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Madhouse (ride)

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Madhouse
StatusIn Production
First manufactured1996
No. of installations16
ManufacturerVekoma
Capacity685/1335 riders per hour
Seat capacity40/78
Gondola rotation15/30 degrees
Drum rotation360 degrees
Mystery Swing
StatusIn Production
First manufactured2000
No. of installations4
ManufacturerMack Rides
Seat capacity52

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.

The ride is a modern implementation of a haunted swing illusion.

Ride experience[edit]

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[edit]

Interior of Villa Volta, the first modern madhouse.
Name Park Land Opened Manufacturer
Haunted Swing - Anywhere Anywhere 1893-1922 ?
Hexenschaukel(witches swing) - (Mobile Mad House)  Deutschland 1894 U. Keller
Hex’n Wippn(Witch's Wip) (Mobile Mad House)  Deutschland 1968 Lielie
Spukhaus (haunted house) Taunus Wunderland  Deutschland 1973 Schwingel GmbH
Herzogschaukel(Duke swing) Märchengarten Blühendes Barock Ludwigsburg  Deutschland 1972 ?
Verhextes Schloss (Chained lock) Freizeitpark Traumland  Deutschland ? Dietz Fahrzeugbau GmbH
Draaiend Huis Bobbejaanland  Belgien 1982-1998 Schwingel GmBH
Merlin's Mystical Mansion Clark's Trading Post, Lincoln New Hampshire  Vereinigte Staaten 1990 In house
Villa Volta Efteling  Niederlande 1996 Vekoma
The Haunting Drayton Manor  Great Britain 1996 Vekoma
Jack the Ripper Wiener Prater  Österreich 1997 ?
Crazy Space Lab Genting Theme Park  Malaysia 1998–2013 Vekoma
Valhalla Borgen(Valhalla Castle) Tivoli Kopenhagen  Dänemark 1998–2007 Vekoma
Houdini's Great Escape (Houdini – The Great Escape) Six Flags New England  Vereinigte Staaten 1999 Vekoma
Houdini's Great Escape Six Flags Great Adventure  Vereinigte Staaten 1999–2009, 2011 Vekoma
Houdini (Formally: Magic house of Houdini) Bellewaerde  Belgien 1999 Vekoma
Fluch der Kassandra (Curse of Cassandra/Cassandra's Curse) Europa-Park  Deutschland 2000 Mack Rides
Hex – The Legend of the Towers Alton Towers  Great Britain 2000 Vekoma
Merlin’s Magic Castle Walibi Holland  Niederlande 2000 Vekoma
Le Palais du génie (The Palace of genie) Walibi Belgium  Belgien 2001 Vekoma
Impossible Blackpool Pleasure Beach  Great Britain 1955-2001 (as The Haunted Swing) 2002 In house
Feng Ju Palace(Hurricane Palace) Phantasialand  Deutschland 2002 Vekoma
Hotel Embrujado (Haunted Hotel) Parque Warner Madrid  Spanien 2002 Vekoma
Magic House (Formally: Mad House) Gardaland  Italien 2002 Vekoma
Noah’s Incredible Adventure/Curse of the Crypt Noah’s Ark Water Park  Vereinigte Staaten 2003–2008, 2009-2012 Mack Rides
Verlies des Grauens (Dungeon of Horrors) Belantis  Deutschland 2003 Vekoma
Lenny's Magic School (No rotating part) Everland  Südkorea 2007-2019 (as Rotating House) 2019 Mack Rides
Le Défi de César (Caesar's Challenge/The challenge of Cesar) Parc Astérix  Frankreich 2008 Mack Rides
Alpenhotel Rasch (parts of) - (Mobile Mad House)  Deutschland 2011 Dietz Fahrzeugbau GmbH
Maison Houdini (House Houdini) Rainbow MagicLand  Italien 2011 Vekoma
Haunted House Monster Party Legoland Windsor  Great Britain 2019 Vekoma

Cancelled installations[edit]

Name or Area name's Madhouse Park Land Reason Manufacturer
Z-Force Six Flags Dubai  Vereinigte Arabische Emirate Cancelled Vekoma
Poseidon Fury Island of Adventure  Vereinigte Staaten Project Change ?
El Templo de Muerte (The Temple of Dead) Bobbejaanland  Belgien Unknown Vekoma
Manhattan Midway's Madhouse Tokyo Disney Sea  Japan Over Budget Vekoma

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Vekoma". coasterforce.com. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
  2. ^ a b "Mad House | Vekoma Rides Manufacturing BV". vekoma.com. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  3. ^ "Mystery Swing by Mack Rides". mack-rides.com. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
  4. ^ "Revolving House by Mack Rides". mack-rides.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-17. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
  5. ^ "Video of the mechanism". youtube.com. Retrieved 2014-11-17.

External links[edit]

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