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Phantom Theater, Kings Island, Ohio
'Phantom Theater was an Omnimover dark ride located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. Originally opened in 1972 as a dark boat ride called Enchanted Voyage, the ride was later converted to an Omnimover system in 1992 by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing and renamed Phantom Theater At the end of the 1991 season, the building housing the attraction was gutted and the water transportation system was removed. Installed in its place was an Omnimover-type dark ride similar in style to The Haunted Mansion at various Disney parks across the globe. The original boat loading area was converted into the queue area for the Scooby Zoom ride. The entrance to the new ride was moved to the opposite corner of the building. A section of the building was converted into a children's theater called "Enchanted Theater". The theater was used for several years, but now only hosts the Halloween attraction, CarnEVIL. Phantom Theater was themed to a behind-the-scenes tour of a theater haunted by the dead. The exterior of the building was stylized as a dilapidated and crumbling opera theater. The ride itself featured seventeen separate scenes which the Omnimover vehicles slowly traversed through. The ride notably featured a Pepper's ghost trick, a famous and widely-used dark ride trick, for its stage production scene.' -- collaged
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Magical Powder, Lagunasia, Japan
'I'm still bummed over missing the Magical Powder ride, but now I have something to look forward to if I ever go again. I think Adam and I just kinda forgot about it after we wandered over to the funky market place by the Ferris wheel with all the less than appetizing looking meat products for sale. Blechhh! I think one of them was actually cow brains. Maybe that's what the meat cow toy was for or something. We got our sushi with tuna, which was totally amazing by the way, and then walked back to the park, ate, and alas it was time to go. No Magical Powder for us.' -- thrillerman1
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Challenge of Tutankhamon, Walibi, Belgium
'Challenge of Tutankhamon takes its riders on a journey into the unexplored passageways of King TUTANKHAMON’s tomb which are guarded by the Egyptian god Seth, lord of Disaster and chaos. Designed by Sally Corporation in the US, this 17,200-square-foot interior dark ride features 54 animatronic characters, creatures and props including monstrous animatronic cobras, eight-foot scorpions and massive statues which come to life, all seemingly attacking the riders. Six-seat, battery operated vehicles are equipped with laser blasters and digital target systems featuring not only individual onboard scoring system displays (by onboard consoles), but also tactile and audio feedback. To add intensity to this unique ride experience, a variety of endings have been foreseen depending on the guests' scores: low scores will exit the ride, but those adventurers who defeat Seth get to move on to the chamber of treasures.' -- Theme Park Vision
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Hex, Alton Towers, UK
'The ride takes place in the south wing of the Towers. Your journey begins on foot, with a walk through some of the ancient galleries, at the end of the Picture gallery a group of about 80 people are allowed to go into the briefing room. In the briefing room you are told of the legend and the wicked curse placed on the Earl is re-created on screen before you. Next you enter the Octagon, before the actual ride was built this was just a roofless room, not used for hundreds of years, but now after much restoration work it is part of the ride- the lights go off and you are told about the secret vault where the branch was hidden by the Earl. Next you are asked to enter the secret vault hidden behind the bookcase. As you enter the room, you can feel that something is about to happen to you, which will change your life, you are told to sit down and the safety bar lowers and locks tightly. Something goes wrong, the fallen branch in front of you seems to be giving off some sort of power, charging the room. Slowly you begin to tilt and sway from one side to the other almost like a 'pirate ship ride', the look one the rest of the groups faces makes you shiver, is this really happening to me? The room suddenly spins a full 360 degrees, not just once, but many times. The loud music and mysterious smells add to the experience. Then you are held upside down looking down at the floor which was once below you, you are actually upside down, or are you?' -- Towers Times
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Dreamflight, Efteling, Netherlands
'In Dreamflight, the visitors fly through a dream world of forests, castles, fairies, trolls and other fairy-tale-like creatures and scenes. The visitors are seated in small open cabins hanging from the ceiling. The ride takes them past five different scenes in about six minutes: the Castle Realm, the Wondrous Forest, the Fairy Garden, Heavenly Strongholds and the Squelch Forest. The speed and height of the individual cabins vary throughout the ride, with a climax in the troll marshes at the end, where the cabins come to a seeming free-fall in a spiral downwards from 13 meters of height. Efteling wanted to present Dreamflight in 1992, for the 40-year anniversary of the park, which coincided with the opening of Disneyland Paris. However, due to problems with the seating cabins it was not ready until 1993. Due to this problem, the ride cost €4.5 million more than was estimated, bringing the total costs up to €12.5 million, the most expensive attraction at Efteling.' -- collaged
