Dansing in the dark
Efteling attraction puts a unique spin on horror
Attention ATP paid subscribers: Check out my audio narration of this article–ART Talks audio: Dansing in the dark.
Danse Macabre recently opened (fittingly on All Hallows Eve) at Efteling theme park in the Netherlands. The attraction is not quite a dark ride–although it is certainly a ride in the dark. Nor is it a theater show or a flat ride, but it has elements of both. Danse Macabre is a curious amalgam of attraction concepts that weaves a tale of horror in a fresh and intriguing way.
Guests make their way through the grounds of a medieval abbey en route to its chapel hall. The queue and the show building, which are heavily themed, include artifacts from the Spookslot haunted house that stood on the Efteling site since 1978. That aging attraction was closed to make way for Danse Macabre.
Gothic architectural flourishes abound throughout the outdoor queue along with compelling sound design elements that include eerie chamber music, a peeling church bell, and a meowing cat that beckons guests towards the sanctuary. At night, the lighting and fog are evocative, helping to set the tone and build anticipation for the ride.
The backstory for the attraction is that a famed conductor and his orchestra mysteriously vanished in the late 1800s. His contemporary relatives have been lured to the remote abbey where apparitions of the lost musicians have taken up residence to perform haunting renditions of Camille Saint-Saëns’ orchestral piece, “Danse Macabre.” Guests are invited into the chapel to witness the chilling concert. Capitalizing on the stirring song, which has currency in both classical music circles and pop culture, is a masterstroke for a themed attraction. (Danse Macabre is also a badass name for a ride.)
Making their way into the chapel, guests take their seats in the “pews.” Arranged like a theater in the round, the banks of seats face an elevated stage on which an orchestra’s instruments sit. The cathedral lights suddenly and ominously shut off leaving guests in the dark. The ghostly conductor, bathed in creepy blue light and floating high above the chapel in front of a large pipe organ, summons the spectral orchestra and choir to life.
Boasting animatronics, projected imagery, and other effects, the show appears to be captivating. But Danse Macabre is a ride as well. The banks of seats are on individual turntables that rotate to “dance” in sync with the music. The entire floor of the show building is itself a giant turntable that turns, bank, rises, rolls, and drops. The ride system from European manufacturer Intamin is the company’s first installation of its Dynamic Motion Stage.
The ride profile is a bit like classic flat rides such as the Huss Break Dance and Eli Bridge Scramblers. In fact, Danse Macabre may have taken inspiration from amusement parks that have placed Scramblers indoors, usually in domes, such as Astrosphere at Funtown U.S.A. in Maine. They too spin passengers in the dark to music-typically blaring rock tunes-accompanied by strobes, colored lights, projections, and fog. In some ways, the Efteling ride could be seen as a super-duper, E-Ticket version of the indoor Scrambler.
Given the odd, hybrid nature of Danse Macabre, the park seems to be as challenged as I am to classify its latest offering. It describes the attraction as a “haunted spectacle.” Whatever it is, it demonstrates the Dutch park’s commitment to innovation and to its rightful place in the vanguard of themed entertainment. In addition to roller coasters such as the acclaimed Baron 1898 and more conventional midway rides, Efteling has an impressive collection of dark rides, like Fata Morgana and Symbolica, that wouldn’t be out of place at Disney or Universal parks.
How would you describe Danse Macabre? What other storylines might lend themselves to Intamin’s Dynamic Motion Stage ride system? Have you been to Efteling?
Looks awesome, I really hope to get to Eftling soon. How's the motion sickness factor? Reminds me of Hex at Alton Towers which make me horribly dizzy.
As someone who can't handle much spinning anymore, I would have to give this one a try.