Alton Towers: We want the scariest coaster you got! Intamin: Alrighty then! What will it be? Ten inversion? Accelerator? Maybe even a bli- Alton Towers: Family coaster. Intamin: Wh- what? You me- Alton Towers: Family. Coaster. *Now.*
Can't really argue. Th13teen is one of the best 'family' coasters in the country. Why they decided to market it as more thrilling than Oblivion i'll never understand. The coaster absolutely proved itself though. It still regularly pulls bigger queues than most rides barring the Smiler and Wicker Man. Towers could do with getting rid of that scaffolding at long last though.
I always thought the scaffolding was for the theme of the ride, because the workers were under construction of the new ride when they discovered the crypt and accidentally released whatever spooky stuff was inside. It does look very ugly though, especially going up the lift hill
When I was 13, I rode Verbolten the year it opened. Luckily, I hadn't done research or anything, so I didn't know drop tracks existed. When the car stoped, I looked over at my dad (who'd been my ride buddy my whole life) as if he knew what was going on. We made eye contact as the track dropped and I screamed because I thought for a split second that the track broke. Dad giggled like a little kid the whole rest of the ride. Drop tracks 4 life.
ik this comment is like 3 years old but a very similar thing happened to me when I went on the harry potter motorbike ride at universal difference was it enters the drop track backwards so I just expected us to get launched back forwards
I went on this blind last year. Didn't know about the hype, didn't know about the drop. It was very enjoyable then, definitely a good surprise. Still wouldn't call this an ultimate roller coaster though, and I doubt a second round would live up to the first.
Funnily enough I got stuck on Hex (of all things, the rotating room thing wasn't lining up properly) and we where only there for like 15 mins and used the fast pass they gave us to go on thirteen.
Spuce up 13 with a re theme. Lots of water jets and fog machines. Maybe some projected holograms. If you want to be scary you have to keep the level of anticipation high all the time.
Maybe put in some animatronics branches "reaching" . My understanding is that the forest itself is alive due to the spirit? Use that. The fog is a good idea to do projection mapping of the wraith chasing you through the forest with.
I went on this ride when I was five and I remember crying like hell because of the drop at the end, now I literally can’t be bothered to queue for the ride😂
Lol when i first rode it i was s**t scared because they hyped it up so much. I went into the room and was holding onto the lap-bar for dear life. Then it fell and i remember feeling misled and disappointed. I have ridden it since and it is ok but i really feel like that first experience of going on it changed my view of it forever.
We started queuing for it, we got on and went into the room, I didn’t know it was gunna drop because I’d never gone on so I screamed ‘WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS’ and pissed my pants
I can't believe that they used Teddy Bears picnic for the adverts of this ride. That's twice now where I wondered who thought Henry Hall's music was scary.
Well, you remember how in Dead Space, you walk into a room, and you hear a voice singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"? Yeah they were operating on that logic.
@@yellowplays8681 What scared me was when the woman counted from 1-13. If you were in the building part then the generator sparks and looked like it will explode.
13 is probably my favourite ride because I love the spooky aesthetic but am an absolute wimp so the “mild” side that people complain about is probably my limit
Lol I remember going to Alton around the time 13 opened as part of a school trip. I suppose to justify the trip the teachers included an educational element which meant learning about 13's marketing. Watching this and seeing you call it a failure is just funny to me. Anyway, as for the coaster itself, I've always liked the theming and idea behind 13 but I could never get over the big old scaffolding in the entrance to the drop and inside. Always made it look unfinished to me. Great job on the video!
@@visionist7 Right? Like you've got the whole haunted house/creepy wood thing which is nailed pretty well and then you look like you're entering an unfinished part of the coaster. Just ruins the experience a bit for me.
Th13teen's a lovely little family coaster but they definitely missed the mark when it came to marketing it - great documentary! I'm always surprised at the number of first time riders who STILL don't know what happens and I LOVE their reactions.
The problem I had with this ride is that it was really only interesting the first time you ride it. After you know what's going to happen it becomes much more dull and pedestrian.
Its such a shame that alton towers doesn’t understand that there is something other than horror to theme rides around currently, especially as over half the park is now horror themed
It’s not Alton towers it’s merlin. I mean just look at Thorpe park, name a ride that’s opened over the last decade that hasn’t got a horror/apocalyptic theme attached to it
I love it. My partner visited the U.K. for the first time and I took her to Alton Towers. She really loved it as she was expecting Disney ;and type theme park.
Well the only downside to horror themed parks is that it gives a bit of a depressing vibe. If you go to a park like Disney you're most likely to feel better and happier because that's what their goal is. Frightening your guests does the opposite
and those rumours that during the excavation work for the ride work crew were sighting ghosts of dead monks materializing in the woods ! A typical theme park propaganda tactic ..
@@ExpeditionThemePark There's a saying that the greatest roller coaster ever built will be one where everyone comes back dead. (srsly) Alton Towers are slowly getting there!
Th13teen was the first ever rollercoaster I ever went on, this being the year of release and I really enjoyed it. However I went on it again only a few weeks back, its definitely a ride that is thrilling on the first go, but not so much on the second. Still really enjoyed it though
Darklight Films, I rode it back in Easter, but I’ve done rides at Thorpe park, and Florida, so riding this I was rather underwhelmed and honestly just laughed at it!
