This ride is in every way just about perfect. It's an insanely fun ride that's nonstop action and chaos with very good horror visuals and some genuine scares, and I cannot wait to ride it over and over and over again.
Here's my few problems with the ride (would like to preface that of course we are still in previews with a month and a half till opening, all of these may very well be resolved by the time of opening. Still, just wanna get them out there):
- The problem that most people have already brought up, it's way too bright in a lot of scenes. For my rides on Thursday, it was much less an issue of light bleeding out into other scenes, and more just... too bright, especially for a series of catacombs. My first ride the lights under the track were on, however it was right after a delay, and the rest of the day they were turned off which helped a LOT. And my very last ride of the day, it did feel darker than the rest of them, and it was great. I think it's safe to chalk this issue up to the ride being in rehearsals and with delays still a normal daily occurrence, more non-show lights are being kept on temporarily.
- My only disappointment coming off- it wasn't quite as intense as I was expecting. None of the animatronics ever got anywhere near as close as the dementors do on Forbidden Journey (with the exception of flying Drac). I believe though this is another component that Uni has been actively adjusting almost daily for previews, with some days being way more up-close and intense, and some days like when I went having most of them not get too close. Hopefully they go all in and stick with keeping this as scary as possible.
- Just a continuation/counterpoint to the last critique, I also fully admit that I may have not been scared at all due to the pure excitement and adrenaline rush I was having of just finally getting to ride, and of course already having a deep love for the classic monsters. I am also very happy to say that even in the rides we saw, while e may not have Jaws, AE/SGE or ITtbaB anymore, this will certainly get the job done in being the scary ride for little ones (and almost definitely for casual goers as well not knowing what to expect).
- And of course the other big point many have been talking about, there are two moments in the ride where for a solid second, you're just staring at a completely unthemed wall, once near the beginning after Dracula escapes, and right before the final section begins. Now as I also mentioned in the Dark Universe thread, I did watch the leaked POV and while it may have been bad lighting on the video's part, it did already seem like the first wall (more a curtain, really) had much less lighting on it to keep it hidden. I have full hope both issues will be resolved by opening.
Now, with that out of the way... Let's get to why this might be the new best ride on property:
- The moment you see Frankenstein Manor, you might just start crying a bit. The castle is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL sight to behold, and the reveal of turning the corner in the village and seeing it I genuinely think hit the same awe feel as Cinderella Castle. The lightning crackles coming from the top of the castle, and those occasional moments where the entire land's lighting will flicker and crackle leading to a big electricity shock at the manor are great.
- Upon stepping inside, it really gives the same feeling of entering an HHN house, and I mean that in the best way, from the theming to the flickering lighting to of course the general atmosphere, I felt like I was warped right back to HHN, and it was such a warm and joyful moment. Now we didn't see the extended outdoor queue at all, but the main queue inside the manor is themed impeccably, with some genuinely creepy visuals plus some actually rather disturbing lore to uncover. The original Monster's corpse being on full display with veins popping out I'm happily shocked is in here, all the notes describing the experiments (which confirms that Victoria physically and verbally abuses Ygor with him taking out his anger on the monsters in the experiments, the found-footage videos of the two capturing monsters, and seeing Dracula get tortured with constant volt shocks (with a great effect of the bat appearing fully 3D (at least until you actually up close to it)). I would say the experience doesn't start at the preshow, it very much starts when you reach the 2nd floor, which is where the lighting becomes dimmer and you see more of those unnerving visuals, and speaking of, let's get to the best preshows on property (and my new favorite pre-shows in any theme park).
- The first pre-show with Ygor is just so, so much fun and silly, yet still keeping an unnerving vibe that starts getting your heart pumping for the attraction ahead. The voice-acting for Ygor (and really ALL the voice-acting in this ride) is top-notch. The animatronic model of the vehicle is the cherry on top, and this pre-show alone is the new most quotable thing on property. The ending of it as well with "This is fun, no?" followed by the lightning crackle and the entire room going dark as the doors open into the 2nd pre-show reminded me deeply of Twister's second preshow as well as ToT's, and I mean that in the best way possible.
