Image: SeaWorld Parks

Ah, welcome to Bavaria and to the heart of Oktoberfest! Themed to the annual Munich-based "Volksfest" (or people's festival), Busch Gardens' Oktoberfest is indeed alight with the sounds, smells, sights, and wonders of a true German celebration... Beer gardens, fresh hand-made pretzels, carnival rides, maypoles, banners, oompah music, leiderhosen... There's never been a celebration like this before!

Wrought-iron arbors and crawling vines turn this hamlet into one of the park's most beautiful, reigned over by the gorgeous Festhaus where community tables, fresh German fare, and authentic entertainment invite you to "Roll Out the Barrel!"

But for today's adventure, we leave the warmth and celebration of Oktoberfest behind, weaving our way through vendors and marketplaces toward a most imposing sight...

Image: spatch, Flickr

Built up from the rocky peaks of the area is a stone tower. The closer we get to it, the farther away the sounds of celebration; replaced by an eerie, distant white noise and a whispering wind promising that something wicked this way comes. A tapestry speared onto the tower frozen over with icicles seems somehow untouched by time, its shimmering gold letters reading: CURSE OF DARKASTLE.

The tower's face is marred by ice, and water drips from its windows, streaming down into a pool of melted runoff below. The eerie sight of this frozen castle is merely the beginning, and passing between two posed stone wolves, we enter into the castle's inner courtyard... 

Image: Pete Piszczek, Flickr

Though the gardens are overgrown with brambles, berries, shrubs, and holly, you can still make out the labyrinthine, circular path drawn around an imposing stone statue of three wolves... An overgrown, untended garden in the shadow of a frozen stone castle... There's no mistaking it: we've stumbled upon something unusual.

The queue weaves around the threatening wolves, a mysterious mist seeming to hover over the icy gardens... In the distance, an ethereal note swells over the eerie, otherworldly, subdued musical score.

Image: zachclarke, Flickr

Naturally, we ascend out of the gardens and into the castle, past wrought-iron lanterns, carved crests, and stately windows, deep into the darkened hallways. Marroon wallpaper seems to conceal hidden wolf patterns as the stained glass windows suddenly seem to indicate that it's a dark, snowy night... But how?

Eventually, guests are ushered into a circular chamber of carved stone arches and tapestries, lorded over by one single massive chandelier and flaming lantern torches encircling the room. Tapestries seem to show the same mysterious, handsome figure embroiled in battles, lavishing in the riches of the kingdom, and more. The largest tapestry in this stone chamber, however, shows only a vacant, wooded glen... But watch closely as the fibers of the tapestry appear to come alive, moving and shifting.

An original story calls for a prologue, and here, sealed in this antechamber, ours comes to life...

Long ago in the deepest heart of the Black Forest, a young prince lived – unloved, neglected – in a dark castle... Like the ghostly horrors that always grow in secret shadows, Prince Ludwig grew to be a troubled child. Soon, even the kindest servants avoided his evil gaze...

One dark winter's night, as Ludwig wandered the lonely, frozen grounds of the castle, an old woman appeared. Outraged at this intrusion, Ludwig howled in fury! In her place crouched a snarling wolf... as her angry yellow eyes bored into Ludwig's, she revealed his dark destiny: wicked ruler of a corrupt kingdom! Guided by the wolf, Ludwig set out to take the throne. His parents tried to put an end to his ruthless ambition, but they mysteriously vanished...

Image: Super 78 Studios / Falcon's Creative Group / SeaWorld Parks

Mad little Ludwig became king and transformed the castle into an impenetrable fortress with secret passageways to terrify his guests! Soon, the treasury was empty. King Ludwig's advisors tried to overthrow him, but he just laughed and threw a lavish winter festival in their honor. That night, Mad Ludwig led his guests on a tour of the castle in his fleet of Golden Sleighs. No one knows what really happened, but they say the walls echoed with terror...

Image: Super 78 Studios / Falcon's Creative Group / SeaWorld Parks

The next morning, the sleighs were found in their stalls but no one ever found Ludwig or his party guests... and to this day, the castle remains frozen in time...

The tapestry returns to its original image of the woodland, but now it's covered in a blanket of snow. As a deep, bone-chilling iciness overcomes the chamber, the torches around the room turn blue, and a wall lifts up to reveal a secret passage into the castle's "open air" stables, with red doors leading to each horse's stall. High, vaulted stone ceilings overhead give way to the night sky beyond...

And there, a mysterious vehicle approaches. A line of Golden Sleighs gracefully glides along, picking us up for our own tour of the castle, just like that fateful night so many years ago... Only this time, the sleighs aren't being pulled by horses...

Seated inside, our journey begins.

DarKastle

Image: Super 78 Studios / Falcon's Creative Group / SeaWorld Parks

Curse of DarKastle benefits from the same surprise tactic as Spider-Man or their peers... at first glance, the massive, lumbering golden sleigh doesn't look very dynamic or nimble... And as it lumbers out of the stable and into the forest, onlookers would expect this to be a classic, passive dark ride experience. But the moment it's out of sight and the ride's orchestral score kicks in via on-board audio, the sleigh suddenly leaps to life. It lifts and floats a bit as if kicking off the cobwebs, turning to face the eerie, haunted faces of the trees. The forest is alight with an otherworldly glow, smoke bellowing from the 'mouths' of the trees as their raspy voices overlap: "Why are you here?"