Despite the media hype, I was still pretty impressed with 13. The hype implied that there were going to be spoilers, so the best thing was not to look into it too much on the internet if you were planning to ride it.
I love Th13teen, the marketing didn't disappoint me but I wish the first section was a little longer. Alton really has a nack for rides with a dark theme.
Fast and Furious Supercharged as Universal Orlando is also a marketing disaster. It was advertised to be an intense thrill ride. But when it opened, it was just a underwelming experience compared to Earthquake/Disaster. They should replace it with a Secret Life of Pets 4D shooting dark ride/simulator.
Honestly even that would be an insult to Disaster/Earthquake which had a genuinely unique and at least somewhat intriguing concept to it versus the absolute failure that was Fast and Furious (although I might be biased due to having experienced Disaster heh)
I would absolutely love it if you made a series of videos regarding the build up and marketing of past attractions. It’s absolutely a fascinating field of work and park history.
A good video, well researched. Interesting to see myself in it (I was one of the boot campers) and a good explanation of how they missed with the 'pitch'. The ride was several months behind schedule - Boot camp was rescheduled and ran only a few days before the park opened. They had originally intended to run it nearly a month before and use footage from it in an online campaign. Instead a hastily edited video popped up on the website weeks after it opened almost as an afterthought. When we rode it (which ISTR was Thursday, two days before it opened) they had us wound up and borderline sleep deprived after nearly two days of shenanigans which significantly affected how we felt about the ride. Morwena is a skilled marketeer and knows exactly how to deliver the message she wants. I do still love the ride and met people who are now some of my best friends and got to see some behind the scenes stuff that I'll cherish forever. For an AT fan, it was an amazing experience.
thirteen is definitely not the most scary ride, or the most thrilling, but it’s definitely really enjoyable and still gives a sense of thrill and fear without being too much. it’s one of my faves and i’m into ‘bigger’ rides, which thirteen would not be classed as. it’s almost a perfect mix of a ‘big’ ride and a kid’s ride.
I remember following the construction and build-up around this coaster when it was announced (mind you, I live in the US and at the time I was still in high school) and I kept thinking to myself "Wow, Alton Towers is truly going to unleash a beast of a coaster). In all honesty, after seeing what Th13teen really was, it was quite disappointing. Other than the free fall aspect of the coaster, the actual layout of it was quite..um, mundane.
Been waiting for this one!! Really cool to hear about the history of the ride. It's also a great reminder of how much marketing and hype can bother help and hinder a new theme attraction. Great video! Would love to see one on Wicker Man as well!
Alton Towers: here's a rollercoaster that does something no other rollercoaster in the world has ever done before. Stevie John: nothing special really 😂😂😂
When I rode for the first time, I was terrified, the buildup had nearly psyched me out from even getting on, but afterwards I realised it was basically the runaway mine train with a bigger drop. It still stands out to me as a ride with really well done theming, with smaller additions in the queue line which I find I may have not noticed the first time round. I enjoy the ride quite a bit, I won’t however ride it if the queue time is above 35 minutes because it’s not really worth the hassle. But I have to say it is one of the secret weapons which since it’s opening has had consistent queue times of around 30-40 minutes + on busier days which I think is a testament to the ride and its enjoyment factor. People might think otherwise though. I definitely saw the flaws in the marketing, but I think that’s something that only adds to the lore of the coaster and is slightly humorous to look back and think about now the ride will be reaching its 10th birthday next year.
Wickerman is fantastic but thirteen is unique and enjoyable. A well designed coaster doesn't have to do 70+mph and go upside down 20 times to be good imo.
Does anyone think that Thirteen's theming kind of links with Hex? Because that demon looking branch in Hex seems very suspicious sitting right next to other paranormal trees..
I did really enjoy this ride. But they did go ott with the adverts, but then didn't live up to the expectation of the "scariest ride ever" thing they were going for. Yes the drop is great! But the track leading up to it had no themeing surrounding it. They could have easily made it a thick forest, with smoke effects, even some blue lighting or something. Just to make it dark and scary! The woodland seemed pretty bare and boring when I went on this back in 2010. Great video btw! Love seeing videos on AT and TP
The innovation with John.W and Intamin with the quick moving switch track paved the way for their new swing launch coasters I feel, such as Dualing Dragons and Pantheon and obviously Hagrids in IoA. There's alot of great engineering on this ride if you ever get to tour backstage, it's just a shame that non of it translates to a cohesive complete ride experience on this ride, but it is more important than people realise.
I always liked Thirteen, that drop track part is fun then hurtling out backwards is great. My daughter was terrified to go on it but after one ride we went straight back round for another go.
I think it's a brilliant coaster. A great intro ride for someone who is just getting into coasters, but still thrilling enough for adults too. I just love how it's so different to anything else in the park. The theming works great for me too, considering how UK rides tend to underdeliver on theming. Personally, it gets better for me everytime I ride it.
It's a lot better during the scarefest as the track is also in the dark outside - I've always thought thirteen could really benefit from utilising the spooky girl a bit more, having a live actor or rather animatronics for safety would really do bits. Imagine the raith trying to grab at you or the girl running at you.
It's not the ultimate rollercoaster but I definitely enjoy it when I do ride. It's one that I'd normally save for a quieter day when the queues are much shorter or if I'm bringing someone to the park for the first time
I think there was definitely a marketing 'hype culture' around that period of Alton's development. They were really aggressive in putting out fabricated PR stories what seemed like every other week, and I think Thirteen was pretty much the last hurrah of their mindset at the time. Enthusiasts at the time will remember things like the Baby coaster, cloud bursting to control the weather and high heel metal detectors as just a few examples of the stories they released back then.
