The ride originally opened in 1992 as ”[[The Haunted House (Alton Towers)|The Haunted House]]”, before a retheme as ”[[Duel – The Haunted House Strikes Back!]]” with the addition of interactive laser shooting in 2003. The same ride system and building was re-used for ”The Curse at Alton Manor” with a new theme and scenes.<ref name=”DRdb”></ref><ref name=”:0″>{{Cite web |last=Loops&Lapbars |date=2023-04-05 |title=The Curse at Alton Manor – A Review |url=https://loopsandlapbars.com/2023/04/05/the-curse-at-alton-manor-a-review/ |access-date=2025-10-07 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Bea |title=”The Curse at Alton Manor”: Alton Towers shares first look at new spooky dark ride |url=https://blooloop.com/theme-park/news/alton-towers-curse-at-alton-manor-dark-ride/ |access-date=2025-10-07 |website=blooloop.com |language=en}}</ref>
The ride originally opened in 1992 as ”[[The Haunted House (Alton Towers)|The Haunted House]]”, before a retheme as ”[[Duel – The Haunted House Strikes Back!]]” with the addition of interactive laser shooting in 2003. The same ride system and building was re-used for ”The Curse at Alton Manor” with a new theme and scenes.<ref name=”DRdb”></ref><ref name=”:0″>{{Cite web |last=Loops&Lapbars |date=2023-04-05 |title=The Curse at Alton Manor – A Review |url=https://loopsandlapbars.com/2023/04/05/the-curse-at-alton-manor-a-review/ |access-date=2025-10-07 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Bea |title=”The Curse at Alton Manor”: Alton Towers shares first look at new spooky dark ride |url=https://blooloop.com/theme-park/news/alton-towers-curse-at-alton-manor-dark-ride/ |access-date=2025-10-07 |website=blooloop.com |language=en}}</ref>
When it was Duel the ride experience was starting with guests queuing past gravestones in a wooded area, before entering into the porch of the house. The interior queue meanders through a preshow set, depicting a darkly-lit Victorian entrance hall and drawing room. These detailed scenes feature a number of haunted illusion, accompanied by themed aroma and ambience. The second room is also slanted at an angle to disorientate guests as they walk through.
Many of the illusions featured in this room were removed or altered in the 2003 refurbishment. This included the removal of the optical moving-eye portraits, to be replaced by TV screens playing a backstory & instructional video.
In the station, riders board one of the vehicles. Once beyond the platform, the vehicles accelerate away from one another to take riders into the scenes individually. The first scene takes riders past cracking stone walls that appear to move with the sound of thunder. This leads to the Grand Hall, where a stone bust jumps out at riders (added in 2003). The hallway appears seemingly empty hallway, before suddenly a large demon appears overhead between two columns. This effect was originally achieved with a parallel mirror illusion and timed lighting. Following the Duel refurbishment, the original timed lighting was removed, revealing the mirrors and the demon as it pivots out from its start position. The car swerves right into a dark corner, where the demon re-appears holding a knife and a large rat.
The car travels into a stone chamber and turns to face a large skull-shaped effigy, passing flickering flambeaux torches. Through the skull’s mouth is a large rotating trommel tunnel to give riders the sensation of turning upside down. A zombie jump scare was added to shock riders before entering the tunnel. Since the Duel changeover, the splitting head from later in the ride was moved to the end of the tunnel.
A stone passage continues around corners with large Gothic windows either side. Zombies reach out from the windows towards riders (previously large fang-toothed ghouls), before the car passes the largest window with ghosts appearing to move behind the glass. Originally this scene featured giant hands reaching through the windows, before passing a giant staring face.
The next scene takes riders through a dark chamber where multiple zombies jump out at riders, before weaving past large spiders. The scene ends with a giant-sized spider suspended overhead.
