Two weeks ago we gave you a sneak peek inside the Alton Towers Dungeon and a look at the Stargazing Pods.Today we bring you our Alton Towers Dungeon review.
Back to the Movies were once again invited back to the park on the first day of the 2019 season to experience the final instalment of the dungeon attraction.
Is The Alton Towers Dungeon For Children?
Recommended for guests aged 10 and up the Alton Towers Dungeon stands out in a rather unusually located child-friendly area next to the Skyride in the park.
Torture equipment and skeletons lay amongst the outdoor scenery and some new additions have been added since I last visited including a sign, building decoration and a photo opportunity when you step foot inside the dungeon where you can take your picture with some bloody stocks in front of you.
This picture is available to download inclusive of the price you paid for entry.
How Much do the Alton Towers Dungeons Cost?
The price on the day is £7.50 but £5 if you buy online in advance which is fairly reasonable considering photo ops for rides in the park alone are £10.
Adding the free digital photo was a nice touch for Alton Towers to add considering paying again for an attraction inside the park seemed to anger many theme park fans when the dungeon was initially announced.
Alton Towers Dungeon Review
Without further ado, lets go over the sequences one by one.
This Alton Towers Dungeon review MAY contain spoilers.
The Judge
After entering a now more heavily themed entrance guests are lined up and then sent into the judges quarters. The judge picks three audience members to stand trial and I was one of the three chosen to admit to my crimes.
Being a little hungover the darkness of each room was a welcome addition to my foggy mind and the judge (albeit a different actor than we had a press event) managed to get the humour and sinister balance just right.
The room itself wasn’t heavily themed but the main focus is on the judge and his trial bench so there really isn’t much more needed to be added here. But there is certainly space to expand with decoration (if needed).
I do feel as tho this is the only section of the experience that does drag on a little too long. Choosing two participants instead of three would make this better all round, I wouldn’t go as far as saying it gets boring but it would help move things along a little bit.
The Black River
Having only experienced The Judge and The Torturer sections last time the boat ride was a new experience for me. The ride is certainly where the age rating of 10+ comes into play.
Guests explore various torture techniques and screaming victims echoing down the river. The ride plunges people into quite long spells of darkness and even sprinkles of water are sprayed at the guests at various intervals. This experience is certainly not suitable for young children.
Smoke effects and some cool projections make for a fun little journey but the scenery seems rather empty in places. Compared to the insane detail that the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ride had this feels a little bare.
Hopefully, more theming is added in the future as it didn’t feel quite finished to me. The boat ride was also much shorter than anticipated. We were told during construction that the river runs much longer and as a result could be extended if desired in the future.
I rather enjoyed the fact that live-actors were standing around the queue line for the boats. They provided great entertainment whilst queuing and made the small wait time go ever faster.
The Torturer
After being greeted off the boat by a servant we were introduced to The Torturer. Once again someone is lunged into a cage to stay there for the duration of the segment and another brave volunteer is shackled to a chair as The Torturer goes over various piece of equipment designed to bring pain to its victims.
This segment is well done and incredibly well acted. Although once again the room itself isn’t heavily themed the main focus is on centre stage and as such doesn’t really need it for now but in the future much more theming should be added.
During Scarefest these little bits of bare wall should really be spruced up. The Torturer segment flows seamlessly into the next part of this walkthrough theatre.
The Highwayman
We take a trip to the Welsh Harp Inn. A pub run by a rather crazy landlady as she tells the story of her most famous guest, Dick Turpin. Guests take a seat and the fun begins.
The pub is heavily themed and when Dick Turpin comes knocking the guests are plunged into darkness. Some incredible binaural audio, special effects and some 4D cinema-style pneumatics poke and prod you and sprays imitate breath on your neck. This is easily the most immersive segment of the show so far.
The Plague Doctor
After escaping the pub (reluctantly) we were guided into an operating room. The Plague Doctor pulls back the bloody sheets and performed some twisted organ removal.
Another volunteer is pulled from the audience to also be her next ‘subject’. The acting completely sells this particular part of the show. Added special effects also bring that extra ‘creep’ factor to proceedings.
The Haunting
The grand finale as we visit the house of the famous witch of Burslem, Molly Leigh. Guided into the incredibly well-themed room there are plenty of aromas in the air.
The haunting sequence is really well done, it feels as thou you are in your very own horror movie. When an apparition appears it’s scary as hell and that’s coming from a 27-year-old horror movie nut!
This sequence along with The Highwayman section are certainly two very strong and highly entertaining scenes.
Should You Visit the Alton Towers Dungeon?
The various smell pods used throughout coupled with the special effects and solid performances make the Alton Towers Dungeon an immersive and worthy visit.
The entry price may seem a little cheeky at first but with a photo inclusive it doesn’t feel so bad. It does feel like a one-trick-pony at least in terms of the shows as it stands.
Scarefest plans are in the works for the attraction so I look forward to seeing what happens in the dungeons come Halloween time.
A welcome addition to the park and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. I feel as thou set dressing in a few of the rooms certainly need more improvement. In addition to extra set dressing desperately needing to be added to a slightly disappointing boat ride.
All round thou however, it was still jolly good fun.
Morbidly entertaining the Alton Towers Dungeon is now open for business. Step inside if you dare…
Thanks for checking out my Alton Towers Dungeon review!