You mentioned something about this ride a while ago, and I've been excited for this video since. Very interesting ride concept. I didn't do any research on it because I like the way you present the rides.
When I went last year I was queuing for enterprise and it was taking a while so we started talking to the people behind us...the said the had just been on 13 and we asked what it was like...they said they could not say and it was a surprise. We later got on 13 and thought it was quite bad to be honest because it was quite slow. We then thought the ride was over and thought the surprise was how bad it was😅 then it dropped and we left the coaster stunned. I now have a hoodie from the gift shop with the 13 logo on....I nearly pissed myself...not bad
My first trip to Alton Towers was just after the release of Thirteen. It was my first trip to any theme park at a height where I was tall enough to ride most to all of the thrill rides. Unfortunately due to the marketing of Thirteen I'd seen on TV I was too afraid to ride any of the thrill rides. In the whole day trip I only went on Hex, the Mine Train and the Log Flume. That subconscious fear has stayed with me for all of my life since then. I have since ridden a few more thrill rides like Raptor twice and another one on trips to Lite Water Valley and Rita twice on successive trips to Alton Towers. However it is only now in this last month or so that I've been exploring ride and theme park videos that I'm wishing things had gone differently and I could have joined my peers on bigger rides if it hadn't been for the marketing of Thirteen and later the Smiler (and it's accidents).
The station area used to be the thing that freaked me out most! The generater and shock cage made me jump out of my skin. I also remember getting off the ride and skipping off to the shop only to meet a live hooded figure a few steps before the shop (this was at scarefest) and I was like NOPE and turned back on my heels and ran to my mom and dad
We went on this not knowing anything about it beforehand. When we went into the false dock just before the drop, I thought it had finished and that the ride had been a little underwhelming. The drop and backwards part took me completely by surprise, and I remember laughing hysterically. Even though it's not as 'scary', or 'thrilling' as things like nemesis, it was definitely one of the most fun rides that day.
thank you good sir! see i love Thirt13n but i also know that people considered it a dissapointment but had no idea why, it's a great ride. I've been looking for an explenation for why this would be and now i have it! I missed most of the hype, other than the awesome advert and the fact that there was a pre-and-post 9pm version.
Alton towers just seems like the prototype playground. Because of their restrictions it leads to the innovation most other parks reap the benefits from. If you name a ride their is atleast one link between it and this park.
I got to ride the Verbolten at Bush Gardens Williamsburg and had no idea about the drop part so my husband and I nearly had a heart attack;) that ended up being one of our favorite coasters in the park that day, cool to learn the history of the first one.
I saw all the adverts at the time, but I had never been to a major theme park before and didn't really expect to get to go. The opportunity arrose however, when I sat on the school house council and we were able to arrange it as the end of year trip (as it's about 40 miles away from here). Having seen the teaser adverts but not the ride itself, we chose to ride it first. The wait was 3 and a half hours. The wait was a rollercoaster by itself because as a group of 14 year olds, we had never really had to wait for anything that long. We went through excitement, cooldown, lull, boredom, annoyance, anger, cold frustration, quiet... Then reaching the inside waiting area... Intrigue... Hype... Back to excitement. We didn't know what the ride was but we wanted to be on it. When it was relatively dull and slow, we were a little miffed... Feeling a little conned. Pulling into the station, we were annoyed and completely off guard... So suddenly when the ride was not actually ending, but instead, pulling into a creepy shrine, we were totally got by the fall and the backwards tunnel. ... After getting off the ride, we were finally sure of how we felt about it: That it was completely worth the wait.
@@thecinematicmind If it was themed around Doom 3 then yes, but certainly not the new games, the balls to the wall action in Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal fits a thrill ride
It was a great middleground ride, I visited the park when I was about nine or 10 and I wasn’t tall enough to ride any of the bigger rides, 13 was a fun experience and made me feel fearless for the remainder of my stay 🤣x
Th13teen: If you... Go down... To the woods... Today... You'll find me. Hi. I'm Th13teen. Sorry about my appearance, but I'm really not as scary as I look. My ride is basically a family coaster, but the freefall drop is my claim to fame, I guess. Nemesis: To be honest, I have mixed feelings towards Th13teen. She has a great world's first element, but other than that it isn't too special. Oblivion: As much as I want to take her seriously as a proper thrill ride, it can be very difficult for me to do so because of it's lack of big thrills. The freefall drop is fantastic though. Air: I'm glad that Alton Towers wanted to introduce a unique element for Th13teen, but a family coaster just wasn't the type of ride to put it in. Rita: I still can't get over when she killed Corkscrew. I mean, come on! He was my best friend for a long time, and you had to get rid of him just so you could fit! Not cool. Smiler: I actually like Th13teen. Not enough people can say that, but I can. The theming is fantastic, the ride is very smooth, and the freefall drop is probably the most underrated world's first element in the park. I just hope more people are willing to give it a chance. Wicker Man: I think it's because of the theming and promotion of Th13teen that really made her the "art critic" of the Towers. She's always supportive of rides with great themes and backstories, and that's something that I can kinda appreciate her for.