- The second pre-show... WOW. That's really all I can say. This I will not go into a deep dive on as this pre-show alone makes the attraction a 10/10, and you really need to experience it for yourself. That said, if you're looking to hear spoilers, I will ramble on (but genuinely, I highly recommend you try your best to avoid any and all videos, photos and spoilers for this pre-show to see it blind, it's that great). Here we go: THE VICTORIA AND MONSTER ANIMATRONICS??? They went for Hondo's throat with this pre-show and not just cut it, but ripped off his head and put that pre-show to shame, this is a whole new standard. Victoria I was fully convinced wasn't an animatronic for a good bit, and the Monster... the most life-like animatronic I have ever seen. Also, the mannerisms they gave him are just adorable, between his little waves, proudness of putting his arms on hips, beckoning to the crowd when Victoria says they needn't be afraid, and just the amount of detail on him, everything about this pre-show is perfect. Victoria Frankenstein is also fittingly narcissistic and very firm with her words, and it makes me so happy they didn't hold back on making her morally grey/almost villain.
- After the second pre-show, we put our stuff up into the new facial recognition lockers (fair warning now, brace yourselves when this park is open to the general public, those are gonna be a nightmare to deal with), and enter a very brief queue as we make our way to the load platform. You step into a tomb-like room with large props showing Dracula's coffin, the Mummy's coffin, a box of stage props and a violin for the Phantom (with a photo of Christine), and likely more around that I didn't notice, as this room was consistently either empty or moving quickly. We enter a final hallway with a really cool video using puppets and animated figures, hosted by Ygor of course, giving the usual safety spiel for the ride and what to expect. Finally, we reach the loading area which is fittingly somber with an almost oppressing atmosphere, as we board our Catacombs Navigation Unit. The seats are very comfortable, and much more open than FJ's. Now, finally after waiting so long, get ready for your tour.
- The ride itself... I will not delve into too much, as genuinely I could ramble on for hours and hours about this thing, so I will only talk about my biggest points and try my best to not turn this into more of an essay than it already is: HOLY SHI*T THIS RIDE IS AMAZING AND EVERYTHING A MONSTERS FAN COULD HOPE FOR! All of the animatronics on here are incredible and, potential hot take here, I think put all of RotR's animatronics to shame. The atmosphere and setting of the catacombs is fittingly claustrophobic and tight, no big open settings like FJ, you're trapped in these catacombs with no way out as Dracula and the monsters hunt you down. The movement of the ride is rather intense and you're thrown around a lot, but it's rather surprisingly a very smooth experience, and I think people who experience motion sickness on FJ should have little-to-no issue here. There are just a tad too many screens used for my liking, but they do an incredible job blending in with the sets and the quality of them is top-notch, comparable to Cosmic Rewind's. They did a great job with them often leading into a practical effect as well. Also need to mention that for an always-moving ride, they do a fantastic job making you feel like you're the only one experiencing the ride's main events after Dracula breaks loose (as at the beginning, everyone is on the tour and it made sense to be seeing the other ride vehicles. Also as I mentioned briefly, this ride now gives Spider-Man and Mummy competition for the title of most quotable on property.
I would also like to give a huge shoutout to the entire team at this ride, all of whom were fully in-character and giving Haunted Mansion/ToT with not the usual cheerfulness, but ghostly and haunting vibes. Our group was fully dressed for Darkmoor and our excitement for the ride itself was infectious, and we received many personal interactions with TMs, especially as we kept coming back throughout the day.
All-in-all, while I do have just the few issues, this ride is still a masterpiece and already my new favorite on property. Whether you're a classic monsters fan, big theme park fan or just a casual parkgoer, brace yourselves for Victoria Frankenstein's monstrous experiments, and enjoy your tour of Frankenstein Manor, it'll be an unforgettable experience to die for.