Volume 2, No. 5. March 8, 2002
Return visits
Darkness
reigns
At first glance it may seem like yet another awards list, another series of
bestowed honors, another Top 10. But the "Top Dark Rides" announced by DAFE,
the Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts, last week were really just a publicity
outgrowth of a more serious issue for the first-year organization (THE
LOOP, June 29, 2001): answering the question, "What is a dark ride?"
The list of favorite rides, topped by the Haunted House at Knoebels Amusement
Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, emerged from a four-page survey DAFE distributed
among 150 of its 200 members. "A lot of it was to get information on how well
we did in our first year," said Rick Davis, DAFE director and co-founder. "One
of the questions was whether people agreed with our definition of 'Dark Ride'
and all the classifications we listed." The club's web site, www.dafe.org,
has the full definition and list of classifications.
Among the 50 completed surveys, Davis said "not one" disapproved of the definition
or classes. "Which really surprised us," he said. "From dealing with people
in the past there were some people who were really vocal on what they thought
a dark ride was." The surveys expressed overall approval of the club's operations
and plans to run events at festivals, fairs, carnivals and stand-alone permanent
locations in addition to amusement parks. In a gauge of the membership's allegiance,
Davis said the survey asked whether enthusiasts would be willing to attend events
at small parks that had dark rides but no thrill rides. "Overwhelmingly they
said, 'Yeah.'"
The survey also asked respondents to list their favorite rides, a compilation
that became a study in contrasts. That Knoebels topped the list doesn't surprise,
for its oft-honored, homemade haunt ride has been garnering international kudos
since it opened in 1973. The margin of its victory was surprising. "Knoebels
had more votes than the next three combined," Davis said. Those three were The
Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, the Indiana
Jones Adventure in Disneyland, California, and the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.
Two more Disney attractions, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at MGM Studios in
Orlando and the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland, California, were fifth
and sixth. Rounding out the top ten were the Goldrusher and the Old Mill at
Kennywood near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Haunted House at Funland in Rehoboth,
Delaware, and The Phantom Theater at Paramount's Kings Island near Cincinnati,
Ohio.
