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Duel: The Haunted House Actually Strikes Back - Refurb Incoming

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For what it’s worth, Shawn Sanbrooke now seems sure enough of the Duel rumours to make a video speculating about changes to the ride coming for 2023:

I think this is very interesting on Shawn’s part, as I haven’t heard many concrete rumours of changes. Could he know something we don’t?
 
Matt N said:
For what it’s worth, Shawn Sanbrooke now seems sure enough of the Duel rumours to make a video speculating about changes to the ride coming for 2023:

I think this is very interesting on Shawn’s part, as I haven’t heard many concrete rumours of changes. Could he know something we don’t?
Click to expand...

I've just watched that and I'll accept anything done to it except making it into an IP based or Ghostbusters ride. Please no. No IPs on their main rides, that will just cheapen the park and ruin its uniqueness and quirkiness we all love and would make the park become "just another theme park full of IPs". Imagine walking towards Gloomy Wood (or whatever it could be renamed to) and all you can hear is the Ghostbusters theme bellowing out everywhere - I love the film (well the original anyway) but that would be just hell in my opinion.

In one sense it's how Disney parks have become since buying the IPs they now own. So many unique experiences have gone over the last few years and have been replaced with the new IP based stuff. Admittedly some of them are truly incredible experiences (Rise of the Resistance) but nevertheless, to me the Disney Parks on the whole are now just Star Wars and Marvel parks with a few other bits thrown in like Toy Story and Tron and some traditional Disney stuff.
 
Matt N said:
For what it’s worth, Shawn Sanbrooke now seems sure enough of the Duel rumours to make a video speculating about changes to the ride coming for 2023:

I think this is very interesting on Shawn’s part, as I haven’t heard many concrete rumours of changes. Could he know something we don’t?
Click to expand...

I've seen it as well. I really Thrills me how many people actually want The Haunted House Back in that comment section, and it gives ne hope that something good will happen to the Rides future.
 
BritishThemeParkArchive said:
Keith produced many attractions after Haunted House although the ride was still one of their best achievement in my opinion. The ride experience as they produced it has already been pretty thoroughly lost through many rounds of changes, which even began long before the Duel revamp.

People can't assume anything based on John Burton's (or whoever happens to be in that position) past projects because he would've been given a fixed brief to work to, like an external IP or not.
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Exactly this, designers have both a brief and a budget. If the brief is an IP and the budget is ÂŁ6.50 even Marty Sklar would struggle to make a quality attraction.
 
WickerWonder18 said:
Haha, anything broken or is that a daft question
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Nah it's fine. I'll do a list on what was broken.

What was working:
1) The possessed Cellar and the Bust before the Grand hall
2) Grand Hall Demon 1 and 2
3) Zombie before trommel
4) Opening face at the end of the Trommel
5) bats
6) all zombies know the former Giants Liar, including the lights behind the final window.
7) All the Spiders in the Spider scene are moving now ever so slightly!!
8) All the screaming heads were working.
9) Totally unexpected, The Former troll in the screaming heads scene is back moving again after who knows how long.
10) the undertaker was working
9) The man on the cave was working.
11) and the Column monster was also working.
12) The Lab finale had everything working as intended.


Now, what wasn't working or was bugged.

1) one of The Grand Hall Demons light wasn't working
2) Trommel unsurprisingly
3) the 2 zombies right by the Giant Spider
4) R.I.P Electric Bill, he seemed to have stopped working this season :(
5) The first screaming head was timed poorly and moved too early, and only just noticed it.
6) the lighting on the 2 heads on the wall were positioned poorly compared to last season.
7) Man in caves light wasn't on.
8) for a short period, Emily in the dolls house wasn't working, but after queuing later, she was back on.


Another weird thing was that the exit to the outside in the loading platform was open, and the fans cut in the roof were exposed today, so a lot of natural lighting was inside the showbuilding, especially the Giants Lair.
 
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Steve74 said:
I've just watched that and I'll accept anything done to it except making it into an IP based or Ghostbusters ride. Please no. No IPs on their main rides, that will just cheapen the park and ruin its uniqueness and quirkiness we all love and would make the park become "just another theme park full of IPs". Imagine walking towards Gloomy Wood (or whatever it could be renamed to) and all you can hear is the Ghostbusters theme bellowing out everywhere - I love the film (well the original anyway) but that would be just hell in my opinion.

