Grave Robbers at Yorkshire Dungeon - 2015
As one of the smallest of the UK brand, the York Dungeon is reliant upon strong shows and characterisation to deliver the thrills, humour and entertainment that the Dungeon’s are renowned for. For half term, there have been reports of grave robbers lurking around in the darkness, and we couldn’t wait to investigate. Having been left slightly dispirited by seasonal/temporary offerings from the Dungeons in the past, we were slightly wary of whether the grave robber aspect would form a significant part of the main show, or seem to be more of a fun gimmick. However, we were not left disappointed and found this temporary show to be one of the most intense Dungeon shows that we have experienced!
The Grave Robbers show took place during the latter half of the tour, as the penultimate scene. After experiencing Dick Turpin’s final moments, we were ushered in to a dimly lit room to ‘pay our respects to the dead’, with a stone casket, and freshly unearthed corpse lying upon the ground. As we sat down, the show proceeded to bombard us with use of darkness, strobe lighting and an eerie story that combined to startle the whole group, leaving us totally shocked and thankful when it came to an end. The story was very informative, telling us about how valuable dead bodies can be, the fear of being buried alive and how the phrase ‘saved by the bell’ came to be, all integrated in to chilling and mysterious tale. As a storm approached, the story grew more and more intense, and we were soon unsure (in a good way) whether the Grave Robber in front of us was simply an insane grave robber with a vivid imagination or something far more sinister… Throughout the show, the actor utilised the flickering lights to scare and shock, which added beautifully to the growing intensity. The show also flowed nicely in to the final Witches scene, as the Witch Pricker appeared for one final scare as the lights boomed back on, and led us in to the final show.
‘Grave Robbers’ was a brilliant show that seemed to be sat in the remnants of an older show room, perhaps part of the original torture chamber or Guy Fawkes scene (there were certain scenic elements that York Dungeon veterans may recognise) and used the relatively cramped space brilliantly. In fact, the show was so thrilling that it was difficult to believe that the grave robber wasn’t a permanent fixture amongst the other York Dungeon rogues. If we had one criticism to put forward, it would be that the ridiculously bright fire exit sign in the outside corridor illuminated the room when the Witch Pricker entered, giving away his presence and ruining what could be a startling final moment. However, this aside, the show was scary, intense, educational and utterly thrilling and we hope that it is deemed successful enough to warrant a return in the future.
Taking the opportunity to experience it twice, the York Dungeon experience as a whole was enjoyable throughout on both occasions. It is always interesting to compare the UK Dungeon’s with one another, and having felt that the Blackpool Tower Dungeon lacked the same impact it usually has on a recent visit, York was ripe with laughs, thrills and excitement. Particular highlights include the Labyrinth of the Lost Roman Legion (in which this unfortunate reviewer was picked on to lead the way completely alone, isolated from the rest of the group!), Eric Bloodaxe, Tyrannical Tudors and Guy Fawkes. If we had one criticism, it would be that, although it includes a particularly creepy Pepper’s ghost effect, the Golden Fleece did not seem to be as impressive as previous visits. There was no hanging sign outside the door; in fact there was no indication we were at the Golden Fleece whatsoever, and the actor did not seem to fully utilise the intermittent darkness to build the atmosphere. In fact, on our first visit, the actor barely seemed to move at all! We felt this was a shame, as it seemed to soften the punch of a usually outstanding show! Nevertheless, the York Dungeon leaves a lasting impression and, despite its size and lack of thrill rides, is certainly one of the strongest and most enjoyable installations of the Dungeons brand.
The Grave Robbers show took place during the latter half of the tour, as the penultimate scene. After experiencing Dick Turpin’s final moments, we were ushered in to a dimly lit room to ‘pay our respects to the dead’, with a stone casket, and freshly unearthed corpse lying upon the ground. As we sat down, the show proceeded to bombard us with use of darkness, strobe lighting and an eerie story that combined to startle the whole group, leaving us totally shocked and thankful when it came to an end. The story was very informative, telling us about how valuable dead bodies can be, the fear of being buried alive and how the phrase ‘saved by the bell’ came to be, all integrated in to chilling and mysterious tale. As a storm approached, the story grew more and more intense, and we were soon unsure (in a good way) whether the Grave Robber in front of us was simply an insane grave robber with a vivid imagination or something far more sinister… Throughout the show, the actor utilised the flickering lights to scare and shock, which added beautifully to the growing intensity. The show also flowed nicely in to the final Witches scene, as the Witch Pricker appeared for one final scare as the lights boomed back on, and led us in to the final show.
