The Troubled History of The Vampire: The UK's First Iconic Rollercoaster
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- Опубликовано: 9 мар 2022
- Join us as we head on Expedition Chessington World Of Adventures to look at the UK's first iconic rollercoaster. The Vampire. This ride has a troubled history that forced another ride manufacturer to save it from becoming extinct.
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"The vampire's organist's face was based on an old Phil Collins wax figure." I just about spit out/choked on my drink at that comment. LOLOL!!!
Despite being a relatively young coaster fan, The Vampire is still one of my all time favourites that I ride every chance I get, yes it may seem incredibly primitive by US standards and it’s gone through so many budget cuts throughout the years, but it never fails to deliver thrills and atmosphere. Great video dude.
A classic for sure
I wish I could ride it! I love gothic stuff and coasters!? Like together would be a dream...love it!
Aha alas, the primitive rides are often the best. As a fan who had the honor or experiencing both this and the Big Bad Wolf I would be hard pressed to say primitive. Much like many European creations, the overall quality nuanced the rustic underside.
The vampire has to be one of my top 3 every time I go on there I laugh like a mad scientist at people screaming and creep everyone out
I used to work at Chessington in the early 90's and at the 'Black Forest Chateau'.
A bit of unknown triva that animatronic organ player is (was) in fact Phill Collins the drummer, singer and musician from the Madam Tussaud Wax Museum.
However we called him Marcel and he drove us all crazy as it would play every 15 minutes throughout the day with classic hits like 'viva espania'.
Lol EDIT: After watching the full video it's a known bit of triva.
Thanks for mentioning the Bubble Works at the end. All the way through this video, every time you mentioned Vampire or the Transylvania area as a whole "losing charm" all I could think of was how the Bubble Works has changed from one of my favourite dark rides in the UK to the horrible mess of corporate sponsorship it is today... I'm really looking forward to a video on that ride, and hope you can find some good footage showing how it used to be.
I kept it to the end ha
Agreed! When he said that the vampire was Chessingtons most iconic ride I couldn't help but disagree. All about the bubble works, though terror tomb was good too
@@ExpeditionThemePark You know there was another dark ride in a boat at a Tussauds park that became an IP as well. But I won't TOY around with you.
You know John Wardley worked on another boat ride at another Tussauds park that got rethemed
Also loved the 5th Dimension. Used to be a great park in its time.
I grew up in Chessington and the Vampire was my very first rollercoaster. Getting to ride it once every year using our residents tickets was the highlight of my childhood.
An amazing first coaster
yeah im simmilar to you vampire was also my first roller coaster
This ride was MAGICAL as a kid. The ride experience, the theming it was almost an amazing dream. Top that off with the bubble works. Chessington were creating absolute childhood dreams at this time. I was soo lucky to be along for the ride.
Wholeheartedly agree. Chessington was a big great part of my childhood. I also loved the bubbleworks. The theming and fizzy pop/cartoon style theme was so good.
Need to go back soon, I'm pushing 40 now. There is a new coaster coming next year.
@@rundattmedia2106 I loved the bubble works shame it’s be renamed The Gruffalo they should kept the name
@@OutrageousOpulence Rode Gruffalo today was very impressed must say!
What a superb video! I think people forget what a big thing the Vampire was back in 1990. These sort of rides were only found in America usually, so you can imagine what a stir this caused when it opened . I just hope Merlin continue to give it the love and recognition it deserves.
Me tooo
I never forgot how much of a big deal it was after all these years. Went on it again yesterday 💜
I love learning about UK theme parks. As a young American theme park enthusiasts this is one of the coolest coasters I've ever seen!
Thanks for watching!
The original vampire was my first "big" coaster some time in the mid 90s.
Loved it, and the whole park.
Went back once for the "new vampire" and was so disappointed that I never returned to Chessington.
On a side note, I'm an aircraft engineer who used to have to detect leaks in low pressure air systems, for this we used a squirt on leak detector similar to washing liquid...
When I first used it, I asked how I would spot the leak vs the foam that naturally forms from squirting...
"Think Professor burps bubble works" was the answer I was given.
