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Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon


Marc

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3 hours ago, Deejay said:

Hi all first time on forum , I give up on ghost train!!! Three times me and the wife tried last year and it was never open, tried again today, on park at 11 it did open about 12.30 ish but was short lived (we was in queue as well!!) , we had to leave just gone 5 to pick up our young kids. Been told it did reopen before 5.30 but to late for us. Don't know when we can try again as having young kids makes it awkward. So wish this thing was more reliable!!!!

 

Ah that is unfortunate!  Hopefully you will get to experience it at some point but having young kids must make it tricky.  Was hoping it would be more reliable this year but sounds like it's still having issues - the wonders of technology eh? 

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Hmmm, after going on Saturday I do not agree that they have left V1 unchanged...?

Spoiler

Yes opening sequence with a character/dog is the same, however, my experience was different from the moment our "friend" decided to join us in the carriage?? Is this actually part of the ride working in terms of different experiences or am I missing something? Last year I had a creepy woman (literally) all over me (every time I rode) compared to ROTD when I had some zombie kid talking to me?? Although the headsets and audio are far superior this year, I found last years V1 content creepier than what I experienced last weekend.

 

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The headsets are still as glitchy as they were last season, only difference is this time there are more working at once with much better audio.

 

As for the VR for the 1st half, as far as I can gather, it's all the same with the following possible scenarios for the characters that appear. This was present last year in addition to this year:

 

(1) Old man sitting - old woman infected.

(2) Old man sitting - young kid infected.

(3) Middle-aged man sitting - old woman infected - my one on Monday.

(4) Middle-aged man sitting - young kid infected.

(5) Old woman sitting - old woman infected.

(6) Old woman sitting - young kid infected.

 

 

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- Double post due to the need of spoiler tags -

 

Ghost Train 2 Review

 

Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise Of The Demon, or less ridiculously 'Ghost Train 2' seems to address some of my main concerns about the original incarnation of this attraction, however were they addressed correctly in my opinion?

 

Batching

 

I have to admit the new batching process for Ghost Train is fantastic - it really helps keep the queue flowing and makes the whole experience far more pleasant. The new entry into the building is also quite nice as it feels more atmospheric to me, what a difference a shed makes!

 

Pre-Shows

 

After entering the first room I was surprised to find the pre-show room had been invaded by a large box in the back corner or the room. Whilst I know it's necessary to have this, it really made the already small room feel even more cramped (and hot!). I was kind of hoping there would be some kind of alteration to the pre-show speech but alas, I was left with the same thing. Nothing of major concern though. Moving into what seems to be a now permanent second 'pre-show' I found the room leading to the warehouse to be a bit dark now. There was also an issue in which half the group could not get up the stairs and so missed the 'conductors' speech about the train and it's swaying. Again, nothing major and can be resolved with some better people management. The reveal was, as usual, fantastic and for some reason I felt compelled to look below the train this year. I'm not sure if they have changed the lighting configuration to draw attention to underneath the carriage but either way - it enhanced the experience greatly.

 

Here's where things will start getting a bit spoiler filled - so be aware!

 

VR Scene 1

 

Spoiler

Upon boarding the train I was happy to hear brand new announcements playing within the train itself. What made this special was the way that these were instructions on how to put the headset on and that they were disguised so effectively you almost sub-consciously listened to it, unlike Galactica and it's absolutely hideous EVE video! I then had a quick glance around and I didn't see a single headset out of action - I was starting to get impressed. 

 

So after putting the headset on the journey started. Now I know that many have said how they love the new headphones and I must agree, I'm glad they've changed them! I feel as though this initial VR has had some very subtle voice over changes, the story felt more fleshed out than last year and it really wouldn't surprise me if this was the case. This section of the ride has always gotten my heart going - I don't know why, so I loved this just as much as last year. I'm also extremely glad to see that there is now a 'please remove your headset' message, saving frustration for guests and staff!

 

In summery, I was pleased to see all headsets working and with the new headphones. The journey still manages to get my heart rate up and so I'm quite happy with this section. 

 

Live Action

 

Spoiler

Now, when I heard the train crash was more or less confirmed to be left unused (on my ride at least) I was quite honestly sad. However, I was very happy to see what they have replaced it with (hopefully to be used in conjunction with if the train comes back). But first I've got to highlight an issue. One thing I feel is a huge missed opertunity is how you are rushed off the train so fast you don't notice you're in a completely new environment. Personally I'd like to see a moment in which we all wait in the platform for a 'is everyone off' check just to really set home the idea we have moved. Back to the live action scene. As I was saying there was no train, however instead of telling you to leave straight away we were told to run back toward the door we came in from - I was hesitant so hung back until I noticed something had changed with a very effective use of an actor. My suggestion would be to hang back where the tunnel is here, and watch the terror unfold in front of you!

 

As a whole whilst I wasn't expecting much from this scene I was pretty surprised, and I am almost inclined I liked the subtle change more than last year!