‘Grave Robbers’ was a brilliant show that seemed to be sat in the remnants of an older show room, perhaps part of the original torture chamber or Guy Fawkes scene (there were certain scenic elements that York Dungeon veterans may recognise) and used the relatively cramped space brilliantly. In fact, the show was so thrilling that it was difficult to believe that the grave robber wasn’t a permanent fixture amongst the other York Dungeon rogues. If we had one criticism to put forward, it would be that the ridiculously bright fire exit sign in the outside corridor illuminated the room when the Witch Pricker entered, giving away his presence and ruining what could be a startling final moment. However, this aside, the show was scary, intense, educational and utterly thrilling and we hope that it is deemed successful enough to warrant a return in the future.
Taking the opportunity to experience it twice, the York Dungeon experience as a whole was enjoyable throughout on both occasions. It is always interesting to compare the UK Dungeon’s with one another, and having felt that the Blackpool Tower Dungeon lacked the same impact it usually has on a recent visit, York was ripe with laughs, thrills and excitement. Particular highlights include the Labyrinth of the Lost Roman Legion (in which this unfortunate reviewer was picked on to lead the way completely alone, isolated from the rest of the group!), Eric Bloodaxe, Tyrannical Tudors and Guy Fawkes. If we had one criticism, it would be that, although it includes a particularly creepy Pepper’s ghost effect, the Golden Fleece did not seem to be as impressive as previous visits. There was no hanging sign outside the door; in fact there was no indication we were at the Golden Fleece whatsoever, and the actor did not seem to fully utilise the intermittent darkness to build the atmosphere. In fact, on our first visit, the actor barely seemed to move at all! We felt this was a shame, as it seemed to soften the punch of a usually outstanding show! Nevertheless, the York Dungeon leaves a lasting impression and, despite its size and lack of thrill rides, is certainly one of the strongest and most enjoyable installations of the Dungeons brand.
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Links
For dates and prices check the York Dungeon website
You Review
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After being to the London Dungeon a few times, I obviously knew what to expect - some shows such as the torture chamber, plague, courtroom and the mirror maze were virtually identical to the [older] London incarnations; just with a slightly more northern dialect to them. All comparisons are made with the London Dungeon (both when it was at Tooley St and it's current version at the South Bank)
Clifford's Tower/Tyrannical Tudors
Pretty much just the loading rooms for the dungeon, after meeting the first character, you are then plunged into a small chapel and introduced to the dungeon. Despite being the newest permanent show, it was a pretty weak start despite providing one or two scares. However, the first scare provided in this show was probably the most powerful.
Plague
Virtually identical to the other version. The actor decided to try and scare me after a moment of darkness, but as it wasn't pitch black I noticed he was there and ended up scaring everybody else instead.
Guy Fawkes
Just an audio track playing over with waxwork models being lit up over the room; probably the worst show in the whole dungeon despite the London version being so strong. This show is showing the most signs of age, the figures look old and decaying. Would be much more fun if they had an actor in the room instead of the audio track.
Ghosts of York
Set in a very small pub with some great storytelling, the actor in here was probably the best out of the whole attraction. The peppers ghost effect looks pretty good too.
Roman Legion/Mirror Maze
A short backstory about a missing Roman legion was given before entering the mirror maze, despite it containing a lot of dead ends, it seemed smaller than the London version. The animatronics also seemed to scare quite a few people.
Eric Bloodaxe
Very similar to Coughin' Coffin at London, but slightly less boring. This could've been fantastic with actors, I was half expecting someone blasting in from the back with an axe (at the entrance there was someone dressed as a Viking with an axe, but that could've been someone from the Jorvik centre) and telling his tales but instead there were models with faces projected onto them and arguing.
Torture Chamber
If you've been to a dungeon you know what to expect. If not, you're shown different devices of torture which are then 'demonstrated' on an unlucky visitor. Great acting, but you know what's coming if you've seen the other versions of it before!
Courtroom
Just like I said on my review of the London review, almost exactly the same as the other versions, just with a hate of southerners (luckily I wasn't picked, but more on that next).
Execution
When you are asked to chant, you better well do it! Otherwise you'll be sent to the block and take an axe to the neck. The humour in this show relies on the north-south divide (my Suffolk accent was laughed at - despite not really being able to understand the actor's) but still - it was rather funny.
