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Duel: The Haunted House Actually Strikes Back - Refurb Incoming

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DistortAMG said:
I would love to see the old overture music and the ghost host come back though. I thought they were both the two single most awesome parts of the haunted house. Even if the ghost host was a straight Disney rip off, it worked so well.
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Wait, Duel had a ghost host like in the Haunted Mansion? Where was it, out of interest?

With the type of ride Duel is, I’m guessing it wasn’t played during the ride, but I’m not really sure where else it could have been, as Duel doesn’t have a pre-show room like HM…

Also, by the “old overture music”, are you referring to the original Graham Smart soundtracks during the ride?
 
Matt N said:
Wait, Duel had a ghost host like in the Haunted Mansion? Where was it, out of interest?

With the type of ride Duel is, I’m guessing it wasn’t played during the ride, but I’m not really sure where else it could have been, as Duel doesn’t have a pre-show room like HM…

Also, by the “old overture music”, are you referring to the original Graham Smart soundtracks during the ride?
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The Ghost Host was named Sir Henry Alton, the deceased owner of the house and you'd see him talking within the fireplace in the queue now.
When he means the Old Overtune Music, I think he's referring to The Vestibule Soundtrack.
 
I think I read the Ghost Host visuals (which were on a Laserdisc-based format) were disposed of along with the players when the conversion to Duel occurred, as the replacement was played off a cheap DVD player.

It's a shame. The pre-ride section was the best part about the Haunted House (in 2002 anyway).
 
I am not talking about Sir Henry Alton. I am talking about the ghost host. They were two separate entities, the ghost host played the audio below in the entrance foyer of the ride. It is worth noting it was only audio, there was no physical thing or video.



Sir Henry Alton with his video, audio and a totally different voice, came later in the queue, in the drawing room.

@Matt N yes the music I am referring to is Grahams music, specifically the Vestibule Soundtrack. That was played underneath the ghost host in the foyer and made quite the impression when the music was loud with the host even louder above it. A very intimidating entrance into the house it used to feel like.

The ghost host was a later addition to the Haunted House. It was not original. But I think it worked really well with the music behind it.
 
Ah right; thanks @DistortAMG! Was this added soon after opening, or was it towards the end of the ride’s time as the Haunted House?

Also, was the ride altered a lot between 1992 and the Duel conversion, or did it stay mostly the same barring that minor change?
 
Matt N said:
Ah right; thanks @DistortAMG! Was this added soon after opening, or was it towards the end of the ride’s time as the Haunted House?

Also, was the ride altered a lot between 1992 and the Duel conversion, or did it stay mostly the same barring that minor change?
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I think it was about 1998. No the ride stayed mostly the same. They tried to add a new effect every single year. But this didn't really happen. The ride did have a major repaint a few years after opening though. Which changed the art style quite a bit.
 
Matt N said:
Ah right; thanks @DistortAMG! Was this added soon after opening, or was it towards the end of the ride’s time as the Haunted House?

Also, was the ride altered a lot between 1992 and the Duel conversion, or did it stay mostly the same barring that minor change?
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Yes, when It originally opened, it had a pot of UV paint done by Rex Studios, but Tussauds saw it as 'too magical' and the majority of the paint was soon removed a few years later. When it closed, it didn't really resemble the original HH as over time, it was Tussauds and not Sparks that maintained the ride, with the additions of Jumping ghosts, converting the giants fingers to Ghoulish creatures a mere few months after opening. They even made some of the Soundtracks and SFXs have much deeper tones.

The biggest change was the Grand Hall, where originally it had a very empty and simple Louis XIV like design, with no tables or painted wallpaper. Just 2 chandeliers, and 2 candle stands. This was done by Wardley to prevent the riders from being distracted for the upcoming Jumpscare by our lovely Demon Ghost. Just like the Giants fingers, this didn't last long as Tussauds gave it the moving tables and chairs, painted the door blood red, and made the wallpaper look dark blue and worn out, including bat silhouettes.
 
