Favourite Dark Rides

[Tomatron]

I've been on too many dark rides to remember them all. But my favourite ones are the rides which don't ever have a dead spot - i.e. a dark section with no lights, sounds, or nothing sensory. There has to be constant stimulus. Droomvlucht, Maus Au Chocolat, Magical Power, Spiderman, the Sally dark ride at Terra Mitica that I can't remember the name of, etc etc.

I've been on a few Chinese ones which are ruined because of the lack of anything between each scene. The one at Joyland stuck out like a sore thumb.

 

[Rachel]

Some great ones mentioned already but my personal faves are -

-Transformers at Universal. Both this and Spiderman are fantastic, but Transformers slightly wins it for me. I think the theme of the film fits the ride type better. During my first go on Spiderman the sound went out of sync with the ride and it slightly ruined the illusion.

-Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. Just a complete surprise, I had no idea what to expect and it was great. So rough and jerky with a pretty decent storyline.

-Templo del Fuego at Port Aventura. Whilst more of a walkthrough attraction, again I had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised, the effects were brilliant.

-Bubbleworks at Chessington. Ive just got a little soft spot for it .

 

[Mushroom]

Soo... my favourite ones...

Hex at Alton. Obvious choice.
Maus au Chocalat at Phantasialand. Really like the concept and the way it is a shooter too.
Huntik at Rainbow MagicLand.
Challenge of Tutankhamon at Walibi Belgium. 3 different endings. Me and 10WaTT actually sat through the whole thing without shooting to just enjoy it.

-Bubbleworks at Chessington. Ive just got a little soft spot for it .

100% agree!

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

Dreamcred needs to change the 80s canteen station... It's such a contrast to the actual quality of the ride's theming to have THAT...

Forgot about Huntik <3

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I thought Fata Morgana was... just boring? Beautifully crafted sets but really nothing special. I feel like people just praise it because it's Efteling?

Maus Au Chocolat is also not as good as Toy Story IMO... I think the issue here is you guys interpret high quality physical scenery = good, without actually thinking if the thing is more enjoyable or not. Phantasialand's is glitchy, less physically dynamic, the guns don't work so well and the graphics poor. Yes it has beautiful physical scenery, but it's sort of lost because it's not the point of the attraction. Disney understood it wasn't needed. Disney's is much more high paced and exciting. That's not to say Maus isn't good, but it's no Toy Story.

I think the Spirit of London at Madame Tussauds is a fantastic underrated dark ride. It's certainly Tussauds greatest dark ride. It's a confined beautifully orchestrated, high themed journey that's appropriate to it's setting in a staggeringly wonderful way. The spaces and layers are really exciting to look at, and aren't merely sets, but feel very specific to the ride?

 

[ThomVD]

I thought Fata Morgana was... just boring? Beautifully crafted sets but really nothing special. I feel like people just praise it because it's Efteling?

You can have your own opinion of the ride, but that is a bit unreasonable to say. I've given fair reasons why I rank it so high in my opening post, so if you want to know why I love it, check it out :wink: . If you want to claim I love it because of my lack of experience, there's nothing I can say to counter it, but that doesn't take away that I think it's a brilliant ride in many aspects.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I thought Fata Morgana was... just boring? Beautifully crafted sets but really nothing special. I feel like people just praise it because it's Efteling?

You can have your own opinion of the ride, but that is a bit unreasonable to say. I've given fair reasons why I rank it so high in my opening post, so if you want to know why I love it, check it out :wink: . If you want to claim I love it because of my lack of experience, there's nothing I can say to counter it, but that doesn't take away that I think it's a brilliant ride in many aspects.

I read - actually you of anyone here I'm less critical of "liking it because it's Efteling" - that was more directed at Peep. But I understand because you were the initial poster why you red it was aimed at you - sorry, it was aimed at the Efteling ftw crowd of Britons - Peep, Nic. Those silly billies.

But I disagree with most of your points - I think it very much does feel like a giant building to me, the station in particular is a quiet, dim, creepily roofed box of depression. It's almost claustrophobic in an open way, like a supermarket with nothing in it, and whilst that is just the station it sets a bad mood for the rest of the ride. It doesn't have a sense of infinite space like, say, Pirates of the Caribbean does. It's length also contributed to my lacking appreciation of it - I wanted to get off and it just kept going. The story requires too much mental involvement, apparently, and it's got no physicality uniting rider to space.

Unfortunately, I've not ridden the park's other dark rides.

 

[ThomVD]

I thought Fata Morgana was... just boring? Beautifully crafted sets but really nothing special. I feel like people just praise it because it's Efteling?

