Chapter 9. ‘It’s a Bloody Guide’: Fun, Fear and a Lighter Side of Dark Tourism at The Dungeon Visitor Attractions, UK

Terror park: A future theme park in 2100

“…The range and depth of scary theme related experiences is growing, not just as attractions in theme parks such as Derren Browns Ghost Train: Thorpe Park as visitors are told be "prepared to derail your mind on a ghost train re-invented for the 21st century that will leave you questioning where perception ends and reality begins" Thorpe Park (2017). Halloween often sees the focus shift from family friendly to the family scary, as a recent article explored American amusement parks that go haunted for Halloween (Travel Channel, 2017 Stone (2009, in Sharpley andStone, 2009) offers some extensive research and analysis on the lighter side of dark attractions, exploring the fun factories and Dungeon visitor attractions in the UK. Unlike some of the examples above, which offer fantasy like experiences to visitors, often driven by fiction and popular culture, the dungeon attractions aims to explore our dark past.…”

‘It’s not that we like death or anything’: exploring the motivations and experiences of visitors to a lighter dark tourism attraction

“…However, to date, almost all studies of the motives for visiting places associated with death and suffering has focused on the 'darker' types of site, particularly those associated with war, the Holocaust, incarceration, genocide or slavery (Light 2017). Conversely, 'lighter' sites and attractions have been largely neglected (Stone, 2009a). The reasons are unclear, although it may be the case that the most powerful instances of death and atrocity seem more deserving of academic scrutiny (and raise broader issues of commodification and authenticity) against which entertainment-based attractions centred on torture and suffering seem insubstantial and trivial in comparison.…”

“…Although a few studies have examined 'ghost tourism' as a form of dark tourism (Garcia, 2012;White, 2013;Heidelberg, 2015, see also Holloway, 2010) none has focussed on motives for participating in such tourism. One study that explicitly sought to elucidate the nature of the 'lightest' form of dark tourism was Stone's (2009a) study of the York Dungeon, a site which presents pain, torture and suffering as a form of entertainment. This study focussed on the expectations and experiences of visitors and the ways in which they negotiate mortality in a leisure setting but had little to say about the reasons why people visited the attraction.…”

“…In addition to offering opportunities for learning about the past, some visitors also considered that a visit to the Dungeon was morally educational. In particular their visit was an occasion to reflect on how norms of behaviour had changed since the periods of history represented in the attraction (see Stone 2009a). For example one visitor said: "it teaches us and warns us about the past evils… we all learn from our mistakes" [3].…”

“…Similarly, most studies of the motivations of visitors have focused on the 'darker' types of site or attraction that are associated with atrocity or tragic events. Conversely, the nature of 'lighter' dark tourism has received very little attention, meaning that visitors to such places are poorly understood (Stone 2009a). As such, it may not be appropriate to include such places under the umbrella of dark tourism.…”