Dick Turpin
Delivered in a similar way as Sweeny Todd at the London Dungeon but not as effective as the speakers as situated around the room instead of being right next to your ears. The actress portraying Turpin's wife was pretty good, but the finale was disappointing.
Grave Robbers
A seasonal show for half term, it provided some good story telling. The actors were enthusiastic and kept interest. Sadly the scariest thing in this show was an air blower, it would've been good if the grave robber took the fake corpse or a stooge out of the 'stone' coffin in the middle of the room, it could've combined well with the plague show.
Witch Burning
Having never experienced the Bloody Mary show at London, this was fresh for me. The fire effect looked pretty good, but would've been even better if there were heaters that turned on when the 'flames' were visible. The show was funny and the vibe was very Pythonesque. The end of the show was fantastic, but was a slightly disappointing end to the attraction, it seemed very abrupt as you were launched into the gift shop.
Overall, it was a great attraction. Sure, the Dungeons are a family attraction but they are really fun; the London Dungeon may be more impressive and somewhat scarier, but with some touch ups and changes this could be much better. I managed to get in with a student discount (which was just under £10 when booking online), there didn't seem to be too much of a queue, but booking online was about £4/5 than on the gate so if you know what time you'll be there it is definitely better to book online.
Clifford's Tower/Tyrannical Tudors
Pretty much just the loading rooms for the dungeon, after meeting the first character, you are then plunged into a small chapel and introduced to the dungeon. Despite being the newest permanent show, it was a pretty weak start despite providing one or two scares. However, the first scare provided in this show was probably the most powerful.
Plague
Virtually identical to the other version. The actor decided to try and scare me after a moment of darkness, but as it wasn't pitch black I noticed he was there and ended up scaring everybody else instead.
Guy Fawkes
Just an audio track playing over with waxwork models being lit up over the room; probably the worst show in the whole dungeon despite the London version being so strong. This show is showing the most signs of age, the figures look old and decaying. Would be much more fun if they had an actor in the room instead of the audio track.
Ghosts of York
Set in a very small pub with some great storytelling, the actor in here was probably the best out of the whole attraction. The peppers ghost effect looks pretty good too.
Roman Legion/Mirror Maze
A short backstory about a missing Roman legion was given before entering the mirror maze, despite it containing a lot of dead ends, it seemed smaller than the London version. The animatronics also seemed to scare quite a few people.
Eric Bloodaxe
Very similar to Coughin' Coffin at London, but slightly less boring. This could've been fantastic with actors, I was half expecting someone blasting in from the back with an axe (at the entrance there was someone dressed as a Viking with an axe, but that could've been someone from the Jorvik centre) and telling his tales but instead there were models with faces projected onto them and arguing.
Torture Chamber
If you've been to a dungeon you know what to expect. If not, you're shown different devices of torture which are then 'demonstrated' on an unlucky visitor. Great acting, but you know what's coming if you've seen the other versions of it before!
Courtroom
Just like I said on my review of the London review, almost exactly the same as the other versions, just with a hate of southerners (luckily I wasn't picked, but more on that next).
Execution
When you are asked to chant, you better well do it! Otherwise you'll be sent to the block and take an axe to the neck. The humour in this show relies on the north-south divide (my Suffolk accent was laughed at - despite not really being able to understand the actor's) but still - it was rather funny.
Dick Turpin
Delivered in a similar way as Sweeny Todd at the London Dungeon but not as effective as the speakers as situated around the room instead of being right next to your ears. The actress portraying Turpin's wife was pretty good, but the finale was disappointing.
Grave Robbers
A seasonal show for half term, it provided some good story telling. The actors were enthusiastic and kept interest. Sadly the scariest thing in this show was an air blower, it would've been good if the grave robber took the fake corpse or a stooge out of the 'stone' coffin in the middle of the room, it could've combined well with the plague show.
Witch Burning
Having never experienced the Bloody Mary show at London, this was fresh for me. The fire effect looked pretty good, but would've been even better if there were heaters that turned on when the 'flames' were visible. The show was funny and the vibe was very Pythonesque. The end of the show was fantastic, but was a slightly disappointing end to the attraction, it seemed very abrupt as you were launched into the gift shop.
Overall, it was a great attraction. Sure, the Dungeons are a family attraction but they are really fun; the London Dungeon may be more impressive and somewhat scarier, but with some touch ups and changes this could be much better. I managed to get in with a student discount (which was just under £10 when booking online), there didn't seem to be too much of a queue, but booking online was about £4/5 than on the gate so if you know what time you'll be there it is definitely better to book online.
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