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Haunted House, Knoebels, Germany
'What makes Knoebels dark ride so good? I was thinking about that after riding it last week and it has kept me thinking ever since. And that can be a very dangerous thing! I'm relatively new to the genius of Knoebels. I made my first visit in 2001 and remember my first ride through the Haunted House as being one where I jumped off the seat several times. I rode again in 2002 and the same thing happened. To this day, I still jump at several of the stunts inside. So why is that? Why do I grip the safety bar with everything I have inside Knoebels dark ride but not in ones like Waldameer's Whacky Shack or the defunct Erieview Fright Zone? Both of those had unexpected gags, music and sound effects and stretches of darkness. Yet only Knoebels really gets under my skin and creeps me out. So, since I apparently have too much free time on my hands even after getting a new job, here are a few of my reasons as to why Knoebels dark ride reigns supreme.' -- ultimaterollercoaster.com
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Monster Plantation, Six Flags Over Georgia
'Last year, Six Flags management gave some very serious thought to shutting down that theme park’s much-beloved Monster Plantation attraction. Worse yet, they considered chasing all of the monsters out of the marsh and then replacing them with static figures of DC superheroes. There was only one problem with this plan. Six Flags Over Georgia fans just love Monster Plantation. They consider this animatronic-filled attraction to be that theme park’s equivalent to “Pirates of the Caribbean” or “The Haunted Mansion.” The attraction closed its doors in November of 2008 for an extensive overhaul. Gary Goddard and his crew went then top to bottom through this 25,000 square-foot show building. They added a brand-new lighting and sound system. Not to mention incorporating some new 4D effects that will allow you to actually smell the cinnamon & apples in Monster Plantation’s pie eating sequence. As well as nearly get dosed with water by some playful monsters in the picnic area. But for the most part, what Goddard and his crew were out to do here was preserve & improve. They went through and redid all of the painting inside on Monster Plantation so that the colors & the detail work now pop. They also refurred the 100 animatronic figures that make appearances along the twisty waterway that winds through this attraction.' -- jimhillmedia.com
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Dark Castle, Nasu Highland Park, Japan
Things don't just go bump in the night at Dark Castle, a dark ride at Nasu Highland Park in Nasu, Japan. They also snarl, grab, and lunge, ensuring a blood-curdling trip through terror for visitors foolhardy enough to pay admission. But while Japan has a taste for the macabre, the country does not have the technicians to add it to their amusement parks. Wanting to throw a few monsters into the mix of attractions at the Fantasy Pointe section of Nasu, park owner Towa Nasu Resort Co. Ltd. decided to go Hollywood, and picked Valencia, CA-based Technifex Inc. for the job. "You would never see anything like Dark Castle at Disneyland or any of the mainstream theme parks," says Technifex principal Monty Lunde. "The owner kept wanting it to be scarier. There's certainly a higher level of gore in Dark Castle than at a similar US-based attraction." The grisly spectacle includes a fountain with water that cascades blood-red, a wrecked horse-drawn carriage with bodies strewn around it, and a fearsome monster that plays hide-and-seek with passengers through the duration of the ride. Sets and scenic elements, created by Sun Valley, CA-based Lexington Scenery & Props, include a dungeon decorated with skeletal remains, a sharp guillotine that lops off a poor unfortunate's head, flying bats and corpses flown from the ceiling, and a graveyard where the animatronic monster finally bursts forth from the shadows. Other effects packed into Dark Castle include pop-up gargoyles and skeletons, statuary with "beating" fiber-optic hearts, and "living" portraits that reach out and throttle you.' -- Live Design
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Challenge of Mondor, Enchanted Forest, Oregon
'Just by reading its name, you can tell that the Enchanted Forest is a pretty enchanted place. And just so we're clear on what that means: Pretty much everything in Enchanted Forest is 10 times better than anything anywhere else on the planet. So I hope you understand my meaning when I tell you that Enchanted Forest's Challenge of Mondor ride makes everything else in the whole place look pale in comparison! In the Challenge of Mondor, you meet the kindly wizard Mondor, who tasks you with ridding his magical, fantastic realm of evil! You do this by getting into a little buggy that drives around on a track, and then, whenever you pass by animatronic spiders and gnomes and trolls and monsters and dragons, YOU SHOOT THEM WITH LASERS. What's more, the buggies you ride in keep score of how many magical creatures you murder, so you can tell everybody what a badass dragonslayer you are!' -- Portland Mercury
