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Duel at Alton Towers closing on 6th September - retheme or refurbishment for 2023?

Nitefly said:
I don’t have much hope for a trackless dark ride. I would guess that any modern upgrade will be using the fair but unremarkable Gangsta Granny tech…. or the Jumanji dark ride vehicles.

I don’t really think a haunted house style ride needs a fancy vehicle ride type anyway.

No screens please.
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Chances are they will be retaining the same ride system. As great as a trackless or an Oceaneering system like Jumanji in that building would be, it's supposed to be reopening in March 2023, so unless they've got one hell of a construction team, I'm expecting the same ride system, just rethemed.
 
Matt N said:
Chances are they will be retaining the same ride system. As great as a trackless or an Oceaneering system like Jumanji in that building would be, it's supposed to be reopening in March 2023, so unless they've got one hell of a construction team, I'm expecting the same ride system, just rethemed.
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It's a good ride system too. As Nitefly said, a haunted house doesn't need anything else... It's a people eater, and they can add whatever triggers they like to the track. Perfect.
 
I really don't think a trackless system is particularly needed

having ridden 2 of Europes best ghost trains this year - Hotel psycho at Prater and Bla Taget at Grona Lund possible developments I'd like to see:-

have the cars rotate and go backwards for sections like Hotel Psycho's ride systems, which also creates disorientation - especially in heavily strobed scenes

have in car effects like moving floors (like someone thumping underneath) back pokers, in car compressed air and speakers like Bla Taget.
 
I'm pretty gutted about this, mainly because I'm really good at Duel! I spent ages learning where the highest scoring demons are. If they do close it in Sept I won't have time to get any last rides on it either :(

Sure, some of the FX haven't worked for a while, but in terms of the shooting action it was one of the most responsive. If you approached Duel like a game rather than a ride, it was fantastic.

We visited Alton the day after I played 2 shows in Nov last year and my entire body was initially too achey for stuff like Nemesis, so we rode Duel 3 times that morning and had a great time doing so. The ride has always made for a really nice breather between coasters.

Intregued to see what will happen next. Alton have often tied a new ScareFest maze to an upcoming new attraction, so part of me wonders if Duel is closing in Sept and something will happen in the Duel space for Scarefest, which will build up to the announcement of the refurbishment.

All I ask is:

- No / minimal screens
- No VR
- No IP
- The "Neeeuuurghhh!" sound effect to remain 🙏
 
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Personally, I would keep a similar haunted house-type concept, but get rid of or change most of the ride itself. I wouldn’t keep exactly the same scenes as exist now.

In terms of some of the changes I’d make:
  • I’d apply a bit more of a clear narrative. I know the HH never really had a narrative, but I do feel that some sort of more nuanced story might benefit a modern take on this ride style. I think the concept has a lot of potential if you take a narrative-driven route!
  • I’d perhaps make it a tad less reliant on jumpscares. I’d still have jumpscares in there, but I’d try and employ other immersive techniques as well that focus more on building ambience rather than out and out scaring. Maybe some smoke or smell pods might help there? Or some animatronics that don’t scare per se, but maybe just move in a weird fashion to add to the eerie vibe?
  • I’d add a new soundtrack in there that’s slightly more atmospheric than the more dramatic video game-type one they play now, which I think is more befitting of the Duel ride experience than an ambient haunted house-style ride. I actually quite like the current exterior soundtrack in Gloomy Wood and wouldn’t be averse to that continuing to play, but I reckon a nice ambient IMAScore track would do well on the ride itself.
  • I’m not too sure on specific scenes, but I don’t think I’d keep them as they are now. I’d try and pay homage to some of the ideas of the HH, but I wouldn’t be keen on keeping the exact same scenes and props like some are keen for.
But overall, my personal hope is that they do something mostly new that leans on the same sort of concept rather than a flat out “revival” of the HH that uses exactly the same scenes, exactly the same props, exactly the same soundtrack etc.
 
I'm one of those old farts who rode the original quite a lot in the '90s and hated that they "ruined" the Haunted House by adding zombies and guns.

I'm not saying they should go back to the old ride since too many people will see it as a downgrade, but a more high-tech version of a traditional ghost train (without screens!) could be very good. I'd love to get the old soundtrack back though, or at least elements of it.
 
gavin said:
I'm one of those old farts who rode the original quite a lot in the '90s and hated that they "ruined" the Haunted House by adding zombies and guns.

I'm not saying they should go back to the old ride since too many people will see it as a downgrade, but a more high-tech version of a traditional ghost train (without screens!) could be very good. I'd love to get the old soundtrack back though, or at least elements of it.
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I like both versions of the ride. I loved the HH, one of my earliest memories of Towers is being E-stopped right next to the undertaker throwing the big power switch, and thinking it was part of the ride at first. But I equally enjoy the game element of Duel.

