JoshC.

The thing with the mazes is they can have electrical faults, which could cause closures even if they're minor. If a prop or piece of scenery breaks or falls, it has to be sorted so it is safe. If an actor gets hurt, everything can have to stop for a while. If someone has a panic attack or gets an injury, it holds everything up. Etc. Etc.

The thing with the preview day is that it's not 'technically' a preview day, despite the fact that most people call it that. The day is open to guests whether they have Annual Passes or not, its simply that Standard AP holder do not have to buy the £5 event ticket. The day happens the day before Fright Nights officially starts, hence why it's seen as a 'preview'. Being usually held on a Thursday during term-time and the fact that it's not as heavily advertised as the rest of the FN dates. It's not the end of the world if it doesn't happen I guess; it's certainly a shame, but I guess it's to be expected, as it will help with the cost-cutting.

There's now a tent with the Snoozebox logo on it set up in the staff car park. I would assume that more 'pieces' have arrived. A bit early for these to be arriving isn't it? Considering they're not going to be physically built until February and planning permission hasn't been granted yet (I would think that being something rather out of the blue and not mentioned in the MTDP, the granting of the Snoozeboxes would not be as concrete as rides and coasters?)

It is unconfirmed whether The Passing is a totally alone experience, or whether it's a partially alone one like Experiment 10. It is, however, confirmed about the Hessian body bag. Perhaps it might have been worth looking at the park's site with a bit more detail to read what they said about The Passing before booking?

I think this is for Slammer. There is a fence here and another by the other side of the toilets, which makes Slammer completely inaccessible. There is also a fence near the lockers which blocks the walkway which is has a sign about The Passing; I think that's more being used to advertise The Passing than due to any work. I believe that where The Passing is (the old Hellgate location) couldn't be reached when the Slammer area was opened was there was a fence which prevents people gaining access.

I guess if the problem is found and resolved quicker than expected, then anything's possible. Even if Thorpe knew it would be a few weeks out of action, it's probably better of them to say it's out of action for the rest of the season (ie about 6-7 weeks) instead of saying it's "unavailable today" constantly / saying it will open in a few weeks time and have that backfire. I guess some could even see it as a bonus that a ride which is meant to be unavailable until next season opens this season (though, really, it isn't a 'bonus', but just shows how well the engineering team is working..). To be honest, the rumour of Samurai moving near Swarm is more unbelievable - where exactly could it go, why would they do it and what would take Samurai's position? I certainly think that that rumour had no legs and was a false lead. As for Slammer, work is seemingly going on from what members on here have said. Also, some new, blacked-out fencing has gone up near Slammer, which I think happened the last time work went on before it reopened following an extended period of downtime...

2009/2010 I think. I dunno what it is about Vortex, but I do enjoy the ride. Just hate the music and the think the length does need to be longer, like back in its good days..

I don't know how long the information has been live, but this year's HHP lineup is on the website: http://www.chessington.com/plan-your-trip/halloween-hocus-pocus.aspx Last year's new maze, The Krypt, has gone and it seems replaced by nothing? Quite surprised by that, as I heard pretty much all good reviews about it. Black Forest Witch Haunt (or whatever it was called) has gone and is replaced with 'Vampire: The Haunting in the Hollows', which looks to just have a different story to the previous one? There's a new family show and Hocus Pocus Hall Bewitched returns. All this with the 7pm as well..exciting stuff?

This ride now successfully doesn't spin, doesn't get you wet, and yet still manages to have an inch of water at the bottom of the dingies after less than an hour of operation? The ride leaks, the audio doesn't work / can't be heard and is just generally useless it seems. Last season, the ride wasn't actually that bad, though went a bit downhill towards the end. This season it's been bad, and is now just stupid and pointless. Though 2 years later, our fears about this ride have come to fruition it seems...

I'd love to read a blog like that Rattle, would really make a great read. It does seem that enthusiasts are much more critical of rides than the general public. I think that to this day, people will still criticise Th13teen due to the poor marketing, lack of back story as well as many other things, whilst the general public have completely forgotten about it and love the ride. But as you said, maybe it there's a lasting impact for us. By considering the so-called 'quality' of rides, it may end up that the judgements we make can help us notice when lesser-noticeable improvements are made, which could well be a good thing. However, is this nit-picking perhaps still distracting from the bigger picture? More things thrown out; this really should be a main blog topic rather than just a couple of off-the-wall thoughts!

