This ride is defunct.
"This ride is fantastic. Unbelievable. Out of this world. We dare you to ride it ..."
Dark rides have been present since the very earliest days of amusement parks, with Scenic Railways featuring long dark sections since the turn of the 20th century. In 1975, Disney brought the concept back to prominence with the debut of Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. In the UK, Alton Towers launched the Black Hole in 1983, and Pleasure Beach followed with Space Invader a year later.
The ride was modest in proportion compared to its neighbour, the Revolution; however, the pitch-black presentation amplified the speed of the ride as you passed by comets, spaceships, and other such space paraphernalia.
❓Did You Know❓
Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Alton Towers opened Zierer '4 Man Bob' coasters in 1984 and 1985 respectively. Alton Towers used the production name for their ride, the Pleasure Beach ride was located in the dark and was named Space Invader.
The ride hardware itself was provided by Zierer of Germany, who had previously supplied Fliegender Teppich and would later build Bling.
For the 2004 season, the ride was upgraded by Kumbak Coasters, who also worked on the Grand National during the same period. The ride remained closed during the 2009 season and the ‘air lock was sealed’ before it was eventually removed from the lineup as the surrounding area was transformed into Nickelodeon Land.