Ghostly Manor is a Gameplay Theatre from Mack Rides that has begun its construction phase at Paultons Park in Southampton.
As part of the construction process, Paultons Park is delivering video updates of their construction process and we’ll be breaking down each step of construction in this very article which will constantly be updated as and when further information is revealed about this exciting new ride.
It’s clear to me that Paultons Park wants to show off their theming and immersion capabilities with this ride, it’s their first ever dark ride and they do not cut corners, they dive right in and deliver a fully immersive and incredible experience.
Without further ado here are our Ghostly Manor construction updates documenting the world’s first Gameplay Theare by Mack Rides with the second larger capacity model opening at Europa Park in Germany in 2025.
Date: November 20th, 2024
The entrance wall to Ghostly Manor has been constructed and is currently undergoing a weathering process with the metal holder for the rides logo already sitting atop the entrance pillars.
Queueline posts have already been installed and landscaping will begin around the queueline area to fully immerse you in the garden approaching the manor. A landscaping team is currently planning the area and the garden itself will be visible to guests who visit Paultons Park before its official May 22nd opening date.
Lawrence Mancey, Marketing and Technology Director at Paultons Park is showing us around the site in the construction series and points out that there will be themed set pieces in the queue line to expect to see potential statues or other elements of Dr Kinley’s manor within the queue line.
Did you miss our interview with Lawrence on Coaster Conversations where he talks about Ghostly Manor and the upcoming Vikings land planned to open in 2026? CLICK HERE
The facade of the building is currently very much a work in progress but all will be revealed in a few months. What Lawrence could reveal though was a pagoda that will form the entrance to the manor which can be seen below.
Hanging flowers will be spread across the pagoda giving a vibrant entrance to the manor which already is starting to give me Phantom Manor / Haunted Mansion vibes at Disney. I wouldn’t put it past Paultons Park to create something as equally beautiful, they never fail when it comes to immersive theming.
This room will house the first pre-show of the ride with Lawrence promising something very special will be placed within that room, one can only imagine it to be an animatronic or hologram of some kind if i was to hazard a guess.
Walls are going out which will form the basis of the gameplay theatre which is a rotating ride that switches riders between physical sets and screens. Want to know how a Mack Rides Gameplay Theatre works? Check out our video below:
Moving on to the below photo which shows the gantry which has been purpose-built for the ride. It’s where a lot of the projectors will be housed for the ride experience.
The photo below shows a cut-out in the floor where just one of the turning mechanisms will be housed to rotate the ride.
The ride area itself is rather large and split between the pre-shows, walkthrough areas and the ride area it’s really going to feel as though you’re exploring a manor before you take your seat. I really hope they do the immersion justice and with the story having a strong focus on oddities and artefacts I’d hope for a many cabinets and displays of physical props.
If there’s one queue line I’d love for it to look like, it would be the Scooby Doo trackless dark ride at Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi which features a whole collection of artefacts and goodies as you stroll through the house.
That is all that has been shared from the opening update from Paultons Park. You can watch the full video published by Paultons below and stay tuned for more written updates on this page as and when Paultons brings us more of these wonderful behind-the-scenes episodes!
Check out episode one of the Ghostly Manor construction updates here:
Date: December 3rd, 2024
A fountain has been created in-house by the park that will go at the entrance to the queue line. The fountain will consist of gargoyle heads that will spit water out and will form the entrance plaza.
The first glimpse of the Ghostly Manor sign was shown during the video before it was added to the main entrance gate. The sign is 3D, custom-made and looks to have some sort of back-lit element to it so it glows up at night forming the perfect entrance to this hauntingly fun ride!
We get a first glimpse of the pick-up rail which features mains power, data connections and gondola cables that all connect to the control room.
Above you can see the platform where one of the five Gondolas will sit atop with all of the interactive parts of the ride (including cables for animatronics etc) will be fed through.
The pieces fit quite like a jigsaw puzzle as it all comes together and the gaps in the wooden structure will house the motors. There are 6 motors in total which will help to drive the revolving nature of the ride.
The ride will consist of 5 individual sections of power which can be controlled and turned off individually with the help of the communication rail which keeps the control system informed of all the goings on around the ride.