13 is in no way failed. The worst it could be described is that it didn't meet some expectations. The queues are still somewhat long for it every time I visit the park, even though there has been many rides (and a VR update to another ride) has been added since. Like the video said, it's a great addition to the park!
The person who makes Alton Towers commercials missed their calling making horror movies, I swear.
Honestly
Imagine a th13teen horror movie
There needs to be a Smiler horror movie!😄
Lil Disney Fan HECK YEAH or even a ministry of joy film
@@mrberry1147 Smile Always: The Movie😂
The most disturbing part of the ride is the squelching noises played in the queue line. I won’t even describe what it sounds like lol
hahaha. i said exactly the same to my wife when we were thee last month. like someone mixing macaroni cheese. ;)
It probably the sound of flesh maybe?
It sounds like wet mud being stepped on
JMD85 85 how badly does it sound? Im curious...
Chloe Lennon McCartney_galaxy just put this into perspective, I stood for 2 hours listening to what sounded like flesh bubbling off the skin
Alton Towers: We want the scariest coaster you got!
Intamin: Alrighty then! What will it be? Ten inversion? Accelerator? Maybe even a bli-
Alton Towers: Family coaster.
Intamin: Wh- what? You me-
Alton Towers: Family. Coaster. *Now.*
Kennywood Fanboy probs had that convo with b&m at the start but they didn't want to degrade themselves
shouldve gotten a b&m
Probably how it happened😂
More likely: 'What's the cheapest type of coaster you guys do?"
Th13teen: And Alton Towers wants to know why no one takes me seriously... *I'M A BLOODY FAMILY COASTER!!*
Can't really argue. Th13teen is one of the best 'family' coasters in the country. Why they decided to market it as more thrilling than Oblivion i'll never understand. The coaster absolutely proved itself though. It still regularly pulls bigger queues than most rides barring the Smiler and Wicker Man.
Towers could do with getting rid of that scaffolding at long last though.
I always thought the scaffolding was for the theme of the ride, because the workers were under construction of the new ride when they discovered the crypt and accidentally released whatever spooky stuff was inside. It does look very ugly though, especially going up the lift hill
How many people wrote this?
I quite enjoy other rides not being busy, oblivion basically has no que. I need to try “the WickerMan” looks sick
I thought the scaffolding looks terrible as well
Pfp bros :)
When I was 13, I rode Verbolten the year it opened. Luckily, I hadn't done research or anything, so I didn't know drop tracks existed. When the car stoped, I looked over at my dad (who'd been my ride buddy my whole life) as if he knew what was going on. We made eye contact as the track dropped and I screamed because I thought for a split second that the track broke. Dad giggled like a little kid the whole rest of the ride. Drop tracks 4 life.
LOL
SAME FOR ME WITH THIRTEEN APART FROM WITH MY FRIEND
I went on Verbolten too, different place tho Buch Gardens VA
ik this comment is like 3 years old but a very similar thing happened to me when I went on the harry potter motorbike ride at universal
difference was it enters the drop track backwards so I just expected us to get launched back forwards
I went on this blind last year. Didn't know about the hype, didn't know about the drop. It was very enjoyable then, definitely a good surprise. Still wouldn't call this an ultimate roller coaster though, and I doubt a second round would live up to the first.
sorry to hear about your eyes
@@PROBLOXYT lmao
@@vincentjenei i was expecting a reply from them tbh but then i realized they wont ever see my comment :( such shame
@@PROBLOXYT lol
PROBLOX omfg lmaoooo
I was always surprised that they didn’t do a cross theme with Hex with it being so close in location .
Funnily enough I got stuck on Hex (of all things, the rotating room thing wasn't lining up properly) and we where only there for like 15 mins and used the fast pass they gave us to go on thirteen.
@haveaniceday I think Rita is used as the escape from the towers.
@@jamesp8677 I think thirteen is meant to be entering the wods and rita is to escape
that would of been so cool
That moment i realised you've used my POV of Thirteen for you video Woooooo! great video as always and Thanks for the credit :)
Thank you so much for the awesome footage!
Wholesomeness lvl. 100
Aww
Spuce up 13 with a re theme.
Lots of water jets and fog machines.
Maybe some projected holograms.
If you want to be scary you have to keep the level of anticipation high all the time.
Adelle Walls - It goes through loads of trees, they need to do something in them trees to make it more scary, especially in Scarefest season
Maybe put in some animatronics branches "reaching" . My understanding is that the forest itself is alive due to the spirit? Use that. The fog is a good idea to do projection mapping of the wraith chasing you through the forest with.
@@bethkrager6529or have a pre show with th13teen girl as the narrator that would be cool
It’s probably called 13 because that’s the age children get scary and your life’s drop just like the ride
*wheeze*
Wow mood 😂
lol damn...
Also I am on 377 subs so any support will be great full
Well okie-fecking-dokie with a cherry on top
I went on this ride when I was five and I remember crying like hell because of the drop at the end, now I literally can’t be bothered to queue for the ride😂
Cersha Rose you were a bit too young at 5 😩 I'm surprised you were allowed on it
No you didn’t you weren’t old enough
Lisa Morris Morris i might have been 6 but I definitely went on it and I’ve always been tall
GamingMadMan there was no age limit when I went, dk if there ever was?
Cersha Rose there was never an age limit to ride it was just min/max height
Lol when i first rode it i was s**t scared because they hyped it up so much. I went into the room and was holding onto the lap-bar for dear life. Then it fell and i remember feeling misled and disappointed. I have ridden it since and it is ok but i really feel like that first experience of going on it changed my view of it forever.