Few more Fright Night things going on now... Pretty much confirmation that The Passing will be in Hellgate's old location. Funnily, that is the only fence there - it is literally just blocking the pathway. Seems to more be a way of somewhat advertising it on park.. Experiment 10 has also been built up: One thing which I've noticed is how the exit is in a different position to last season. Last season you exited to the right of the barrier (so, the left hand side from this picture, just to be clear...), but this season, it is directly in front? That's not just perspective, there really isn't much space between the exit and the barrier. I also think last season that the exit was ramped? I dunno if it's just they mucked the positioning up a little bit (it does seem as if all the maze is shifted to the right a little bit) or what, but I guess they're not particularly easier to move..? Only thing I can think of is that they're removing the barrier but just haven't got round to it yet?

I also think it's always been left - followed by a long corridor, then a right into 'the Asylum' with all the mesh-fencing, flashing lights and so forth?

Am I right in thinking that, although Thorpe said it was due to 'improvements being needed', the reason for the closure was due to declining popularity / cost of attraction? The Entertainments budget seems largely to go to FN - Sun Scream must surely have a big cash injection from Dr Pepper, and the club nights (at least the over 18s one) and the Mash Up event at Easter are due to Ministry of Sound a lot? So I'd have thought that the majority of the budget will go towards FN, as using this logic, the only event(s) Thorpe would have done was the 'Premier Screaming' of Swarm (and the under 18s club nights)? Do feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here by the way, but this is how I've always thought it has worked out. Anyway, back to the point, as there's a large FN budget regardless, and the ride's teams are being 'given' mazes this season (so that they do the batching in effect?), I'd expect there to be more money for actors. Even if there's roaming actors, no doubt there'll be plenty for the mazes as well. So really, I'd only expect more actors in Saw Alive than there usually was, and possibly the odd new effects / audio - though I'd love to be proven wrong.

Back when I was about 8 or 9, I visited Gulliver's World (Warrington). The trip was unplanned really, and only lasted a couple of hours (well, from 10 til after lunch). However, the one thing that has always made me remember this trip is The Antelope - one of only 2 wooden coasters to be built in the UK in the past 50 years. At the time of riding, I'd never heard of Antelope before (heck, I'd only heard of Gulliver's Warrington a couple of days before my visit!), nor had I heard any reviews of it. I literally knew nothing about it, other than it was made from wood and "looked fun". I was given the front row, which excited me. After coming off, I must have had a huge smile on my face, as I really enjoyed it, and still remember it fondly to this day. Hey, it's even featured in my top 10 roller coasters in the past (though, bare in mind my roller coaster count stands at 22, all of them from the 4 UK Merlin Parks and Gulliver's...). Now then, recently I searched the coaster up on Youtube, to find a POV of it. Seemingly I've been in luck, with Coasterforce very recently adding a front row POV: (Credit to CF, of course) If you watch that, and have never been on it before / haven't been on it for a few years, you'll probably have the same reaction as me - "what on earth is that!?". Even if you appreciate the fact that POVs don't show rides at their best, and that this is a family ride, the ride still looks rather poor. It's poorly paced, has an uninspiring layout and in general seems a bit weak. As the video description says, there was meant to be a water splash effect at the end, but the ride would not have completed the course, which to me suggests the ride as a whole was somewhat poorly designed as well. So, why did I enjoy this ride so much? More importantly, why did I continue to rate this ride so highly for so many years? Firstly, I guess you could say the circumstances were one reason for enjoying this. I was young, and went to a theme park unexpectedly. Being a fan of theme parks even then, it was a huge excitement for me. Not knowing anything about the ride, and being quite small, it looked so big, so intimidating and so exciting. Needless to say, I was going to enjoy everything I went on, regardless of the quality. Furthermore, it was my first wooden roller coaster. I personally think that a person's first wooden coaster will always hold something 'special', as they are so different to steel coasters, and have a completely different experience. Had this layout been exactly the same but made from steel, I probably would have been, like most, unimpressed or, at best, disappointed. Also, as this to date remains the only woodie I've been on, I really have no comparisons to make between this and other wooden coasters. Perhaps this is the worst example of a woodie ever, but because it was a different experience which I'd say no steel coaster I've been on can replicate for me, I have a fond rating of it. This could quite possibly be why I've rated it highly for so long. Finally, despite the uninspiring layout, from when you first look at it, I remember there being a small drop which you couldn't see from off ride; needless to say, it took me by surprise. Much like many coasters that use surprise drops you can't see, Antelope did have one of these. I remember talking about *that* moment after the ride, and it being the highlight of the ride. Now, I can't actually remember where exactly this was on the course, which is a shame, but at the same time, interesting. Another thing I'd like to bring up now (and probably will mention in other entries / dedicate an entry to) is perhaps how this is an example of 'enthusiast snobbery'. Though I haven't ridden many coasters, or been to many parks, I would still consider myself as a theme park enthusiast to some respect. What that means exactly will be different to people, but to me personally, I see it as having an interest not only in riding rides and attractions, but an interest in the operations and running of them, the development of projects, manufacturing and designing rides and the quality of rides. This last point raises the issue which I perhaps worry about - rides are very subjective things; people enjoy different things and hence one person's good ride may be another's terrible ride (something which to a degree was highlighted in my previous entry about Saw), yet as an enthusiast, judging 'how good' a ride is is the norm it seems. As I said earlier, the Coasterforce video shows a "ride...(which) looks rather poor. It's poorly paced, has an uninspiring layout and in general seems a bit weak.". These are the words of an enthusiast. However, from the eyes of the non-enthusiast child of me, it put "a huge smile on my face". Whilst I cannot pass any further judgement on the ride until I ride it again (if I ever get the chance, that is), it strikes me that as I've become more of an enthusiast, I've perhaps lost the very thing that made me an enthusiast in the first place - the innocent enjoyment of a ride. If this is the case, can I really say that all the views about The Antelope are in any way valid, or even worthwhile? I won't leave you with a rating of the ride, due to reasons outlined above, but instead just that thought...

