• 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.

Duel: The Haunted House Actually Strikes Back - Refurb Incoming

Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
Squiggs said:
Have we considered that the "This is my house" could be related to Les Dennis?
Click to expand...
I hadn't until now, but if we're getting an attraction for all ages then a Les Dennis ride would tick every box. The ride trains could be Les Dennis on all fours. Look a bit human centipede-y when they're all backed up onto one another but other than that it'd be great fun. The trommel could be a massive Les Dennis mouth and he could say 'LET'S SEE WHAT THE SURVEY SAYS' while he slowly swallows you whole. The gift shop would do well as well I think. It'd keep my wife happy on the way home sucking on a massive length of Les Dennis rock
 
Sambiasso said:
I don't think it will be closed for Scarefest, I think it has something to do with the "new scare experience" then will close for the winter refurb being undercover it shouldn't get delayed by the weather so up and running for next season.

Also wasn't it Dr Nicholas Roodyn house rather than Emily?
Click to expand...
Except 06 + 09 literally is hinting at September 6th - The Duel is over hints at the ride's closure, and this is my house hints at a retheme? Yet you still think it'll be open at Scarefest?

EDIT: I tweeted them and they just said “watch this space for further updates on Duel” in response to me asking if September 6th was the closing date
 
What I'd love to see them do is keep the house door open and put a glass screen where the queue enters the station. Perhaps hide some clues in the Queue Line.
 
Sambiasso said:
I don't think it will be closed for Scarefest, I think it has something to do with the "new scare experience" then will close for the winter refurb being undercover it shouldn't get delayed by the weather so up and running for next season.

Also wasn't it Dr Nicholas Roodyn house rather than Emily?
Click to expand...
I reckon the new scare experience will be in Sub-Terra’s building myself. They tested the alarms there recently just as they did with every other scare maze site, which suggests that it might be a scare maze site this year.

I think the whole Dr Roodyn thing was more of a retcon added in 2003 to explain the blasters than anything that was part of the original HH. The fact that this backstory was removed for the 2018 refurb suggests to me that the park probably wouldn’t bring it back in the event of a retheme.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think the original HH ever specified who the owner of the house was?

For all we know, perhaps a new owner has taken over, and the storyline will revolve around that?
 
Danscott22 said:
Except 06 + 09 literally is hinting at September 6th - The Duel is over hints at the ride's closure, and this is my house hints at a retheme? Yet you still think it'll be open at Scarefest?

EDIT: I tweeted them and they just said “watch this space for further updates on Duel” in response to me asking if September 6th was the closing date
Click to expand...
Yeah its too big of an attraction to have down at Scarefest, even more so if Hex isn't fixed.

The Duel is over implies Duel as we know it is over, some form of different incarnation for Scarefest.

Just an opinion, you don't have to be negative towards it :D
 
Danscott22 said:
Except 06 + 09 literally is hinting at September 6th - The Duel is over hints at the ride's closure, and this is my house hints at a retheme? Yet you still think it'll be open at Scarefest?

EDIT: I tweeted them and they just said “watch this space for further updates on Duel” in response to me asking if September 6th was the closing date
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure "The duel is over" is hinting that the blasters will be no more.
 
Sambiasso said:
This is what I took from it, doesn't say the ride is closing. Just The Duel is over
Click to expand...

I fear you may be disappointed….

Duel is a high throughput ride and will be missed for the end of season but there is no good time to do the refurb and overall they will want it back for Nemesis going down.
 
Sambiasso said:
Yeah its too big of an attraction to have down at Scarefest, even more so if Hex isn't fixed.

The Duel is over implies Duel as we know it is over, some form of different incarnation for Scarefest.

Just an opinion, you don't have to be negative towards it :D
Click to expand...
There’s no negativity I’m just being realistic 😂it will more than likely close in early September as they’re hinting towards
 
Would love to see a massive amount of money spent on this, but with Nemmie's retrack and SW9 incoming I think this is unlikely. They won't be spending Universal money...

...however, John Wardley's likely involvement makes me optimistic that this will be great.

The man has an uncanny ability to combine escapism, magic, thrills and wonder, and I'm confident that his involvement will ensure that these things will be delivered, via a level of imagination that has been lacking from recent Merlin projects, such as Derren Browns Ghost Train (facepalm) and the World of David Walliams (Nuclear facepalm).
 
Last edited:
I must say this was a pleasant surprise this morning on Facebook!
I reckon it's the new scarefest attraction as why would they shut such a high capacity ride before Scarefest and fireworks not to forget. Surely they'd rather shut it at the end of the season and open it in Spring next year. They could link the maze to Emily etc. Gives them a month to sort it and maybe turn the blasters off. Guess we will see though.
 
WickerWonder18 said:
I must say this was a pleasant surprise this morning on Facebook!
I reckon it's the new scarefest attraction as why would they shut such a high capacity ride before Scarefest and fireworks not to forget. Surely they'd rather shut it at the end of the season and open it in Spring next year. They could link the maze to Emily etc. Gives them a month to sort it and maybe turn the blasters off. Guess we will see though.
Click to expand...

Literally everyone who has any knowledge of the machinations of the park, both on this site and elsewhere, is saying it’s closing for a refurb, I think folk need to get beyond the idea that this is anything to do with scarefest.
 
Skyscraper said:
I'm confident it will be closing for a major refurb, and I'm also confident that the blasters will be removed.
Click to expand...
For me its a win either way.

If AT feel they need to close Duel before Scarefest then it's a bigger refurb or fingers crossed total overhaul of the ride which imo what it needs.

I've just got a niggling feeling that AT being a more family friendly SF compared to Thorpe they might have something up the sleeve.

Improvement to any of the Merlin attractions or parks is a positive in my book.
 
Dave said:
Literally everyone who has any knowledge of the machinations of the park, both on this site and elsewhere, is saying it’s closing for a refurb, I think folk need to get beyond the idea that this is anything to do with scarefest.
Click to expand...
Agreed, all the evidence so far points to a major refurb from September 6th with a possible 2023 reopening.
 
WickerWonder18 said:
I reckon it's the new scarefest attraction as why would they shut such a high capacity ride before Scarefest and fireworks not to forget. Surely they'd rather shut it at the end of the season and open it in Spring next year.
Click to expand...

They will want it open again for when the other high capacity ride that side of the park closes for it's retrack.

Closing it over scarefest and fireworks is a lesser disruption than having two major capacity attractions (Duel, Nemesis) that are practically next to each other, closed at the same time.

Just wait and see, Duel is closing. It will be closed for scarefest.
 
Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
Top