Thorpe Park's and actor led attractions

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Thorpe Park's addiction to actor led attractions


Since 2010 Thorpe Park have opened six actor led attractions with varying levels of success. This blog will grade them and work how they went wrong. 

Saw Alive (2010-2012)
Review: SAW Alive Horror Maze at Thorpe Park 2010 - Page 1Saw Alive was opened in 2010 following the success of Saw The Ride in 2009. Located in the old Thorpe Belle, it was a year round scare maze themed around the first six Saw movies. Marketed as the worlds first year round scare maze it was a well themed experience with good scares. Visitor numbers decreased throughout its life time until the decision was made to stop all year round operation for the 2013 season. After that the attraction only opened at Fright Nights, until it closed its doors for the final time in 2018. Classed as one of Thorpe Park's best mazes I would class the attraction as a success as it had a long life span and drew in a lot of visitors.

I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! Maze (2015-2018)
Image result for im a celebrity get me out of here thorpe park
Opening in 2015, in the old Rangers theatre. Based on the hit ITV TV show this attraction seemed like a strong addition to the resorts lineup. Actors led you around the building which had very good jungle theming. The attraction did not have the best reviews and had a bad throughput leading to it being unpopular with fans. The only saving grace was the addition of an indoor attraction. Small changes were made throughout its life and from 2017 the attraction only operated in peak times. The attraction closed every year during the Fright Nights period and did in 2018, with Vulcan Peak taking the space in October. The attraction never returned as the contract ran out. This attraction was a flop and I believe the resort could have put a better attraction in the space.

Derren Brown's Ghost Train (2016-)
Image result for derren browns ghost train
The parks most expensive ride ever and one of the most hyped dark rides in UK history. Opening in July 2016 after months of delays the ride was very unreliable although enthusiasts were willing to give it a chance in 2017. The next season saw major changes to the second half of the ride and 2018 saw the middle section changed. The attraction mixes virtual reality and physical sets as well as actors throughout. Unlike the previous two this attraction has operated without actors but is much better with. From 2017 onwards the ride opened at 12am instead of 10am like the rest of the park. Fans are split on the ride with some believing when it is all working it is up there with Hex as the best in the country but when it is not all working people consider it to not be worth it. Personally I believe this attraction is good and a nice filler attraction but not a dark ride I want to ride every visit like Hex. Hopefully it has a future at the park.

The Walking Dead The Ride (2018-)
Image result for the walking dead the ride2018 saw the retheme of the 1996 Vekoma enigma X. It was rethemed to the AMC show The Walking Dead, who the park have had a deal with before for Fright Nights. The former dance themed ride became a zombie apocalypse ride, accurate to the show. The ride became much more of an experience. The end of the ride features a small scare maze section with a couple of actors, however actors are not needed for it to operate and only really has them in peak times. I personally think this attraction has been a success for the resort and is a must ride for me now whenever I visit the resort. 

Jungle Escape (2019-)
Image result for jungle escape thorpe park

Added in the I'm A Celebrity building, Jungle Escape is an escape room that is an upcharge and you meet actors along the way. The theming stayed quite similar to the previous attraction. The attraction costs £5 and is around a 30 minute experience. The attraction is a good filler and definitely something which I hope has a future at the resort, with changes every few years to keep it fresh. I would say it is a success as it has integrated into the resort well and has mainly positive reviews.




With it unknown if Black Mirror Labyrinth will feature actors, it will be interesting to see if in the next couple of years the resort will carry on adding these or stray away from them.  

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