On the 30th of March 2023, I went to Alton Towers Resort for the first time in YEARS — I was just about safe to ride the attractions after my spinal surgery. I didn’t go on any of the big rides, like Wicker Man or Galactica — my main aim was to ride The Curse at Alton Manor for the first time. I was really wary about going on rides, but I managed to try Curse, Runaway Mine Train, and Hex. Something wasn’t quite right with Hex though, as when the ride cycle ended, it seemed to struggle to ‘park’ in the final position. After a bit of clunking, it seemed to settle, and we were let off the ride.
A few days later, the vault was sealed, and Hex was closed.
But the story didn’t end there…
Before we look forward, we need to look backwards to get a bit of background…
Behind the scenes, the Vekoma Madhouse that opened as Hex – Legend of the Towers in Alton Towers Resort in 2000 was quickly reaching the end of its life. It had previously been closed for the 2016 season for a bit of Towers Loving Care and re-opened in 2017 with some lighting upgrades as well as audio and video tweaks. However, by 2023, Hex – The Legend of the Towers was looking to become a bit of history itself. Alton Towers Resort’s senior management had one of two options for Hex in April 2023 — close it for good, or invest in its future.
In August 2023, Bianca Sammut, Divisional Director of Alton Towers Resort, confirmed the ride would remain closed for the rest of the 2023 season and reopen in 2024.
Everything then went a little quiet until around mid-2024, when Alton Towers released a (now deleted) video update on Hex, with Bianca Sammut discussing the return of the ride and some of the challenges and changes involved. It was still on track for an opening in 2024; however, after that video, everything went quiet again, and the theme park season was flying along. The Scarefest lineup was announced in late August 2024, potentially a great time to unveil Hex returning. Once again though… nothing.
That changed on the 4th of October 2024, when Alton Towers Resort announced Hex was returning for the first day of Scarefest 2024 — the 11th of October 2024.
A few days after the announcement of the re-opening of Hex, I had some incredible news — I’d been accepted into the Alton Towers Content Creator Programme and invited to the re-opening of Hex. As well as that, I’d get inside the ride before the opening to have a close-up look at the changes and meet with Bianca Sammut too.
I covered my thoughts about the experience in the vlog below — but I thought I’d dive deeper into WHY it closed, and what Alton Towers have done to hopefully keep it thrilling guests for another 24 years (at least!).
It was becoming clear that Hex was no longer viable as it was. Whilst work had been done over the years, it was just papering over the cracks. The ride system needed considerable refurbishment, as well as the lighting and audio system.
It was make or break.
Thankfully, Bianca and her teams decided to give Hex the work it required to bring it back to life, though the path to the 11th of October 2024 wasn’t a smooth one. Like any project, as it got underway, more additions were made to the plans, resulting in more work than initially expected. This was all in a bid to improve the reliability of the attraction for guests going forward.
It’s important to remember that aside from the physical ride (which is housed cleverly in a custom-built building), everything is within the Alton Towers itself. So having state-of-the-art lighting, sound, and video systems running smoothly in a building built in 1850 is a challenge, especially when it has to be installed sympathetically to ensure there are no issues with local planning authorities and English Heritage. Imagine doing some DIY in a building from 1850, but it’s an ancestral home with millions of visitors — it’s a MASSIVE task with surprises aplenty.
So Alton Towers Resort had to work with Vekoma, the ride’s manufacturer, as well as Merlin Magic Making and in-house technical and ride colleagues from across the Resort to bring the ride back from the brink.
The entire existing lighting system and fixtures have been removed and replaced throughout the attraction, with an additional 200 LED lights added, which can be individually programmed and controlled. There has been a complete refurbishment of the audio-visual system, providing a much-improved audio experience throughout the ride. Speaking of audio, the original Hex soundtrack has been fully remastered (and is also now on Spotify!).
A completely new show control system has been installed, with to help provide greater control over the synchronicity of the show’s special effects — keeping everything timed to perfection and consistent for every guest. There have also been upgrades and additions to the smoke and haze machines throughout the attraction, keeping that spooky, hazy effect.
In The Octagon, they’ve added a new generator, spark effect, and curtain installation — for those familiar with the ride, these elements are all part of the storytelling before you enter the ride area.
The team at Merlin Magic Making has also upgraded scenic items throughout. Drapes, materials, and covers have been refreshed, and a small number of new theming items have also been introduced. Keep an eye out for these in the queue lines.
As I mentioned at the start, it was clear from my last ride on Hex before the closure that the ride system wasn’t happy. Several components of the ride have been custom-made, in partnership with Vekoma, to replace existing parts, including the two end-point slew rings, which are required to rotate the gondola. These new parts will improve the ride’s reliability and consistency.
In addition, re-design work has also been undertaken as part of the project. The issue was that many of the mechanical components for Hex that needed attention were located beneath theming items. This resulted in project teams needing to work sensitively throughout the restoration to painstakingly remove and replace items.
Once all the work was done, Alton Towers cycled the ride over 3,000 times to test that it was working correctly before it was re-opened to the public, in an effort to ensure any bugs were ironed out. Unfortunately, even with all this testing, on Saturday the 12th of October, the ride suffered a technical malfunction. Pictures shared on social media suggested a piece of scenic theming had caught on the ride mechanism. The ride was closed until today for this to be fixed and tested. No matter how much testing you do, these kinds of things will happen.
After we experienced Hex, I went and found Bianca to chat with her about the Hex revamp. I must admit, I felt horrifically guilty for being a bit snippy on social media about the continued closure of Hex. It was clear that this was a big project, and as it progressed, the scope increased too, meaning it took a lot longer than originally planned or expected. It would have been easier and cheaper to write off Hex and send it into the list of former Alton Towers rides, but it’s still here, and I’m really thankful it is.
I appreciate that we still have it, and although the 2024 season is coming to a close, I’m impressed that it still opened this year. It could have easily been shelved over Christmas, ready for 2025, but nope — it’s back on the line-up.
Thankfully, Queen B was very gracious, and I was grateful to speak with her face-to-face to apologise for my impatience and thank her for keeping this ride running. I don’t agree with all the decisions Alton Towers management make, but they’ve done well here and should absolutely be applauded. I think the ride has actually been improved — it felt a lot more polished and refreshed. My only gripe is perhaps that the ‘branch’ looks a bit extra now, but that’s where my criticism ends.
I’m excited to see what 2025 holds for Alton Towers. The rumour mill is suggesting Project Ocean will be a brand new Huss TopSpin on the site where the beloved Ripsaw once stood… Hopefully, as an Alton Towers Content Creator, as soon as I know, you guys will too!
