When you visit Alton Towers you expect rainbows and bright colourful areas with pops of thrills nothing too spooky. Then you stumble across what can only be described as an old eerie manor that’s rather intriguing to enter. Yet you do and it turns out to be a house viewing of a house which is plagued by the little girl named Emily… I mean it’s a bit sus how it’s been available for viewings for a whole year yet nobody has taken it….. Long story short, I love The Curse and here are my opinions one year later…
Additional Scenes:
When this ride opened there was a distinct section which was sleek in how it was achieved the aim but a little too empty for viewing pleasures. It was the hide & seek area of the ride the audio was absolutely brilliant in making you feel Emily truly was playing the game with you. But there just wasn’t anything other than darkness in regards to visible theming. This section has been totally revised for the better. There are two brand new scenes where one side Emily is a pepper’s ghost effect the other a physical Emily. Both of these are what you’d expect from that area initially and done so beautifully well that it’s truly horrendous to look at. It’s made the ride feel quite finished now.
There’s also a spontaneous skull projection map mid-way through the ride. Personally, I don’t quite get the relation and I don’t think it suits the ride. It feels a very Valhalla-like effect that just throws me off a little. But again replenishing the vacant spaces is fair but I do think that should be something other than a skull maybe I’m forgetting the part of the story here? Please, feel free to fill me in if I am?
Existing Effects & Scenes:
The ride is in a really promising condition for being a year old. I can’t determine a single effect that’s not working if I’m honest. I have seen others’ observations on this saying otherwise but during our 3 rides, there wasn’t anything obvious at least. There’s definitely better lighting in particular areas and the audio is still incredibly fun. I’m still mind-blown by the gigantic Emily at the end and the jumps never fail to get me either. As someone who actively dislikes dolls and the whole attic-like aesthetic, this is my idea of paradise for scares. The team at Alton Towers have just put up a bar that little too elevated for future dark rides across the UK in my opinion.
The Queue & Pre-Show:
The extended queue wasn’t open but the little bit of theming there is the briefer version is overgrown and looking EXTRA eerie. Of course, this ride has some really favourable throughputs therefore it hardly has a queue longer than 10 minutes. During our visit, there were 2 breakdowns which lasted all over 2 minutes each time and the queue stuck around the identical size. This was the first visit since it opened we had time to admire the pre-show and wow. It’s insane to imagine how that once was to now. Again there were diminutive features I didn’t notice before like the hands in the fireplace. It all looks as good & fresh as the day it opened.
The Area Itself:
The area has maintained the roaming characters which was lovely to see. You never really know if they will stick but they did. Of course, to me, the area doesn’t feel all that distinct from the previous interpretation of Gloomy Woods. It’s somewhat the same. Which I do feel is what Towers have opted for if I’m honest as really The Curse is effectively like an expansion of Duel & the original Haunted House as Emily was around for both. So, I get the absence of drastic differences in the exterior of the ride.
Overall:
The Curse is THE best dark ride in the UK by a long shot. It has put the president a tad too high that I fear maybe other parks can’t quite beat it. I often feel this level of theming is almost Disney style and I absolutely love that. Those little links that make it comparable to Phantom Manor make it even more fun. I’ll forever be impressed by the sheer throughput of the ride as well like the ride simply eats the queues like it’s nothing. I also really respect the fact that the staff don’t force you with other groups when it comes to the vehicles. It’s very much if you wouldn’t mind sharing which I actually feel more places should do if I’m honest so hats off to Alton Towers staff.
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I hope this is a blog you’ve enjoyed and there’s plenty more Alton Towers content on the bill x