The Blackpool Tower Dungeon - Review
As part of a new management deal with Blackpool Council, Merlin Entertainments have taken over the Blackpool Tower, and have installed an exciting line up of new and improved attractions. The tower itself has seen a major regeneration, with an amazing new glass walkway experience perched high above the traffic below, and an immersive new 4D experience that impresses guests with a mix of sights, sounds and special effects.
Obviously, of most interest to us is the Blackpool Tower Dungeon and after being invited along to be on the judging panel for the auditions - it was time to see what we thought of the show. Our North West correspondents, Colin Rees and Sarah Ridgway went along in our place.
It's always a pleasure to visit a newly opened attraction as everything tends to look great and the actors really throw themselves into their roles. Naturally we were eager to experience Blackpool's newest attraction as soon as possible and had high expectations of seeing Lancashire's gruesome history unfold.
The main entrance is located on Bank Hay Street at the rear of the Tower but gives an imposing and foreboding presence to the thousands of Blackpool Tourists that pass by on this busy shopping street. It creates a great first impression and it was obvious that a lot of time and money had been spent in creating a façade which was both visually impressive and unique to any of the other dungeons, whilst still retaining its brand identity. We noticed that the usual actors drawing in the crowds from outside weren't present, which was a shame as it creates a great atmosphere. Maybe these will be utilised at some point in the future?
After the obligatory photo opportunity, we were ushered into a room with several others and a live actor who really worked the crowd well. He mixed in the usual rules with some great improvisational humour and scares with different members of the audience. We were fascinated with the immaculate theming and attention to detail in here, with cogs which turn as the actor summons the elevators to take you to your fate! The lifts themselves are fantastically themed and feature various effects which build apprehension perfectly, although we felt a few more effects could have helped overall. Saying that - it was a nice touch and did actually give you the feeling that there was no going back.
If you have visited a similar Dungeons attraction in the country you'll instantly recognise some of your favourite scenes awaiting you. This could quite easily make an attraction seem stale but interestingly there's been some careful development to improve each one noticeably, giving it its own identity. In each room it is clear that Merlin have really gone to town on theming, creating one of their most immersive attractions to date.
In particular, the Labyrinth of the Lost is by far the best we've experienced, mixing an abundance of animatronics with detailed scenery and low lying mist. In some of the other labyrinths we've felt like it was fairly easy to find your way around, but here there was genuine confusion with a really well designed layout.
The main entrance is located on Bank Hay Street at the rear of the Tower but gives an imposing and foreboding presence to the thousands of Blackpool Tourists that pass by on this busy shopping street. It creates a great first impression and it was obvious that a lot of time and money had been spent in creating a façade which was both visually impressive and unique to any of the other dungeons, whilst still retaining its brand identity. We noticed that the usual actors drawing in the crowds from outside weren't present, which was a shame as it creates a great atmosphere. Maybe these will be utilised at some point in the future?
After the obligatory photo opportunity, we were ushered into a room with several others and a live actor who really worked the crowd well. He mixed in the usual rules with some great improvisational humour and scares with different members of the audience. We were fascinated with the immaculate theming and attention to detail in here, with cogs which turn as the actor summons the elevators to take you to your fate! The lifts themselves are fantastically themed and feature various effects which build apprehension perfectly, although we felt a few more effects could have helped overall. Saying that - it was a nice touch and did actually give you the feeling that there was no going back.
If you have visited a similar Dungeons attraction in the country you'll instantly recognise some of your favourite scenes awaiting you. This could quite easily make an attraction seem stale but interestingly there's been some careful development to improve each one noticeably, giving it its own identity. In each room it is clear that Merlin have really gone to town on theming, creating one of their most immersive attractions to date.
In particular, the Labyrinth of the Lost is by far the best we've experienced, mixing an abundance of animatronics with detailed scenery and low lying mist. In some of the other labyrinths we've felt like it was fairly easy to find your way around, but here there was genuine confusion with a really well designed layout.
 Impressive staue of death greets shoppers below  Evil fairground gift shop |
 Inside the gift shop |
The stories and scenes all seem to flow together seamlessly and it's hard to pinpoint any one particular scene or effect. The Torture Chamber looked incredible with a really aggressive actor who was brilliant in his role and despite the standard script, his sheer energy and vitriolic approach took the experience to a whole new realm. The Plague doctor was also re-invigorated with the incredible use of set design, lighting, impact scares and new effects, breathing new life into what is a tried and tested feature of the Dungeons brand.
A further highlight was the Skippool Smugglers which, by using a method that has been enjoyed throughout other dungeons, was genuinely claustrophobic and immersive with a tense and spine chilling atmosphere, causing screams from both new visitors and veterans alike!
Towards the end of the tour, we felt The Pendle Witches area was lacking in as much excitement. The rich theme and local nature of these characters deserve more than a large area with a video screen and batching area for people boarding Extremis. It's one of the very few niggles we had with the attraction, as it seemed like it could have been utilised in a much better way.
On our way out we visited the Dungeons gift shop which was stocked with some really cool and interesting items for everyone. The gift shop itself is fantastcially themed like a fairground that's gone horribly wrong and feels like it belongs, rather than just being tacked on at the end as an afterthought.
