Ghostly Manor at Paultons Park: A New Standard in Interactive Dark Rides

This latest attraction introduces the ‘S’ size layout of the innovative Gameplay Theater concept – a first for the industry – and transforms the park’s former 4D cinema into a thrilling new destination. The ride is the result of a creative and technical collaboration between Lagotronics Projects, Mack Rides, Leisure Expert Group, and Themics Philippines.

A Fresh Chapter for Paultons Park

Situated in Romsey, Hampshire, Paultons Park is one of the UK’s leading family theme parks, offering over 80 rides and attractions. With the launch of Ghostly Manor, the park adds a striking new layer to its offering – one that appeals as much to adults as it does to children.

The attraction’s haunting exterior pays tribute to Paultons Manor, the historic estate that once stood on the site. This clever homage ties the past to the park’s forward-looking vision, establishing a powerful sense of place and continuity.

Where Design Meets Technology

Behind the chilling façade of Ghostly Manor lies over a year of intensive creative development. Led by Leisure Expert Group, the concept evolved from early sketches and storyboards into fully realised scene layouts that balance cinematic ambition with architectural constraints.

Working within the compact footprint of the existing building posed unique design challenges, but the team’s innovative approach brought Dr. Kinley’s mysterious manor to life with rich detail and immersive storytelling.

Set realisation was handled by Themics Philippines, who translated concept art into atmospheric, multi-layered environments that fully anchor each scene within the world of the narrative.

The main character of Dr. Kinley is brought to life visually through high-quality 3D modelling and animation created by Rival Animation, whose work can be seen in the statue at the front of the attraction and on all in-ride information screens. Rival also produced the graphic content for the interactive screens throughout the experience, helping to reinforce the immersive narrative.

A Team Effort at Every Level

In addition to external partners, many of the attraction’s theming details were created by the in-house teams at Paultons Park. The Gardens and Estates department designed and landscaped the richly atmospheric garden that surrounds the entrance, while the Engineering team played a crucial role in delivering and installing custom scenic elements, props, and infrastructure with exceptional attention to detail.

Gameplay Theater: A New Ride Format

The Gameplay Theater is a next-generation dark ride format created by Mack Rides and Lagotronics Projects. The ride system features continuously rotating vehicles, each seating eight passengers back-to-back with interactive devices, that move from one 180-degree scene to the next, revealing new worlds with each turn.

For Lagotronics Projects, this ride is the result of years of development into game-based experiences: “We aim to create attractions where players become part of the story, where every shot counts, and where gameplay enhances immersion”.

This system allows for high guest throughput in a relatively small footprint, while ensuring a seamless blend of media-based storytelling, interactive gameplay, and richly themed physical sets. The rotating ride vehicle keeps the action front and center, immersing guests in a carefully choreographed sequence of scenes that feel more like a stage play than a traditional dark ride.

One of the defining strengths of the Gameplay Theater is its modular design, allowing it to be adapted for different venues and guest capacities:

• S Version: 40 players – approx. 498 guests/hour – Ø 16.3m
• M Version: 96 players – approx. 894 guests/hour – Ø 25.8m
• L Version: 144 players – approx. 1224 guests/hour – Ø 33.2m

Ghostly Manor, built in the footprint of Paultons Park’s former 4D cinema, makes efficient use of the Small layout, giving the park a high-capacity indoor attraction without the need for major expansion.

A Layered, Interactive Experience

Guests are equipped with “Phantom Phasers”, custom-designed devices that allow them to capture ghosts across eight unique scenes, building up points that are revealed at the end of the ride.

The attraction features a unique configuration of seven media-integrated scenes:

• 3 outer “gameplay scenes” use high-resolution projection (each screen measuring 10.2m x 2.6m) to create dynamic, cinematic environments in which players face waves of ghosts and animated special effects.
• 5 inner scenes feature interactive themed physical sets with integrated projections and embedded screens. These inner scenes blur the line between traditional set design and responsive digital gameplay.

The technical pipeline was led by Lagotronics Projects, who developed the entire game system for Ghostly Manor, including gameplay logic, hit detection, scoring, and synchronized show control for lighting, audio, and visual effects.

A Model for Future Attractions

Ghostly Manor not only shows what’s possible when ride technology, storytelling, and interactive gaming come together. It also provides a model for attractions that prioritize capacity, guest engagement, and creative flexibility.

Ghostly Manor demonstrates just how versatile the Gameplay Theater format can be: adapting seamlessly to different stories, audiences, and spatial constraints. By bringing this innovative ride system to a compact setting, it shows that interactive dark rides don’t have to compromise on immersion or excitement. Instead, they can deliver rich storytelling, engaging gameplay, and memorable moments for guests of all ages.