Zachary Nolan I just screamed ‘ I DIDNT BLOODY EXPECT THAT’
You were disappointed that it had a drop track??
Calakapepe no he was disappointed with how it felt after all the hype surrounding it
That’s how I felt about mystic timbers at kings island, the shed didn’t even end up being close to the hype
We started queuing for it, we got on and went into the room, I didn’t know it was gunna drop because I’d never gone on so I screamed ‘WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS’ and pissed my pants
I can't believe that they used Teddy Bears picnic for the adverts of this ride.
That's twice now where I wondered who thought Henry Hall's music was scary.
Nursery Rhymes are inherently creepy.
Well, you remember how in Dead Space, you walk into a room, and you hear a voice singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"?
Yeah they were operating on that logic.
@@charlottevicarage1331 That I can agree with
What was the first time? The Mr. T comic that Linkara reviewed?
@@otaking3582 nah, it was a movie, can't remember the name right now
13 is a great family coaster that was basically advertised as the next Nemesis. Ah well, still a good ride
ITS QUEUE SCARED ME TO DEATH LIKE I HATED IT
@@yellowplays8681 What scared me was when the woman counted from 1-13. If you were in the building part then the generator sparks and looked like it will explode.
Potato
13 is probably my favourite ride because I love the spooky aesthetic but am an absolute wimp so the “mild” side that people complain about is probably my limit
Yyyeeesss th13teen is amazinng
Great video thanks. As a US resident I'm always a curious about more UK park content
I just wish I could find more Aussie ride content 😔
these rides (especially the smiler), i tell ya
coming out of a usa mate, the uk's got the stuff i need to experience
Join us
Lol I remember going to Alton around the time 13 opened as part of a school trip. I suppose to justify the trip the teachers included an educational element which meant learning about 13's marketing. Watching this and seeing you call it a failure is just funny to me.
Anyway, as for the coaster itself, I've always liked the theming and idea behind 13 but I could never get over the big old scaffolding in the entrance to the drop and inside. Always made it look unfinished to me.
Great job on the video!
That scaffolding is really out of place
@@visionist7 Right? Like you've got the whole haunted house/creepy wood thing which is nailed pretty well and then you look like you're entering an unfinished part of the coaster. Just ruins the experience a bit for me.
@@FatSnorlax I can't imagine they were originally gonna go with the scaffolding but I guess they ran out of funding lol
@@visionist7 That or it's a poor piece of theming?
@@FatSnorlax The scaffolding is like on Hex and around the towers. Its there as part of that restoration project.
Th13teen's a lovely little family coaster but they definitely missed the mark when it came to marketing it - great documentary! I'm always surprised at the number of first time riders who STILL don't know what happens and I LOVE their reactions.
the scariest thing about this ride was the obnoxiously loud electric zappy cage in the queue
Best way I've heard the Tesla described
The problem I had with this ride is that it was really only interesting the first time you ride it. After you know what's going to happen it becomes much more dull and pedestrian.
Its such a shame that alton towers doesn’t understand that there is something other than horror to theme rides around currently, especially as over half the park is now horror themed
It’s not Alton towers it’s merlin. I mean just look at Thorpe park, name a ride that’s opened over the last decade that hasn’t got a horror/apocalyptic theme attached to it
I like the horror theme especially at scare fest but I’m not sure if a non-horror themed ride would fit in at the park.
I think it works, we got smiler and swarm and saw from it so I'm happy
I love it. My partner visited the U.K. for the first time and I took her to Alton Towers. She really loved it as she was expecting Disney ;and type theme park.
Well the only downside to horror themed parks is that it gives a bit of a depressing vibe. If you go to a park like Disney you're most likely to feel better and happier because that's what their goal is. Frightening your guests does the opposite
I remember being terrified to ride this as the rumours were that it was recommended for over 20s only!! What a load of tosh!
and those rumours that during the excavation work for the ride work crew were sighting ghosts of dead monks materializing in the woods ! A typical theme park propaganda tactic ..
...And then Alton Towers decided to go one further and give customers the psychological fear of having arms and legs ripped off on rides.
A true psychoaster!
@@ExpeditionThemePark There's a saying that the greatest roller coaster ever built will be one where everyone comes back dead. (srsly)
Alton Towers are slowly getting there!
@@Larry after that alton towers decided to go 40 steps further and make a roller coaster tycoon death trap! Death guaranteed or money back!
@@AJXTHEWALL beep
@@theairtimeenthusiast what gain did you get for this? Satisfaction? Money?
Th13teen was the first ever rollercoaster I ever went on, this being the year of release and I really enjoyed it. However I went on it again only a few weeks back, its definitely a ride that is thrilling on the first go, but not so much on the second. Still really enjoyed it though
Darklight Films, I rode it back in Easter, but I’ve done rides at Thorpe park, and Florida, so riding this I was rather underwhelmed and honestly just laughed at it!
Alton towers: "I'm going to make the scariest ride ever"
Alton towers: "I'm about to end this man's entier carrier"
Entier Carrier has arrived.
Entire career you mean
CEO of entier carrier
Despite the media hype, I was still pretty impressed with 13. The hype implied that there were going to be spoilers, so the best thing was not to look into it too much on the internet if you were planning to ride it.