Overall The Tower Dungeon is a welcome addition to the North, a very special attraction where care and consideration have been used to create something unique. There were some genuine jumps and scares in places where new effects had been implemented with some pretty effective impact scares. We look forward to seeing how the actors settle in to working at the Dungeons and start to improvise more in their roles.
We had actually planned to do a second run through the Dungeon just to be thorough in our review (after we had sampled the Tower's other attractions) but on returning realised that they had shut quite early. Blackpool itself was was heaving that night with stag and hen parties. It's going to be interesting to see in the future how these groups of rowdy and sometimes drunk people will react once inside the attraction. At the moment, the modest closing time should help because it would be a shame if some of the most impressive scenery we've seen in a while was ruined by a few drunk people. Time will tell...
A further highlight was the Skippool Smugglers which, by using a method that has been enjoyed throughout other dungeons, was genuinely claustrophobic and immersive with a tense and spine chilling atmosphere, causing screams from both new visitors and veterans alike!
Towards the end of the tour, we felt The Pendle Witches area was lacking in as much excitement. The rich theme and local nature of these characters deserve more than a large area with a video screen and batching area for people boarding Extremis. It's one of the very few niggles we had with the attraction, as it seemed like it could have been utilised in a much better way.
On our way out we visited the Dungeons gift shop which was stocked with some really cool and interesting items for everyone. The gift shop itself is fantastcially themed like a fairground that's gone horribly wrong and feels like it belongs, rather than just being tacked on at the end as an afterthought.
Overall The Tower Dungeon is a welcome addition to the North, a very special attraction where care and consideration have been used to create something unique. There were some genuine jumps and scares in places where new effects had been implemented with some pretty effective impact scares. We look forward to seeing how the actors settle in to working at the Dungeons and start to improvise more in their roles.
We had actually planned to do a second run through the Dungeon just to be thorough in our review (after we had sampled the Tower's other attractions) but on returning realised that they had shut quite early. Blackpool itself was was heaving that night with stag and hen parties. It's going to be interesting to see in the future how these groups of rowdy and sometimes drunk people will react once inside the attraction. At the moment, the modest closing time should help because it would be a shame if some of the most impressive scenery we've seen in a while was ruined by a few drunk people. Time will tell...
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Tickets are quite pricey on the door. Yet using a merlin discount voucher or buying your tickets online saves a lot! I highly recommend it! The attraction lasts a long time, I'm usually used to attractions that last 10-15 minutes each, however the tower dungeons can last up to an hour, it is well worth it but it does take a long time to get through it all, which I was very excited about!
The special effects are incredible! This was my first time on a Dungeons attraction, so I had no idea what to expect! I'm not going to give any of the scares away, but some of the special effects will make you scream, feel disgusted, not be able to understand what is real and not, they will make you feel uncomfortable, uneasy and maybe even sick, but it's all for a good cause!
The use of audience participation is also very fun, if you are are of the lucky (or unlucky!) ones to get picked out to do something for the actors, it's going to be a great laugh and a great memory for you and who ever is with you.
As well as being a scare attraction, it is also historically educational, you will be taken through time periods, and be told in creative, gruesome and evil ways of the dark history of the Pool that is Black! This is great for the audience as it teaches messages and history and at the same time giving you nightmares.
Extremis: Drop Ride to Hell! will also give you the most hilarious ride photo you have ever seen in your entire life.
If I was to criticize and change anything in the Blackpool Tower Dungeons, I would have the Vikings section last longer, with a bit more live action, as nothing much happens in this room. I would also make the Pendle Witches section longer, with a few more scares, and a bit more history on the subject. And also in the Extremis room, instead of having a projector screen 'judge and hang you' I would replace this with an animatronic.. or actors.
Also a 'Traitor Boat Ride' would be nice but maybe I'm being a bit too picky.
The special effects are incredible! This was my first time on a Dungeons attraction, so I had no idea what to expect! I'm not going to give any of the scares away, but some of the special effects will make you scream, feel disgusted, not be able to understand what is real and not, they will make you feel uncomfortable, uneasy and maybe even sick, but it's all for a good cause!
The use of audience participation is also very fun, if you are are of the lucky (or unlucky!) ones to get picked out to do something for the actors, it's going to be a great laugh and a great memory for you and who ever is with you.
As well as being a scare attraction, it is also historically educational, you will be taken through time periods, and be told in creative, gruesome and evil ways of the dark history of the Pool that is Black! This is great for the audience as it teaches messages and history and at the same time giving you nightmares.
Extremis: Drop Ride to Hell! will also give you the most hilarious ride photo you have ever seen in your entire life.
If I was to criticize and change anything in the Blackpool Tower Dungeons, I would have the Vikings section last longer, with a bit more live action, as nothing much happens in this room. I would also make the Pendle Witches section longer, with a few more scares, and a bit more history on the subject. And also in the Extremis room, instead of having a projector screen 'judge and hang you' I would replace this with an animatronic.. or actors.
Also a 'Traitor Boat Ride' would be nice but maybe I'm being a bit too picky.
To find out more about the Blackpool Tower Dungeon - check out the website www.thedungeons.com
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