The Curse at Alton Manor

As you face Alton Manor, the queue line entrance is off to the left, marked by an archway that is actually the relocated crypt cover from the ride’s predecessor, Duel – The Haunted House Strikes Back.

The main exterior queue line takes you on a winding path through a woodland graveyard. Whilst making your way through the queue line, guests can spot many quirky headstones, some of which provide a nod to past theme park attractions including Corkscrew, Black Hole, Air and Duel. You will also find a series of plaques which tell the backstory of the Alton family and the events of New Year’s Eve 1891, when Henry and Elizabeth Alton as well as all their party guests disappeared into thin air, while their daughter Emily remained unaccounted for. Other features in the queue line include a doll watching from afar and a seemingly abandoned picnic.

The queue eventually leads guests along the front of the building, where a sign reading ‘open house today’ is displayed in one of the windows. The premise is that guests are undertaking viewings of Alton Manor which has been put up for sale, with the property having remained empty since the fateful night. It is just before entering the building where the main queue merges with the Ride Access Pass (RAP) queue and newly created Fastrack queue. The RAP queue follows a pathway along the right-hand side of the building. The Fastrack queue can also be found on the right-hand side, with this marked by removable rope fencing that leads to a set of stairs up to the merge point.

Upon being batched into Alton Manor itself, you first enter the foyer area where many of the paintings and artefacts have been covered with sheets to prepare the property for sale, and signage is on display with information about Alton Manor. Whilst there is a modern-looking sign from Burton & Ward, there is another dating back to 1893, suggesting it has perhaps been a struggle to find a willing buyer for quite a number of years…

Moving deeper into the manor, you enter the ride’s pre-show. The pre-show is approximately two minutes in length and centres on the doll’s house which is on display. After a voiceover tells another variant of the ride’s backstory, which culminates in the events of New Year’s Eve 1891, the ghostly whispers of a little girl can be heard saying “let me show you what happened”. It is at this point that the Alton family appear inside one of the rooms of the doll’s house, utilising a small scale version of the Pepper’s Ghost effect. After being banished to her room by her father, Emily becomes overcome with purple energy, beginning to levitate as the queue line floor vibrates, before she explodes into a purple cloud that extends beyond the confines of the doll’s house and kills her parents and their party guests in the process. This is synchronised with the room being illuminated by UV lights which reveal the entire space to be covered in messages from Emily, conveying her troubled nature. The room then resets to the faint sound of Emily giggling.

You exit the room through a doorway beneath a portrait of Henry and Elizabeth Alton, which shows Emily cowering in the background. This leads into the ride’s station, where the remnants of the party can still be seen, with streamers stretching from wall-to-wall across the room and a Happy New Year banner hanging above where the ride vehicles exit from the station and move into the main ride layout. In some places, the wallpaper is peeling away, revealing yet more messages from Emily.

After climbing on-board a carriage, it is time for you to journey even further into Alton Manor. As the ride gets underway, it is as if guests are transported back to 1891, moments before midnight as the ‘storm of supernatural proportions’ instigated by Emily engulfs the manor. The spirit of Emily can be seen emerging from a portrait of her and her parents, declaring “this is my house”, before appearing to travel through a keyhole, into the manor.

You then travel through the Great Hall, where the charred skeletons of the party guests pulse with purple energy, while a ghostly Emily appears off ahead before disappearing in a flash of a light. After encountering a demon amongst the darkness, the footprints of Emily lead you on through a giant fireplace. Upon doing so, you ride through a giant trommel tunnel where messages from Emily swirl around you and a clock face can be seen rotating up ahead.

Shortly after, you find Emily waiting for you, with her silhouette transforming into a demonic creature as she prepares to play a game of hide and seek with you. The carriage then journeys through a section of complete darkness, where Emily can be periodically heard, as if following you. You then meet Emily’s ‘perfect family’ in puppet form. This is quickly followed by a jump scare, as a the giant hand of Emily appears from the darkness upon finding guests.

Moving beyond, the ride travels through the manor’s attic. Here you are tormented by dolls and spiders, with Emily heard asking “are you scared of spiders?”, as her silhouette contorts into a spider. At the end of this scene, you encounter what is assumed to be Emily in her spider-form. The carriage then travels along a corridor of mirrors, although not before another jump scare from Emily. As you watch yourself in the mirrors, you may find yourself momentarily disappearing from the carriage and instead being replaced by Emily.

After another dark scene, this time featuring demon heads and figures lit up with UV, guests reach the garden. This areas is home to scarecrows, as well as a hearse being pulled along by Emily’s rocking horse. Emily can be spotted on her swing, at least momentarily anyway, before seeming to vanish in front of your eyes…

The final section of the ride then begins with Emily declaring that you’ll “look perfect in my doll’s house” with a lighting cue synchronised with the carriage speeding up, as if you are being shrunk down and pulled inside the doll’s house. Here you encounter lots of giant-sized toys which feature countless Easter eggs referencing past attractions and more, including the iconic duck from The Flume, now in a new home. Projections and screens are used to make it appear as though Emily is trying to grab you, with the finale of the ride seeing a giant Emily crash through the doll’s house whilst screaming “you’re mine” in a last attempt to stop you from escaping!

After disembarking the ride, you exit along a corridor covered in writing that repeats “you’re mine”. This leads you into the ride’s gift shop, Attic of Antiquities. Here you can firstly view and purchase you on-ride photo. Opposite the kiosk can be found a free photo opportunity where you sit in a giant rocking chair next to a portrait of Emily Alton. However, if you watch closely, it may just seem as though Emily’s eyes follow you around the room – not to mention that you might be in for even more of a surprise if you continue to stare! On sale within the shop is a variety of The Curse at Alton Manor themed merchandise. A final feature are multiple sets of dolls which incorporate motion-activated effects that sees them light up and sound effects play, suggesting Emily isn’t quite finished haunting guests…

After exiting from the shop, guests emerge back into the Gloomy Wood area, perhaps questioning just quite what they experienced inside Alton Manor!