Posted
From the press release:
Derren Brown today announces that the top secret attraction he has been working on with THORPE PARK Resort is a Ghost Train re-invented for the 21st Century. First visuals released today reveal a seven tonne Victorian Carriage suspended in mid-air.
Derren Brown’s Ghost Train, which can only be found at THORPE PARK Resort, is a head-spinning train journey of between 10-15 minutes, the like of which guests will never have taken before; providing a heady mixture of exhilarating live action sequences, 4D special effects, grand-scale illusions, next generation technology, and physical transit. No place for spectators, guests will play a major part in the action which will leave them questioning where perception ends and reality begins.
THORPE PARK Resort’s biggest and most ambitious investment to date, Derren Brown’s Ghost Train takes theme park attractions to a whole new level, promising to derail guests’ minds with a series of multi-sensory experiences. Like its inventor, this is a smart ride that also has 12 multiple knee-shaking journeys and two endings - so not only will no two ‘rides’ on board Derren Brown’s Ghost Train be the same but every journey will provoke an intense response and reaction in each individual ‘passenger.’ So whilst guests may share the journey with others, the experience will be an individual one – and every journey, every sensation and every fear will be quite unique.
Official site: https://mindswanted.co.uk/
Maybe Cedar Fair should be paying attention.
Anyway, this is interesting. And ok, I had to look up who Derren Brown is, and come to find out he's a well known mentalist and has tricks in the mind blowing category. It seems appropriate to team with someone like that, and if he's really developing scenes for the ride then this Ghost Train could be awesome.
One thing about this attraction that remains a mystery is the ride itself. Is it a ride-thru, like a more traditional dark ride, or a movie/motion base attraction? Or a combination of both? I guess details will emerge later. Europe, and it seems the UK in particular, has lots and lots of traditional Ghost Train rides and they're still extremely popular. Many are portable, and no self-respecting amusement park would think of not having (at least) one. Some examples are better than others, but I'd be willing to bet the customer there is generally hard to impress, or at least carries an expectation, so I hope this turns out well for everyone.
There's a trend in dark rides, and this one is no exception, where each experience can and might take a different path. Sometimes rider participation determines the outcome, sometimes it's random, and I'm confident it's often used as a way to increase capacity. Trackless technology lends itself very well, and I've noticed Disney has that going on here and there. I'm not sure where I land with the concept, but I guess it's a-ok for the park as riders can be entertained many times before the ride becomes too familiar or gets old. Folks like us might find it a pain, though, especially if we're on a visit where we'd like to try and experience it all. (I think of my first three rides on Verbolten where damn if I didn't get the same scene each time I rode...)
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