The sleigh revereses away from the trees, spinning from them to the castle's entrance. As the snow gently falls, two translucent ghosts come flying from the castle's doors: "Turn back!" "He's coming!" Two ghostly guards stop before us, pointing their spears directly at us. But no need to worry; they're on our side. As an ethereal light shines around us (a clever physical effect), the ghost of the Queen appears. "You must go back outside the walls," she begs, "my son has no power there! Hurry!"

Image: Super 78 Studios / Falcon's Creative Group / SeaWorld Parks

She flies ahead, disapparating through us as Ludwig's sinister, ghostly eyes appear. "Ah, I see we have guests..." the two stone wolves guarding the entrance come alive. "So, you've come to tour my castle? You'll simply die when you see it!" One of the stone wolves leaps from its pedestal, pouncing on us! But at the very last second, the sleigh spins away, where a massive set of wooden doors part, ushering us in.

Image: Super 78 Studios / Falcon's Creative Group / SeaWorld Parks

"Do come in," his disembodied voice taunts, "I insist!" 

Our first view inside Ludwig's castle of tricks is a hallway lined with suits of armour, overseen by an oil painting of Ludwig himself at the far end. As our sleigh draws nearer, a ghostly energy sparks across the painting, concentrating on Ludwig's eyes. "Allow me to introduce you to my friends," his voice goads. The spark jumps from the painting to each suit of armour in turn, creaking each to life. "They've been waiting for you..."

At once, crossbows begin firing. As we squirm, vibration in our seats makes it obvious that these ghostly arrows are landing all around us. As the suits of armour begin to step down from their pedestals and lumber toward us, one trips, knocking another to the ground and sending its floating head toward us.

Image: Super 78 Studios / Falcon's Creative Group / SeaWorld Parks

The armor's faceplate lifts, revealing a decaying, hissing skull underneath. Before we can scream, another knight hooks his sword under us, giving us a swing and a push forward as we spiral away from the hall.

The next room is decidedly more relaxing... a beautiful observatory with its floor-to-ceiling glass windows looking out over the snowy hills of Bavaria as a ghostly harpsicord plays. But a ghostly wolf appears with a growl, followed by an unusual, howling wind that whips up a pile of sheet music, lifting the piano, a harp, and us into a moment of levitation. But the wind concentrates itself into a point and Ludwig emerges for the first time, his outstretched arms sending the whirlwind out, smashing the harp against an orante proscinium and richocheting it onto the hood of the sleigh, smashing us backwards.

Image: Super 78 Studios / Falcon's Creative Group / SeaWorld Parks

"You have such hunger for my secrets?!" He snarls as deep, foreboding organ music plays from around us. An orb of blue energy appears in his hand. "Now, you shall be fed!" He hurls the energy at us, the sleigh spinning out of its path as a blinding blue light signals that it exploded against us.

Our spin has set us into the dark, stone kitchen with cobwebs covering the wooden rafters around us. Ahead, we see a table set for a feast, but empty. "Sorry the place is such a fright... but isn't that the point?" Glowing knives whiz toward us one-by-one as a Medieval pulley system raises the table – and us – out of the kitchen and into a much more elegant dining room one floor up. Ludwig is now at the head of the table. "First course coming right up!" He slams a knife into the wooden table, eyeing us from across the room. "You'll soon be getting your just desserts, but I'm getting ahead of myself." He uncovers a silver platter with a skull inside. As it lifts and levitates toward us, it becomes Ludwig's own cackling head.

Now, the sleigh pulls away and rumbles down a tilted hallway, past still more torches that turn blue as we pass. Against the wall are three glowing portraits: the King, a young Ludwig, and the Queen. As the sleigh slows a moment to turn toward them, the King and Queen fade away, disappearing from their portraits as Ludwig grows brighter... "I tried to warn you..." the Queen's voice whimpers, "you must get out before it's too late..."

Image: Super 78 Studios / Falcon's Creative Group / SeaWorld Parks

But with a deep, resounding bass, we enter into the castle's library... The three story room is aglow with a chandelier, although our attention is drawn forward to a massive fireplace surrounded by a gilded frame. A portrait of a proud Ludwig stands above it. Surprisingly, Ludwig reaches out of the frame, laughing. "Come, come! Don't hold back!" He offers. In the fireplace below, plumes of glowing, red-hot smoke suddenly appear, pressurized and rising from the hearth. You can feel the sleigh pulling away, trying to resist the otherworldly grasp of the curse... it's too late. "It's time to heat things up!" Ludwig leans all the way out of the portaits, watching with a sinister smile and the sleigh is pulled right into the fire.

As his ghostly, horrific laughter echoes, the sleigh is trapped in absolute pitch black darkness, spinning wildly in place. We grab for our seats, holding on the G-force pulls us back... we must be rising out of the chimney!

