Efteling in the Netherlands is opening its new haunted attraction, Danse Macabre, on 31 October – just in time for Halloween.
Danse Macabre is situated in the same place as the park’s former Spookslot haunted house, located in a “mysterious abbey with a terrifying history”, Efteling said in a press release. The design team visited several abbeys in Belgium for inspiration.
The run down building can now be seen from behind the construction fences, and Efteling has shared a first look at the inside of the abbey, revealing the ride’s choir seats and a huge organ.
Per the release, Danse Macabre has been two years in the making. It offers an eerie ride experience where guests move to the symphonic poem of the same name by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.
Riders are seated on one of six choir choir stalls on top of six small turntables. These are situated atop a larger, 18-metre-wide turntable, which spins, rises, tilts and falls like a dropped coin.
Designer Jeroen Verheij said: “The bizarre thing – and at the same time the beautiful thing – is that, as a designer, you are at the very beginning of inventing and sketching what we are showing here now. That means that I am actually in my own drawing now. I hope our guests will be overwhelmed by what they see when they soon enter this chapel. It is a hugely impressive space. This will be an unforgettable attraction.”
Danse Macabre boasts a unique ride system by Intamin, a creator of record-breaking amusement rides.
Unique ride system by Intamin
It is located in a new 17,000-square-metre themed area called the Huyverwoud forest. This is home to retail and dining, including a spooky F&B location where guests can buy ‘blood juice’.
Highlights in the forest also include a mysterious herb garden and a creepy cemetery.
Efteling’s investment in Danse Macabre and the new Huyverwoud area is around €35 million.
Images courtesy of Efteling
