The Curse at Alton Manor - NEW for 2023

[Trooper Looper]

31 minutes ago, Theme Park Fanatic said:

@Trooper Looper if Bubbleworks was still at Chessington I would’ve said this was John’s most passionate ride. I was overjoyed to have a personal reply from John. I’m 23 and have idolised John since I was a Young Kid.

To me, I think he's legues above most of Disneys Imagineers because he adds such a  lovely charm and unique feel to his rides that I haven't seen any other attraction not by him manage to recapture that feel. That and he's incredibly passionate about his career! Passion always leads to some great things being made!

[Benin]

Given the amount of spam posts on here recently I can't help but feel posting actual personal email addresses is a massive mistake.

 

Think John has always been a very supportive and happy to respond to people. Met him back in 2003 during the Inferno Premier Screaming event and he was more than happy to have a little chat. 

 

It is as Heth said though a very standard response. He's not going to spread information of his own accord to random goons who email him.

 

Think comparison to Imagineers is difficult. Wardley essentially had creative freedom and a blank canvas with similar minds working with him. Hence getting things like Bubbleworks off the ground. But it cannot be really denied that he was likely to have been inspired by the early Imagineer work. But they are a massive team coming from different backgrounds and industries with big budget stuff. Haunted House not really comparable to Haunted Mansion, but they are 2 very distinctive rides with different stories and ways of telling them.

 

I would however say that some of the older attractions like 5th Dimension and Terror Tomb had aspects which were 90s to the core. Whether he could've continued his string of quality over the decades would've been an interesting situation but unfortunately wasn't to be.

[Trooper Looper]

6 hours ago, Benin said:

Given the amount of spam posts on here recently I can't help but feel posting actual personal email addresses is a massive mistake.

 

Think John has always been a very supportive and happy to respond to people. Met him back in 2003 during the Inferno Premier Screaming event and he was more than happy to have a little chat. 

 

It is as Heth said though a very standard response. He's not going to spread information of his own accord to random goons who email him.

 

Think comparison to Imagineers is difficult. Wardley essentially had creative freedom and a blank canvas with similar minds working with him. Hence getting things like Bubbleworks off the ground. But it cannot be really denied that he was likely to have been inspired by the early Imagineer work. But they are a massive team coming from different backgrounds and industries with big budget stuff. Haunted House not really comparable to Haunted Mansion, but they are 2 very distinctive rides with different stories and ways of telling them.

 

I would however say that some of the older attractions like 5th Dimension and Terror Tomb had aspects which were 90s to the core. Whether he could've continued his string of quality over the decades would've been an interesting situation but unfortunately wasn't to be.

You're right on his emial being revealed @Theme Park Fanatic I sugges to edit your screenshots and hide yout email. Don't want your privacy leaked, that's all.

 

I think that JWs rides are just more unique as most of Disney rides heavily inspire pther rides or knock offs are made in other countries, but that doesn't seem to be the case with any of John's and Keith's work over the decades, they've managed to stay unique and beloved by many, even after their closure because they were never copied like HM and Pirates of the Caribbean. The closest ride I can thin of that feels very JW even before Chessington was built was Journey Into Imagination.

[Matt N]

While I do appreciate that John Wardley is a trusted source, I would not necessarily take his words to mean that everything is staying or that the ride will be staying mostly faithful to the 1992 original.

He could well have been briefed on what to say by Merlin seeing as he is thought to be actively working on the project. Also, it's hardly like he's going to say "We're ripping out everything and plonking in loads of screens!" to someone who is hopeful for most of the 1992 stuff to stay; I'd wager he may well have crafted that message to make you excited about the upcoming ride, as you express a lot of hope for the 1992 original to stay.

Also, I'd argue that that message does not say anything we didn't already know or at very least strongly assume. Realistically, I think that few expected this to be a drastic departure from the original in terms of basic concept, and John's message simply seems to reinforce that the basic concept and ethos of the 1992 Haunted House will be retained. Make of it what you will, of course, but personally, I would not take it as confirmation that the 1992 scenery is mostly staying put, I would not take it as confirmation that screens/projections won't be used at all, and I would not take it as confirmation that the ride will not be materially different from either of the previous iterations.

