Dark ride

For the play by Len Jenkin see Dark Ride (play).''

A dark ride or darkride is an indoor amusement ride consisting of a vehicle traveling past animated scenes. Leon Cassidy of the Pretzel Amusement Ride Company invented and patented the single-rail dark ride in 1928. Notable dark rides include the Futurama at the 1939 New York World's Fair and The Haunted Mansion at Disney theme parks. A dark ride does not have to be dark: Disney's "it's a small world" is a brightly lit dark ride.

The roots of the darkride go back to the late 1800's to "scenic Railways", "pleasure railways", and "mill rides". A boat dark ride is sometimes called an Old Mill or Tunnel Of Love. In the United Kingdom, dark rides with a scary or ghostly theme are called ghost trains.

The Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts (DAFE) http://www.dafe.org describe a darkride as follows-

A darkride requires an enclosed structure. It may have open areas, but the majority of the ride remains in the building. In general, the interior is dark or dimly lit. The lighting that is used could be spotlights triggered by the passing ride vehicle, black light effects, or low-level general illumination.
The ride system uses a passenger-carrying vehicle that is guided by a track, waterway, or other method that follows a seemingly random path.
The darkride depends mainly on scenery to produce the ride experience. Scenery can include simple pop up or boxed ”gags” or “tricks”, stationary or animated figures, paintings, complex animatronic scenes, and special effects.
Sound effects also play an important role in most darkrides. These may range from simple horns and buzzers triggered by the passing ride vehicle, to isolated sound bites for each gag, or to a complex musical score complete with narration.

External links

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