The Curse at Alton Manor - NEW for 2023

[JoshC.]

I mean nothing is confirmed; just a rumour from a Youtuber. Even if it is a more reputable one, there's nothing set in stone.

 

What's more, I wouldn't call it an overhaul if anything does happen. Improvements, sure. Overhaul, no.

 

Until it happens, I don't think we should count on it happening.

[Theme Park Fanatic]

5 hours ago, JoshC. said:

I mean nothing is confirmed; just a rumour from a Youtuber. Even if it is a more reputable one, there's nothing set in stone.

 

What's more, I wouldn't call it an overhaul if anything does happen. Improvements, sure. Overhaul, no.

 

Until it happens, I don't think we should count on it happening.

@JoshC. there’s more chance of Alton Manor receiving enhancements than the Dodo becoming native to England.

 

On a serious note Sean Evans has always been a reliable source. His rumours have always become reality. @JoshC. what parts of Alton Manor would you like altered. I’m sure Emily Alton has ideas up her sleeve for a refresh.

[Trooper Looper]

19 hours ago, Theme Park Fanatic said:

It appears Alton Manor is set for an overhaul!! Personally I hope a proper scene is added to the Hide and Seek,former giants lair,scene following the Vortex Tunnel. With this scene changed Alton Manor could be Europes best Dark Ride. @Trooper Looper I know this information will be music to your ears. Your passion for Alton Manor and its predecessors is evident. Like myself I feel parts of the Alton Manor retheme are a downgrade of Duel.

 

@Trooper Looper what areas of Alton Manor do you hope are changed during the refurbishment? I’m shocked that Alton Towers have listened to guest feedback and are undertaking changes less than a year after Alton Manor’s initial opening. It’s rare that disappointments at the Merlin Theme Parks are addressed so quickly.

@Theme Park Fanatic If the refurbishment does ever occur, I think my list of what needs to be done would be pretty damn long to be honest. I know a big number of families (even my own) are saying it's a bit the story was a bit unnecessarily dark for a family ride, that and the ride segment is a bit too scary for quite a few kids. I wouldn't really change the overall lighting apart from the dining hall. The new lighting in there ruins the mirror effect.

 

Some of these choices of mine are optional, but I'd fix up the window on the facade and clean it up a bit. I know its supposed to look old, but I personally think they overdid it a bit.

 

I'd change the Preston video and effects. I'd like the chandeliers back on flickering, it's very dark in there and you miss a lot of details, and tone down the actual backstory it tells you in there. Instead of Emily killing her parents, why not she simply disappears without a trace?

 

I'd remove a lot of the UV words in the station and ride segment, they look really cheap to me personally.

 

In terms of the props, I'd have a lot of different things here. The ride pretty much only has Emily, dolls, a hooded ghost, and some spiders, there not really unique and the lack of variety makes the ride pretty boring after a while. Duel/The Haunted House had a wonderful variety of ghouls/creatures, each scene offered something different from the others, which the ride severely lacks now personally apart from a few exceptions such as the Mirror Corridor. I'd remove half of the dolls in the attic of Spiders and add more spiders in there hanging down. I'd bring back the flying demon in the Grand Hall, but make it make sense in there with the story. I'd redo the trommel area and replace the fireplace with something a little more memorable.

 

I think the Hide N Seek scene needs a lot of work. What a lot of people want is for it to go back to the giant lair, but have the hands be Emily's as if she's trying to find you in the house.

 

The screaming heads needs new heads and sound effects apart from the last one which breathes smoke. The new heads need to be smaller/lighter since I hear the reason the mechanisms are so slow is because the new heads are too heavy. I'd have the new heads share the same style of the original ones but still being different and unique from one another.

 

I think the Garden is very cluttered now with stick props. I'd get the old peppers ghost effect back in the hearse and replace the figure that jumps out with something like the cackling man, or why not a possessed person?

 

As for the finale, I think too much happens in there. I'd remove the hand cloth, it doesn't scare anyone, though mint sure what id do in there.

 

Let me know your thoughts!

[Benin]

There's a lot of "make it like the original version" in there again.

 

Think most people could've figured out Sub Terra was going to reopen given all the work happening around it. Plus it was a rumour every year since it shut in the first place. Do think that people place way too much value on the words of specific coaster influencers these days. Almost to the detriment of forming their own opinions.

 

Sure they've got a list of improvements to make, given John Burton had been spotted around the ride and all the various surveys again not a difficult assumption to make. Depends what budget and plans are available if it makes much difference. 

[Cornflakes]

2 hours ago, Trooper Looper said:

@Theme Park Fanatic I know a big number of families (even my own) are saying it's a bit the story was a bit unnecessarily dark for a family ride, that and the ride segment is a bit too scary for quite a few kids.