DistortAMG said:
I am not talking about Sir Henry Alton. I am talking about the ghost host. They were two separate entities, the ghost host played the audio below in the entrance foyer of the ride. It is worth noting it was only audio, there was no physical thing or video.

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Just had a listen. Very interesting.

It says the cars hold six riders, not the five they currently accommodate. Was that the case? I'm guessing the back middle seat now accommodates the electronics for the blasters instead?
 
DistortAMG said:
I am not talking about Sir Henry Alton. I am talking about the ghost host. They were two separate entities, the ghost host played the audio below in the entrance foyer of the ride. It is worth noting it was only audio, there was no physical thing or video.



Sir Henry Alton with his video, audio and a totally different voice, came later in the queue, in the drawing room.

@Matt N yes the music I am referring to is Grahams music, specifically the Vestibule Soundtrack. That was played underneath the ghost host in the foyer and made quite the impression when the music was loud with the host even louder above it. A very intimidating entrance into the house it used to feel like.

The ghost host was a later addition to the Haunted House. It was not original. But I think it worked really well with the music behind it.
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Apologies - I had conflated the two in my mind. You are completely correct.
 
So I know what I’m about to say is very controversial because there is a lot of love for the HH but hear me out.

If the new Jumanji ride at Gardaland is a big success then I think it would be a really good option to replace the HH. It’s woodland setting could easily be used for a jungle theme & with some careful tree clearance & landscaping it could become part of an extended Katanga Canyon.

Obvious downside would be that there’s no HH anymore. Also not sure how it would play along side Chessington’s Jumanji land opening in 23. The general public could potential be confused by two Jumanji rides, although they’d be very different experiences. Thoughts?
 
Cryptocoaster said:
So I know what I’m about to say is very controversial because there is a lot of love for the HH but hear me out.

If the new Jumanji ride at Gardaland is a big success then I think it would be a really good option to replace the HH. It’s woodland setting could easily be used for a jungle theme & with some careful tree clearance & landscaping it could become part of an extended Katanga Canyon.

Obvious downside would be that there’s no HH anymore. Also not sure how it would play along side Chessington’s Jumanji land opening in 23. The general public could potential be confused by two Jumanji rides, although they’d be very different experiences. Thoughts?
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Personally I feel that Ghostbusters would fit the style of the building more, but Jumanji is a good choice too. :)
 
Cryptocoaster said:
So I know what I’m about to say is very controversial because there is a lot of love for the HH but hear me out.

If the new Jumanji ride at Gardaland is a big success then I think it would be a really good option to replace the HH. It’s woodland setting could easily be used for a jungle theme & with some careful tree clearance & landscaping it could become part of an extended Katanga Canyon.

Obvious downside would be that there’s no HH anymore. Also not sure how it would play along side Chessington’s Jumanji land opening in 23. The general public could potential be confused by two Jumanji rides, although they’d be very different experiences. Thoughts?
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Why would the use the same IP they are going to use for Chessingtons big new ride. If Chessington is already using that IP in the UK it wouldn’t make sense for Alton to start using it too.
 
JAperson said:
Why would the use the same IP they are going to use for Chessingtons big new ride. If Chessington is already using that IP in the UK it wouldn’t make sense for Alton to start using it too.
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It would be a concern, the Alton Jumanji could steal the Chessington Jumanji’s thunder or just cause confusion. It’s not impossible but it would take some clever marketing & opening dates separated by at least a couple of years.
 
I do think they need to keep the interactive part of duel/Haunted house but it really needs a new system put in there. Instead of lots of different coloured targets have them on ghosts or other items instead that interact with guests when hit.
 
Themeparksandy1981 said:
I do think they need to keep the interactive part of duel/Haunted house but it really needs a new system put in there. Instead of lots of different coloured targets have them on ghosts or other items instead that interact with guests when hit.
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Truth be told it needs gutting and starting again. But doing properly, it’s a wonderful building so they need to do to it justice. Some sort of interactive ghostbusters/ghost hunter style ride would be ideal
 
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