For years I trained apprentices and told them the same, until sadly, I always got the reply "what's that?" 😭 and I knew the world had changed and the younger generation was missing out!
the vampire is one of my favourite rises everrrr, it’s such a classic and i hope it stays forever
When the bubbleworks music began I couldn't help but smile. What a ride that was.
Even now in 2022, with all the new ride types and technology, there’s nothing like a night time ride on Vampire! Great video, always like watching your UK based episodes.
This is actually one of my favourite coasters in the uk, just the way it makes you feel flying through the trees and of course the insane music makes it all so fun.
As soon as Desperado was mentioned I knew Lance was going to show up! Love the videos as always!
😂
I will straight up mourn this Coaster when it closes.
This was my very first Rollercoaster when I was 8 in 2011.
I ride it everytime I head to Chessington. and I cannot get enough of it.
Man I feel old. Just recently turned 37 but like you it was my first ever coaster too back in the early 90's. Very fond memories of Chessington back then, bubbleworks etc.
Need to revisit next year once they have the new coaster built!
Rumor has it that vampire will be going quite soon, so it will either be revamped or it will be going for good
Hearing that music again gives me chills. God bless.
RIP bubble works
Wahhh
12:17 this joke still lives on with this channel and I absolutely love it
I searched the comments just for this, lol. I love this reference.🤣
I love the discount Phantom of the Opera theme.
It was inspired by it!
I am so happy to announce the the chandeliers are back
I absolutely love this ride and was so disappointed when the park let all the theming fall into disrepair. I'm happy they've fixed it up but the ride was so rough and joulting the last time I rode it I don't think it will ever be the same experience again.
You can never beat the old old carriages
Far more jolting is the ‘impressive’ $6mil price tag of a brand new coaster concept in 1990, Disney just spent $300mil on an old coaster concept with Hagrid’s
I appreciate how you seamlessly wove in the iconic Desperado clip. 10/10
The Big Bad Wolf was one of my favorite coasters, it's a shame it didn't get the same treatment as Vampire. It pretty much closed for the same reasons Vampire almost did; high maintenance costs and the lack of support due to Arrow no longer existing. Hopefully Vampire stays for a while, there's not that many Arrow suspended coasters in existence anymore.
Sorry for replying a month later, but Big Bad Wolf was one of my favorites also, and while Verbolten isn't a bad coaster by any means, it's not Big Bad. I also deeply wish it had been preserved
trust me Chessington have no plans to shut down vampire if anything they will keep it... I work there it is one of the busiest rides there to this day
It needs more of that genius marketing, KFC KFC KFC KFC KFC KFC KFC KFC KFC go to KFC.
“Welp, can’t argue with that, we’re going to KFC”.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg is my home park and Big Bad wolf was one of my first ever coasters. The current coaster, verbolten, is great, but nothing will ever replace it.
I ran the Big Bad Wolf in the late 80’s. Sad to see them tear it down. A maintenance worker was killed when a train struck him in the head while he was out in the ride area.
So I first rode this with the original trains. The theme was amazing. It got me really hyped up slightly nervous and was perfect.
By the time we went on school trips I’d already been to Disney and it was starting to get run down. Still loved it.
Recently went with my stepkids.
First up the new trains do not swing as much. The theme was clearly run down. However, in the line , the stepkids were really nervous. The atmosphere still had the same impact.
However, it was so much fun. Stepkids were divided on it. Eldest loved it, youngest was scared.
Think she might just not be that into the coaster experience.
Oh and bubbleworks was a delight. The nonsense in its place is just a waste of a dark ride.
I was always far too scared to ride The Vampire myself, but I absolutely loved watching it swoop overhead whenever I visited Chessington.
I've just realised something. Each john wardley designed coaster in the uk is still operating. Not one has closed forever. Nemesis obvs is currently closed for the re track but not one is gone.
Don’t forget the haunted house and 5th dimension too
Vampire was my first coaster and I loved it so much. We always had lunch in the black forest cafe too. We went back a few years ago and it was honestly heart breaking to see so much of the iconic area now gone. I won't even mention the pain of loosing bubbleworks lol. I cried over a damned dark ride with that one
The Vampire is to this day my favourite ride ever. Back in the 90s I went to Chessington a lot and that was hands down the best
Cannot wait for bubbleworks expedition, never rode it but I love it anyway
And don't forget ze secret formula, juice + Gas = POP!!
god the nostalgia this coaster gives me is insane
That Vincent Price interview is delightful. Great find.