Riders then enter a corridor where a skeleton pulls a lever on a fusebox, turning out the lights. This scene, as originally built, featured a large phantom that appeared from behind riders and flew overhead down a track. This was removed after its first year and a new scene featuring skeletons replaced it in 1993. Many of the effects were hidden by gauze scrims, to reveal each small scene with a lighting change as the car passed. Features included a skeleton on a toilet and a skeleton with a bomb. Several years later, some of these effects were removed and the set removed; it has remained this way since, other than a witch added in 2003.
The car then turns through a series of tight bends in the dark, as ghoulish heads appear to fly overhead, using a UV-strobe effect.
Riders then to travel into a garden at night, at which point the car slowed down. A crashed hearse could be seen ahead, with an undertaker character gesturing to come closer. A ghost is seen flying out of the open coffin inside the hearse, using a Pepper’s Ghost illusion. Further into the garden, a troll-like monster leaps out from a small cave on the right, laughing. A statue of Death in robes stands at the end of the garden, as riders passed under an archway. A part-collapsed column came into view behind this arch, which unexpectedly turns to reveal a tall, thin demon shrieking inside. From here the cars accelerate to full speed and pass through open doors into the finale.
The car winds through an industrial basement where multiple zombies appear from barrels, windows and overhead on gantries. This scene replaced the original finale, in which riders turned through a rocky gorge as serpentine creatures and possessed faces appear from the rocks and overhead.
==Development==
==Development==
Ghost train dark ride
| The Curse at Alton Manor | |
|---|---|
The entrance sign for The Curse at Alton Manor |
|
| Area | Gloomy Wood |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | 18 March 2023 |
| Replaced | Duel – The Haunted House Strikes Back! |
| Attraction type | Dark ride, haunted attraction |
| Manufacturer | Mack Rides |
| Designer | Merlin Magic Making |
| Theme | Haunted |
| Capacity | 1,920 riders per hour |
| Vehicle type | Car |
| Vehicles | 35 |
| Riders per vehicle | 6 |
| Rows | 2 |
| Riders per row | 3 |
| Duration | 6 minutes 15 seconds |
 Fastrack, Ride Access Pass available |
|
 Must transfer from wheelchair |
|
 Assistive listening available |
|
The Curse at Alton Manor is a dark ride at the Alton Towers theme park near the village of Alton in Staffordshire, England, opened on 18 March 2023.[1] There is a minimum height restriction of 0.9 metres. Guests under 1.1 metres must be accompanied by an adult.[2][3]
The ride originally opened in 1992 as The Haunted House, before a retheme as Duel – The Haunted House Strikes Back! with the addition of interactive laser shooting in 2003. The same ride system and building was re-used for The Curse at Alton Manor with a new theme and scenes.[2][4][5]
When it was Duel the ride experience was starting with guests queuing past gravestones in a wooded area, before entering into the porch of the house. The interior queue meanders through a preshow set, depicting a darkly-lit Victorian entrance hall and drawing room. These detailed scenes feature a number of haunted illusion, accompanied by themed aroma and ambience. The second room is also slanted at an angle to disorientate guests as they walk through.
Many of the illusions featured in this room were removed or altered in the 2003 refurbishment. This included the removal of the optical moving-eye portraits, to be replaced by TV screens playing a backstory & instructional video.
In the station, riders board one of the vehicles. Once beyond the platform, the vehicles accelerate away from one another to take riders into the scenes individually. The first scene takes riders past cracking stone walls that appear to move with the sound of thunder. This leads to the Grand Hall, where a stone bust jumps out at riders (added in 2003). The hallway appears seemingly empty hallway, before suddenly a large demon appears overhead between two columns. This effect was originally achieved with a parallel mirror illusion and timed lighting. Following the Duel refurbishment, the original timed lighting was removed, revealing the mirrors and the demon as it pivots out from its start position. The car swerves right into a dark corner, where the demon re-appears holding a knife and a large rat.
The car travels into a stone chamber and turns to face a large skull-shaped effigy, passing flickering flambeaux torches. Through the skull’s mouth is a large rotating trommel tunnel to give riders the sensation of turning upside down. A zombie jump scare was added to shock riders before entering the tunnel. Since the Duel changeover, the splitting head from later in the ride was moved to the end of the tunnel.
