Madhouse (ride)
A Madhouse is a flat ride usually manufactured by Vekoma.[1][2] A similar attraction under the name Mystery Swing is created by Mack Rides.[3] The ride is designed to be an optical and physical illusion, consisting of several rows of seats attached to a swaying gondola within a rotating drum. The ride creates the impression that the rider is turning upside down, whereas it is actually the room that is moving around them.
| Madhouse | |
|---|---|
| Status | In Production |
| First manufactured | 1996 |
| No. of installations | 16 |
| Manufacturer | Vekoma |
| Capacity | 685/1335 riders per hour |
| Seat capacity | 40/78 |
| Gondola rotation | 15/30 degrees |
| Drum rotation | 360 degrees |
| Mystery Swing | |
|---|---|
| Status | In Production |
| First manufactured | 2000 |
| No. of installations | 4 |
| Manufacturer | Mack Rides |
| Seat capacity | 52 |
The ride is a modern implementation of a haunted swing illusion.
Ride experience
Madhouses are often extensively themed during the ride sequence, and usually in the queue line. Several madhouses feature pre-shows explaining a story behind the ride. Once in the ride, lapbars are lowered onto the riders, before they gradually experience an odd sense of movement. This is achieved through two mechanisms: the separate floor can move in a controlled swing from side-to-side by up to 7.5/15 degrees in each direction, but the surroundings of the room can rotate through a full 360 degrees. The pivot mechanism for the floor is hidden by two large objects at the end of the room, which are themed to match the ride.
At this point, both the floor and the room are slowly moving in unison. As the ride continues, the floor starts a separate movement from the rotating drum which gradually gives the impression that the room is rotating backwards and forwards further each time. Vekoma offers theme parks the option of programming their own sequence of how the room and floor move. In many madhouses, the lighting subtly changes from moment to moment to add to the disorientation. Eventually, the drum mechanism turns through a full rotation and, by careful synchronisation with the sensation of the swinging floor mechanism, the riders are fooled into feeling as if they themselves are being repeatedly turned upside down.[2][4][5]
List of Madhouses
| Name | Park | Country | Opened | Manufacturer Bigncumba |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haunted Swing | - Anywhere | Anywhere | 1893-1922 | ? |
| Hexenschaukel(witches swing) | - (Mobile Mad House) | Germany | 1894 | U. Keller |
| Hex’n Wippn(Witch's Wip) | (Mobile Mad House) | Germany | 1968 | Lielie |
| Herzogschaukel(Duke swing) | Märchengarten Blühendes Barock Ludwigsburg | Germany | 1972 | ? |
| Spukhaus (haunted house) | Taunus Wunderland | Germany | 1973 | Schwingel GmbH |
| Verhextes Schloss (Chained lock) | Freizeitpark Traumland | Germany | ? | ? |
| Draaiend Huis | Bobbejaanland | Belgium | 1982-1998 | Schwingel GmBH |
| Merlin's Mystical Mansion | Clark's Trading Post, Lincoln New Hampshire | United States | 1990 | In house |
| Villa Volta | Efteling | Netherlands | 1996 | Vekoma |
| The Haunting | Drayton Manor | Great Britain | 1996 | Vekoma |
| Jack the Ripper | Wiener Prater | Austria | 1997 | ? |
| Crazy Space Lab | Genting Theme Park | Malaysia | 1998–2013 | Vekoma |
| Valhalla Borgen(Valhalla Castle) | Tivoli Kopenhagen | Denmark | 1998–2007 | Vekoma |
| Houdini's Great Escape (Houdini – The Great Escape) | Six Flags New England | United States | 1999 | Vekoma |
| Houdini's Great Escape | Six Flags Great Adventure | United States | 1999–2009, 2011 | Vekoma |
| Houdini (Formally: Magic house of Houdini) | Bellewaerde | Belgium | 1999 | Vekoma |
| Fluch der Kassandra (Curse of Cassandra/Cassandra's Curse) | Europa-Park | Germany | 2000 | Mack Rides |
| Hex – The Legend of the Towers | Alton Towers | Great Britain | 2000 | Vekoma |
| Merlin’s Magic Castle | Walibi Holland | Netherlands | 2000 | Vekoma |
| Le Palais du génie (The Palace of genie) | Walibi Belgium | Belgium | 2001 | Vekoma |
| Impossible | Blackpool Pleasure Beach | Great Britain | 1955-2001 (as The Haunted Swing) 2002 | In house |
| Feng Ju Palace(Hurricane Palace) | Phantasialand | Germany | 2002 | Vekoma |
| Hotel Embrujado (Haunted Hotel) | Parque Warner Madrid | Spain | 2002 | Vekoma |
| Magic House (Formally: Mad House) | Gardaland | Italy | 2002 | Vekoma |
| Noah’s Incredible Adventure/Curse of the Crypt | Noah’s Ark Water Park | United States | 2003–2008, 2009-2012 | Mack Rides |
| Verlies des Grauens (Dungeon of Horrors) | Belantis | Germany | 2003 | Vekoma |
| Lenny's Magic School (No rotating part) | Everland | South Korea | 2007-2019 (as Rotating House) 2019 | Mack Rides |
| Le Défi de César (Caesar's Challenge/The challenge of Cesar) | Parc Astérix | France | 2008 | Mack Rides |
| Alpenhotel Rasch (parts of) | - (Mobile Mad House) | Germany | 2011 | ? |
| Maison Houdini (House Houdini) | Rainbow MagicLand | Italy | 2011 | Vekoma |
| Haunted House Monster Party | Legoland Windsor | Great Britain | 2019 | Vekoma |
Cancelled installations
| Name or Area name's Madhouse | Park | Country | Reason | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z-Force | Six Flags Dubai | United Arab Emirates | Cancelled | Vekoma |
| Poseidon Fury | Island of Adventure | United States | Project Change | ? |
| El Templo de Muerte (The Temple of Dead) | Bobbejaanland | Belgium | Unknown | Vekoma |
| Manhattan Midway's Madhouse | Tokyo Disney Sea | Japan | Over Budget | Vekoma |
References
- ^ "Vekoma". coasterforce.com. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
- ^ a b "Mad House | Vekoma Rides Manufacturing BV". vekoma.com. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
- ^ "Mystery Swing by Mack Rides". mack-rides.com. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
- ^ . mack-rides.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-17. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
- ^ "Video of the mechanism". youtube.com. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
External links
- A video showing how a Madhouse works
- Official trailer for Hex, a Vekoma Madhouse at Alton Towers