There is a lot of pressure on a theme park when they decide to step out of the norm and build something new, it’s safe to say that Paultons Park took it in their stride when constructing their first ever dark ride. It’s absolutely brilliant!
Renowned for its family-friendly attractions Ghostly Manor doesn’t push the boundaries too far in terms of spookiness but what it does push the boundaries of is just how dark rides are done here in the UK in terms of quality and immersion.
Exterior
Ghostly Manor drags guests into the story with some extraordinary external theming where an entire garden has been built from the ground up with this eerie Manor House lurking at the end of a winding queue-path.
The journey begins before you even enter the gates as you’re greeted with this beautiful gothic-style fountain that sets the scene with the manor house as the backdrop. It’s a showpiece in its own right and instantly entices you inside as you’re curious about what lies in store through the manor gates.
A little white swing rocks back and forth within the garden and mirrors display friendly ghosts that have been captured by Dr Kinley, a paranormal investigator who has a collection of curiosities and ghosts within the manor.
While Dr. Kinley is away on a mission to the North Pole, visitors are invited to explore his haunted home, only to discover that many ghosts have escaped. It’s your job to capture them including Ojee the strongest ghost of them all.
I love the little ornaments that are dotted throughout the garden along with a little table and chairs illusion as though they have been stacked up in a supernatural fashion. It’s just the extra touches that show time and time again that Paultons Park go the extra mile every single time no matter the project.
All we need to do is copy and paste the Paultons Park mentality into the hearts and minds of other parks in the UK and that way Universal won’t wipe out the competition when they arrive at our shores, they’ll simply compliment it.
Paultons Park pride themselves on their landscaping and making sure that when a new ride opens the area around it is fully imbedded with plants fully grown and the area looking like it has been there for many years with its rustic charm and gothic architecture.
The entire space is so impressive and reminds me of a little slice of Disney right here in the United Kingdom, if only more parks strived for this level of detail and it doesn’t just stop at the rides external design and landscaping.
Interior
Greeted by a large statue of Dr Kinley upon entry a cabinet sits just behind him filled with trapped ghost vials and other artefacts, it’s a subtle introduction to the manor but one thing is apparent the second you enter, one of my dark ride pet peeves.
I’d love to know why many attractions around the world have wallpaper that only goes part-way up a wall and then it’s black space or have an entire ceiling that is black and unthemed.
The budget for Ghostly Manor was £3.5m so I don’t think a few £60 ceiling panels to make it look like an old Manor House is the issue here but I see it in rides across the world even at huge parks with endless budgets like Universal and Disney.
Seeing this certainly niggled me but it’s a me issue, but I’m more curious as to why parks decide to do this and why other space around the introductory room couldn’t have antique picture frames or similar on the walls, it felt a little more plain than I was expecting in there especially for an introductory room but it certainly didn’t feel that way in the next room.
As you step into the next room there are a variety of contraptions on display for trapping ghosts alongside a variety of screens discussing the challenge that lies ahead for you.
The theming in this room is great and your attention is firmly focused on what is happening before you, the cylinder that contain the ghosts is such a cool effect utilising a screen and the curvature of the cylinder to create this unique ‘trapped ghost’ effect.
As you turn the corner you’re greeted with a desk (it belonged to a family member of the Mancey family who own the park) along with another cabinet of ghost capturing goodies before you enter the station.
Gameplay Theatres don’t feature your stereotypical loading stations because of how they’re designed (find out more about how the ride works HERE) so you’re boarded straight onto the ride train where you take a seat and grab your Phantom Blaster.
Ride Experience
The Phantom Blasters are made from a light plastic which definitely worries me within a family theme park, all it takes is a kid to knock the gun a few times and I’d be very concerned about their durability.
They’re nicely made but are very light and don’t feel as heavy duty as I was expecting but they’re a damn sight better than the god awful guns that are used in Europa Park’s very own Gameplay Theatre Grand Prix EdVenture.
What the guns do provide is a nice little light effect when fired along with haptic feedback. The guns feature real-time positional tracking, allowing for precise targeting of ghosts throughout the ride but only if you’re sitting behind the gun holster as I quickly found out.
If you don’t sit directly behind your holster then your shots will go wayward so be warned!
When you start firing at ghosts you’ll accumulate points where the final score will be displayed after the ride’s conclusion.
Ghostly Manor features so many physical sets as opposed to screens which heavily feature in Europa Park’s version which was great to see. There were animatronics, special effects aplenty and so much happening around you, it was so fun!
Shooting dark rides normally detach me from the experience but with how the gameplay theatre is built the targets are more up close and personal and it makes it more intimate and fun, I had a blast (pun intended).
Some of the props and effects built blew me away, they were so impressive and this is a ride that is going to surprise so many people as they’ve packed such a lot into such a small footprint.
Between this version and Europa Park’s screen heavy version (no physical sets involved whatsoever) this is the very clear winner out of the two.
So whilst I wasn’t entirely a fan of the guns build-quality it takes nothing away from the gameplay / ride experience but I hope that people look after them when using them as I can’t imagine they’ll be able to withstand a battering.
A New Era of UK Dark Rides
In my VLOG (featured within this very review) I mention that Ghostly Manor is the UK’s most immersive dark ride and whilst I certainly meant it in terms of a shooting-type style of ride I feel as though this ride can compete with the UK’s best.
Yes, the ride system is entirely different, compact yet effective in equal measure but you’re entirely surrounded and the minimal screens you do come across are either embedded wonderfully into the scene you’re in or cover your peripherals enough for you to not see the edges.
For a park to build their first ever dark ride and instantly place themselves amongst the best in the country is some achievement.
When we demo’d the Mack Rides Gameplay Theatre in Germany we had audio bleed from the ride system scene dividers, the ride system was noisy when transitioning between scenes and it was certainly not the finished product but here before us was the finished product with all the kinks ironed out and it’s great! I can see many more parks getting this ride system in the future.
Final Thoughts
This rich-themed environment indoors lets you in for a spooky good time as the exterior pays homage to the original Paultons Manor, connecting the attraction to the park’s heritage.
Ghostly Manor remains light hearted and fun but does lack a gift shop which I thought was a real shame considering the storyline is about a Dr who collects things (including ghosts) so having a gift shop stocked full of unique items would seem like a no brainer to me.
The ride is family friendly and appeals to a broad audience and you won’t have too long to wait in line for it, Paultons pride themselves on shorter wait times across the board and the gameplay theatre is a real people eater despite being the smallest Gameplay Theatre model of its kind.
A very impressive addition to the Paultons Park lineup and seeing just how incredible they’ve made this dark ride instantly makes me want them to build a trackless or tracked style dark ride just to see what they can conjure up.
With a Vikings area in the works with a brand new rumoured roller coaster I also can’t wait to see how well themed this new land is going to be as every single attraction Paultons create turns to gold and Ghostly Manor is the absolute definition of this visually and is the perfect ride to seek shelter in when the weather isn’t so great.
Wallpaper and ceiling niggles aside this is a must-visit UK dark ride attraction and whether you’re a seasoned theme park veteran or a family seeking a fun day out, you can’t go far wrong at Paultons Park.
I want to express a heartfelt thank you to Paultons Park for allowing me to come down and check out the ride two weeks before it officially opened, they knew I was going away for a while and went the extra mile to make sure I got to experience it before I left for my trip.