And then, suddenly, the darkness is gone. A sweet, ornate music appears as we materialize now in the midst of a ghostly ball in a courtyard high atop the castle. The spirits dance around us, reliving their final moments of Ludwig's grand ball in a hypnotic, calming, and strangely beautiful moment. Ludwig appears in a silent whirlwind, glowing more darkly than the rest. He spins past us himself offering a macbre reminder of the dancers' fate. "Killer party, huh?"

But the Queen materializes at our side. "You'll be safe beyond the castle walls... he can't get you there! He'll –"

Image: Super 78 Studios / Falcon's Creative Group / SeaWorld Parks

"No!" Ludwig notices the Queen, "Mother, they're MINE!"

"NOT THIS TIME!"

Ludwig tosses away the ghostly guards holding him, the burst of power tilting the sleigh onto its back, then spinning us to gaze at the freefall below. As if held by a cord from behind, the sleigh dangles precariously in perhaps the ride's most convincing scene... Physical castle towers on either side of us blend seamlessly into the screen, showing us a glowing, green glass dome below. But before we can focus on it, a red light pulses around us and then appears before us, spiraling down toward the dome like a firework.

It incarnates into Ludwig. "Mother, you're driving me insane!" 

Image: Super 78 Studios / Falcon's Creative Group / SeaWorld Parks

He flies up toward us, his face contorting and stretching into a muzzle... a wolf. The were-king snarls, his hands turning into razor-sharp claws. "Ludwig, my son, you were never sane to begin with!" He falls back onto a balcony below. Of course! The curse... Ludwig is granted eternal life in his frozen kingdom by way of becoming a werewolf! And yet, the Queen promises that a single step outside of the castle walls will break the curse... It's our only hope.

The caped werewolf scales the castle, leaping into the air and right past us!

In his wake, the levitating sleigh it spun skyward, gazing straight up into the full moon.

"I will not allow you to do this!" The Queen cries as snow falls around us. With a heave, she pushes the howling, twisted king who was once her son. With his attention drawn, Ludwig loses his ghostly grasp on us... the sleigh falls backwards, slamming onto a rocky turret... and Ludwig falls, too. He lands on the hood, scratching his claws toward us, but his weight rights the sleigh. He trips backwards, grabbing onto the edge of the tower. It begins to crumble, sending Ludwig, then us, freefalling toward the glass dome below.

Image: Super 78 Studios / Falcon's Creative Group / SeaWorld Parks

It must be a 400-foot drop, and everyone aboard screams and holds on, certain they can feel the weightlessness as sound, light, and imagery combine into the perfect illusion... We dive past the falling Ludwig as the green glow of the dome surrounds us. Then, the sleigh slams onto it, cracking it. The dome holds... until Ludwig lands in front of us, sending another shatter through the dome. The sleigh suspends a moment, then freefalls away to the left, backwards again into darkness as the world above spirals away.

With a thud, the sleigh lands in darkness. An angelic chorus joins the score as the beaten sleigh turns to the only source of light... the gnarled, twisted trees we saw when we began our adventure. Wait... we're outside the castle walls... We've made it!

The sleigh rumbles to life, speeding through the forest and coming across frozen wooden doors. Rubble falls from within the castle beyond, and a banging thud shakes the wooden doors... again and again, someone beats against them, dislodging the stone frame. At last, the door gives, shattering into wooden shrapnel that flies toward us. A now-manic werewolf Ludwig – eyes glowing and snout drooling – leaps onto the broken door... and out of the castle.

Image: Super 78 Studio / Falcon's Creative Group / SeaWorld Parks

He snarls and rears back to strike... He leans forward, his claws inches from us... but he suddenly slows as the Queen's triumphant laughter is heard next to us. "They are beyond... your... reach!" Ludwig's frozen with his paw at our necks, as his glowing yellow eyes harden to stone along with the rest of him. By tricking him out of the castle, we have broken the Curse of DarKastle, and Ludwig has forfeited his eternal life.

With a hiss, Ludwig's stone form shatters, spraying us with stone and water... Only the observant will note the electrified cloud of energy that races from the broken form, soaring away back into the castle.

As always, we invite you if you dare to step aboard with a point-of-view video of how DarKastle looked when it first opened to the public in 2005. Because the ride only existed in this short-lived form for a single year, videos of the experience are few and far between... But don't worry – we'll include an updated, modern, high-quality point-of-view of the ride as it existed for most of its life on the next page.

Even more interestingly, the raw animation footage developed by Super 78 Studios for DarKastle is available online, too, so you can get a good look at the scenes in this video. Notice the "squinching" perspective in each as the sleigh would be moving past the screen.

Chilling changes

As you can see, DarKastle was a thoughtful, storied, unique new take on the SCOOP ride system and a truly brilliant attraction backed with a detailed story. A lot of care went into the design of the ride – more than most would expect from a seasonal, regional theme park in Virginia.

And yet, there it was.

Only it didn’t last long… not in the form above, at least…

Image: zachclarke, Flickr

After the ride’s very first season of operation, guest comments gave Busch Gardens an idea of how to “plus” DarKastle… and as soon as the park closed for the season, work began on a big change that would turn Curse of DarKastle into the ride we know today… Read on…