A stone passage continues around corners with large Gothic windows either side. Zombies reach out from the windows towards riders (previously large fang-toothed ghouls), before the car passes the largest window with ghosts appearing to move behind the glass. Originally this scene featured giant hands reaching through the windows, before passing a giant staring face.
The next scene takes riders through a dark chamber where multiple zombies jump out at riders, before weaving past large spiders. The scene ends with a giant-sized spider suspended overhead.
Riders then enter a corridor where a skeleton pulls a lever on a fusebox, turning out the lights. This scene, as originally built, featured a large phantom that appeared from behind riders and flew overhead down a track. This was removed after its first year and a new scene featuring skeletons replaced it in 1993. Many of the effects were hidden by gauze scrims, to reveal each small scene with a lighting change as the car passed. Features included a skeleton on a toilet and a skeleton with a bomb. Several years later, some of these effects were removed and the set removed; it has remained this way since, other than a witch added in 2003.
The car then turns through a series of tight bends in the dark, as ghoulish heads appear to fly overhead, using a UV-strobe effect.
Riders then to travel into a garden at night, at which point the car slowed down. A crashed hearse could be seen ahead, with an undertaker character gesturing to come closer. A ghost is seen flying out of the open coffin inside the hearse, using a Pepper’s Ghost illusion. Further into the garden, a troll-like monster leaps out from a small cave on the right, laughing. A statue of Death in robes stands at the end of the garden, as riders passed under an archway. A part-collapsed column came into view behind this arch, which unexpectedly turns to reveal a tall, thin demon shrieking inside. From here the cars accelerate to full speed and pass through open doors into the finale.
The car winds through an industrial basement where multiple zombies appear from barrels, windows and overhead on gantries. This scene replaced the original finale, in which riders turned through a rocky gorge as serpentine creatures and possessed faces appear from the rocks and overhead.
Development
After an initial teaser, Duel closed on 6 September 2022 and its replacement was announced as The Curse at Alton Manor the following January.[6][7][8] Later details revealed that the ride’s new premise would revolve around a character named Emily Alton, based on the little Victorian ghost girl that inhabited a dollhouse in the queue area of both the Haunted House and Duel.[9][10][11] A main theme of the ride is that her spirit seeks revenge for being left alone and neglected in the house.[9] The ride and surrounding grounds include several easter eggs, such as gravestones memorialising former rides.[12][13][14]
The ride was intended to be closer to the original Haunted House than Duel.[15][16] As part of the renovation, the laser guns and targets were removed and the ride vehicles restored to six seats. The attraction officially opened to the public on 18 March 2023.[2][17] It includes performers and props around the house, as well as the ride inside.[4]
Responses
Coasters on the Coast said the ride was spooky and that the theme was stronger than in the previous ride, Duel, which had occupied the same location. The reviewer concluded, “It is our favourite dark ride in the UK. It’s beautiful, spooky and atmospheric.”[18] A year later, the site said the ride still held up, with the reviewer noting a number of new details that became apparent on a second visit.[19] Ride Rater gave it 3.5 stars, saying it was “a solid and commendable reincarnation of a classic” ride.[20]
Writing for Back to the Movies, Sean Evans said: “The Curse At Alton Manor has blown me away.” He said the ride exceeded other dark rides in the UK, and compared the theme and details to Phantom Manor at Disneyland.[14] Dayna Farrington, writing for Birmingham Mail said she had found her “new favourite haunted house”.[21]
Writing in The Liverpool Echo, Emily Sleight said, “For those of you into horror films, ‘The Curse at Alton Manor’ is essentially like stepping inside of one, creepy dolls and all.”[22] Theme Park Insanity said, “Alton Towers’ NEW Haunted House really is the UK’s answer to The Haunted Mansion!”[23]
In Derbyshire Times, Katie Brooks said, “It’s probably the best haunted house in the UK and much scarier than the Haunted Mansion at Disney World or Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris.”[24]
References
External links
52°59′20″N 1°53′04″W / 52.98897°N 1.884314°W
