Theme park Belantis (Germany) will soon be reopening its Madhouse attraction for the first time in over 3 years, but in a slightly different way. Verlies des Grauens (Dungeon of Horror) had to be closed at the beginning of 2020 due to coronavirus pandemic regulations, but has been SBNO since. The entrance leading up to the castle, in which the ride is located, has been blocked off with a sign stating simply that it is ‘out of service’. However, Belantis is planning to reopen Verlies des Grauens starting next month.
The reopening is planned to take place on 7 October, which coincides with the start of the park’s Halloween season. Presented as a new Halloween attraction: ‘Im Bann des Schwarzen Sheriffs’ (Under Spell of the Black Sheriff) will be a new incarnation of the old Madhouse with a slightly altered story.
Belantis was able to confirm to Dark Ride Database that the Madhouse itself will be kept intact, but the room of the former pre-show is currently being converted into a walkthrough. Scare actors, posing as ‘evil ancestors’, will be encountered here.
The park has posted a teaser video on social media hinting at the new storyline: ”The Black Sheriff used dark magic to steal the magical crystal of the wizard Merlin. Now he holds the land and its people in captivity. Many brave knights and adventurers have attempted to intrude his castle to recover the crystal and return it to Merlin. Those who have made it through the spooky corridors to the dungeon will face the final task. They must manage to resist the Sheriff’s most powerful spell, which confuses the senses and drives them mad.”
Verlies des Grauens is part of the ‘Insel der Ritter’ (Island of Knights) area. It originally opened with the park itself in 2003 and was designed by the English company Space Leisure. It is a smaller, 40 seat Madhouse by Vekoma. The new story keeps true to the original pre-show, in which the Black Sheriff had just stolen Merlin’s magical crystal and uses its powers for evil purposes. In the main show, Merlin sees no other option than to defeat him. A battle ensues, causing the room to rotate, the Black Sheriff ultimately facing his demise.