I went on Verbolten before, and when the freefall drop came, it suprised me. Needless to say, it's a great rollercoaster.
Riders expectations fell faster than the drop track.
I love Th13teen, the marketing didn't disappoint me but I wish the first section was a little longer.
Alton really has a nack for rides with a dark theme.
Whoever makes the trailers is a legend.
"It'll be the scariest rollercoaster ever," they said, "You need to be brave," they said. :|
This feels like the equivalent of a toddler begging you to look at them so they can do half of a backflip and land on their face
Fast and Furious Supercharged as Universal Orlando is also a marketing disaster. It was advertised to be an intense thrill ride. But when it opened, it was just a underwelming experience compared to Earthquake/Disaster. They should replace it with a Secret Life of Pets 4D shooting dark ride/simulator.
They could replace it with a bench for all I care
Honestly even that would be an insult to Disaster/Earthquake which had a genuinely unique and at least somewhat intriguing concept to it versus the absolute failure that was Fast and Furious (although I might be biased due to having experienced Disaster heh)
r/strangelyspecific
Void DCXI lmfao honestly tho that ride is such trash
I would absolutely love it if you made a series of videos regarding the build up and marketing of past attractions. It’s absolutely a fascinating field of work and park history.
I remember watching the advert on tv, wondering what the hell this was about. It creeped me out tbh
A good video, well researched. Interesting to see myself in it (I was one of the boot campers) and a good explanation of how they missed with the 'pitch'. The ride was several months behind schedule - Boot camp was rescheduled and ran only a few days before the park opened. They had originally intended to run it nearly a month before and use footage from it in an online campaign. Instead a hastily edited video popped up on the website weeks after it opened almost as an afterthought.
When we rode it (which ISTR was Thursday, two days before it opened) they had us wound up and borderline sleep deprived after nearly two days of shenanigans which significantly affected how we felt about the ride. Morwena is a skilled marketeer and knows exactly how to deliver the message she wants. I do still love the ride and met people who are now some of my best friends and got to see some behind the scenes stuff that I'll cherish forever. For an AT fan, it was an amazing experience.
8:12 all coaster enthusiasts who followed th13teens construction: "oh god its her again lol"
YES! I love this ride so much, it holds so many funny memories
thirteen is definitely not the most scary ride, or the most thrilling, but it’s definitely really enjoyable and still gives a sense of thrill and fear without being too much. it’s one of my faves and i’m into ‘bigger’ rides, which thirteen would not be classed as. it’s almost a perfect mix of a ‘big’ ride and a kid’s ride.
I would love you to do Rita queen of speed
Harvey Borg omg I hate that ride it’s the scariest one in the park!
Lucas Kent i know right I don’t have a face after going on that
@@borgstar1997 I went to it today and the lines are so long but bro that ride was so scary I thought I was gonna fall of!
THATS MY SECOND FAVORITE I LOVE IT
I LOVE THAT RIDE!! I love the unexpected start (although I knew about it prior to my first time) and they better not remove it.
I remember following the construction and build-up around this coaster when it was announced (mind you, I live in the US and at the time I was still in high school) and I kept thinking to myself "Wow, Alton Towers is truly going to unleash a beast of a coaster). In all honesty, after seeing what Th13teen really was, it was quite disappointing. Other than the free fall aspect of the coaster, the actual layout of it was quite..um, mundane.
God whoever was marketing this ride was physco
You should start a expedition on other UK theme parks like Thorpe Park , Drayton and Blackpool
Been waiting for this one!! Really cool to hear about the history of the ride. It's also a great reminder of how much marketing and hype can bother help and hinder a new theme attraction. Great video!
Would love to see one on Wicker Man as well!
As someone who is terrified of heights and won't go on coasters that go upside down, I really enjoyed this ride. That says it all really 🤣🤣🤣
I'm glad you're the only theme park person who is talking about attractions other than Star Wars Galaxy's Edge
Yea this ride was massively over hyped. The drop is clever but its nothing special really.
Alton Towers: here's a rollercoaster that does something no other rollercoaster in the world has ever done before.
Stevie John: nothing special really
😂😂😂
When I rode for the first time, I was terrified, the buildup had nearly psyched me out from even getting on, but afterwards I realised it was basically the runaway mine train with a bigger drop. It still stands out to me as a ride with really well done theming, with smaller additions in the queue line which I find I may have not noticed the first time round. I enjoy the ride quite a bit, I won’t however ride it if the queue time is above 35 minutes because it’s not really worth the hassle. But I have to say it is one of the secret weapons which since it’s opening has had consistent queue times of around 30-40 minutes + on busier days which I think is a testament to the ride and its enjoyment factor. People might think otherwise though. I definitely saw the flaws in the marketing, but I think that’s something that only adds to the lore of the coaster and is slightly humorous to look back and think about now the ride will be reaching its 10th birthday next year.
I love thirteen and it is on of my must do attractions when I visit Alton Towers. It even takes priority over wickerman
Wickerman is fantastic but thirteen is unique and enjoyable. A well designed coaster doesn't have to do 70+mph and go upside down 20 times to be good imo.