[Citation Needed]

[Matt N]

Each to their own, of course, but I think one thing that’s important to remember is that The Curse at Alton Manor is a very different proposition to The Haunted House or Duel, so things like a lack of unique ghouls/characters in the ride probably doesn’t matter as much, or could even be a conscious choice.

 

Unlike its predecessors, Curse has a storyline centred around the personal narrative of one central character (Emily Alton), so there’s bound to be less distinct “characters” in it than were featured in the ride’s predecessors by virtue of that.

 

I’d also say that in terms of how scary the ride is, I don’t necessarily think that the ride is unduly dark for a family or family thrill ride. Many family rides have rather dark themes and elements of fear; things like Tower of Terror and Revenge of the Mummy are very popular family or family thrill rides with pretty dark themes and horror elements, and even The Haunted House itself was pretty scary, from what I can ascertain from anecdotes.

 

In terms of personal choices for improvements, the main things I would change are the Hide and Seek scene and the Screaming Heads scene. Both scenes definitely lack something for me.

[coasterverse]

When people speak fondly of Duel/The Haunted House, I know for certain it comes from a place of nostalgia and not because it was simply a better attraction. I took some time yesterday to watch POV's from both Duel and The Curse and I can say with absolute certainty that The Curse is by far the superior attraction.

 

I don't think the storyline is too dark at all. I've ridden the attraction multiple times, and if it wasn't for reading the forums I'd never have grasped onto the idea that Emily killed her parents. It's not as if it's being told to you in black and white - if that was the case then yes I absolutely would agree with you that that's probably too dark for a ride in a predominantly family theme park - would work for Thorpe Park, but certainly not Alton Towers. It's only 'too dark' if you research into the lore of the attraction, which is something that most members of the general public will not.

 

On a surface level, The Curse is simply just a horror cliché attraction - abandoned house with creepy possessed girl haunting it. It really doesn't get any more cliché than that.

 

I'd also be willing to bet that there's been no significant increase in families being scared and kids running out of the attraction crying than when it was The Haunted House or Duel. Most of these kids going in have probably been persuaded by their parents or simply don't know what the attraction exactly involves - something that also would've been the case with both previous iterations of the attraction. Those that know what the attraction is and experience it for what it is at a surface level won't have such a visceral reaction to it.

 

In terms of changes, I don't think there's much that needs to be done.

• Yes, the hide and seek scene needs to go. It doesn't work. It either needs a final jumpscare right at the very end of the scene to make it impactful, or needs to be totally overhauled and dismiss the 'hide and seek' idea altogether.
• The flying heads scene is also genuinely awful. No sound effects or anything to entice you to look up - on my first runthrough I thought it was just another hide and seek type scene, until right at the very end I decided to look up and saw that I had missed. Again, I think this scene either needs proper lighting and sound design to get people to look up (maybe even pieces of hanging string that you pass through which brushes against your head, causing you to look up? That's a classic trick used by old ghost trains) or totally gutting and installing another brand new scene. To be fair I think the latter would be the best option as the 'flying heads' scene has already been done in both The Haunted House and Duel.
• The hand projection mapping on the leadup to the finale is barely visible. I get what they were trying to do, but again it just doesn't work. Perhaps another full-scale prop inside that area instead? Maybe one that's on some sort of mechanical arm that causes it to pop up for a jumpscare.

I think everything else works exactly as intended. This ride really is a credit to John Burton and his team of creatives. What they managed to get done in such a short timeframe is nothing short of majorly impressive.

[Mark9]

It must be an absolutely fantastic ride if it's already being overhauled. 

[Cornflakes]

Where has the rumour of a full overhaul actually come from? The ride is great and if the people I rode with the other day are any indication it’s a real crowd pleaser. I’m sure adjustments will be made as they are with every dark ride in their first off season, but rumours of a full on overhaul seem a bit silly.

[coasterverse]

Definitely won't be an overhaul - an overhaul of certain scenes, sure. But a complete overhaul? No chance.

[Benin]

42 minutes ago, Cornflakes said:

Where has the rumour of a full overhaul actually come from? The ride is great and if the people I rode with the other day are any indication it’s a real crowd pleaser. I’m sure adjustments will be made as they are with every dark ride in their first off season, but rumours of a full on overhaul seem a bit silly.

 

Some YouTuber mentioned it and as such it's gone overboard as people jump over themselves to present opinions as facts as to why its a FAILURE OF AN ATTRACTION rather than a simple solid addition to the park.

[iEddiez]

Morning all,

Had my first rides on Curse this weekend and I have to say I was blown away. Such a great addition to the park. Some areas could do with a bit of a rethink, the pitch black corners with rumbling for example.

The skull screen which I actually found online a few years ago for a Planet Coaster ride felt a bit of a cop out.

The finale also felt a bit of a let down as it's so light in there. Could do with blocking off that room with bang doors or something to really keep the light out.

 

Saying that though as soon as we exited, we went straight back around for another go!