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Horror House, Jinjiang Action Park, China
Horror House looks like it might have been brought to Jin Jiang from a Dutch fairground. Waiting in line was a noisy experience. “Bam! Bam! Bam!” went the metal walls. Cackle. Scream. For some reason, there were many nude female mannequins inside, some intact and some partly dismembered, perhaps to cover both “horror house” meanings. If you want to see THAT, you have to ride Horror House.' -- collaged
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p.s. Hey. ** Tuesday ** Thomas Moronic, Hi, T. I'll thank you for yesterday when I get to Wednesday. Yes, curious Thatcher coincidence. You're most welcome for the trip show. I agree about keeping birthdays confined to a dinner, or my birthday anyway. Cool, you reviewed 'Spring Breakers'! I'll go read that pronto, of course. Everyone, Thomas Moronic has given the world his zillion cents vis-a-vis 'Spring Breakers' over on the always crucial Fanzine site, and that alert is your cue to click this and get the wisdom. ** Scunnard, Dude, you're killing me softly with your song about 'Animal Crossing'. KK Slider, oh my God. Weird about your 'IASW' experience, both in and of itself and because I just read this news squib the other day where someone who was stuck on a broken down 'IASW' successfully sued Disney for emotional distress-related damages caused by having to listen to that song for ... I think it was three hours straight. Soul chilling indeed. Yum? ** White tiger, Hi, Math! Cool. Wait, what's this song you're making with Michael Cameron? That's exciting. My mood is really good these days. Life's very good. Thanks, pal. ** Misanthrope, France has some sweet other spots for sure. Strange about the lack of remarkable new talent or new lovable/hatable new characters in the WWE. Hm, why, do you reckon? ** Cobaltfram, Hi, John. I'm not into writing articles or reviews, etc., these days, but writing about video games is tempting. Or almost tempting. I liked 'Spring Breakers' a lot. Proust doesn't appeal to me basically because, one, it's a lonnnnng novel, and that's a deterrent for me, and, two, because all the 'greatest thing ever', 'you can't die without reading Proust', etc. talk and hype that I've had forced on me almost my whole life just makes it seem more exciting to me to never read him. Something tells me I'll be fine and have a perfectly rich life if I don't. I haven't found an 'ideal' form for the novel. I've found its ideal purpose and reason for existing. I know what I want it to do with it ideally. The form is still a big question mark, but I'm starting to write things that I think will be in it rather than just experimenting to try to get someplace where I can start writing it, and that's cool. Nice McC talk there. ** Wolf, Hi, Wolfy. Yep, yep, yep, the trip was very great, and our mission was accomplished. Dude, that is so, so cool about you being offered that place! Yes! So happy! Oh, we went to Versailles. Not a hugely surprising little trip. We're on a compare and contrast castles and chateaux mission for reasons that I will explain someday. ** Bill, Hi, Bill. It was a very nice week, yeah. Ah, but if there were photos and I saw them, I could see the Goth in your eyes, the only place where it really counts. Congrats about the South Korean gig. Wow, yeah, I don't know. Isn't it all just saber rattling stuff? Is that what they're saying? Maybe not. Hm. What does your collaborator want to do? ** Tosh, Hi, Tosh. So true. ** Paul Curran, Paul, hey! Yes, we should Skype. When are you free? The Japan trip is getting organized. We have our start and stop dates and a tentative travel schedule -- Tokyo to Hakone to Kyoto/Nara/Himeji/Osaka to Hiroshima/Miyajima to Tokyo. And we're looking for and gathering the actual things to do. Seems like we'll spend quite a lot of the time in Tokyo. When do you get there? Yeah, let's talk very soon. Let me know what's good. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi, D. We didn't spend much actual time on the ground in Clemont-Ferrrand, but it did seem quite interesting. And, of very course, thank you a ton for the email/Day. I'll let you know when it'll launch very soon. Thank you! ** _Black_Acrylic, We bought massive amounts of Haribo stuff at the museum because they sold industrial-sized bags of things for incredible cheap prices, and luckily that stuff lasts forever because it'll take years to eat it all. Yes, I did already know that about 'The Museum of Atheism'. Glad you're liking it. ** Steevee, Hi, Steve. I got your email. Thank you so, so much! ** Omar, Hi, Omar! Wow, how are you doing? It's really good to see you! Really nice work on your blog, man. Crocodiles are kind of creepy. But those albino ones seemed very sweet. They're little-ish, though. Yeah, what going on with you, man? ** Sypha, We didn't get inside the Black Gothic Cathedral. It's crazy looking. It's made of lava rock, which is why it's so incredibly black. Amazing looking thing. ** Lee Vincent, Hi, Lee! I'm actually going to dig into the albums today. I've been running around too much to listen with due respect the last few days. Yeah, you should come to France. I adore Paris. Brussels, not so much at all, but it's