The Haunting

[Elise]

Didn't see any caps on Saturday but that sounds cool!!!

I think the Library needs revisiting during closed season. The portrait is seeming very dark recently making it hard to see.
No ghost projections either( Library or Chapel) and no floor movement in Library either

Chapel, unfortunately Agatha was laid to permanent rest on Saturday with her tomb sealed shut.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

Didn't see any caps on Saturday but that sounds cool!!!

I think the Library needs revisiting during closed season. The portrait is seeming very dark recently making it hard to see.
No ghost projections either( Library or Chapel) and no floor movement in Library either

Chapel, unfortunately Agatha was laid to permanent rest on Saturday with her tomb sealed shut.

The Haunting was awful yesterday with the skeleton corridor having no smoke and 1 of the skeletons not working.
The Library the ghost projectors didn’t work.
The mad house was the worst with the lights on the walls going on and off all the time, no ghost projectors working and the crypt at the end didn’t open.
Hopefully that will be updated over the winter as it’s the only attraction in frontier falls not open for the Christmas event.

 

[Trooper Looper]

Didn't see any caps on Saturday but that sounds cool!!!

I think the Library needs revisiting during closed season. The portrait is seeming very dark recently making it hard to see.
No ghost projections either( Library or Chapel) and no floor movement in Library either

Chapel, unfortunately Agatha was laid to permanent rest on Saturday with her tomb sealed shut.

Agreed! The library just tonally doesn't fit in with the rest of the ride personally since it's all pretty much gone back to the original. Whenever I go in, it may be a personal favorite scene of mine, but I think the 'serious and scare' factor of it is at its limit and many kids find it way too scary and lots leave from it.

With a lot of the ride reverted back to the original, perhaps it's time for the Library to receive the same treatment. I think it's time for them to reintroduce a "certain" Vicar back in. From the 1996 Video online, I personally find the original vicar a lot more engaging than what replaced it over the years. Imagine what a more advanced animatronic head of the Vicar would look like with today's tech.

 

[Immelmanloop]

Yes the library really does stick out like a sore thumb. I rode it on the 21st and none of the fog machines were working, or perhaps they didnt have fog juice as Goldrush was only using one fog cannon. Regardless, the second half of the library show (After "Feast your eyes/ And may the sights you see forever haunt your nightmares") felt really lacklustre. A lot of the schock comes from the sudden burst of fog and the light change, and this I personally think elevates the effect of the mirrors falling as it causes great light patterns in the room. It is a shame something so simple could completely diminish the scene, and everyone ended up just kind of stood there waiting for the loop to finish.

It needs ripping out and redoing from scratch. Personally I am not so fussed about the whole animatronic vs. projection, I think the portrait is fine for what it does and in terms of what the park is actually going to make an effort to maintain, I think a projection is definetly better for longevity. The main issue is that there is a massive anticlimax halfway through. You have the spooky story, the cool effect with the IMR team in the ceiling and the sudden burst of the smoke and floor, but then nothing really happens. It kind of needs to end there, with you rushed into the chapel, or have some other suitable scares appear to make the scene feel worthwile. In all honesty, I think teh entire ride needs much more drastic changes but thats another post in its own right.

 

[Trooper Looper]

Yes the library really does stick out like a sore thumb. I rode it on the 21st and none of the fog machines were working, or perhaps they didnt have fog juice as Goldrush was only using one fog cannon. Regardless, the second half of the library show (After "Feast your eyes/ And may the sights you see forever haunt your nightmares") felt really lacklustre. A lot of the schock comes from the sudden burst of fog and the light change, and this I personally think elevates the effect of the mirrors falling as it causes great light patterns in the room. It is a shame something so simple could completely diminish the scene, and everyone ended up just kind of stood there waiting for the loop to finish.