I think that John's message is pretty vague and open to interpretation; in my view, his message could still work if the ride was undergoing a significant overhaul to make it fit the 2020s. My feeling is that he is referring to the well-liked attributes of the original ride rather than specific elements, and a more modern take on the concept with mostly new scenes and theming could still deliver those attributes.

Based on the theming removal that we've already seen, my personal hunch remains that this will be a pretty hefty change and that we will be boarding a materially different ride to either of the previous iterations in 2023, even if it maintains the same basic concept.

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, for clarity. I simply don't want folk expecting the ride to mostly contain 1992 theming to be disappointed if it turns out to be less like the original than they'd expected. I'm simply trying to reinforce that nothing is confirmed or denied at this stage; anything could be happening inside that building.

[Theme Park Fanatic]

I have received a lot of spam. Disturbingly I have been signed up to a website of indecent nature. If anyone who is part of Thorpe Park Mania is responsible can you please undo your actions and apologise.

 

 I feel so stupid for not editing out my email adress. 

[Matt N]

28 minutes ago, Theme Park Fanatic said:

I have received a lot of spam. Disturbingly I have been signed up to a website of indecent nature. If anyone who is part of Thorpe Park Mania is responsible can you please undo your actions and apologise.

 

 I feel so stupid for not editing out my email adress. 

I think that's likely to be bots rather than anyone on here doing it as a joke.

 

It's an easy and valid mistake to make, but it can unfortunately have those types of consequences.

[Trooper Looper]

1 hour ago, Theme Park Fanatic said:

I have received a lot of spam. Disturbingly I have been signed up to a website of indecent nature. If anyone who is part of Thorpe Park Mania is responsible can you please undo your actions and apologise.

 

 I feel so stupid for not editing out my email adress. 

Don't worry, I censored your name and email address on tower's Streets duel forum

[Benin]

7 hours ago, Trooper Looper said:

You're right on his emial being revealed @Theme Park Fanatic I sugges to edit your screenshots and hide yout email. Don't want your privacy leaked, that's all.

 

I think that JWs rides are just more unique as most of Disney rides heavily inspire pther rides or knock offs are made in other countries, but that doesn't seem to be the case with any of John's and Keith's work over the decades, they've managed to stay unique and beloved by many, even after their closure because they were never copied like HM and Pirates of the Caribbean. The closest ride I can thin of that feels very JW even before Chessington was built was Journey Into Imagination.

 

Depends really. I don't think Bubbleworks could be duplicated across the world (I would wager it heavily inspired a previous attraction at Pleasure Island though) as it was very British in its humour. Rides like PotC and Haunted Mansion practically became archetypes in the ride world. Again its somewhat hard to compare against some of the most well known (and beloved) dark rides in the entire world.

 

Also have to factor in the nostalgia of them (plus enduring badly refurbished versions of them for years). As I mentioned before, 5th Dimension would've been extremely dated by the time it even closed, and the Terror Tomb finale was incredibly cheesey. Worked in the 90s but certainly not a timeless classic.

 

Definitely a shame the Haunted House ride system wasn't more utilised compared to the Omnimover system. Similarly for 5th Dimension's one too but I think costs and methods of implementing those systems were trickier to do (the reset times on HH especially so, reason why Ghost Corridor didn't last long).

 

 

@Theme Park Fanatic you are 23 and should know better about posting personal data which you STILL haven't edited (nor have any mods seemingly jumped in either to remove the information). Especially with the amount of spam bots on here currently.

[Theme Park Fanatic]

1 hour ago, Trooper Looper said:

Don't worry, I censored your name and email address on tower's Streets duel forum

@Trooper Looper please be assured I wasn’t implying you were to blame. If anyone’s at fault it’s me. I should’ve edited the screenshots prior to posting them on Thorpe Park Mania. BTW @Trooper Looper thanks for editing my personal information out of the screenshots on Towerstreet.

[Trooper Looper]

4 minutes ago, Theme Park Fanatic said:

@Trooper Looper please be assured I wasn’t implying you were to blame. If anyone’s at fault it’s me. I should’ve edited the screenshots prior to posting them on Thorpe Park Mania. BTW @Trooper Looper thanks for editing my personal information out of the screenshots on Towerstreet.

It's okay, you didn't mean to. It was a mistake, but by god, PLEASE EDIT THE SCREENSHOTS ON PAGE 9 OF THIS FORUM!!! YOURS AND JOHNS EMAIL IS STILL ON THERE!!!!!