a lot cheaper to be/live there. Yeah, come. If you don't know the city, I'll happily show you around. ** Wednesday ** Squeaky, Darrell! Holy shit! You're here! Thank you, man. How are you? I've been so wishing that I could have seen your film that Kevin added words to. Catch me up on you and yours, at least a little, if you don't mind. How totally sweet to see you! ** L@rstonovich, Hi, L! I still haven't watched 'Room 237' yet. But I think it's online and easy as pie to see, right? ** Thomas Moronic, Thank you, thank you, thank you! ** Misanthrope, I did, and the sky did kind of misty-rain at times, but I never had to open it. Friendly. ** David Ehrenstein, Morning, Mr. E. ** Oscar B., Oscar! This is a rare pleasure indeed. Yes, bowling, tomorrow, at long last! ** Unknown, Hi, Pascal! I'm doing excellently, thanks. Oh, I don't know that novel, and it sounds fascinating and like the potential owner of the upper part of my alley. Thank you for the recommendation. You good, even really good, I hope? ** MANCY, Hi, man! ** Cobaltfram, I should read that final Ebert review. I've read about it. Okay, thanks, buddy. ** Dynomoose, Hi, Adrienne, my pal! Yes, I see that she did pop in. No prob on the lack of science or tech stuff. You've been so generous. How are things? ** xTx, Extie! Hi! What's up, pal of pals? How's the novel doing? How is everything else going? ** Chilly Jay Chill, Thank, Jeff. That is really weird about Criterion losing the Melville films. Uh, why, do you know? Wish I could flip some Haribo goodies over the ocean and into your poor, beleaguered mouth, which I hope is non-beleaguered now. No, the place we stayed in was a rental. An airbnb.com find. Interesting that you thought of Malick re: 'Spring Breakers' too. I guess it must be there. Normally, I don't like James Franco much at all, but I actually thought he was really good in it, and I was surprised. I thought he was really funny and also quite poignant. Yeah, I was good with his performance. What did you think? ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. ** Paul Curran, Hi, Paul. ** Tender prey, Hey, Marc. Oh, I missed your message, I guess, sucks. Yes, I actually made my scrapbook in a very small, palm-sized blank book, and it worked really well. I wanted to be able to make the whole scrapbook during the time we were there. Usually, the scrapbooks take months and sometimes many, many months. I'd never made a small-sized one before, but it turned to be totally appropriate. I think I might swing by the Palais de Tokyo when we go see this rather amazing looking show at the Grand Palais tomorrow. Interesting about the blog title. My first response to 'Vertex' was that I wasn't sure what it was or what it meant exactly, which might be a really good response. Talk to me about it or about that choice, if you don't mind and feel like it. I guess I like it but with a certain amount of uncertainty or something? Everyone, the amazing artist Marc Hulson aka d.l. tender prey has ... I'll let him tell you: 'I'm trying out a re-title of the series of drawings I show on my blog - it's a bit of a momentuous decision because it had the working title 'untitled sequence' since 98, but that became a bit burdonsome because it over inscribes the idea of an absent narrtive order. I'm a bit tentative about the new title though and there are a couple of other ideas for it so I'm curious to know what you or anyone else here thinks.' Thoughts? ** Misanthrope, Harry talk! ** DOVEY, Hi, Dovey! It's so incredibly nice to see you here! I think it's just amazing that you're looking to write a book about Antonio. He was one of the most genius, fascinating, wonderful people I've ever known, even though I only ever knew him through the internet, and I think about him all the time. Well, I would be happy to help. I wonder how to proceed. I mean, personally, I will do anything I can. How would be best? Shall we talk on the phone? (I have Skype, so it's very cheap for me to call you, if you like). Or by email, or ... ? There are a lot of people around here who loved and admired Antonio, and whom I think would be happy and honored to communicate with you and help you out. Maybe you could tell me your email address, and I could pass it along to people either/both here on the blog or privately? Would that be easiest? Please let me know, and thank you so much, and I send you so much respect and love. ** Steevee, I'm still on the fence about the Knife album. Something bugs me about it, but I don't yet know what it is or if I'm listening to the record wrongly. ** S., Radioactive indeed. Everyone, new S.-made Emo stack titled 'THE FIRE IS LIFE', right here. Go there, no? That Black Gothic Cathedral was like a hallucination. They should build everything out of lava. Very cool about your writing. Yes! ** Bill, Uh, hm, probably not what you had in mind, although since I can't make my imagination crystalize what your imagination made, I'm not entirely sure. No geese were harmed during the trip, in any case. I want to see 'Upstream Color' too. I hope I haven't missed it. ** Dynomoose, Hey, Dyno! ** James, Hi, James! ** Sypha, Lady Gaga being on my blog feels like a sign of the apocalypse. ** Okay. We're caught up. Time for you to consider the 10 dark rides illustrated above, or perhaps contemplate dark rides that you've known and loved, and then give me some reports and tips? I don't know. See you tomorrow.