The History Of Saw: The Ride - The First Horror Movie Based Rollercoaster | Expedition Thorpe Park

since the surprise sleeper low budget horror hit saw was released the franchise has earned over 1 billion dollars in revenue in 2009 just before the release of the sixth movie the island like no other fort park would open the scariest roller coaster in the world a horror experience [Music] claim to be more than just a roller coaster that allowed riders to face their fears as a victim of jigsaw himself on saw the ride hello i want to play a game in 2009 i will bring ultimate terror to thor park you have only one chance of survival live your life on the edge or rot in the cell make your choice park [Music] if you want a good day out all you have to do is come to the great thorpe park come on [Music] [Applause] after fort park was purchased by the two swords group for 15 million pounds in 1998 the company implemented a plan to transform the park away from the family-friendly destination it was known for for nearly two decades larger and larger investments were planned with a budget available that had never been seen before colossus nemesis inferno and stealth all opened within five years of each other the huge investment spent at the park brought in a new audience and more and more people wanted to see the great fort park's coasters with attendance numbers sawing the ambitious plan to transform the park away from once rivals chessington's audience to a more thrill-based park was working during the five years the park's audience had changed dramatically from families with younger children to groups of teens and young adults while many new exciting attractions had opened the park could at the same time removed many of the classic rides that were staples within the park for decades the change in tone was drastic and came fast behind the scenes a different story was played out two swords had been sold to dubai international capital which then sold to investment management group blackstone they would use the merlin entertainment company to complete the sale blackstone had begun an aggressive push into the theme park business when they purchased merlin two years earlier for 187 million dollars quickly after buying the legoland chain in 2005 in gardelland italy's biggest theme park in early 2007 merlin would combine the two sword company with their own prompting them to call themselves the second biggest leisure group in the world after disney they plan to hugely increase the company's properties around the world by expanding the six wax works adding more lego lands and creating different versions of popular experiences they owned such as the dungeons in as many locations as possible fort park would go from being the top upcoming property to just one of many [Music] after the sale the park continued its plan of a major investment every three years and 2009 would be no exception planning began before even the sale of two swords for what would become project dylan a code name chosen after one of the designers cats to try and keep it as secret as possible as early as 2006 speculation for what would be the next major investment began with fans of the park hoping for anything from a launch b m flyer to a 3d coaster legendary attraction designer john wardley would return once again as a consultant for the new attraction no matter how many times he tried to retire he would help try to create something special yet again at a uk park this time however he wanted something different something he had been trying to help open at a uk theme park for years a woody after many failed attempts to try and convince alton towers to open a wooden roller coaster this time he would attempt to get one at fort park a large section of the fittingly themed canada creek was chosen for the new project working with great coasters international john would design a few potential wooden roller coasters for the site these included a launch twin racer and a nearly 90 foot tall wooden roller coaster that would cross paths and interact with the nearby fort park classic logger's leap a john wardley coaster always had more than just your basic coaster and this one would be no different it would be themed to slot right into the woods of canada creek sadly the idea would suffer the same fate as many of the scrapped alton towers woodies wooden roller coasters were deemed old-fashioned dangerous not exciting enough and just too expensive it didn't have the unique selling point that the park demanded for marketing gci was out and something else would have to be chosen the new idea would still be a roller coaster but now a dark ride hybrid the new chosen manufacturer would be german company gerstlauer the company had introduced a prototype eurofighter model at bonbon land in 2003 a compact yet intense roller coaster that used single car trains and had a trademark feature of a beyond vertical drop the project will be led by candy holland creative director for merlin who began working with the two swords group in 1994. over her time with the company she worked with john wardley to help create oblivion heir rita along with stalford fort park and many more in early 2007 work began on the site of project dylan part of abbey lake would be filled in to accommodate the right station with the majority of what was planned to be located in the woods behind logged sleep by november 2007 the ride's planning documents were submitted and it was revealed what would be coming as the major investment in 2009. the attraction's dark ride section will take riders through a horror-themed attraction before heading down a beyond vertical drop during the 2008 season fort park announced that canada creek would become home to a new ride that offered thrill hunters an experience of a lifetime on an attraction with a darker atmosphere than had ever been seen before at the park the park confirmed the plans as a 100 foot tall beyond vertical drop at 97 degrees for inversion roller coaster that 30 or 30 seconds of the 2362 feet of track would take place inside a building offering something completely unique with the press release in january they also released a piece of concept art showcasing the wooden looking station and dropped through a building with machinery theme in on the outside the response to the new coaster was mostly excitement though a few called it a mystery mine wannabe this time with a planned sawmill a machinery looking theme some of the speculation even said it would take elements from the texas chainsaw massacre movies the rumor that something scary was coming continued to escalate and it was widely rumored that the new attraction would have an age rating of 15 plus due to how horrifying it would be construction began quickly after the announcement and trailers were released by fort park each month teasing