Nice idea, having them lead up to X Sector; I do love Towers' subtle and cryptic marketing for Sanctuary and SW7. Agree with what Liam said hoping that this turns up as a logo used on merchandise; it's a great look.

I heard the police announcements around the first part (the cattlepen-esque with barbed wire), but didn't hear any around the rest until inside. To be honest, I rarely hear the queue line audio when it is working...

Where does it say this? Can't seem to find it on the website. To be fair, £14 works out as about £4.66 an attraction, which is about the same as Saw or front row Stealth, and cheaper than Swarm's, so in terms of Thorpe's pricing, it's pretty reasonable. It seems as though The Passing is in the old Hellgate location, which will mean the majority of the route is already there (I think there were some false walls?) - I wouldn't be surprised if there was still some old Hellgate theming in there as well. I'd expect that they're still 'building it' in the sense of adding theming, checking lighting and props and such. One thing that's only just dawned on me is that in the logo of Passing, there's a tunnel with light at the end. Anyone who's been in Hellgate / the old X queue will probably remember a certain tunnel in there... (probably something that's been picked up by loads of people, but just me having a blonde moment )

It looks similar to a beyond vertical drop, no? They tend to go from bi-rail to tri-rail at the bottom of their drops I believe. Anything could be possible at this stage - SW7 surely isn't the only product Gerstlauer will have for 2013?

This is one thing which I disagree with slightly. I don't think it's trying to be an immersive experience; it's more trying to set a tone and a feel. The abandoned warehouse thing is in line with the Saw theme, being a recurring theme in the franchise, and in turn sets the feeling of 'something is going on inside'. From the get go, I almost feel as though Saw was always intended to be this ride of two halves - an indoor section which carries on from the tone set by the exterior, and the outdoor section which is meant to be an escape from that. What my biggest trouble is with the attraction as a whole (and something I didn't mention in my original point) is the lack of coherent story line. The on-ride pre-show given to the second cars by Jigsaw ends with "Here's what happens when you lose". We then proceed through the warehouse, and experience what happens if we lose the game. Then we exit and here "GAME OVER", only for the ride to end with a congratulations message on our winning. It makes little sense, and as such, ruins the tone created in a way, and makes people expecting an immersive experience feel very let down. Had the pre-show ended with 'Let the games begin...' or something similar, once we exit the warehouse, it would feel as though we have won (and, if you want to think about it a bit more in line with the films, we exit through the bathroom scene, where the character Dr Gordon escaped in SAW I..). Then the "GAME OVER" would perhaps serve as a 'typical Saw' twist, with the real test being the monster of the ride that awaits. It would continue the tone, create a somewhat more immersive and coherent experience, and perhaps lead people to be happier about the theming-lacking outdoors. Whilst I disagree with you on the outside section being uninteresting in layout, I do agree that it is rather open. Looking at some Gerstlauers that have been said to have interesting looking layouts, such as Takabisha and SW7 (using ones that no one on here has ridden most likely, but it saves complications of using ones I haven't ridden but others have), they have compact, tight layouts. Had Saw had this sort of layout, maybe it would be rated slightly higher. However, having a sweeping layout means that the ride can keep up its fast pace in the outdoor section without being totally neck-shattering (regardless of whether people think it's rough or not, I don't think many would label it neck-shatteringly rough and uncomfortable...or at least I hope!). A tighter layout may have left the ride needing to be slower to handle all the tighter turns and such; I think the second half should be all about the fast, intense pace.

