Trauma Towers

Trauma Towers

Trauma Towers was a themed funhouse and haunted attraction based at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the North of the United Kingdom.^[1]

Trauma Towers was created in 1999 from two former attractions, The Haunted Hotel, which was a walk through themed funhouse, themed as a dark traditionally decorated "haunted" hotel and Tagada, which was a ride that spun around quickly in a circle whilst bouncing guests up and down. When the two attractions merged to create Trauma Towers, the Haunted Hotel section remained the same, whilst the Tagada section was heavily re-themed to fit in to the haunted attraction. As Trauma Towers, guests first went around the walk through section and then the guests would either go onto the Tagada or have the option to pass this part of the ride and go to the exit. The story of the attraction was that guests would enter the hotel and make their way to the "Baronial Dining Hall" (the Tagada) where they had been invited to dinner by the host. The outside of the hotel was painted blue and ramshackle with animatronics behind windows and had some plaques and signs on the front, including an AA award saying it was a 3 star hotel. The area outside Trauma Towers was called Trauma Towers plaza and included gargoyles, ornate stone benches and a fountain which had blood-red stained water. This area has since been taken over by the Spectacular Dancing Water Show.

In 2009, the attraction was standing but not operating and in 2010 the attraction was discontinued. After it was discontinued, some of the scenes in Trauma Towers were reused in the Ghost Train ride. The old "reception" entrance was used as a photographic portrait studio after Trauma Towers had been discontinued. In January 2018, the entire building was demolished at the same time the Wild Mouse roller coaster was removed to make way for "future developments".

One of the reasons for the attraction's discontinuation was that the entrance area was getting very wet due to the new Spectacular Dancing Water Show installed in 2009, which is a large water fountain feature that was erected outside the main entrance and due to health and safety reasons, the attraction had to close.

Walk-through

The attraction was changed several times over its lifetime, with much of the original 1980s design having become altered and more generic scenes added. In the time it was known as 'Trauma Towers', the walk-through scenes were as following:

• Lobby - Where a 'bellboy' would allow guests into the hotel via an old fashioned check-in, with wood panelling, classic paintings and antlers and photos on the wall, including humorous wanted ads and signs, as well as keys hanging on the wall behind the reception.
• Garden Room - A dimly lit room overgrown with plants, some of which would swipe out at guests' ankles as they passed.
• Lounge - With a heavily slanted floor.
• Dark Corridor - With some textured floors and a plank-walk across some bubbling water.
• Crypt - With a sudden tilting floor by a broken and empty stone coffin behind railings, although sometimes the coffin contained a skeleton.
• Furnace Room - A large furnace dominated one corner, chains dangled from above and a bound female body sat in a tin bath by the furnace, her head concealed within a tied sack.
• Staircase - Leading upwards, with a large werewolf head mounted on the wall above.
• Bedroom - In which guests saw a figure in bed, holding a crucifix up against a vampirical ghost who was hovering in the corner of the room; sometimes this ghost would be holding a brain.
• Games Corridor - In which guests saw several ghouls playing Pool with a floating ball, the ghoul gags included the Cryptkeeper and a ghoul with a spinning head, as well as Vampire children with glowing eyes.
• Balcony - A sponge-floor enclosed walkway with a window on one side, through which guests could see down over the Lobby. This corridor had a false end using mirrors to give the effect of more doors in a longer corridor ahead.
• Dressing Room - Involving the classic gag of a beauty looking in the mirror, to see herself transform to a ghoul.
• Library - With some slanting floors, books slid in and out, a fireplace flickered, some wall decorations moved about, a large gargoyle with red eyes dominated a corner of the room. Also in this room, a false door arch threatened to drop on guests, there was seating in two corners and occasionally 'bellboy' staff members hid in this room to scare guests.
• Bathroom - A bathroom with a flickering light only allowed a brief glimpse into a filthy bathroom with a blocked up toilet, broken sink and overflowing bathtub, in which a female figure appeared to be submerged and drowned.
• Organ Corridor - A corridor with doors (meant to be hotel rooms) on one side whereas on the left hand side an animatronic of a phantom playing an organ could be seen in black-light. This was also the waiting area for the "Baronial Dining Hall", in which a recording played advising pregnant women and people with back problems and heart disorders to pass through the hall via another path.
• The Baronial Dining Hall - a large room containing a Tagada ride and heavily themed to an old banquet hall, complete with a large table-clothed and set table in the centre of the ride and artwork, suits of armour, statues, flags, chandeliers and furniture etc around the room.

The Baronial Dining Hall

Once seated around the table, the lights would go out and footsteps were heard moving across the room and a breathy noise was heard, as a shot of air was blown behind the necks of guests. Above, guests would see a demon figure in the ceiling with flashing lights, as the lights went out, guests would hear flapping noises and the demon was then shown on the other side of the room in the ceiling, again with flashing lights. As the lights went out, a louder roar was heard, a crunch and a scream, at which point a small amount of water was released from the ceiling over guests, to imitate a demon spitting on diners.

The chandelier lights would then light again and the ride then spun very fast in one direction as the orchestral score played and a piston occasionally made one half of the "bowl" shoot upwards and down again.

Upon the ride ending, guests would leave via two double doors on the other side of the Baronial Dining Hall, which led outside to the front of the attraction.

References