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Ride Profile
queue line floor vibrates, before she explodes into a purple cloud that extends beyond the confines of the doll’s house and kills her parents and their party guests in the process. This is synchronised with the room being illuminated by UV lights which reveal the entire space to be covered in messages from Emily, conveying her troubled nature. The room then resets to the faint sound of Emily giggling. Guests exit the room through a doorway beneath a portrait of Henry and Elizabeth Alton, which shows Emily cowering in the background. This leads into the ride’s station, where the remnants of the party can still be seen, with streamers stretching from wall-to-wall across the room and a Happy New Year banner hanging above where the ride vehicles exit from the station and move into the main ride layout. In some places, the wallpaper is peeling away, revealing yet more messages from Emily. As a result of the interactive element being removed, the ride vehicles once again seat six guests, with the middle seat on the back row reinstated. It is therefore understood that the ride has a capacity of around 1500 guests per hour, making it one of, if not the highest, capacity rides in the theme park.
After climbing on-board a carriage, it is time for guests to journey even further into Alton Manor. As the ride gets underway, it is as if guests are transported back to 1891, moments before midnight as the ‘storm of supernatural proportions’ instigated by Emily engulfs the manor. One of the first scenes remains the Great Hall, where the charred skeletons of the party guests pulse with purple energy, while a ghostly Emily appears off ahead before disappearing in a flash of a light. The next major scene incorporates a functional trommel tunnel, with this element having been static for several years up until Duel’s closure. The tunnel is
utilised upon the ride taking guests through a giant fireplace. Shortly after, guests find Emily waiting ahead with her silhouette transforming into a demonic creature as she prepares to play a game of hide and seek with guests. The carriage then journeys through a section of complete darkness, where Emily can be periodically heard, as if following guests.
Moving beyond, the ride travels through another of the more extensively themed sections – the manor’s attic. Here guests are tormented by dolls and spiders, with Emily heard asking “are you scared of spiders?”, as her silhouette contorts into a spider.
The next scene features one of the ride’s most effective tricks, as the carriage travels along a corridor of mirrors. As guests watch themselves in the mirrors, they find themselves momentarily disappearing from the carriage and instead being replaced by Emily.
Then, after another dark scene, this time featuring demon heads and figures lit up with UV, guests reach the garden. This elaborately themed area is now home to scarecrows, while the hearse is being pulled along by Emily’s rocking horse. Emily can be spotted on her swing before vanishing from sight. The final section of the ride then begins with Emily declaring that guests will
“look perfect in my doll’s house” with a lighting cue then synchronised with the carriage speeding up, as if guests are being shrunk down and pulled inside the doll’s house. Projections and screens are used to make it appear as though Emily is trying to grab riders, with the finale of the ride seeing a giant Emily crash through the doll’s house whilst screaming “you’re mine” in a last attempt to stop guests escaping.
After disembarking the ride, guests exit along a corridor covered in writing that repeats “you’re mine”. This leads guests into the ride’s gift shop, Attic of Antiquities. Here guests can firstly view and purchase their on-ride photo, while opposite the kiosk can be found a free photo opportunity in a newly opened-up space. Guests can sit in a giant rocking chair next to a portrait of Emily Alton, whose eyes seem to follow you around the room.
On sale within the shop is a variety of The Curse at Alton Manor themed merchandise including T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stationery and a compact mirror. There are also some more generic spooky items available to purchase. The retail space has been superbly themed, with small details such as Emily’s toy box and the positioning of the books which were previously attached to the carriages when the attraction operated as Duel atop the shelving cabinets. Meanwhile, multiple sets of dolls incorporating motion-activated effects suggest Emily isn’t quite finished haunting guests…
The Curse at Alton Manor successfully reinvigorates an existing attraction for a new generation through the use of modern-day technology and special effects.
MAY 2023
29
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