The Curse of DarKastle
| Curse of DarKastle | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Busch Gardens Williamsburg | |
| Area | Oktoberfest |
| Coordinates | 37°14′5″N 76°38′40″W / 37.23472°N 76.64444°WCoordinates: 37°14′5″N 76°38′40″W / 37.23472°N 76.64444°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 1, 2005 |
| Replaced | Wild Maus |
| General statistics | |
| Manufacturer | Oceaneering |
| Designer | Falcon's Treehouse |
| Length | 1,000 ft (300 m) |
| Capacity | 1,450 riders per hour |
| Duration | 3:20 |
| Height restriction | 42 in (107 cm) |
 Quick Queue available |
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Curse of DarKastle is a 21st-century dark ride located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is a hybrid ride, combining roving motion-simulating vehicles, 3D videos projected onto screens, physical sets, in-vehicle music and special effects (wind, water, fog, and lighting), all perfectly synchronized. Curse of DarKastle carries a rider height requirement of 42 inches, but with a sign warning that scenes within the ride may be too intense for young children. It takes place in a haunted gothic mansion, with evil ghosts and a demonic werewolf.
The queue line for Curse of DarKastle is entered under a frozen, crumbling arch under the Bavarian castle's highest tower, two wolf statues are standing at the end of the arch. It then weaves throughout the outdoor courtyard of the castle. The line weaves around a statue of three howling wolves covered in ice and aged as copper. As guests enter in the hallways within the palace, flickering candelabras light the way into a large, circular stone chamber in which the preshow is projected using simple animation as a heavily accented voice tells the tale of the castle's haunted past:
"Long ago in the deepest heart of the black forest, a young prince lived, unloved and neglected in a dark castle. Like the ghostly horrors that always grow in secret shadows, Prince Ludwig grew to be a troubled child. Soon, even the kindest of servants avoided his evil gaze. One dark winter's night, as Ludwig wandered the lonely, frozen grounds of the palace, an old woman appeared. Outraged at this intrusion, Ludwig howled in fury! There, in her place, stood a snarling wolf. As her angry yellow eyes bored into Ludwig's, she revealed his dark destiny: Wicked ruler of a corrupt kingdom. Guided by the wolf, Ludwig set out to take the throne. His parents tried to put an end to his ruthless ambitions, but they mysteriously vanished.
Mad little Ludwig became King, and transformed the castle into an impenetrable fortress with secret passageways to terrify his guests. Soon, the treasury was empty. Ludwig's advisers tried to overthrow him, but he just laughed and threw a lavish winter festival in their honor. That night, mad Ludwig took his guests on a tour of his castle, in a fleet of golden sleighs. No one knows what really happened, but they say the walls echoed with terror... The next morning, the sleighs were found in their stalls, but no one ever found Ludwig or his party guests, and to this day, the castle remains frozen in time. Now enter... if you dare."
As the final words are spoken, the torches in the chamber turn to blue flames as a stone wall lifts, ushering guests into a grand hall in which the fleet of golden sleighs again waits, ready for Ludwig's newest guests.
Immediately upon the ride's beginning, the sleigh rounds the corner, entering into the forest outside the castle. There, gnarled trees with glowing, vague faces seem to groan "Why are you here?" "Get Out" in a deep voice. Approaching the castle's front doors, the ghostly apparition of Ludwig's mother flies out of the door, hovering just in front of the vehicle, warning riders that they must get outside the castle walls, because her son has no power there. Just as she disappears, Ludwig's voice booms through the courtyard, menacingly inviting riders to tour his castle as two stone wolves adorning the stairway come to life and leap onto the sleigh, snarling and biting at riders.
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Wikipedia