Since the 19th century, dark rides have thrilled and delighted audiences around the world. From simple black hallways with loud noises and flashing lights to state-of-the-art animatronics and design, these attractions can greatly vary. From silly to spooky, relaxing to thrilling, there are dark rides that cater to every taste.
Although I appreciate the craft in every ride, my favorite form of dark rides are spooky and fantastic. The summerween season is never really complete for me without a trip on a county fair Ghost Train. Halloween is always best with a trip to the Haunted Mansion at a Disney park or Ghost Blasters on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, Canada. Really, every season is made better with rides of some sort! Of course, travel is not always possible, so the next best option is ride-through videos on Youtube.
Disney theme parks have some of the most popular and highest rated dark rides in the world. The king of all spooky dark rides is “The Haunted Mansion”. Similar iterations can be found in Walt Disney World (Orlando, FL), Disneyland (Anaheim, CA), and Tokyo Disneyland (Japan). Disneyland Paris has “Phantom Manor”, a version with a very different storyline – we will check that out later in this post. Hong Kong Disneyland opts for a less spooky, more fantastic “Mystic Manor”.
The Haunted Mansion is home to 999 happy haunts who spook and entertain millions of guests each year. The fun begins with an interactive queue where guests can learn about a few of the mansion’s denizens. Next is a pre-show in the gallery, where stretching portraits and a seemingly exit-less chamber set up the chilling experience to follow. Visitors hop aboard a macabre “doom buggy” to tour the mansion’s creepy corridors and grounds. The ride ends with a warning to beware of “hitchhiking ghosts” – with three friendly fiends (Phinneas, Ezra, and Gus) waiting to follow you home.
This ride utilizes classic Pepper’s Ghost illusions, audio-animatronics, projection mapping, and other lighting and sound effects to bring the mansion to life.
Video from @DocumentDisney.
One of the oldest theme parks still in existence, Efteling is known for its amazing dark rides. In 2024 the theme park unveiled a new spooky-themed area with catering, retail, entertainment, and the new “Danse Macabre” dark ride. The attraction replaced the former “Spooksalot Haunted House”.
Two years in the making, Danse Macabre boasts a unique ride system by Intamin where guests sit on one of six choir stalls on top of turntables that spin, rise, tilt, and fall to the classic “Danse Macabre” by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns. The room around the seats comes alive – or rather, undead? – with ghosts and ghouls for the duration of the four-minute experience. It is a beautiful mix of classical music, modern technology, and timeless frights.
Video from Efleling’s official Youtube channel.
Universal Studios is at the forefront of blending screens with physical sets and animatronics to create thrilling and immersive dark rides. Some of their most impressive environments are in their Jurassic Park themed attractions at their parks around the world.
While the two North American parks host water rides devoted to the fearsome dinosaurs, Universal Studios Beijing uses a track dark ride system. Climb aboard an All-Terrain Luxury Autonomous System (A.T.L.A.S.) and journey into the heart of Jurassic World Isla Nublar for unforgettable encounters with all your favorite dinosaurs.
There is much more screen-time than I usually prefer for my rides, but the dinosaur animatronics are amazing. Especially impressive is a sequence where the indominous rex chases your vehicle completely around a pillar. Riding in between the fighting t-rex and inominous rex is also a thrilling moment.
Video from Attractions 360°.
So far we have toured some of the most polished and technologically advanced dark rides in the world. Now it is time to take a ride on a more traditional dark ride – with black lights and a simpler set-up.
I grew up riding “Ghost Blasters” at the Great Canadian Midway in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It will always have a special place in my heart – and I always try to visit it when I spend a day on Clifton Hill. Designed by Sally Corporation, this ride arms guests with “boo blaster” laser guns to rid a spooky mansion of ghosts. The sets and ghosts glow in black light, and hitting targets causes scenes and scares to animate.
Video from Attractions 360°.
We started this post with Disney and now we will end with the same. Disneyland Paris has the most unique of the traditional Haunted Mansions – “Phantom Manor”. Unlike the U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Phantom Manor has a much more cohesive storyline.
Situated in Frontierland, the attraction ties into Big Thunder Mountain and other aspects of the area. Once home to one of Thunder Mesa’s founders, Henry Ravenswood, locals now steer clear of the dilapidated house, claiming it to be haunted. According to legend, Henry Ravenswood cherished his only daughter, Melanie, and believed no man good enough to marry her. After his death, a mysterious phantom began to torment Melanie. The four men that courted her all came to mysterious and untimely ends. Melanie was driven mad and eventually joined the supernatural menagerie of the house. Her spirit can be seen wandering the many halls of the manor, still in her wedding dress, waiting for a husband who can escape the Phantom’s grasp.
While the original attraction and storyline featured solely French narration, a 2019 refurb utilized a previously unused narration by horror actor Vincent Price. This attraction is much darker and macabre than the other Disney mansions. Another notable difference is the finale. Instead of a graveyard, the doom buggies descent underground into a crypt and then emerge in a wild west ghost town. Spirits and ghouls enjoy a rowdy afterlife in saloons and other western locale.
From its beautiful soundtrack to the sad and macabre story of the ill-fated bride, this is my favorite dark ride. I look forward to visiting it again someday!
Video from DLP Welcome.
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