You can have your own opinion of the ride, but that is a bit unreasonable to say. I've given fair reasons why I rank it so high in my opening post, so if you want to know why I love it, check it out :wink: . If you want to claim I love it because of my lack of experience, there's nothing I can say to counter it, but that doesn't take away that I think it's a brilliant ride in many aspects.

I read - actually you of anyone here I'm less critical of "liking it because it's Efteling" - that was more directed at Peep. But I understand because you were the initial poster why you red it was aimed at you - sorry, it was aimed at the Efteling ftw crowd of Britons - Peep, Nic. Those silly billies.

But I disagree with most of your points - I think it very much does feel like a giant building to me, the station in particular is a quiet, dim, creepily roofed box of depression. It's almost claustrophobic in an open way, like a supermarket with nothing in it, and whilst that is just the station it sets a bad mood for the rest of the ride. It doesn't have a sense of infinite space like, say, Pirates of the Caribbean does. It's length also contributed to my lacking appreciation of it - I wanted to get off and it just kept going. The story requires too much mental involvement, apparently, and it's got no physicality uniting rider to space.

Unfortunately, I've not ridden the park's other dark rides.

I agree with the station, and that's something more rides in Efteling suffer (*cough* Droomvlucht *cough*). Like every other park, Efteling has its flaws and I don't think it's ever going to be properly fixed, but I can forget about it once I'm on the ride.

I do love how the story can be interpreted in many ways. I've actually had some discussion with friends. I didn't actually think about the story until recently though, because as a kid I didn't even realise it had a proper story and it was just exciting and an adventure.

Nostalgia might influence my opinion on the ride, but even if I look at it more objectively, I adore it either way. I love it for different reasons than I did as a kid. Like I said, I used to love it for the sense of adventure, and because it was genuinely scary as a kid. Nowadays I love how gritty and dark it is, with some serious mature themes. I love the atmosphere. And then there's all the points I mentioned.

Of course we're not going to agree on this, but I just felt it's unfair to call people out for being biased because they don't share your opinion , but if you want people to give more arguments as to why they love it, then fair enough!

 

[Serena]

I thought Fata Morgana was... just boring? Beautifully crafted sets but really nothing special. I feel like people just praise it because it's Efteling?

If anything, Fata Morgana being at Efteling makes it less likely to be praised, as it's surrounded by the strong competition of Droomvlucht, Spookslot, Villa Volta... etc.

If Fata Morgana were at Blackpool Pleasure Beach for example, people wouldn't believe their eyes! They would make much more of a fuss over it because its depth and detail would stand out even more.

I found it a very nuanced ride. The way the mood changes as you drift through each scene is so subtle, and creates a real sense of mystery. In contrast to what Joey said about it feeling like a warehouse, I think the 'sectioning off' of the ride with closed doors to each scene made it feel intimate - like you were the only boat in existence, on your own private journey.

On the subject of Efteling, if The Flying Dutchman were an entire dark ride (as opposed to 50% amazing dark ride, 50% average cred) I'm pretty sure it would be the greatest dark ride ever made. :--D

 

[peep]

I thought Fata Morgana was... just boring? Beautifully crafted sets but really nothing special. I feel like people just praise it because it's Efteling?

Maus Au Chocolat is also not as good as Toy Story IMO... I think the issue here is you guys interpret high quality physical scenery = good, without actually thinking if the thing is more enjoyable or not. Phantasialand's is glitchy, less physically dynamic, the guns don't work so well and the graphics poor. Yes it has beautiful physical scenery, but it's sort of lost because it's not the point of the attraction. Disney understood it wasn't needed. Disney's is much more high paced and exciting. That's not to say Maus isn't good, but it's no Toy Story.

I think the Spirit of London at Madame Tussauds is a fantastic underrated dark ride. It's certainly Tussauds greatest dark ride. It's a confined beautifully orchestrated, high themed journey that's appropriate to it's setting in a staggeringly wonderful way. The spaces and layers are really exciting to look at, and aren't merely sets, but feel very specific to the ride?

I agree about the spirit of London, it's the part of Madame Tussauds that I always looked forward to. It's just so immersive and different.


I think Thom and Serena have made excellent points regarding Fata Morgana. Despite being a fan of dark rides I find a lot of them tedious and with a ridiculous poor finish yet with Morgana I really enjoy it. I like the realistically dark edge it has that most parks would just not include. The sheer scale and design of the ride is also amazing. Serena made an excellent point regarding the doors making you feel like you were the only group experiencing what is happening around you. I love the huge guarded gate scene.