This is the coster that made me interested in roller-coasters
12:00 Can’t have an Expedition Theme Park video about Arrow without including Desperado 😂
19:06 There is a small mistake here. There is another Arrow Suspended still operating outside the US. Vortex at Canadas Wonderland. Vampire isn't the only Arrow Suspended outside the US. But it is the only one outside the Americas.
Well yeah sorry that’s I mean. I lived in Toronto so should know 😂
Eagle Fortress at Everland in South Korea is also outside of the US
@@BrendanCorwin1030 That's not still operating though.
That’s the best one too
Defo miss having that ride fly past my office. Such a fantastic coaster, John Wardley really got original transylvania spot on.
Just rode my 100th coaster this week (Hyperion at Energylandia). Vampire was my first one more than 20 years ago! 🥰
I love your UK videos.
Not the others? 😂 thanks!
@@ExpeditionThemePark erm that sounds pretty bad. I'm from the UK so I have more of a connection with your UK videos. That probably sounds better
I am not even British., and I love the UK videos as well as the others. The UK videos just give me insight into the theme park experience of my British cousins.
i think the area where Vampire is located is probably the best in any uk park and the rollercoaster blends perfectly in the woods, plus the theming is very nice and looks authentic. well, of course apart from the burger place.
one thing about your videos if i may: i think watching them in winter makes me sad because i feel like the opening season is far, but watching them now makes me excited as the season is just a couple of weeks away :)
One of my all time favourites! All the music in the loading bay is an absolute bop
So good
I love the fact that even when it’s about a uk coaster you manage to put in the buffalo bills desperado. “That was stupid” video. Love this video.
Chessington in the 90’s was a brilliant day out and The Vampire was a highlight. Haven’t been back for many many years but would like to ride it again with the new trains and updated theming.
vampire is really unique to me, it sort of stops and starts, like going along a straight, it'll slow down, and you can feel it, but them once it goes down again you get pulled away just like the first drop, i think it's due to how heavy it is and it's so unique, i've never felt anything like it anywhere else
We get it.
Thank you for creating a brilliantly-researched, accurate and informative video that brings back very happy memories for me (and for many thousands of others).
Thanks for the many smiles you gave us!
@@adamclewer7784 Thanks Adam!
Completely agree with everything said about the vampire ride. It was my first rollercoaster and you would really get caught up in the theming. I felt a sense of pride last summer when my son rode it for the first time at 4 years old he is very tall for his age 😂. However I feel that theme parks now lack theming and this makes a huge difference. I loved the Erie atmosphere of Transylvania.
Rollercoaster fetish... And ur strapped in so can’t stop you playing with yourself...
I was the Ride area team leader for Transylvania (along with a certain Ms Burns) when it reopened with the vekoma trains. The two of us were the first to go on the ride after the water barrels to test it and a ride by the big Dutch man from vekoma. He then trained us to operate it which took about 5 minutes. “Press this, turn this, press this, don’t touch that. There, good ride yah!” And from that the ride operators manual was written. The new ride was good but nothing compared to operating or loading the old ride on a three train day. 20 seconds to unload, load and dispatch the train. Plus as a keepsake I still have the dispatch button from the original Arrow control panel from the first incarnation which somehow came home with me after the last ride…….
Vampire was my first ever "grown up" coaster!! I remember being so excited to finally be tall enough, I love that ride so much
I love learning about UK Theme Parks in your videos. This was really cool. Now I want to see the Troubled History of that Super Mario song! haha
The soundtrack is so chilling I've loved it for years
I remember back when the journey to the actual ride was one of my favourite things. Love the ride as a kid as it was my first proper rollercoaster experience. Most themes for parks these day just seem lame and spoiled by sponsors. Great video 👍🏻
This was the ride that got me into coasters. I loved the theatre of it and the whole of Transylvania was so immersive - Merlin don't build lands like that anymore and it's something I really miss.
