The Curse at Alton Manor
The Curse at Alton Manor is a dark ride at the Alton Towers theme park near the village of Alton in Staffordshire, England, opened on 18 March 2023. There is a minimum height restriction of 0.9 metres. Guests under 1.1 metres must be accompanied by an adult.
The ride originally opened in 1992 as The Haunted House, before a retheme as Duel – The Haunted House Strikes Back! with the addition of interactive laser shooting in 2003. The same ride system and building was re-used for The Curse at Alton Manor with a new theme and scenes.
Development
After an initial teaser, Duel closed on 6 September 2022 and its replacement was announced as The Curse at Alton Manor the following January. Later details revealed that the ride's new premise would revolve around a character named Emily Alton, based on the little Victorian ghost girl that inhabited a dollhouse in the queue area of both the Haunted House and Duel. A main theme of the ride is that her spirit seeks revenge for being left alone and neglected in the house. The ride and surrounding grounds include several easter eggs, such as gravestones memorialising former rides.As part of the renovation, the laser guns and targets were removed and the ride vehicles restored to six seats. The attraction officially opened to the public on 18 March 2023. It includes performers and props around the house, as well as the ride inside.