Toy story mania, well, I'm flabagasted you think it's better than Maus. I've never found it glitchy (maybe you had some bad luck?) and I think the graphics hold up extremely well, especially as you're comparing it to something with like 100 times the budget. I think the only minor flaw is that by the end it feels a little repetitive but I feel the same with every interactive dark ride so it's not a problem? I actually think Toy Story mania is a little soulless, like the story is that you're just playing some average games you'd find on a boardwalk/pier/whatever whereas with Maus there is actually a story, the kitchen has been overtaken by mice and you have to try and get rid of them! It's simple, makes sense and is fun.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

To be wrong about Efteling, shame on me...

To be also wrong about Maus, shame on Joey...


Though I do agree on Fata's station, tis rather big and empty, exactly the same as Dreamcred... But in a way it makes the rest of the ride's detail so noticeable...

 

[SaiyanHajime]

Whats odd is that I don't remember much of this stuff you guys are saying of Fata Morgana - I conclude that if I don't remember much of an attraction, it couldn't have been that bad or that spectacular. I remember beautiful sets and the station, but literally nothing else other than it being long.

 

[Ben]

I haven't been to Efteling since 2006, but I don't remember a thing about Fata Morgana other than the music was fab.

Villa Volta on the other hand I remember really well and I loved that.

Dunno what that says?

Anyway, I don't think I've banged on about how much I like Transformers enough. I've only done the one in Singapore, but, it's so ridiculous good. I love the lifts, they're so clever and done so seamlessly. I think it might be my favourite dark ride in the World. The queue is so good as well. I just love it.

I'm going to say something REALLY controversial now - I prefer Universal's dark rides over Disney's. I guess because they're a bit more "thrilling", but, for me, Transformers, Spider-Man, Harry Potter and (if you count it), Mummy, are better than Mystic Manor, Indiana Jones and Dinosaur. Not to say that the Disney ones aren't great, I could just ride Universal's all day and it never get old.

Although, actually, Mystic Manor is freaking amazing and I want to bang on about how much I love it some more <3 the finale where it goes from the Chinese room in to the room with all the magic going back in the box is just, perfect. And it has the perfect blend of quirky humour and pure quality and it's just wonderful.

Dark rides are amazing, I love them. It's such a shame there's such a limited amount of REALLY good ones, and only a few parks really do them, but, when they're good, they're amazing. I'd rather ride the ones I've mentioned over 95% of coasters.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

On my recent visit to Phantasialand with Scarlet, I made sure to ride all the crap I missed when I last went. That underground Chinese Haunted Mansion ripoff is actually really fab. It's terrifyingly eerie because its a broken mess of awkwardly clanking animatronics in relative silence.

It shows how much in dire need that park is of a major new dark ride - because Maus and it's kin just aren't the same kind of thing. It's weird really that there's such a gap between those ANCIENT dark rides at Phantasia and Maus? Was there anything in the gap that's simply been removed?

Since we're on the subject of dark rides, I urge anyone who's not already following and supporting this documentary project about British dark rides to do so.

 

[ThomVD]

^ Not sure if you're sarcastic or not, but I agree that Geister Rikscha is kind of enjoyable in its own way. I would say the same about Hollywood Tour. They're both pretty crap, but they still have their own charm and atmosphere.

My first ride on Hollywood Tour was just me and my friend in a boat. It was totally deserted. I didn't see any ride op in the station either, so we just got in and the entire ride had a strange but haunting atmosphere that I haven't gotten on any other rides. I really liked it. Other times when I re-rode it with a full boat it didn't feel the same.

Geister Rikscha (the underground ghost ride) also had a very odd atmosphere, a bit like you described it. I feel that coasters are rarely good when they're crappy, while dark rides can still have their own charm or quirkyness, or just a unique atmosphere which makes them worth doing anyway.

Phantasialand definitely needs a dark ride yeah. Their coasters are all fab, the water rides are both top notch, the flats are incredible, they just need another high quality dark ride to add to Maus.

A different thing - I know I can't really judge yet, since I've only done Maus au Chocolat, but I just feel that 3D screens and that sort of stuff in dark rides doesn't appeal to me as much. I just feel like it loses its atmosphere. I don't really get much immersion with 3D screens. It can still be fun, but I just don't really feel like that's the sort of thing that I like. I can't help but getting the feeling that I'm staring at a screen, instead of actually being part of the ride. I love dark rides for their atmosphere mostly. I enjoyed Maus au Chocolat, but I didn't really get a dark ride feeling when I rode it. I'm more of a traditional dark ride guy I guess. Not saying I won't change my mind when I ride more high quality stuff though :wink: .

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I agree about screens - I kinda don't see the point. When I rode Toy Story I was shocked how much I enjoyed it, but I genuinely believe it is because the questionable firing mechanism is energetic and that creates enjoyment. Maus' wasn't as fluid. But with most screen based rides they're either incredibly dated (take the Atlantis thing at Phantasia, for example) or just poorly made.