the ride some modifications came to the ride with the drop being steepened to 100 degrees rather than the originally announced 97 to be able to be marketed as the steepest drop in the world having a world's first real or not had to be in the press release it's the rules the mid-course break runs were also replaced by an airtime hill the ride was announced to have four loops or inversions but the final layout would only feature three it wasn't the track though that featured the biggest change that would come in mid-2008 when the planned roller coaster would get a completely different theme you've sought extreme experiences to add excitement to your dull pathetic excuse for life but did you truly wish to push yourself to the brink of death or did you just want a quick fix today you'll show me in a new twist in the plans the park had contacted lionsgate films to see if a partnership with one of their horror properties would be available a deal was agreed for the new roller coaster to become based around one of their most popular franchises saw created by james 1 and lee wenau the first saw film became a sleeper hit with it being made on a 1.2 million dollar budget you're making over 100 million dollars at the box office while the original was released in 2004 each following october saw a sequel to the franchise while on screen john kramer the jigsaw killer tested victims in traps or games it would be between the towns of chertsey and stains in the village of thorpe that those brave enough to ride fort park's newest roller coaster saw the ride will be tested by jigsaw himself [Music] please survive as you will read life made your choice with modifications to the feminine the attraction saw would come alive inside an abandoned warehouse or sawmill at the park the partnership saw the dark ride slash coaster changed from its original theme to include multiple traps specifically created saw feminine and of course billy during fright nights on the 13th of october it was officially announced that fort park would become home to the world's first ever horror movie themed roller coaster a psychological and physically intense shocking experience with the steepest freefall drop in the world bold claims which depending on if you class the brandon phrase at mummy movies as a horror movie were pretty much not really all too accurate while planning the ride candy holland commented i'm a huge fan of horror films and i'm utterly relishing creating the scariest ride in the world anybody who has sat through a sore film scared and terrified beyond belief will have some idea of what's in store for them at fort park saw the ride is going to be shocking and intense both physically and psychologically and is sure to give you nightmares rather than originally announced as part of canada's creek the coaster will be located in a new section of the park known as saw island the outdoor queue features reservoir chain link fence switchbacks which throughout guests can see parts of jigsaw's trap that are featured in many of the different movies some authentic props from the films a crashed police car can be seen its occupant had entered the warehouse before you fort park worked in close collaboration with lionsgate and twisted pitchers to ensure total accuracy of the key elements of the sore themes theme throughout during the early seasons live actors as victims as well as creepy figures would interact with guests offering jump scares and building up the immersion throughout this was later drop after entering you pass various mannequins and traps some of which may startle you including the iconic rack from saw three billy warns guess of the tests that have been set up for them on monitors overhead inviting you to play a game look out for the body trapped in razor wire from the first film it is a lot of money to invest in a coaster but we believe what we're going to produce is going to be worth it at the end with the most terrifying coaster in the world after boarding one of the themed eurofighter cars the ride starts with an indoor section where riders find themselves as part of jigsaw's game it is here you meet the puppet billy face to face in person for the first time if you are lucky he rides out on his tricycle not so much in recent years if you're in the front car of the two trains dispatched you head straight past the scene and into the ride really the second train is the bestest train ride his head towards two pendulum blades which ultimately look like the game will end early for you a surprise hidden drop plunges riders into a pit of strobelit spikes an air blaster riders imitating the firing of syringes from crossbows the next scene is actually a recreation of the room from the very first saw movie just with a different twist the first inversion is a heartline roll in the dark where blood is sprayed at the train from a dead body that lies below you on the floor oh yes this was sore there would be blood heading outside the abandoned sawmill the ride approaches the 100 foot beyond vertical lift hill passing by video screens and a digital timer counting down to zero when it reaches zero billy appears on the screen and jigsaw says his iconic line game over the climb begins before the dive down the 100 degree drop passing under large rotating saw blades the ultimate head chopper effect the second inversion follows an immelmann loop into a tight overbank corner and an airtime hill next is the dive loop and a bank turn into the brake run the coaster section of the ride is kinda short at just over a minute once you exit the inside section those who rode could not only get their photo from the experience but could originally purchase a dvd of their ride construction of the track was finished quickly with the ride's first column installed on september 9th and the full track completed on october 5th just 27 days later media day was set for march 12th 2009. most of the day was cursed with the ride down for maintenance the next day on friday the 13th merlin pass holders were invited to pay five pounds per person to ride the new coaster the ride's website even featured a game where you had to saw through the bone of your computer-generated leg using your mouse once you are through you had to hit the bone with the saw until it breaks and your foot comes off those who did it were entered into a competition to be one of the first to ride the new attraction the games had begun and saw the ride officially open to the public on march 14 2009 it's the world's steepest free-fall drop and certainly not for the faint-hearted as it's a 100-foot drop well the roller coaster opens this weekend at thought park in surrey we sent louisa preston to take a look i'm not the biggest fan of roller coasters at the best of times so this was one assignment i definitely wasn't looking forward to the day was