[Theme Park Fanatic]

1 minute ago, Trooper Looper said:

It's okay, you didn't mean to. It was a mistake, but by god, PLEASE EDIT THE SCREENSHOTS ON PAGE 9 OF THIS FORUM!!! YOURS AND JOHNS EMAIL IS STILL ON THERE!!!!!

I don’t know how to edit out our email addresses. @Trooper Looper could a Admin or Moderator please do this for me. I’m panicking I’ve got pawn sites all over my email inbox. I’m concerned I’ll be labelled a pervert. Sorry Admins please don’t ban me from this Forum. This was a genuine mistake. Please don’t label @Trooper Looper a troublemaker. If you give anyone a telling off let it be me.  @Trooper Looper I wish I had edited out my personal details. What was me trying to be kind and share exciting information backfired.

[Trooper Looper]

10 minutes ago, Theme Park Fanatic said:

I don’t know how to edit out our email addresses. @Trooper Looper could a Admin or Moderator please do this for me. I’m panicking I’ve got pawn sites all over my email inbox. I’m concerned I’ll be labelled a pervert. Sorry Admins please don’t ban me from this Forum. This was a genuine mistake. Please don’t label @Trooper Looper a troublemaker. If you give anyone a telling off let it be me.  @Trooper Looper I wish I had edited out my personal details. What was me trying to be kind and share exciting information backfired.

Press/click the three dots on the bar your profile pic is on above the post of the screenshot, then select edit when it comes up, then delete the screenshot, and if you want to replace it with a edited version, just go over it in a colour, just doodle over both email addresses and your name. If you can't find a way to edit the screenshot on another app, just delete the screenshot. Don't allow any more bots to see it!

[Theme Park Fanatic]

@Trooper Looper I’ve completely deleted the screenshots from page 9. I won’t repost them. Could you please post the edited versions you put on Towerstreet?

[Trooper Looper]

2 minutes ago, Theme Park Fanatic said:

@Trooper Looper I’ve completely deleted the screenshots from page 9. I won’t repost them. Could you please post the edited versions you put on Towerstreet?

I can still see it! Just press the backspace key on the keyboard,

 When writing the post, like deleting a letter, but a picture, it still works!!

[JoshC.]

I believe the screenshot has now been deleted. At least, I can't see it.

 

Thank you to those who reported the post and helped resolve this.

 

The mod team is aware of the spam issue and looking to resolve it. Unfortunately we are also busy with other things outside the forums, so thank you for your patience. 

[Trooper Looper]

56 minutes ago, JoshC. said:

I believe the screenshot has now been deleted. At least, I can't see it.

 

Thank you to those who reported the post and helped resolve this.

 

The mod team is aware of the spam issue and looking to resolve it. Unfortunately we are also busy with other things outside the forums, so thank you for your patience. 

No problem. Thank you for taking your time to resolve this wee accident and being respectful in the situation!

 

 

Anyway, let's try and actually discuss about Duel now!

[Trooper Looper]

Double post sorry, but if anyone's interested, Euro Theme Park Archive has released a trailer of his Upcoming Haunted House documentary!

 

 

[Theme Park Fanatic]

Hi if there were 5 elements of The Haunted House/Duel you would like to remain following the current refurbishment what would they be? I hope the indoor queline,Dining Room and Gholish Garden remain. My dream would be these scenes are adjusted to support Emily Alton and Snowy being the primary characters. I’ll be overjoyed if in March Duel reopens as a tour through the Dollshouse you pass before boarding the ride.

[Trooper Looper]

On 12/29/2022 at 3:18 PM, Theme Park Fanatic said:

Hi if there were 5 elements of The Haunted House/Duel you would like to remain following the current refurbishment what would they be? I hope the indoor queline,Dining Room and Gholish Garden remain. My dream would be these scenes are adjusted to support Emily Alton and Snowy being the primary characters. I’ll be overjoyed if in March Duel reopens as a tour through the Dollshouse you pass before boarding the ride.

1) The facade

 

2) The Drawing Room (Indoor Queue)

 

3) The Grand Hall

 

4) The Screaming Heads

 

5) The Sinister Garden

 

Wouldn't really want the old scenes incorporated for Emily, but would rather have new scene implemented for Emily and have the old scenes speak for themselves in their original manner.