Spiderman is... well, it's brilliant. I've not ridden Transformers yet, but I did do Darkastle at Busch Williamsburg before Spidey and have ridden it several times since. What makes Spiderman stand out is the pacing is dynamic and it's a very physical ride - I agree with Ben on that point. What sets the truly remarkable dark rides apart from the mass of Disney inspired boat-rides-through-pretty-scenery is physical engagement. Darkastle isn't physical enough and **** up all the time. I've had more rides on it go wrong than right.

I'll ride Gringott's soon, but my instinct prior to riding is that you can't combine pretend simulated falling with real roller coaster falling. I might be wrong, I might be very wrong, but I worry it'll make the simulated elements feel fake and the real elements feel out of place.

 

[Chris Coasters]

So many really good dark rides I have been on heres what I can think of off the top of my head.

Haunted House - Knoebels - I rode this alone and was literally terrified of it not going to lie such a fun classic ride feel to it though.
Spiderman - Universal Florida - Probably the second best dark ride I have been on such a good ride that fits in with Universals great lineup of dark rides and coasters.
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey - Islands of Adventure - Even though we got stuck on it, I had a blast.
Darkastle - Busch Gardens Williamsburg - Probably my favorite dark ride I have been on. Such a great ride through, wonderful theme like most of Busch has.
Mine of Lost Souls - Canobie Lake Park - It isn't really that good I just have a lot of fun times on this one.

If we are counting shooters also I have to give it to Ghostwood Estate at Kennywood probably my favorite shooter of all time.

 

[ECG]

I'm also a fan of dark rides and it's much harder for me to rank my top ten than it is for me to rank coasters, but I'll give it a try and name few that others have and a many they haven't.
There is no doubt of my #1: Nights In White Satin at Hard Rock Park. Nothing like it before and nothing like it since. I felt like I was tripping without doing any drugs. Simply amazing!
My second favorite is Gringotts. It's the perfect combination of dark ride and coaster (unlike Wonder Mountain's Guardian at Canada's Wonderland, which is good but lacking in many areas).
Third is Valhalla at Blackpool. So good that I can't believe I skipped it the first time I visited the park.
Fourth would be Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy at Disney Paris. Really like the entire thing (trackless cars, 3D and non-3D effects), especially the scale of everything that made me feel like a mouse.
Next up is Spiderman at IoA, which I still find to be better than the Transformers. Both are basically the same, but I think Spiderman just does it better.
El Laberinto del Minotauro/Labyrinth of the Minotaur at Terra Mitica is #6. So good I went back for a second ride after filming it without ever firing a shot in order to just soak it all in.
Seventh goes to Challenge of Mondor at Enchanted Forest. Dark, quirky and excellently executed. I've got to get a video of it posted sooner rather than later.
Numero Ocho is Forbidden Journey. Gringotts is a giant step above the original Harry Potter dark ride, but I love the use of the Kuka "Robocoaster" arms and the non-3D effects.
DarKastle at BGW before all the effects began to fail is next. Sure, it's way to pun-ny but that ride through the burning fireplace and swirling, smokey trip up the chimney was unforgettable. Too bad that those effects haven't worked in years.
Tenth goes to Thor's Hammer at TusenFryd. The ride entrance and cave setting is terrific, but the ride itself isn't as good.
I go back to Terra Mitica and the El Rescate de Ulises/Ulysses' Rescue water ride for #11. I really wish the park could get funding to update the ride to its former glory.
I'll round out an even dozen with Droomvlucht at Efteling. I didn't get to ride Fata Morgana when I was at the park as it was closed for the latest update at the time.
Honorable mentions have to go out to ToT at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Challenge of Tutankhamon at Walibi Belgium, Blå Tåget at Gröna Lund, Maus au Chocolat at Phantasialand and Scooby-Doo Ghostblasters at Six Flags St. Louis.
I'm not sure why I don't remember the ones at Gardaland. Were they not open when we went there for the CF Live?

 

[peep]

I'm surprised you rank Thors Hammer so highly. I found parts of it to be excellent (especially the fact it's in a real cave) but overall I was really disappointed by it, so much of the projected parts weren't working and when they did they didn't add a lot to the ride experience, where's the story? It was just a random flash of a different God on each screen with no reason for their existence or anything. The motion of the vehicles was also very poorly designed. I give the park A+ for effort but unfortunately they just failed on the overall experience.

 

[ECG]

^I mostly liked the overall feel and the transactions between the screen projections, which worked fine when Andrus, Katia and I rode it twice the day we visited the park, are really good. I don't think you can do much more to get everything in that they did and I could follow what was going on even though I don't understand Norwegian (much more than that new Witches Hotel one at Linnanmäki). It's definitely different than other dark rides out there and therefore gets a top ten nod, although just barely.