This. It's something I tried touching upon a bit in my blog entry about Saw, but you've really hit the nail on the head with this bit. Whilst the area and theme is Merlin's perhaps typical "Make it derelict and ruined so we don't have to maintain it", it makes you feel secluded, remote and that you are about to enter a derelict warehouse. The sight of track and hearing Jigsaw's "GAME OVER" serve as a constant reminder that there is something a bit more dark inside, and it really works well. I have always said that I've disliked the traps on the outside, and said they're unimaginative or a bit silly, but the fact they're on the outside and discarded and covered in overgrown greenery / weeds, shows that this is perhaps what they are meant to be. So whilst some may criticise the queue and perhaps lazy theming, it will most definitely age well. I certainly enjoyed queueing for it today!

The ride is literally in pieces, with work being done throughout the day. The sign. The current state of Samurai. Basically all taken down. Am I right in thinking that Samurai doesn't get dismantled fully every closed season? Whatever the issue with this, it is a real shame. It just goes to show that whilst the park has all this room to expand, the main core of the park has areas which need developing, and there's rides which really don't have long left...

Maybe it is just that I haven't ridden any other Euro Fighters, or any other Gerstlauers, or many coasters, but there's something about Saw which works well. The theming and theme is a rather typical Merlin one. Looking at the major coasters Merlin have invested in their European parks since 2009 (Saw, Th13teen, Krake, Raptor and Swarm just to be clear), they all have dark, destructive, ruined and derelict themes, to some extent. Saw being the first was, compared to the rest, a rather lazy attempt at this sort of theme, which is a shame. However, with what they're working with, the exterior of Saw is spot on more or less. The inside is average to okay, and the outside is non-existent practically. However, one thing I notice is how you draw many comparisons to other Euro Fighters Benin. Whilst Saw may look as if it is lacking in certain areas, and perhaps even inferior to others, it doesn't make it a bad coaster, does it? I think the issue with Saw is that many people were expecting something which wasn't ever going to happen, or have drawn comparisons to other rides which - in turn - have clouded views on Saw. As you say, you rode Mystery Mine shortly after Saw, which affected your opinion. Perhaps I'd feel the same as you in the same situation, but it's the unfortunate situation where comparisons can affect our opinion too much, like with the Nemesis and Nemesis Inferno argument. As for how the ride, well, rides, I understand people find it rough, but I still just don't see it. Maybe it's to do with having not ridden many coasters, but there we go. No denying it's intense, but rough - no way.