It needs ripping out and redoing from scratch. Personally I am not so fussed about the whole animatronic vs. projection, I think the portrait is fine for what it does and in terms of what the park is actually going to make an effort to maintain, I think a projection is definetly better for longevity. The main issue is that there is a massive anticlimax halfway through. You have the spooky story, the cool effect with the IMR team in the ceiling and the sudden burst of the smoke and floor, but then nothing really happens. It kind of needs to end there, with you rushed into the chapel, or have some other suitable scares appear to make the scene feel worthwile. In all honesty, I think teh entire ride needs much more drastic changes but thats another post in its own right.

I definitely think the scene needs a redo, but ripping everything out makes no sense personally. The decor and ornaments in there is simply great quality you don't often see nowadays in the industry. It would be nice to see them get rid of the cloths in the room as it makes it look tacky personally.

Not only that, but The Haunting is one of the parks last classic attractions, and it'd be nice to see the park start preserving and enhancing it since in the last 10 years we've seem to have lost a lot of classic 90s attractions in the UK (Bubbleworks, Pirate Adventure, Cadabra, Duel/The Haunted House, etc), so it'd be nice to see one kept with a bright future ahead of it.

Instead of ripping everything out, I think it's best of them to spend all their money on a new animatronic head and speakers, and fixing the rest of the moving floor.

The original Scene in there was never about jumpscaring/startling you or being scary only for the sake of it. It was a lot subtle but was very effective and played a massive part of the rides narrative. Here's what the original vicar said in there. Credit to Sauron97 on Towers Street.https://towersstreet.com/talk/login/


"I am the spirit of reverend Nicholas Beales, Vicar of this Parish, until one day in 1902, my soul was liberated. Since that day, I serve only the true master. The lord of darkness. This house is now a temple to his power. A gateway to his kingdom. No one leaves as they came in. *The IMR Bodies are revealed above* <evil laugh>. So prepare to give up your souls in to the depths of darkness, for the lord of the collectors of souls is coming. Satan. Beelzebub. The Devil. The master has many names and faces. Soon, you will know all of them better than you know yourself. Once you have been possessed by his power, you can never escape. To know him, is to fear him. That fear will enter your soul and never leave. His power is inescapable, all embracing, perfect. Feel his power approaching. Soon, you will be like me. Disciplines of darkness, acolytes of the un-dead. Servants of the serpent god. You cannot go back. You can only go on. Further, in to our lair, from where there is no escape <evil laugh>"

It solely intended to build the stakes in the ride, and it did it pretty well personally. Also, those smoke machines were never in the ride until the 2016 redo, so it didn't rely on simply startling guests with them, it had to be genuinely unique and engaging, something I can't see the park do from the ground up nowadays that well.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

Is the Vampire still behind the picture?

 

[Alex-_szoboszlai]

Speaking of the script of the library scene , has anyone got the script of the newer scene ( the lady of the house) or even a video of her talking . I can’t find anything online.

 

[Elise]

Is the Vampire still behind the picture?

I don't believe he is no

 

[Elise]

Speaking of the script of the library scene , has anyone got the script of the newer scene ( the lady of the house) or even a video of her talking . I can’t find anything online.

I'm sure I could write it up - I know most of it at least (and can get the bits im missing when next riding)
Here is the "off the top of the head" (Corrections to follow im sure)

"I am the lady of this house.
I must say, you are quite brave to come here.
Even animals know not to venture too close...
A tragedy happened here long ago
An incident most foul.
Can you sense it?
Of course you can.
After all, thats why you came here - Didn't you?
To find out for yourself, if the stories were true.
Well. Have your look. Feast your eyes
And let the sights you see, forever haunt your nightmares"


Fairly sure thats pretty close, if not it.

 

[Kam]

Speaking of the script of the library scene , has anyone got the script of the newer scene ( the lady of the house) or even a video of her talking . I can’t find anything online.

I'm sure I could write it up - I know most of it at least (and can get the bits im missing when next riding)
Here is the "off the top of the head" (Corrections to follow im sure)

"I am the lady of this house.
I must say, you are quite brave to come here.
Even animals know not to venture too close...
A tragedy happened here long ago
An incident most foul.
Can you sense it?
Of course you can.
After all, thats why you came here - Didn't you?
To find out for yourself, if the stories were true.
Well. Have your look. Feast your eyes
And let the sights you see, forever haunt your nightmares"


Fairly sure thats pretty close, if not it.

