talkmagic.co.uk

Ok, this isn't a trick or even magic per say but it is pretty magical.

Their description:

On a fateful, stormy night 100 years ago, the Earl of Shrewsbury refused to give money to an old beggar woman, and brought the fury of a gypsy curse upon his kin: whenever a branch fell from the enchanted oak tree near Alton Towers, a member of the family would die! After a lightning storm struck the tree, felling a branch, one of his relatives indeed dropped dead. Chaining the remaining branches to the tree could not defeat the evil. Now, deep in the Towers' chambers, the tree has been unearthed: the curse has returned, and the room is starting to move! Hex is a ride that will leave you spellbound.

I say:
This "ride" is situated in the old castle/manor house on the Alton Towers estate. You enter a long passage way lined with scaffolding and eerie statues draped in flowing dust sheets lashed with rope. This is almost like walking through a combination of an insane asylum and a building site. Sounds of excavation and work echo around the chamber.

The ride (proper) begins with a video, a well produced back story as described above. The narrator's resonant voice weaves a moody spell.

When the back story video is finished the twin set of double doors open in front of you and you step into a central chamber. Here you see more signs of building work, renovation and discovery. The misty atmosphere once again THUMPS to the sound of the narrator describing the discovery of a hidden chamber behind an ancient bookcase...a laboratory used by the Earl of Shrewsbury in an attempt to scientifically and magically break the curse. The lights flicker and fade, a storm builds and a wind whistles through the room. An old womans voice creaks out her curse. Finally the curtain obscuring the newly discovered passage way opens and you move on...deeper into the darkness.

You arrive in a dimly lit Victorian laboratory chamber. Two rows of benches face each other and between them is the fallen branch of the Old oak tree, chained to a table. On the far wall, mystic symbols adorn round meters and gauges. Candles flicker.

You are told to take your seat and a lap bar secures you gently. The cinematic music builds. It is foreboding and tense. Then it begins. You feel movement. You realize you are slowly swinging back and then forward, increasing your arc each time. This movement is slow and deliberate. You seem to rise to near vertical...that tiny bar will never hold you in.

You then feel pulled forward...away from the seat back although the room isn't moving. The entire group settles to normal positions... but not for long. Again you rise but this time you don't stop. You keep going past vertical...you are now looking up at the floor!!!

The music has taken on a malevolent feel as gravity no longer makes sense. Your inner ear reels and you brain argues with it. You find yourself laughing and gasping at the visual and physical sensations you are immersed in.

Finally the room settles and you are invited to leave. You wind your way through dank tunnles and through the genuine ruins of the house on your way back to the ques and "Slush Puppy" stands.....MAGIC indeed!!

BRAVO!

I've got to totally agree with you on this Tom. Hex is an absolute treat, and like no other experience - you look up at the floor, yet you're telling yourself you're not upside down. It is truly magical.

How about a talkmagic outing to Alton Towers?

Zack wrote:How about a talkmagic outing to Alton Towers?

Excellent Idea!

I went on this ride ages ago, did you get the eerie eyes following you everywhere?

Hmmm... I'm not sure I'd agree with you Tom, I've been on Hex a few times, and I wasn't that impressed. True, its a clever effect - no denying it, but I didn't think the presentation leading up to the effect was anything special, and considering how long you have to queue, I'd rather have another go on Nemesis.
That said - I suppose if you've never been on it its worth the experience

I suppose like so many things the surroundings and external mood helps set the scene.

There were no queues when I went and despite this and...

...the usual group of pointlessly shreiking teenagers waving mobile phones because they "made light" (Oooo, impressive), whistling loudly because they just figured out how to, being loud because they think that's what "grown ups" do when they are out in the big world without "teacher" (sigh...), mocking the atmosphere because they actually were afraid of being afraid in front of their mates and "girls" and generally acting as if they were sharing a communal brain cell...

...the mood worked for me. I certainly have seen worse, MUCH worse! I went twice because I really liked it.

Why did you then go three times if you were'nt impressed!?

I've actually only been on it twice - when I went to Alton Towers on separate occasions. Just went on it the second time as I was with other people. I agree, I too have seen much worse, but I didn't think it was anything special though.

theres something similar at blackpool pleasure beach, called Amazing Confusion, and it was quite good, not worth the long wait, but quite good, mmmmmmmmmm, passed some time.

this is also the same ride as the Haunting at Drayton Mannor.

BTW a talkmagic trip to alton towers would be quite cool! queing wouldn't be so boaring! ...magic, magic, magic!

Steve Dela

Great idea Steve, Alton towers may like the idea of turning a two hour que into an attraction.... heck, they might let us all in for free! ! !
Ok, I just phoned them, and they wont... not even when I asked really Really REALLY nicely.

Nice idea! We could pull a stephenmagic and do some magic on the rollercoasters!

We could really put the wind up the Alton Towers managment team by dissapearing half way round the rollercoaster... Hmmmmm, I wander if that can really be done. (*Planning & plotting, David walks away with a thoughtfull look on his face*)

I remember going on this ride and i really enjoyed it, i got really confused at the end though because i didn't know if i was turning or the room was

This sounds really great. Many years ago (1996) I was at a funfair in Holland where they had only recently opened a new ride "Villa Volta". Same sort of thing.

http://www.efteling.nl/Page.aspx?PageId ... nguageId=2

Great stuff ! I used to tell people about this ride and so it's nice to have a UK-based example !!

It is a great ride. The 'genre' is known as "haunted swing" and I think Hex is the biggest ride of this type in the world.

The swing part (seating area) actually only moves by 30 degrees when it's swinging, but the room-shaped barrel around it can rotate a full 360 degrees. Both of these movements combine with precision timing to amplify the illusion of movement. It's clever stuff.

JP