I know I’m very late end but I’ve been binging all of your videos again recently, and I live in Williamsburg. So seeing you mention big bad Wolf brought a nostalgic smile to my face. That was the first roller coaster I ever went on as a child. Nowadays roller coasters are a big part of my life, but I will never forget how amazing big bad wolf whites. I miss that ride so much
I have fond memories of Big Bad Wolf in Williamsburg as well
I've Been On Vampire Roller Coaster At Chessington World Of Adventures Theme Park Near London In England And It Was Super Awesome And It Was A Bit Like The Batmobile From The Original Batman Trilogy. Thanks Mate. X
Living in south east london, and being 14 years old in 1990 when the vampire opened, the buzz and excitement around this ride was amazing and it didn’t fail, although now it seems a tad lame when it first came out it was unbelievable. Watching this video has took me straight back to being 14 again with that excitement you get in your stomach when trying something new for the first time. The vampire will always have a special place in my heart, and thanks for the great video on it. Great memories
First went to Chessington at Easter 1987 but the park was still a building site and I remember being hugely disappointed. The 5th Dimension, mine train and monorail were running but not much else. The restaurant was inside a Portacabin and the log flume boats were stacked up in the car park. Wish I had taken a camera now. First went on the Vampire a few days after it opened and they told us to come back at closing time as they needed bodies for testing so we obliged and were rewarded with about 20 rides. Guess they didn't have enough bodies so half the train was sand bags. Lots of official people standing around wearing suits and holding clipboards and stopwatches. Think they were trying to figure out the timing for running 3 trains but I got the impression it wasn't going well as we witnessed some heated arguments between the suits!
I’ve wanted to ride this for years now. It is certainly a ride that I would like to get to one day. Big Bad Wolf was one of my first coasters and I was immensely sad when Busch Gardens decided to remove it after it’s 25th Anniversary. Glad to see the Vampire hasn’t suffered the same fate!
Iconic it is! Absolutely love Vampire, its an absolute dream to work on too!
Vampire is and will forever my favourite coaster. I will forever love it and cannot wait to continue riding it for years to come
I haven’t watched you for 2 and a half years, also RIP Bubble Works 😞.
The vampire, the bat, the iron dragon, all suspended coasters, all I believe are arrow design? Interesting, amazing video thanks for the great coverage here, I just might have to figure out how to get to the UK to experience some of these myself, definitely the best park's outside the USA
The Vampire Stakehouse, home of the bloodiest stakeburgers.
GOT HAPPY! ( Reference to 90s advertising of GET HAPPY CWoA and the song). Thanks for a great history of the ride. My first big coaster in UK. It was brilliant, do prefer the older trains but the theming was great.
One issue they used to have on 3 (the older) trains was the dispatch time. The ride had something like 50 seconds between dispatch and it would shut down if it was over that. I spent a lot of time on the second lift hill waiting!
The entrance is so good and dark especially when you could que in it! Not the walk through we have now.
Don't forget to mention that was the world's largest themed McDonald's at one point! - or so Tussauds used to say!
"The UK's first iconic coaster"
Grand National, Big Dipper, Black Hole and Scenic Railway in unison: How dare!
Icon: Yeah, I'm clearly the only Icon here!
Grand National and Big Dipper: Goddammit, Icon, not now.
Corkscrew: Hey guys, have I missed anything?
Being an American enthusiast I’ve always looked at this coaster and wanted to ride it, being the only stops suspended coaster outside of North America (Canada’s wonderland has one). Keep the great work up! And I have footage of Southern California rides if you need it
I'm queuing up watching this FFS it has just turned up the stress level to 90% 🙏👻🙈
Got some Dark Shadows vibes from the building with the three Golden Arches. XD
I was starting to miss the "really stupid" inserts, glad they're back
It’s been long enough 😂
Yesssssss I loved this ride. Rode it 22 years ago and still love watching POVs of it, especially since I no longer live in the UK. Glad to see you do a full episode on this one.
I think binging What We Do In the Shadows has ruined my perception of vampires, I just kept thinking of references to it while I watched this 😭
Nice episode! It's also the only Arrow suspended roller coaster outside of the United States! This attraction looks very cool and it is very enjoyable! Keep going! 👍👍👍
There's an Arrow suspended coaster at Canada's Wonderland, so it's not the only one outside of the USA.
The Big Bad Wolf was an outstanding coaster. I am still sad it has been removed. During my stay in VA my sister and I were season pass holders and we rode the Big Bad Wolf many times.