Skip to 2:40 for the full dialogue and visuals for the Haunting library projection video

Even though this footage is now sold in stock, I believe it may have originally been made bespoke for the 2019 Haunting changes (the original 2016 projection used the Phantasms package)

 

[Elise]

I was not too far off - thats not bad for me (knew I was missing bits but i was close)

This is really cool to see - thanks for sharing Lots of pretty cool stuff in there(including a much better look at the character)

 

[Haz]

i had two rides today everything seemed to be working, apart from the projections excluding lady of the house, and the tomb both of which im guessing have been switched off permanently hope some work is done over closed season to get them back into action or changed if they are causing that much trouble, hope the lighting of the skeletons is adjusted so they are better timed the uv stays on after the scare which ruins it, noticed the staff wearing imr caps on today very very cool hope the ripa branding is changed soon too, would be nice if the vegetation is cut back so the façade is more visible (ill leave some photos of how it was like before below) on the sides similarly to how the courtyard was done this year.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

Could they get that company to create a new projector video of the vicar and he reads the script of the original dialogue. Then get the ghost projectors working but it’s the vicar who projected onto the walls on the mad house.

 

[Elise]

In the words of the Vicar,
"You cannot go back - You can only go forwards"

 

[Trooper Looper]

i had two rides today everything seemed to be working, apart from the projections excluding lady of the house, and the tomb both of which im guessing have been switched off permanently hope some work is done over closed season to get them back into action or changed if they are causing that much trouble, hope the lighting of the skeletons is adjusted so they are better timed the uv stays on after the scare which ruins it, noticed the staff wearing imr caps on today very very cool hope the ripa branding is changed soon too, would be nice if the vegetation is cut back so the façade is more visible (ill leave some photos of how it was like before below) on the sides similarly to how the courtyard was done this year.

Amazing news Haz! It seems that the Caps aren't a 1 time thing!! I cannot express how great it is to hear the park is seemingly embracing the original 1996 theme again after so many years! I really thought the Halloween event was the end of the ride, but after it surviving into Fronteir falls, and now looks like they're investing in the ride with smoke back working, I've noticed that some of the greenery on the left side of the facade has been trimmed, and the caps!

Those caps look great, a little addition but does enhance the experience to make the staff members look less like ride attendance and more, undermanned, Ill-equipped, and inexperienced IMR Members.

Really hope they fix the ghost projection in the library though. Feels a bit empty without anything happening up there. I agree on the Tomb too. It may be SBNO by the looks of things, but personally, I've never been fond of it. It doesn't fit in with the Vicars dialogue, and it's really big, blocking the view of the Chapel. I'd love to see them reinstall the original Celtic Cross with the talking skull, but I've heard that was sold at the auction back in 2020, so perhaps something similar to it that is smaller than the coffin instead. The Chapel really did look grand when it opened.

Credit to Space Leisures Website.

Agreed with the rest though, especially the UV. It looks really cheap personally, since UV shouldn't display visible purple light, if it does, then that's an indication of cheap LED UV, something you don't want for a haunted house ride. Ghosts don't normally have metal arms sticking out of their backs XD.

Before, it looked like they used traditional UV, so the skeleton looked like it was floating in a black void before disappearing. Pretty creepy if you ask me.

The garden needs a lot of work though, especially the right side since little to no light comes from that side now with how overgrown and cluttered that area is of trees and plants. Love the photo you showed of when it was new! It still looked like an old vicarage, but not unkempt. Where on earth did you find that? Looks pretty rare too.

But for now, out with RIPA, and back to The Institute of Metaphysical Research fully! Anything to get rid of that tacky Blue LED Strip in the trailer.