The control room is elevated above the ride and contains all of the ride system, cables and software to keep the ride/sensors operating.
Check out the full video below posted by the park as you get a bit more insight from the team about this exciting new addition.
Date: December 21st, 2024
Ride vehicles arrived two days ago (19th) as Paultons released two images of their arrival with one cherry picker photo and one of the trains taken into the ride station building.
Image Credit – Paultons Park
The path outside the entrance of the ride has also been widened to allow guests more room to pass. As one of the most traffic-heavy parts of the park, this was necessary to allow a steady flow of guests whilst keeping the entrance of the ride as a stand-out separate part of the guest experience.
Thes walls have also had their theming / worn finish completed giving the stately home a rather run-down effect and the sign has been erected and tested as it gives off a vibrant green glow at night time when powered on.
More theming has been added to the queue line to form part of the manor structure.
Each crack and blemish has been hand-crafted individually and the theming artists behind this project have done a splendid job. The effort that has gone into the aesthetic of the building and queue is unlike anything we’ve seen in the UK before for a long long time.
The wallpaper has a Phantom Manor pattern to it but it’s a material that is suspended on-top of the previous wall. It’s not conventional wallpaper and it comes complete with the distressed effect next to the light which if I’m entirely honest, is the first and only bit of this entire dark ride that I’ve seen so far that looks a little cheap and cheesy. Just my opinion of course.
I’m hoping the lighting in this area is quite dim to hide that rather cheap printed cut effect although the claw marks (as shown in the video) look much more realistic and in-line with the rest of the room.
The main platform for the ride has been installed, the ride vehicles will sit atop this platform as the entire ride rotates as part of the experience. The divide between internal scene (themed) and the external scene (screens) are now outlined. In some cases, this role is reversed whereas some internal scenes could also have screens.
These screens have been installed as dividers between scenes. With sound bleed being a potential issue with scenes near one another these screens provide a nice sound barrier blocker so that each individual scene can be enjoyed without any audio overlapping.
The first look at the ride vehicle has also been revealed and whilst unfinished you get an idea of what they’re going to look like. With bright green seats (what is it with green seats and rides in 2025? Hello Toxicator) and a lovely little backdrop behind you the guns and screens at the front to tell you your scores have not yet been installed.
The ride can hold 8 people (4 back to back) and the ride rotates on its axis to allow that combination of external and internal scenes meaning you can pack a lot more into a small ride area space.
Check out the full video below!
Wednesday 1st January, 2025
Paultons today released a video and introduced us all to Ohjee the main ghost we have to capture to beat Ghostly Manor. In this animated short we get a first look at what some of the exterior queue-line theming may be as Dr Kinley captures Ohjee for the first time.
These little animated shorts give us glimpses of the backstory without revealing too much as it won’t be too long until all of the secrets of Ghostly Manor are revealed!
Thursday 6th February, 2025
Today Paultons Park released their fourth construction update video for this very exciting dark ride indeed and it’s here where we get a much wider glimpse at Ghostly Manor.
The metal frame of the entrance fountain has been added along with the sculpted heads along with a faux ‘broken’ effect and water will flow from the gargoyles mouths in the near future.
The queueline fencing has now gone in along with an absolutely stunning prop that further adds to the dedication and levels of immersion that Paultons park are notorious for, it looks absolutely beautiful!
There is a lot of planting work taking place and Lawrence Mancey confirmed within the video that there are many more props to be added to the queue line ahead of opening which is amazing to hear!
A well that will be moving on its own in addition to some sort of mirrors will also be included within this queue space, we were given a sneak peek at the well in question below:
We also get a look at the facade and whilst it’s still mostly covered in scaffolding we do get our first look at some of the cracked windows which look stunning.
There’s such an artistic gothic flair to the mansion already and just the shot of the queueline even in this early stage makes it look better than anything the UK currently has in terms of immersive thematic detailing.
We also got to see the arrival of some new props that will be housed inside the building which will make up the multiple pre-shows of the manor including the showstopping scene where Ohjee will be captured and trying to get out of the ghost containment unit.