13th like :0
I've Been On 13 The Ride At Alton Towers Back In August 2016. It Was Super Awesome. Thanks Expedition Theme Park Mate. X
Do ToyStoryMania! Also you should do AIR as well
No not yet do air let's let wiker man have a longer time before it's his turn
Douglas Egdell yes agree, let wicker man have some time for the wicker to settle first! 🤣
love finding underrated gems of youtube channels
I went for my 13th birthday and I'm going again for my 18th birthday
absolutely brilliant video - please keep making alton towers content! :)
Does anyone think that Thirteen's theming kind of links with Hex? Because that demon looking branch in Hex seems very suspicious sitting right next to other paranormal trees..
afaik that whole area is meant to be linked to Hex.I mean It's been totally shoehorned to have that link, but it's been forceably done pretty well.
yes! i wish they were next to each other because it would make sense.
I did really enjoy this ride. But they did go ott with the adverts, but then didn't live up to the expectation of the "scariest ride ever" thing they were going for. Yes the drop is great! But the track leading up to it had no themeing surrounding it. They could have easily made it a thick forest, with smoke effects, even some blue lighting or something. Just to make it dark and scary! The woodland seemed pretty bare and boring when I went on this back in 2010. Great video btw! Love seeing videos on AT and TP
Exactly what you said. Not a bad family coaster but due to the hype-a huge letdown.
0:37 this is one of the most iconic videos in theme park content history AND I LOVE IT!
The innovation with John.W and Intamin with the quick moving switch track paved the way for their new swing launch coasters I feel, such as Dualing Dragons and Pantheon and obviously Hagrids in IoA. There's alot of great engineering on this ride if you ever get to tour backstage, it's just a shame that non of it translates to a cohesive complete ride experience on this ride, but it is more important than people realise.
I always liked Thirteen, that drop track part is fun then hurtling out backwards is great. My daughter was terrified to go on it but after one ride we went straight back round for another go.
Alton Towers: Th13teen is our scariest ride!
The Smiler: *Are you sure about that?*
I love these videos so much! Please do more Alton Towers ones. I must go there at least twice a month, maybe more. I love the place.
The scariest part of this ride was when I went on it in the pelting rain, every drop felt like being stabbed by a pin.
Riding this at scarefest in the dark is a must. It's my favourite ride in the dark.
I think it's a brilliant coaster. A great intro ride for someone who is just getting into coasters, but still thrilling enough for adults too. I just love how it's so different to anything else in the park. The theming works great for me too, considering how UK rides tend to underdeliver on theming. Personally, it gets better for me everytime I ride it.
I really like the ride! It is fun
@@ExpeditionThemePark Brilliant video though, forgot to say. Really enjoy your content!
It's a lot better during the scarefest as the track is also in the dark outside - I've always thought thirteen could really benefit from utilising the spooky girl a bit more, having a live actor or rather animatronics for safety would really do bits. Imagine the raith trying to grab at you or the girl running at you.
It's not the ultimate rollercoaster but I definitely enjoy it when I do ride. It's one that I'd normally save for a quieter day when the queues are much shorter or if I'm bringing someone to the park for the first time
This is my favourite coaster at Scarefest. It’s great scuttling through the Forrest in the dark.
The first time I went on I’m glad there isn’t loads of those cameras that take photos because my face was probably like
👁 👁
👄
13th like :0
Expedition Alton towers is probably my favorite series of yours 😁😍💕
The wood creak sound effects just...no xD it scares me quite a lot
I remember walking thru the line and made a quick nope out of there I was 11 or 12 mind you
I went on it once and have never been more disappointed. I don’t even bother queuing for it anymore.
I think there was definitely a marketing 'hype culture' around that period of Alton's development. They were really aggressive in putting out fabricated PR stories what seemed like every other week, and I think Thirteen was pretty much the last hurrah of their mindset at the time.
Enthusiasts at the time will remember things like the Baby coaster, cloud bursting to control the weather and high heel metal detectors as just a few examples of the stories they released back then.
You mentioned something about this ride a while ago, and I've been excited for this video since. Very interesting ride concept. I didn't do any research on it because I like the way you present the rides.
When I went last year I was queuing for enterprise and it was taking a while so we started talking to the people behind us...the said the had just been on 13 and we asked what it was like...they said they could not say and it was a surprise. We later got on 13 and thought it was quite bad to be honest because it was quite slow. We then thought the ride was over and thought the surprise was how bad it was😅 then it dropped and we left the coaster stunned. I now have a hoodie from the gift shop with the 13 logo on....I nearly pissed myself...not bad
My first trip to Alton Towers was just after the release of Thirteen. It was my first trip to any theme park at a height where I was tall enough to ride most to all of the thrill rides. Unfortunately due to the marketing of Thirteen I'd seen on TV I was too afraid to ride any of the thrill rides. In the whole day trip I only went on Hex, the Mine Train and the Log Flume. That subconscious fear has stayed with me for all of my life since then. I have since ridden a few more thrill rides like Raptor twice and another one on trips to Lite Water Valley and Rita twice on successive trips to Alton Towers. However it is only now in this last month or so that I've been exploring ride and theme park videos that I'm wishing things had gone differently and I could have joined my peers on bigger rides if it hadn't been for the marketing of Thirteen and later the Smiler (and it's accidents).
I'm gonna have to make a trip to Britain some day just to go to Alton Towers.