[Theme Park Fanatic]

5 hours ago, Trooper Looper said:

1) The facade

 

2) The Drawing Room (Indoor Queue)

 

3) The Grand Hall

 

4) The Screaming Heads

 

5) The Sinister Garden

 

Wouldn't really want the old scenes incorporated for Emily, but would rather have new scene implemented for Emily and have the old scenes speak for themselves in their original manner.

@Trooper Looper which scenes would you like to be replaced with Emily Alton ones. What would you like the new Emily Alton and Snowy scenes to look like.

[Theme Park Fanatic]

As Keith Sparks has passed away since The Haunted House/Duel opened I hope he gets a gravestone in the Outdoor Queline or Sinister Garden. Without Keith Sparks the props we love wouldn’t exist. Yes John Wardley designed them but Keith Sparks brought John’s drawings to life.

[Theme Park Fanatic]

Am I correct in saying Wicked Witches Haunt at Thorpe Park and the original Haunted House at Alton Towers shared a couple of scenes? For instance both had the infamous Hall Of Spiders and to an extent The Grand Hall. Was John Wardley involved in the design of Phantom Fantasia/Wicked Witches Haunt? I wouldn’t be surprised if he was as both rides had a similar atmosphere and scenes. IMO the transit system on The Haunted House topped that of Wicked Witches Haunt. My reasoning is The Haunted House had a unique transit system that offered riders an intermediate experience without viewing upcoming scenes. Furthermore The carriages on The Haunted House could accommodate 5 people apposed too the 2 Wicked Witches Haunt could. This obviously means the throughout was higher. 
 

Speaking of Wicked Witches Haunt I’m almost certain that had the fire of July 2000 not occurred the ride would’ve been operating in the format Duel was prior to the 6th of September. I’ve heard the animatronic Witch that enticed you too ride Wicked Witches Haunt survived the fire. I hope Merlin transport this Witch to Alton Towers for use on the refurbished Duel. The movement of Theming between the Merlin Parks is not unheard of. Only last week the front of Ripsaw’s control cabin was relocated to The World Of Jumanji at Chessington.

[Benin]

Two very different rides with similarities ud say. I mean Haunted House rides tend to follow a number of cliches after all. 

 

Would be sheer laziness for them to use an ancient prop older than half the current forum users. If it even survived. Has the Ripsaw cabin use even been confirmed or just pure conjecture on someone's part because it's a similar looking vehicle?

[Trooper Looper]

@Theme Park FanaticWell, The Sparks Group did design both The Haunted House and Wicked Witches Haunt, so that probably explains why so many of the props are the same style, but John Wardley wasn't involved with Wicked Witches Haunt. If you're interested in that style, I highly suggest looking at the now defunct Shrieksville that used to be at Pleasure Island in cleethorpes. It was made a year after The Haunted House debuted in 1992, and was also designed by Sparks, which it also used a lot of familiar sound effects from The Haunted House.

 

In scenes with Emily Alton being involved, only 2. The Skeleton Corridor, and the Finale. I'd rather have more unique scenes in the ride rather than something like the Gruffalo River Ride where there's exposition and the same characters reappear.

 

In terms of the Giant Whitch prop, I doubt it'll be reused as we haven't seen it for 20 years now and is probably stored for preservation, or left to rot, and hopefully not the latter.

 

I'd love to see a lot of Former Spark Group members to be given a gravestone or at least hinted in the new ride as an Easter egg.

[Marley]

11 hours ago, Theme Park Fanatic said:

Furthermore The carriages on The Haunted House could accommodate 5 people apposed too the 2 Wicked Witches Haunt could. This obviously means the throughout was higher. 

As someone who rode both Wicked Witches Haunt and The Haunted House (very young mind). I believe the transit system on WWH was the same one used on The Spirit of London at Madame Tussauds. Even though it's 2 per carriage, the carriages are in constant movement and are linked all together. Whether or not that means WWH's throughput was higher I'm not entirely certain but I am inclined to believe that it did have a higher throughput than HH but HH wasn't a slouch either. I think that only time I ever queued for HH was my first time going to Alton Towers around late 90's. My mother and I were amazed with Emily Alton effect. One of my most potent memories of HH to be honest.