JoshC.

I wonder if the 'will it get retrakced?' debate will crop up over closed season?

Look at that Welsh name!

^^I believe that link was in relation to a comment about most of the budget going on the IPs, and not the theming / actors. EDIT: Here's the post: http://forum.maniahub.com/topic/9761-fright-nights-2013/page-28#entry166521 ScareTour, as you can imagine, are well-informed about many Halloween / scare events all around the country. They seem to have a pretty decent relationship with Merlin as well (organising behind the scene tours of mazes at Thorpe and Alton, for example). So, what they say is probably more than an educated guess; more a well-informed prediction. I can't think of a time when anything they've said has been wildly incorrect, either, so I'm quite happy to more or less take what they say as fact. Of course, they could be mis-informed or have just got the wrong end of a stick, but I'd say ScareTour are more than reliable when it comes to things like this. In saying that, I'd be rather surprised if the entire Blair Witch attraction took place by Inferno and up towards the farm, say. It would be extremely 'linear' for an attraction, and there'd be loads of potential distractions too.

You go fishing regularly? You don't seem like a fisherman to me!

We don't know if it's even going to be used for FN yet.

Behind Inferno is an interesting spot for Blair Witch. Hopefully it is more behind the old MHFS spot and up towards the CCR station, so other noises don't ruin the experience. Hopefully Monks Walk won't cause any issues either.

Not saying it is at all. I thought, for some reason, Hair Raiser was a stand up, showing that one has been built after 1999. As that's not the case, the point I was trying to make is completely void.

Ignore me then, I must have caught the dumb and temporarily lost the ability to read.

Just came across this... http://rcdb.com/9647.htm Can't find anywhere that it was a relocated, so it seems like the odd one has popped up. Wouldn't say this means Thorpe, or anywhere else actually, is likely to get a B&M stand up any time soon though.

Thanks for doing the TR Peaj; really enjoyed it! Also, this photo never fails to make me laugh...

I can't say I've ever even been in the area before, so I guess my opinions mean very little. However, it's nice to see them splashing life into an old area, and I guess the success of it will come down to the theme and rumoured IP. Another IP for the park would be interesting though, considering they already have 3, and they looked into giving Smiler an IP too... I've also read speculation that it may be a 2 year investment, with a new ride / kids coaster coming our way in 2015; would be nice to see. The fact that they're removing this signing barn though is a shame. From how it's been described, it is a piece of magic just a child, which is what the park should be about. I wonder if they can get a 'different piece of magic' there instead.

I've had a couple of thoughts spring to mind following the little bit of talk about Chat in the Shoutbox... Is there a chance of maybe having a 'specific chat time' once or twice a week? It's no secret Chat has become quiet (I know people may say that's down to the time of year and that, but compared to this time last year, and previous years, it is dead), so maybe having a publicised time for when Chat should be busy could bring people back into the Chat Room and make it used more regularly? Look at when the TPM Quiz was going on; a time was set, and people made the time to specifically go in there for it. Maybe, a 'Discussion Topic' (even relate it to a topic on the forums, like 'What would you like to see Thorpe do for 2014?') could be created for people to just chat about a specific topic and have a laugh at the same time? As I say, just a couple of random ideas that have come to mind. But maybe using Chat for 'bigger things' may encourage more people to pop in and use it on a regular basis again?

Well you should go to Thorpe and get one then Mark.

Afraid not! It looks pretty much like the promotional poster though. Nothing different from what we've seen.

An advertising banner for Fright Nights was put up this morning outside the park. I'd also assume on-park advertising is going to pick up more now. Is anyone else getting a feeling that the full reveal will come on Friday the 13th? Almost feel like it would be a missed opportunity if they didn't!

WARNING - BADLY EDITED PHOTOS AHEAD Dark Forest needs a complete change. In fact, it needs flipping on its head, so I bring you... LIGHT FIELDS All trees around the area would be cut down and replaced with grass. Grass is good. Oh, and plants. Lots and lots and lots of plants. The slogan of the area would be 'Because you come to a theme park to look at plants'. Th13teen would of course need a retheme. The area will be happy and lucky, so the ride will be renamed Ei8ht, a number which I've read somewhere is lucky. The crypt would be rethemed to a huge solar panel which will generate back-up energy for the park in case of a power cut. The inside section would have loads of bright green lights which blind you, so you can't see the drop coming. The track would be painted a lovely pea green. Ei8ht's station Rita would also be kept. Unfortunately, removing the Dark Forest left an unbreakable curse in that the ride itself can never ever leave. It would be called 'Lucky', and themed around a dog running around a field. Every 5 seconds the ride is in circuit, it triggers an incredibly loud sound of a 6 year old girl screaming 'LUCKYYYY' at the top of her voice. The ride would be pained a nice chocolate brown, and have trains that look like dogs. A possible design for Lucky's trains.

I can't be the only one who finds that a bit ironic, especially considering Amity Cove's theme...

Strange that Tetley is still there. Where they repainted all the cups and the teapot plain white again, I thought we were going to lose it.

The Sanctuary also uses stairs. All well and good suggesting using stairs for a Thorpe maze, but what place is suitable for a maze and could utilise stairs? I can't think of anywhere. For a Cabin in the Woods maze, I wouldn't be surprised if it just focuses on what section of the film -

It's strange. I'd been looking forward to this project loads, from the day the plans surfaced online, to watching construction, and from seeing the eventual opening. Yet, I'm not overly enticed to go ride the thing. I've managed to keep the indoor section a surprise for me still (surprising in itself actually...), so it's not because I know everything about the ride. The reviews I've read of the ride have been largely positive, and as a lover of Saw, I didn't have any real fears about the ride. My marmalisation won't take place until next year it seems. It's a shame really, especially as I love Alton, but if I'd been really enticed to go ride Smiler, then I'd have gone all out to get there. I genuinely don't get why I'm not fussed about riding it, but yeah, I'm just not being drawn out there...

Huh? Been like that since the announcement, and Marc posted it then...

Well, they are slowly cropping up all over the place, so a topic about them seems appropriate. The latest one to open, Hades 360, had an inversion thrown into it when it was refurbrished, replacing an airtime hill. Here's a POV from the lovely TPR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtfZYEnS8dE Looks awful. Otherwise, not much against the inversion actually; though to lose an airtime hill for it is a shame.. Discuss...

The Scarefest section of the site has been updated... http://www.altontowers.com/scarefest/ Have to say, I love the pages about the individual mazes; really nice touch. New this year (I think?) is that you can book tickets for the paid mazes online, and there's also a Freedom Ticket - which allows unlimited access to the mazes for a day - as well as the Freedom Pass. Also, there's 'Extreme Maze Tickets' available for all 3 scare mazes, whereas last year I think they were only available for Sanctuary?

The height barrier comes down to planning constraints with the council. To keep a friendly, balanced relationship between the park and local residents, the 100ft/115ft height barrier is in place. Stealth was an exception due to the colour and lack of supports for the track. Swarm's high points are carefully placed to reduce 'sight pollution' to the surrounding area. The next coaster, according to recent planning documents, could have a maximum height of 164ft. Again, like Swarm, the high points have already been predetermined to reduce any problems with visual pollution. Other rides won't exceed 100ft either, as outlined in the MTDP. As Benin says, height isn't everything. If anything, having a really tall coaster may hamper other rides' appearance, as they could be dwarfed in comparison. Even Stealth wouldn't look as big next to something that's only 40ft smaller than it.