In one sense it's how Disney parks have become since buying the IPs they now own. So many unique experiences have gone over the last few years and have been replaced with the new IP based stuff. Admittedly some of them are truly incredible experiences (Rise of the Resistance) but nevertheless, to me the Disney Parks on the whole are now just Star Wars and Marvel parks with a few other bits thrown in like Toy Story and Tron and some traditional Disney stuff.
Click to expand...

If it's an IP then the most likely is obviously Jumanji, with Gloomy Wood becoming Jungle themed.
 
Trooper Looper said:
Nah it's fine. I'll do a list on what was broken.

What was working:
1) The possessed Cellar and the Bust before the Grand hall
2) Grand Hall Demon 1 and 2
3) Zombie before trommel
4) Opening face at the end of the Trommel
5) bats
6) all zombies know the former Giants Liar, including the lights behind the final window.
7) All the Spiders in the Spider scene are moving now ever so slightly!!
8) All the screaming heads were working.
9) Totally unexpected, The Former troll in the screaming heads scene is back moving again after who knows how long.
10) the undertaker was working
9) The man on the cave was working.
11) and the Column monster was also working.
12) The Lab finale had everything working as intended.


Now, what wasn't working or was bugged.

1) one of The Grand Hall Demons light wasn't working
2) Trommel unsurprisingly
3) the 2 zombies right by the Giant Spider
4) R.I.P Electric Bill, he seemed to have stopped working this season :(
5) The first screaming head was timed poorly and moved too early, and only just noticed it.
6) the lighting on the 2 heads on the wall were positioned poorly compared to last season.
7) Man in caves light wasn't on.
8) for a short period, Emily in the dolls house wasn't working, but after queuing later, she was back on.


Another weird thing was that the exit to the outside in the loading platform was open, and the fans cut in the roof were exposed today, so a lot of natural lighting was inside the showbuilding, especially the Giants Lair.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the update @Trooper Looper, appreciate it.
Weird how the Spider zombies weren't working, they tend to work most of the time as it's such a simple "animatronic". I say that as it's just a metal arm.
Yeah, electric man was broken when I went in April. Think ghost corridor feels a bit empty without him.
The whole lighting just needs reworking/redoing as it always seems to be off on many occasions, especially in the bats and screaming heads part.
The thing is these effects have been broken pretty much most of the season and still haven't been fixed which is very annoying even if it is getting a revamp, at least keep it up to a good standard!
By the troll do you mean the swamp monster?
 
I feel kinda sorry to discover John Wardley has had to read this thread and after everyone has decided they each know best what to do with the ride, probably regrets opening it in the first place.
 
WickerWonder18 said:
Thanks for the update @Trooper Looper, appreciate it.
Weird how the Spider zombies weren't working, they tend to work most of the time as it's such a simple "animatronic". I say that as it's just a metal arm.
Yeah, electric man was broken when I went in April. Think ghost corridor feels a bit empty without him.
The whole lighting just needs reworking/redoing as it always seems to be off on many occasions, especially in the bats and screaming heads part.
The thing is these effects have been broken pretty much most of the season and still haven't been fixed which is very annoying even if it is getting a revamp, at least keep it up to a good standard!
By the troll do you mean the swamp monster?
Click to expand...
As in this guy, yes
 

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BritishThemeParkArchive said:
I feel kinda sorry to discover John Wardley has had to read this thread and after everyone has decided they each know best what to do with the ride, probably regrets opening it in the first place.
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We don't, we're just saying on what we'd do with it, that doesn't make us any better than Mr wardley himself. To me, his ride, the Haunted House will forever be a UK classic, and he should be proud for what he achieved with The Sparks Group. They really have made something special.
 
BritishThemeParkArchive said:
I feel kinda sorry to discover John Wardley has had to read this thread and after everyone has decided they each know best what to do with the ride, probably regrets opening it in the first place.
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I don’t think anyone’s suggestions were intended as personal insults of John or the people who created the Haunted House, and I don’t think they were intended to slag off the ride in its original form (I specify “original form” here because John had nothing to do with Duel or the changes that occurred after opening; he only worked on the original 1992 ride, as far as I’m aware). I won’t deny that at the time, the ride clearly worked brilliantly, and was truly ground breaking; John and the team should have been very proud of what they created in HH, and I apologise if I have not made that clear!
 
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