not smooth and the ride spent much of it not operating it would be a couple of weeks until it was running smoothly the new roller coaster would be estimated to have cost 13.5 million pounds while it stated it had the steepest drop in the world it didn't still hog at indiana beach opened in 2008 with a 111 degree drop this was later beaten again by mumbo jumbo at flamingo land with 112 degrees saw the ride was suggested as not suitable for riders under 12 years of age some debated stating it wasn't right to create such a horror-based roller coaster built around torture however the attraction didn't show really anyone being tortured and only had two bodies located inside it didn't matter either way the marketing for the scariest roller coaster in the world worked like a charm attendance at the park increased over the previous year and it had nearly doubled over the time since two sword had begun their changes to the park guest reactions to the new roller coaster were somewhat mixed many love the theme in and the horror experience while the ride was also deemed as too short by using the saw franchise nobody could argue that it certainly stood out as something intimidating two other eurofighter roller coasters of the same type existed in the uk when thor opened speed at oakwood and rage adventure island both were considered fun rides around the same length and offered a very similar experience yet neither of them would garner anywhere near the attention that saw the ride word the partnership between fort park and lionsgate would continue after the success that the ip had gained for the park from 1985 on the shore of fort park's island was a paddle steamer inspired by the old mississippi paddle boats over the years the boat itself has had multiple functions it would find a new purpose in 2010 as a year-round haunted maze attraction called soar alive again based on the hit horror series it had detailed sets and actors within offering a more show-like experience than jump scares on opening the scenes within were rumored to be expanded on with the release of future saw movies though other reports stated that if anything was added the boat it was located on wouldn't be able to handle the weight and would sink let's play a game you win friday nights would also later feature lionsgate properties as well merlin will once again work with gerslauer at alton towers when they would create the smiler this time an original horror-based roller coaster when the smiler accident occurred saw the ride was closed down as a precaution it did reopen though just a few months later they've only just begun now over 12 years old saw the ride still exists within the park in the old town section more on theme than it's ever been with its two other abandoned attractions nearby over the years many people have found the roller coaster experience getting rougher and rougher though you could say that also only makes it more authentic to the torture device it was intended to be how long will the agreement stay and it remain as a sore attraction before the game is over is unknown but i can think of a perfect replacement creek freak the ride it fits perfectly in the long run it seems in the eyes of the park they made the right decision moving away from an original canada creek base story by choosing to turn the idea into the scariest roller coaster ever made based on soar fort park had introduced one of the most well-known attractions within the park that was very easily marketable around the world while saw the ride was ultimately a hit the success brought with it many later failures with a parked shift of focus as we now finally and sadly see the abandoned original iconic thrill attraction logger's leap removed it's interesting to imagine what the park would have been like if john wardley had created his wooden coaster interacting with the iconic log rumors again begin to circulate that the now old town will be home to whatever major and sorely needed addition will come next the decision of using the sore franchise at the park changed it forever and fort park is unrecognizable from the park that existed before today feeling like it was somewhat forgotten by merlin i have been somewhat harsh on fort park and the choices they've made for a few years now fort park is the place that i grew up visiting and one of the places that made me fall in love with theme parks in the first place a place that has always meant a lot to me and i hope with a potential competition on the horizon it will once again become the flagship park of the uk and get the love and investment that it needs fort park is a place that deserves to be more than whatever the latest ipv they can get their hands on is and deserves better and changes needed following saw's opening the three-year cycle for major rides would continue and after the somewhat failure of the swarm in 2012 they would once again move to focus on ip properties and those failures that came with it to try and bring in a bigger crowd sadly many of these turned out to be failures angry birds came to the park which really nobody cares about and that was followed by the huge disappointment that is darren brown's ghost train while ambitious and opening in 2016 it's still just really rubbish 2021 also saw an ip attraction added with black mirror labyrinth a mirror maze which is loosely based on the black mirror fiend if it wasn't for the success of saw the ride many of these options may not have been considered [Music] before that however in 2018 fort park would try to bring the same success that saul had to the park again with another franchise in perhaps one of the oddest decisions in the park's history other than ghost train they would retheme a junior roller coaster in the park that was originally built to appeal to 11 to 15 year olds into walking dead the ride this time it wasn't live or die make your choice but rather those who arrive survive they walk the island [Music] [Applause] thank you so much for watching this episode of expedition 4 park if you enjoyed it make sure you subscribe to join the expedition follow us on twitter and instagram for updates on upcoming episodes and a special thank you to all our patreons for supporting the channel we will see you next time [Music] you

Channel: Expedition Theme Park

Views: 414,068

Keywords: expedition theme park, saw the ride, saw ride, thorpe park, thorpe park saw, horror ride, dark ride, thorpe park rides, saw haunted house, saw haunted maze, jigsaw, saw movie, saw traps, thorpe park rollercoasters, theme park history, thorpe park history, thorpe park belle, Expedition thorpe park, thorpe park 2022, thorpe park rmc, thorpe park wooden coaster, loggers leap, slammer, abandoned, saw: the ride

Id: ut1xG1t_s5U

Length: 23min 56sec (1436 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 31 2021