Back in 2009, we were graced with arrival of a new coaster at Thorpe, yet again breaking the overall investment the park had spent on one attraction - £13.5 million, beating Stealth's £12 million (which, as we know, has now been beating again by The Swarm's overall investment). Before Saw - The Ride opened, fans were buzzing from excitement, and were hoping that the ride would perhaps be the park's best themed attraction, or at least the best since Tidal Wave opened in 2000. After all, Euro-Fighters are relatively cheap ride systems, and £13.5 million is a lot of money to spend. To top it off, the ride featured a dark section, and although many would've known about the surprises inside from the ride's plans and construction, everyone was hoping for something 'special'. Now, many people don't like Saw, for one reason or another. I am not one of those people; from my first ride, I loved it. It's by no means perfect, and it's not going to win any awards for the best roller coaster in the world - heck, it wouldn't win best coaster in the country. However, that doesn't mean it's not good; in fact, it's really good. But why do I think that? Firstly, the layout. The UK is often criticised for having short coasters, and whilst Saw isn't exactly long, it has a decent length and ride time. Not only that, but it is well paced - it's not a ride where everything happens at one point in the ride, then the rest of the ride is a bit of a filler. There's something interesting and exciting during the whole of the course. The indoor section is very good; for many, it's their favourite part of the ride. The hidden drop catches everyone off guard - even when I knew it was coming on my first ride, it still surprised me; the steepness of it! It's an element which really does pack a punch. After a quick MCBR, the barrel roll is highly enjoyable. Going through it rather slowly is a key to it's success; not only does it give you a chance to see the theming (talked about later..), but you really do 'feel' the inversion; you are lifted out of your seat, and put against the restraints, only to be plonked back on your seat. My trouble with many inversions is that they aren't always memorable, or that you don't realise you've been inverted. This is really one of those inversions which I do like. As for the outdoor section, it is completely different. Euro Fighters (and Gerstlauer in general) are known for quick, brash and intense ride experiences; this is exactly what you get. The trademark vertical lift is something I like, and can discomfort those who have never experienced one before. My least favourite part of the ride is actually the drop; the beyond vertical gimmick doesn't do it for me; every ride I feel as though I'm experiencing a 90 degree drop, followed by a 10 degree drop, followed by a curved drop in a matter of a second or two. It just doesn't feel worth it, especially for the roughness and head banging that occurs from it. The Immelmann loop and following turn are good elements which demonstrate the effective use of the 2x4 cars which work so well. The air time hill is my favourite one I've been on thus far; you really do feel the forces and the air time on it; much more than any of the other (few) coasters I've been on. Following the next MCBR comes my favourite part of the ride. The drop of the MCBR is amazing; gets me every time! Even though you can see it coming, it catches me off guard; which is why I enjoy it much more than the indoor drop. The dive loop is completely insane as well. Then you've also got the theming and effects. The station building is meant to be a derelict warehouse, and that's exactly what it looks like. Sure, it's the typical 'We're going to build a derelict, ruining theme so we don't have to maintain it', but it does work in this case. The outdoor queue section is okay, though the traps themselves are pretty uninspiring if I'm honest. The overgrown plants, however, are a touch which works well with the theme. The indoor queue wreaks of missed opportunities in my opinion; there's chance for much more than a couple of messages from Jigsaw. The station building is nicely styled I would say; but the major trouble with it is there's too much natural light. From where the cars come in after the ride to the slits between the panelling; too much natural daylight comes through. It ruins the effect and theme, which I think is a shame. The effects during the ride are good as well, when working. An effect which is probably not intentional, and possibly the same on many Euro Fighters is the 'safety lights' going out when the cars leave the station. If you're in the second row, for front row of the second car, you see the 3 green lights, which show that the restraints have locked, go off. If I'm honest, it worried me a bit - I was not expecting it to happen and thought there was a fault for a split second... The Billy puppet is good and scares people who recognise him, and the swinging axes and needle pit are brilliant. The shooting arrows feel like a bit of a wasted opportunity in my opinion; they're boring, and distract people who could be listening to Billy's pre-talk. I do love Jigsaw's dead body squirting warm water; first time riders are always shocked by that! One thing which I think lets the ride down is the audio, or lack of. Thorpe normally get audio for rides right, but I think they did fail a bit on both this and Saw Alive. So, why is Saw disliked by so many? The 'roughness'. The most common complaint of Saw I hear from both enthusiasts and the public is that the ride is 'rough'. Now, I personally have no trouble with it; I don't even think it's rough - Colossus is MUCH rougher.. I would call Saw intense, but is that an issue? Some coasters are smooth and elegant, some are intense; it just depends. I would say that the bottom of the main drop certainly does cause head-banging, but from someone who has had neck issues in the past, in all the rides I've had, I can safely say that only once have I had an issue with it. People have different thresholds for intense-rough, and have different likes in what they want their coaster to have, but I would never be able to call the ride 'rough'. The hype. At the time, everyone was expecting an epicly themed roller coaster and a truly immersive experience. We unfortunately did not get this, but instead got a 'ride of two halves', with a themed indoor section, and a pretty much unthemed outdoor section, which both offer different coaster experiences. People don't seem to like that for one reason or another, and therefore don't actually concentrate on what they've got.. The IP. There are many different views on IPs, from not liking them outright, to thinking they do wonders. The trouble is, the Saw IP is dying, perhaps already dead, and there's not that much Saw stuff directly linked in - they couldn't even get Tobin Bell to voice Jigsaw for goodness sake! I think many people who were also disappointed because they thought having an IP will inject loads of extra theming and such into the ride, when in fact it was a rushed idea which basically allowed the use of a name. So, I'm actually cutting this a little short if I'm honest. Maybe a part 2 or some sort on continuation will arise in the near future. Basically, long entry short, Saw is actually a really good coaster, despite the fan-hatred. It's only this season that I've realised just how much I like it, and it sits as my second favourite coaster, only behind Swarm. That's right, I prefer Saw to Nemesis Inferno, and just why that is is probably for another entry. Saw - The Ride: 7.5/10

Normally flat ride plans for the following season would've been released by now, though it really does depend on the ride type, height, size, location, etc. However, there's still a possibility for a new attraction next season. For example, Saw Alive's application wasn't made till November 2009. So, we could still see development next season past the Snooze Boxes; only time will tell.