It's hard to describe the experience. As an early pioneer in the suspended swinging coaster trend it provided a very unique experience. Not far removed from the way a wooden coaster feels far more rustic, connected and almost raw compared to steel. In that sense the Big Bad Wolf was very rustic but very inspiring to ride.
The suspended mechanism worked beautifully around corners and the track wound through a well wooded natural area. Honestly it almost made for feel like a werewolf running through a forest under a full moon in first person. It may sound cliche but the ride really achieved it's goal.
During the final years the uptime was really impressive. The ride held up well and honestly holds an iconic place in my memory and hopefully the memory of many.
If you haven't visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg I highly recommend the park. Despite the uptick in popularity they have not abandoned their themed style and persistence in introducing new thrilling rides. It'd quite a pleasant experience and it does not get old after repeat visits. They do a splendid halloween theme too.
Entertaining and interesting as always.
Thank you
Recently I've created an arrow suspended/swinging coaster on planet coaster. I took heavy inspiration from the vampire especially with the queue and station I even named it"vampire unchained"!
I can’t wait for the Bubble Works episode!
Vampire was my first coaster, first went on it in the dark. Holds a very special placed in my heart!
Aw when I was younger this ride was all the rage, super nostalgic. I remember before the revamp it always used to shut down with people on the lift or break run. I have a core memory of being a child waiting in the Q in the rain for it to reopen 😂🥲
3:24 - "There aren't very many things you can do with a roller coaster in way of theming."
Busch Gardens: Hold my beer
Efteling: Hold my beer
Europa Park: Hold my beer
Phantasialand: Hold my beer
Universal: Hold my butterbeer
Dollywood: Hold my sarsaparilla
Disney: Hold my $20 soda
6:13 Great Scotland Yard. It's Sooty Sweep And Soo From The Sooty Show The Original Series. Thanks Mate. X
A great video. Very nostalgic. The old Vampire was my first coaster experience. The entire experience of Transylvania, the queue line, the station, music and theming was phenomenal. Great collection of video footage btw.
Thanks for another great video. We love The Vampire and our eldest went on this as his first proper ‘thrill’ coaster and loved it. So much so we ended up riding it 13 times on his first day at Chessington a few years back.
I really enjoyed all the oronyms and subtle play in words. I don't know if people realize how much work you put into word selection. It had me chuckling throughout the whole video! Great job!
The soundtrack for this ride SLAPS btw
No words for how much I love these episodes
My wife and I are heading to World of Adventures later this month so this video came at the perfect time! I can’t wait to ride this now!
I absolutely love the vampire puns throughout the video.
Your videos are so amazing. I love learning all about different rides and it's almost more fun for rides I've never ridden. It's like experiencing the ride for the first time.
Thank you!
You're very welcome
Pleassssse don’t keep us waiting on that bubble works video!!!! I’m dying for it!!!
Your content is so well done. Thank you for making videos!
Fantastic video. Absolutely loved it. Keep up the great work and look forward to more chessington vids in the future
Wow. This coaster looks incredible. Overly-themed coasters are so underrated.
Overthemed Western though, something about the mine carts for me. Australia used to have the best mine cart ride around at Dreamworld, sent you backwards, had a fake broken track you’d sharply turn at the last minute from, while going in and out of a massive fake mountain feeling the cart is going to fall off the tracks on the edge.
Thanks for creating this amazing documentary, loving the content here.
I have been waiting for this expedition for ages and it's great to finally watch it!😁😁😁
This was my first proper roller coaster experience. Still love it today!!
I went there 2 days ago, went on the Vampire, amazing to ride on. The vampire dude was playing his song btw so its good now
I have been waiting years for you to do this and it was worth the wait, great stuff. One of my earliest coaster memories was standing there in the picnic field watching the construction of Vampire and thinking why is the track upside down and it left me really confused. The next year I would find out. I have real nostalgia for Vampire and is such a unique coaster for the UK. I loved Chessington but now so many key attractions I loved have left if the Vampire left I am not sure I would visit again.
Amazing video, great to hear about Chessington's history.
Awsome video and specially a suspended coaster. Truely great and great puns used. awsome
Yay been waiting so long since you announced Chessington world of adventures joining. Thank you so much.