 

VR Scene 2

 

Spoiler

After rushing back on the train and getting the headsets on I did say "woah" to what I saw. The VR looks miles ahead of last year due to it being a video - not CGI. Having the scene set entirely in the train and underground made this whole scene feel much more suspenseful, and having the scene force you to look around was also a great touch. I was impressed with the brutal nature of this section, it really felt like the ride had earned its 13 age rating (which was being enforced quite heavily). However, it didn't scare me. Whilst the scene now looks great and has a great atmosphere it still didn't scare me. After my first ride I was somewhat disappointed by this, but after re-riding I found that once I'd gotten out of the "this ride HAS to be the scariest thing ever" bubble and just enjoyed the craziness that unfolded, and I ended up really loving the scene. 

 

This scene was much improved on last year and although I didn't personally find it scary, once I sat back and enjoyed the chaos I found it to be great fun.

 

Exiting The Train

 

The exit from the train was fairly good, now that you exit left and you go through to the shop via a longer route I found it really gave me time to reflect on the ride. The only issue I have is they really need to sort out some of the lights in the exit as a couple seem to flicker a tad...

 

General

 

My main issue with 2016's Ghost Train is there was no re-rideability to it. I felt bored with everything and it was more "I'll go on it again because it's new". This year I have to say I would happily ride this twice a visit, just to appreciate it. The ride seems to be viewed in two ways now (by myself at least) - either you really get into it or you just observe the madness that unfolds and the theming. Both scenarios left me with a smile on my face and I did consider a third go today. Reliability is what's going to be an issue this year. Whilst the ride is running much better than 2016 it's still had a few issues. The headsets seem to be working well but having delayed openings really needs to be sorted by summer - otherwise I wish guest services luck!

 

As a whole I really enjoyed Ghost Train 2. It's still got little things that need to be fixed but honestly I think you can say this with everything. I personally feel it's the UK's best dark ride by far and the best attempt at theming we have too. It's certainly not going to be everyone's cup of tea but honestly, it's my cup of tea. 

 

That is why Ghost Train 2 gets 8/10 from me. Once the little issues have been sorted and it's opening consistently I have no reason to say that it won't go up to a 9/10! 

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Well they are quite a fair bit different from one anouther, I am quite sure I can tell the difference between the two. ;) 

 

Wether this was a mistake or not I'm unsure, however I most definitely did have an alternate pair of headphones/headphone setup during my final ride of 2016! :P 

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8 minutes ago, Owen said:

Well they are quite a fair bit different from one anouther, I am quite sure I can tell the difference between the two. ;) 

 

Wether this was a mistake or not I'm unsure, however I most definitely did have an alternate pair of headphones/headphone setup during my final ride of 2016! :P 

I am quite sure you didnt have a pair of the new headphones on last year. But if you think you did, fair enough. I just know you didn't :).

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Well in that case all I can say is I remember what I remember - and this was that the headphones  looked and felt different. No need to begin acting somewhat dismissive and causing issue over minor things! ;) 

 

However, moving away from the past I hope people enjoy my review!

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Just now, Owen said:

Well in that case all I can say is I remember what I remember - and this was that the headphones not only looked and felt different. No need to begin acting somewhat dismissive and causing issue over minor things! ;) 

I remember when ghost train first opened they didn't put the headphones in the little pouches which made it a lot better - either way as

you say the new headphones are such a massive improvement!

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DONT read this if you don't potentially want the ending spoiled

 

but....is it true that..

 

 

the new ending is a false gift shop, where an actor / anamatronic of the demon jumps out at you from a 'stage'?

 

I'm only asking as some reviews earlier in this thread fail to mention this part, and it isn't on any of the pov's online. does it actually happen or did I just hear wrong?

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27 minutes ago, Graw said:

so....is it true that..

 

 

  Hide contents

the new ending is a false gift shop, where an actor / anamatronic of the demon jumps out at you from a 'stage'?

 

 

I'm only asking as some reviews earlier in this thread fail to mention this part, and it isn't on any of the pov's online. does it actually happen or did I just hear wrong?

Keep the secret a secret :P

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Please don't tell me that the new ending on the 'dark ride to change dark rides' is a fake finale, which has been done countless times before? Granted not in a shop, but jump scares post ride have also been done a few times as well... Can PM me to keep it out the thread (because I don't care about spoilers and have very little intention/chance visiting Thorpe anytime soon)...

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6 hours ago, RobF said:

Keep the secret a secret :P

 

eh makes sense I guess that's why no one's mentioned it but thought something people would have at least in spoiler tags, and I can't find literally any POV's with it in which is weird. are Thorpe not letting people film the end or something?

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eh makes sense I guess that's why no one's mentioned it but thought something people would have at least in spoiler tags, and I can't find literally any POV's with it in which is weird. are Thorpe not letting people film the end or something?



Someone has filmed the new ending although not meant to (even on press night). If you search on YouTube for Derren Brown's ghost train new ending, it is there

PJ


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