It’s at this point where we see the front cabin of the ride vehicles which sport a very simplistic design as opposed to the rest of the rides theming which for me, is certainly a strange decision but with the ride being plunged into darkness for the majority I don’t imagine this to be much of an issue.
Check out the full update video below in what is now the 4th construction update video posted by the park ahead of its highly anticipated opening in May. The UK could very well be getting one of its best dark rides and we absolutely can’t wait to see it in the flesh!
Date: February 12th, 2025
Lawrence Mancey posted the exterior facade of Ghostly Manor on X showing the full front of the manor for the first ever time.
The detailing looks phenomenal and whilst the satellite dishes look a little unusual to me versus the old aesthetic of the building it ties into Dr Kinley’s communication devices backstory.
Date: March 7th, 2025
Another Ghostly Manor update was posted today outlining a few new additions to the queue line and a change of heart when it comes to some of the lights around the queue line which are being changed to become more ornate in nature.
We got a good look at the brand-new gates where guests will enter Ghostly Manor for the first time and then we dived straight inside to see the new scoring system screens that have been installed in addition to the game screens.
Last but certainly not least we got our first look at the Phantom Phaser guns but we were just shown a prototype with the real guns having lights built in and a speaker for audio feedback when shooting your phasers at the ghosts you’re set to capture.
They certainly are a good size but I was hoping for a little bit more detail but I am glad they’re a trigger gun as opposed to the pulley system used at Grand Prix EDventure at Europa Park. I definitely prefer a trigger Vs that Toy Story Mania method of firing.
Check out the full Ghostly Manor construction update below as Lawrence Mancey guides us through all the latest additions ahead of the ride opening in May!
Thursday 24th April, 2025
The race is on now towards Ghostly Manor opening to the public on May 17th and an animated reveal was posted by the park showcasing the capture of the Ice Ghost that forms an integral part of the Ghostly Manor story as you enter.
With how good the animation quality is I’d love to see Paultons release an animated short film for this particular ride, it would make a lovely little addition to the ride and maybe give guests more of an insight as to why they’re there and what their objective is outside of the standard pre-shows within the ride itself.
Not long to wait now and whilst we can’t say too much about the ride until it officially opens, we’ll be checking it out very soon indeed!
Date: May 2nd, 2025
A new update was today posted by Paultons Park a mere 15 days before the ride officially opens to the public as we get a great little insight into the final touches going into place on this highly anticipated dark ride.
The entrance leading to the ride looks in good condition with more plants being added to the exterior queue leading to the building.
The fountain at the entrance of the ride has been turned on and the whole ambience of the building including the rock work looks beautiful, rustic and has such a wonderful charm to it but it’s also mildly playful, it’s not too intimidating.
It looks like there’s a Ghostly Manor theming piece above the entrance of the building and what lies in store awaits us as the entrance style pagoda invites you in.
The new lights have been installed and more queue line theming has been added throughout including a floating chairs style illusion which is very unique.
Mirrors line the queue line but they’re not ordinary mirrors they’re actually screens that will be playing content to guests within the queue-line which is a great touch for an exterior ride queue.
Planting is a major focus for the outside garden and plants have already been put in early to allow them to bed-in so that when the attraction opens within two weeks they look and feel like they’ve always been there.
A scoreboard has also been installed outside so that guests can check their scores as they leave the ride but there will be a high scores table displaying throughout the day so you can keep tabs on who has the best score or jump back on inside and try to beat it!
It’s only later in the video that the theming piece above the door is revealed as it looks like one of Dr Kinley’s gadgets before you enter the manor, I can’t wait to see just how they theme the interior, if they go down the route of theming it like a curiosities museum I’ll be in dream land!
There’s so many avenues they can do down with the interior theming to make it more luxurious and elegant or they could go into leaning heavily into the technology and ghost capture angle and have a museum of ghosts within containers etc. The possibilities are endless.
Check out the full construction update posted today by Paultons Park and they even went as far as saying they’ll be teasing some on-ride footage in the next instalment and if you’re still reading these updates all these months later, we have our own little Ghostly Manor secrets to share with you in due course!