It's such a well themed building from the outside, that I honestly can't see them taking it in any other direction. It would be such a waste.
 
Matt N said:
I’d apply a bit more of a clear narrative. I know the HH never really had a narrative, but I do feel that some sort of more nuanced story might benefit a modern take on this ride style. I think the concept has a lot of potential if you take a narrative-driven route!
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As long as its not too narrative driven - one reason I prefer the original haunted mansion to Phantom Manor is that the story is a bit more mysterious whilst PM over-eggs the back story so much it's actually more confusing that just a series of random spooky things happening in a haunted house.

Or have various narratives - one thing that is often sited in paranormal investigating is a building having 'layers' i.e. stuff that happened on the land before any buildings, a building that used to be on the site to the current building - and all the tragedies that happened there:- ghosts from the 1500's, ghosts from the 1800s etc - like an anthology ghost story all in one package!
 
Jamesss said:
Just a high-quality haunted house ride focusing on theme and story would be great. No IPs, no screens.
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No IPs?! Isn't it clear that by This is my House the new theme of the ride will be around the Bill Bailey show where people claim that a certain house belongs to them! They'll be replacing that statue of the zombie outside with a Bill Bailey statue!

On a more serious note i'll be visiting Towers on the 3rd for my last rides on Duel so i'll be interested to see what state the ride's going to be in that day being one of it's last!!
 
EDjanaika said:
No IPs?! Isn't it clear that by This is my House the new theme of the ride will be around the Bill Bailey show where people claim that a certain house belongs to them! They'll be replacing that statue of the zombie outside with a Bill Bailey statue!

On a more serious note i'll be visiting Towers on the 3rd for my last rides on Duel so i'll be interested to see what state the ride's going to be in that day being one of it's last!!
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Bringing it to a less serious note again for a second, my initial thoughts wandered to 'The Conjuring 2' as the IP with the 'This is My House' line, but yeah it's highly unlikely to be anything to do with that.

But back to a serious note again, I agree with what most have said here really... It's great that they're looking at possibly taking it back to something more classic, and please for the love of theme parks... no screens. Please.
 
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I kinda wish it said "this is our house now" instead! Imagine a Madness-inspired, 21st version of 'Nights in white satin' in 'Ska-ry wood'.

I could see a simple trackless re-fit, with it basically following the same layout until the final scene where the walls could be removed and some evil villain is trying to possess the cars, with one breaking off to the station as the next arrives from the layout.
 
supersion said:
Bringing it to a less serious note again for a second, my initial thoughts wandered to 'The Conjuring 2' as the IP with the 'This is My House' line, but yeah it's highly unlikely to be anything to do with that.

But back to a serious note again, I agree with what most have said here really... It's great that they're looking at possibly taking it back to something more classic, and please for the love of theme parks... no screens. Please.
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I had exactly the same thought r.e. Conjuring 2 - I too thought its highly unlikely - but as someone pointed out on social media - this is Merlin and they've used the SAW franchise etc before, So who knows - on a personal level I love the conjuring franchise - so its an IP id get behind and if they used the whole franchise - theres a lot of material to work with!

 
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Dar said:
I kinda wish it said "this is our house now" instead! Imagine a Madness-inspired, 21st version of 'Nights in white satin' in 'Ska-ry wood'.

I could see a simple trackless re-fit, with it basically following the same layout until the final scene where the walls could be removed and some evil villain is trying to possess the cars, with one breaking off to the station as the next arrives from the layout.
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Alton Towers was the first place I saw Madness live, and fell in love with them, after years and years of my Dad trying to sway me. I was working Guest Services during the BT buyout in 2003, and got to finish early. Saw Madness and Status Quo from the security pit in front of the stage. Madness live genuinely blew me away.
 
So in theory this has closed today. It’s a little odd that there has been no official communication around this from what I’ve seen?

No post from Alton hyping up the chance to get your last rides in or at least giving the GP the heads up Duel will be closed.
 
Swat said:
So in theory this has closed today. It’s a little odd that there has been no official communication around this from what I’ve seen?

No post from Alton hyping up the chance to get your last rides in or at least giving the GP the heads up Duel will be closed.
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It did indeed close today. I wouldn't like to link to them without knowing where they originated from, but photos are now circulating online of the doors being boarded up with wooden planks and a sign saying about the property having been "repossessed" being hung outside the building.

I too was somewhat surprised at the lack of advance notice, but history would suggest that Alton Towers are not traditionally the most forthcoming when it comes to announcing attraction closures. Only Corkscrew and Black Hole ever received lots of advance notice and a proper closure event; even things like The Flume and Toyland Tours closed without any prior warning, and the original Haunted House didn't close with a lot of warning aside from a banner outside advertising that Duel was coming in 2003.
 
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