The station area used to be the thing that freaked me out most! The generater and shock cage made me jump out of my skin. I also remember getting off the ride and skipping off to the shop only to meet a live hooded figure a few steps before the shop (this was at scarefest) and I was like NOPE and turned back on my heels and ran to my mom and dad
You should should do a video about splash landings the hotel ✌️
We went on this not knowing anything about it beforehand. When we went into the false dock just before the drop, I thought it had finished and that the ride had been a little underwhelming. The drop and backwards part took me completely by surprise, and I remember laughing hysterically. Even though it's not as 'scary', or 'thrilling' as things like nemesis, it was definitely one of the most fun rides that day.
*Ooh! I love this ride so much!*
_Tbh Alton Towers is more or less my second home so I love all the rides :)_
Pink Pixie I kinda liked it but my friend hates it because it’s the drop
thank you good sir!
see i love Thirt13n but i also know that people considered it a dissapointment but had no idea why, it's a great ride. I've been looking for an explenation for why this would be and now i have it!
I missed most of the hype, other than the awesome advert and the fact that there was a pre-and-post 9pm version.
I love how unique the ride is but there needs to be more to it. Currently just feels like a tech demo. Enjoyable but short.
Alton towers just seems like the prototype playground. Because of their restrictions it leads to the innovation most other parks reap the benefits from. If you name a ride their is atleast one link between it and this park.
I got to ride the Verbolten at Bush Gardens Williamsburg and had no idea about the drop part so my husband and I nearly had a heart attack;) that ended up being one of our favorite coasters in the park that day, cool to learn the history of the first one.
When is a new expedition Efteling coming?
Next month
I saw all the adverts at the time, but I had never been to a major theme park before and didn't really expect to get to go.
The opportunity arrose however, when I sat on the school house council and we were able to arrange it as the end of year trip (as it's about 40 miles away from here).
Having seen the teaser adverts but not the ride itself, we chose to ride it first. The wait was 3 and a half hours. The wait was a rollercoaster by itself because as a group of 14 year olds, we had never really had to wait for anything that long. We went through excitement, cooldown, lull, boredom, annoyance, anger, cold frustration, quiet... Then reaching the inside waiting area... Intrigue... Hype... Back to excitement. We didn't know what the ride was but we wanted to be on it.
When it was relatively dull and slow, we were a little miffed... Feeling a little conned.
Pulling into the station, we were annoyed and completely off guard... So suddenly when the ride was not actually ending, but instead, pulling into a creepy shrine, we were totally got by the fall and the backwards tunnel.
... After getting off the ride, we were finally sure of how we felt about it: That it was completely worth the wait.
Unrelated to the video, but who else thinks that a thrill ride themed around DOOM would be amazing? I think about it a lot
Would made a better dark ride
@@thecinematicmind If it was themed around Doom 3 then yes, but certainly not the new games, the balls to the wall action in Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal fits a thrill ride
The first time I watched this video I got a nightmare about the advertisements- they’re not that scary watching it again, but I still get chills.
It was a great middleground ride, I visited the park when I was about nine or 10 and I wasn’t tall enough to ride any of the bigger rides, 13 was a fun experience and made me feel fearless for the remainder of my stay 🤣x
I'm 9 and that happened to me lol
I am the spreeg
I knew nothing about it and went on it, I absolutely freaked because I didn't know drop coasters existed. Made my day at Alton Towers amazing!!
#whatsintheshed
wait... wrong over-hyped secret building coaster
I love that clip of the guy falling, i laugh every time
Th13teen: If you... Go down... To the woods... Today... You'll find me. Hi. I'm Th13teen. Sorry about my appearance, but I'm really not as scary as I look. My ride is basically a family coaster, but the freefall drop is my claim to fame, I guess.
Nemesis: To be honest, I have mixed feelings towards Th13teen. She has a great world's first element, but other than that it isn't too special.
Oblivion: As much as I want to take her seriously as a proper thrill ride, it can be very difficult for me to do so because of it's lack of big thrills. The freefall drop is fantastic though.
Air: I'm glad that Alton Towers wanted to introduce a unique element for Th13teen, but a family coaster just wasn't the type of ride to put it in.
Rita: I still can't get over when she killed Corkscrew. I mean, come on! He was my best friend for a long time, and you had to get rid of him just so you could fit! Not cool.
Smiler: I actually like Th13teen. Not enough people can say that, but I can. The theming is fantastic, the ride is very smooth, and the freefall drop is probably the most underrated world's first element in the park. I just hope more people are willing to give it a chance.
Wicker Man: I think it's because of the theming and promotion of Th13teen that really made her the "art critic" of the Towers. She's always supportive of rides with great themes and backstories, and that's something that I can kinda appreciate her for.
omg I can't get enough of your videos
Thanks!
Overselling it is good in the short term but can piss people off long term. Not sure how many people were mad enough not to come back for that reason
It’s always interesting to find out about failed rides in other countries. Thx for this amazing video!
13 is in no way failed. The worst it could be described is that it didn't meet some expectations.
The queues are still somewhat long for it every time I visit the park, even though there has been many rides (and a VR update to another ride) has been added since.
Like the video said, it's a great addition to the park!
Norbs 89 oh I said failed? Sorry about that. Thx for the insight though!
Please do one on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride and one on the bubble ride at Chessington and the London Dungeon.
The bubble ride is gone
@@latte1608 fuck sakes I loved that bubble ride
@@Eliteerin same
The bubble ride was my first roller coaster :(
I'll never understand why you haven't got more subs, Great content
Thank you
I've been on this. It's a really good ride, but it's not scary.
"that ride was a bit timid" sums up the park really, except nemisis and smiler.