I’d like to preface this review with two things, firstly I really liked Duel and never rode the original Haunted House. Secondly, I’ve only ridden The Curse at Alton Manor twice, so I might not have seen everything the attraction has to offer.
With that being said, The Curse at Alton Manor is a great ride, but not perfect. The ride takes place inside the same show building that Duel (and The Haunted House before it) used and follows the same track layout. The biggest difference between Duel and Curse at Alton Manor is the lack of guns, so no shooting this time around.
The set pieces use a few of the old Duel props such as the walls that move, giant spiders, a few smaller props as well as the old trommel tunnel which now works properly. Otherwise there are a lot of new props built into entierly new scenes. I’m not going to spoil anything that goes on in any of the scenes as it’s best ridden without know what’s coming, but I will say there is one effect mid ride that gives Hex a run for its money with how it messes with your orientation!
The story of the attraction is that Emily Alton lived with her parents at Alton Manor and on new year’s eve of 1892 a storm hits the house and supposedly kills everyone with Emily disappearing. The preshow tells you all this and then goes on to have Emily tell you exactly what happened. I’ll leave that for you to see as it’s a great preshow in itself.
The first time we rode it, I got off thinking that I did enjoy it but it was little bit overhyped. There are some great effects used in the attraction and the story is excellent but the ride itself seems to run a bit poorly. Our first ride kept stopping and I didn’t know whether it was part of the ride or not. Our second run was much better as the car continues to move throughout the ride and didn’t stop once, but I noticed that some scenes didn’t play the same as they did earlier. Now I hope this is intentional as this makes the ride very reridable and I hope it’s not the case that the attraction wasn’t working correctly.
It’s difficult to say how I truly feel about The Curse at Alton Manor as I didn’t get off with the same kind of excitement as I did when I first got off Gangsta Granny or Hex but I much prefer the story and set pieces of The Curse at Alton Manor. I really, really enjoyed Duel and I think that’s what makes it so difficult to say if it’s good or great when compared with Duel or the other dark rides I’ve mentioned. It’s definitely good and I can’t wait to get back on it but I wasn’t blown away with it like a lot of people have been. I think this one will certainly take a few rerides to fully take it all in and help me properly make up my mind!
The area outside the ride is great though as it now features live actors and props that really add to the charm of the attraction. The same can be said for the shop as you exit. This has had a good bit of attention and is inkeeping with the ride and area’s theme so you never lose the immersion of being in the Alton Manor during the events of the curse.
We’ll be back in a couple of weeks for Festival of Thrills and I’ll make sure to have another ride or two to try and cement what I feel about the ride. It took a few rerides of Flight of the Sky Lion to fully appreciate that, so maybe it’s the same here. For now though, I enjoyed The Curse at Alton Manor and look forward to trying it again throughout the season!
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