seem as good as when it first opened.
 
I think when it 1st opened it was a excellent attraction with the pre-show video as it worked well with the vicar in the picture and it worked well with the bodies on the ceiling. Also having the tomb stone talking to you during the ride was good. Also hearing Colin voice made it a classic.

Then you walked into the well themed gift shop that had props from the team.
Then in the mid 2000’s the awful retheme came with the pre show staying the same and the skeleton corridor but the vicar was replaced by a vampire who head looked so small to its body and had a new story line. The tomb stone was replaced by the tomb and the bat on a stick was should a joke

Yes when it reopened in 2016 the outside of the building was repainted with new RIPA theming but the pre show video is awful and the projectors looked good in the picture show and the mirrors moving was a great effect but the projector on the picture was awful.
Then in the main room the bat on a stick been replaced by a hand was terrible.
The 2019 season minus the pre show video was the best the attraction ever been with the smoke machines and strobes added to the skeleton corridor so it looked good when the skeletons came down. Even in the picture room the smoke machine is turned on more with more projectors, The demon women in the picture and more things moving on the stage again. Then in the main ride the hand been replaced by the woman in the picture.
 
Themeparksandy1981 said:
I think when it 1st opened it was a excellent attraction with the pre-show video as it worked well with the vicar in the picture and it worked well with the bodies on the ceiling. Also having the tomb stone talking to you during the ride was good. Also hearing Colin voice made it a classic.

Then you walked into the well themed gift shop that had props from the team.
Then in the mid 2000’s the awful retheme came with the pre show staying the same and the skeleton corridor but the vicar was replaced by a vampire who head looked so small to its body and had a new story line. The tomb stone was replaced by the tomb and the bat on a stick was should a joke

Yes when it reopened in 2016 the outside of the building was repainted with new RIPA theming but the pre show video is awful and the projectors looked good in the picture show and the mirrors moving was a great effect but the projector on the picture was awful.
Then in the main room the bat on a stick been replaced by a hand was terrible.
The 2019 season minus the pre show video was the best the attraction ever been with the smoke machines and strobes added to the skeleton corridor so it looked good when the skeletons came down. Even in the picture room the smoke machine is turned on more with more projectors, The demon women in the picture and more things moving on the stage again. Then in the main ride the hand been replaced by the woman in the picture.
Click to expand...

Is there a pov anywhere of the 2019 version?
 


Drayton Manor have submitted a plan to build a temporary 220sqm cinema screen on their Leyfield car park along with a temporary toilet building and likely a food & beverage stand.
 
Ciaran said:


Drayton Manor have submitted a plan to build a temporary 220sqm cinema screen on their Leyfield car park along with a temporary toilet building and likely a food & beverage stand.
Click to expand...


There were several drive-in cinemas last year due to the pandemic. I expect there will be some people who still like the idea due to keeping away from people, but with regular cinemas re-opening in May, will there be the demand?
 
jon81uk said:
There were several drive-in cinemas last year due to the pandemic. I expect there will be some people who still like the idea due to keeping away from people, but with regular cinemas re-opening in May, will there be the demand?
Click to expand...

Quite possibly some demand. Maybe not as much with Cinemas open, but it is something different and will certainly get attention.

It is worth noting here that Tamworth Borough Council have put on an outdoor cinema in Tamworth's Castle grounds for the last 4 or 5 years, which has been a massive success. Last years open air cinema being drive in only.

So this makes me think that this specific thing is aimed at the local market along side park customers.

Eitherway, it is a relatively cheap thing to setup and put on, so not much risk. I am all for it.
 
Maybe it will blend in when the trees go green. But both the orange and red are very vibrant so they kind of clash. The blue looked far better. Nice to see a repaint either way though.


Initial thoughts are nope. But I could end up liking it. It might grow on me.

OilyWater said:
The 2016 ish revamp was awful. Shockingly cheap preshow video. Pointless change because small kids will still be scared by the rest the attraction, while older kids will just find the Mr Ghostman voice interrupting annoying.

Strange decision to hide some of the best effects in the chapel room which I think now been put back. The better adjustments since then have helped rescue it but doesnt seem as good as when it first opened.
Click to expand...

Out of interest, how many children have you taken on the ride before and after the 2016 revamp.

I've taken my son, my 2 nieces and a few of my nephews. Only taken my son and nieces on before and after the changes. All of them were below 10 at the time and all of them found the ride to be more enjoyable and less scary after the 2016 revamp.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Must have ordered to many tins of Orange. I think Action Park has gone from been the most run down area of the park to maybe the best.
If the rapids do reopen in May/June with the rest of the park opening on the 21st June it could be Drayton Strongest ride line up since the 2017 season.
 
As fantastic as Apocalypse is......is there much or a market for second hand drop towers? Portable ones I can understand as they can be transported fairly easily to fairs around Europe etc. However somebody buying Apocalypse presumably to have as a permanent attraction in their park seems a bit unlikely to me. It's a bit old now really despite it still being a quality ride.

Maybe Drayton will keep it until it comes to the point where it's more trouble than it's worth and then simply scrap it.
 
Benjsh said:
As fantastic as Apocalypse is......is there much or a market for second hand drop towers? Portable ones I can understand as they can be transported fairly easily to fairs around Europe etc. However somebody buying Apocalypse presumably to have as a permanent attraction in their park seems a bit unlikely to me. It's a bit old now really despite it still being a quality ride.

Maybe Drayton will keep it until it comes to the point where it's more trouble than it's worth and then simply scrap it.
Click to expand...

I thought this. The foundations must be huge. The cost to remove, transport etc will be massive. Probably better to just purchase a new one!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top