Duel

Duel History

By 2002 Alton Towers believed that the Haunted House had run its course, rider numbers had fallen. Alton towers decided that a retheme was needed. The main structure of the ride was to remain untouched, however one main difference was the gaming element.

The ride gained a carnival atmosphere with its thousands of twinkling LEDs, faster paced score and freak show zombies. John Wardleys' masterpiece that was created with its Hammer Horror style themeing was forged and beaten into a new shape.

That shape was Duel the Haunted House strikes back.

This time the ghosts and ghouls were fighting back!

This sign was displayed late in the season of 2002 informed the riders that something new was going to happen in 2003

During the change over we had to say goodbye to some beloved props and effects. These included the portraits, music and other important Wardley Haunted House Staples. These essentials were removed to make way for the new zombie infestation. These included the Sir Henry Alton head in the fireplace effect, Emily Alton was reduced to visual only and her eerie vocal was switched off. In their place came the monitors with instructional commentary. Other areas of change included the signature headstone, which was replaced with a zombie crypt and laser gun! The Ghoulish garden was reduced by a substantial size and a new zombie cellar was incorporated. Other areas of change included the loss of a lot of effects from the Skeleton Corridor.
The ride became more re-rideable with the laser guns, however good the concept was, the new element in the haunted house were not sympathetic to John Wardleys creation nor the structure and detail of the original design.