 

[Elise]

Amazing news Haz! It seems that the Caps aren't a 1 time thing!! I cannot express how great it is to hear the park is seemingly embracing the original 1996 theme again after so many years! I really thought the Halloween event was the end of the ride, but after it surviving into Fronteir falls, and now looks like they're investing in the ride with smoke back working, I've noticed that some of the greenery on the left side of the facade has been trimmed, and the caps!

Those caps look great, a little addition but does enhance the experience to make the staff members look less like ride attendance and more, undermanned, Ill-equipped, and inexperienced IMR Members.

Really hope they fix the ghost projection in the library though. Feels a bit empty without anything happening up there. I agree on the Tomb too. It may be SBNO by the looks of things, but personally, I've never been fond of it. It doesn't fit in with the Vicars dialogue, and it's really big, blocking the view of the Chapel. I'd love to see them reinstall the original Celtic Cross with the talking skull, but I've heard that was sold at the auction back in 2020, so perhaps something similar to it that is smaller than the coffin instead. The Chapel really did look grand when it opened.
View attachment 6913
Credit to Space Leisures Website.

Agreed with the rest though, especially the UV. It looks really cheap personally, since UV shouldn't display visible purple light, if it does, then that's an indication of cheap LED UV, something you don't want for a haunted house ride. Ghosts don't normally have metal arms sticking out of their backs XD.

Before, it looked like they used traditional UV, so the skeleton looked like it was floating in a black void before disappearing. Pretty creepy if you ask me.

The garden needs a lot of work though, especially the right side since little to no light comes from that side now with how overgrown and cluttered that area is of trees and plants. Love the photo you showed of when it was new! It still looked like an old vicarage, but not unkempt. Where on earth did you find that? Looks pretty rare too.

But for now, out with RIPA, and back to The Institute of Metaphysical Research fully! Anything to get rid of that tacky Blue LED Strip in the trailer.

Can confirm, the cross was sold

I do love the hats- Would love to see the "ill equipped team members" played on more but that would mean getting the attendant to act (which I feel some may not be comfortable with - personally, I would love to try it out - as a performer of the role - as I think it could really impact the experience across the whole attraction - especially for Halloween)

 

[Haz]

here on earth did you find that? Looks pretty rare too.

newspapers.com! its a good place to find articles on ride openings they usually include photos which is the main thing of course, there a few good ones on haunting which ill leave some below.

Feels a bit empty without anything happening up there. I agree on the Tomb too. It may be SBNO by the looks of things, but personally, I've never been fond of it

I've always thought the ghost projections were quite tacky either way so im not really bothered by the removal of them but it does leave a big gap in the preshow where nothing is happening, "feast your eyes" and nothing is happening apart from the lady of the house speaking.

I'd love to see them reinstall the original Celtic Cross with the talking skull, but I've heard that was sold at the auction back in 2020, so perhaps something similar to it that is smaller than the coffin instead.

I think the coffin is fine for now especially since the only thing Drayton can knock up nowadays is something covered in wood and painted brightly, but i agree with something less obstructive of the view as its not very fun sat in the middle front staring at a big box and then nothing happening with it.

Before, it looked like they used traditional UV, so the skeleton looked like it was floating in a black void before disappearing.

it did look as so i hope something like this is done during closed season it would help the corridor dramatically as its not really a "jumpscare" anymore or shocking.

The garden needs a lot of work though, especially the right side since little to no light comes from that side now with how overgrown and cluttered that area is of trees and plants

this is at the top of my list of things i hope they do with the ride would be really nice to see the entire facade when queueing outside it would look visually impressive too.

 

[Trooper Looper]

Good news! The Coffin was back working today! Looks like there's a lot more smoke in the ride than usual, pretty much couldn't see a thing in front of me in the cellar. The Garden looks great though, a lot more fog-like. That weird hissing sound in the Garden is gone too!

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

Has the projectors been replaced yet?

 

[Trooper Looper]

Has the projectors been replaced yet?

Unfortunately no by the looks of it. Still just the portrait projector in the library working. Aside from that, everything was working as intended!