My List
Tough question hatetofly, but a good one!
I'll start of with a tribute to my favorite dark rides, that are sadly no longer with us:
1. Back to the Future
As long as you didn't sit in the back row of the Delorean, this was the best simulator in Orlando for my money. They came up with a great story, and I loved all the little videos and details around the Future Institute of Technology. I still remember that satisfied feeling I had when I climbed out of the Delorean and down the ramps with Huey Lewis blasting in the background.
2. Horizons
If you asked me what Epcot was all about, I'd show you this attraction. It was a dark ride home run. It's tone was perfect for future world, and it had incredible detail, sets, and music. And really the ability to choose your own ending was something way ahead of it's time. It's such a shame that many of today's Disney fans will never know its greatness.
3. Jaws
Yeah, I know it's technically not a "dark" attraction, but it truly captures the spirit of the term. For a long time, this was the staple of Universal. I know I don't need to tell everyone how much we all miss this attraction and what it meant to us.
The List:
10. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
This is my favorite attracion between the two Fantasylands. It's such a fun ride, and it's almost a Disney dark ride done with a Universal humor/tone. The ride takes you to hell! Where else are you gonna get that?
9. Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
Before this recent update, Star Tours probably would have made my list simply because of my Star Wars love. But now I believe it truly deserves it's spot. The 3D is a huge leap forward and the new interactive experiences are great. The multiple combinations of ride sequences have only increased the reride-ability of the attraction.
8. Revenge of the Mummy
Plot problems and broken figures aside, you can't deny the greatness of this attracion. It does a great job of blending a dark ride experience with a coaster. When all the effects are working, it's one of the best rides in the Studios. It's fun and thrilling, and the queue is done pretty well.
7. Men In Black: Alien Attack
Not only is this the best shooter attraction in Orlando, for me it's also the funnest ride. I can ride it over and over without getting bored. The figures are very well done, and to this day I'm still noticing details I never have before. When you realize how quickly this ride had to be designed and built, the end result is truly amazing.
6. Splash Mountain
I didn't even think about putting this on my list, but hatetofly makes a good case for calling it a dark ride. Not only is it one of the best attractions Disney has ever built, it's still the top dog in the Magic Kingdom to me. It's fun and light hearted, with the right dash of dark and thrilling. The detail is great, and the music is incredibly catchy.
5. Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye
Like hatetofly said, this is far and away the best ride in Disneyland right now. It's incredibly grand with great attention to detail. The ride truly captures the sense of adventure that made the franchise so popular. It's amazing that it can have the same EMVs and track as Dinosaur, and be so much better
4. Tower of Terror
More than any other attraction on this list, to me, the Tower of Terror defines its park. DHS
is the Tower of Terror. It's still one of Disney's crowning achievements of the last 20 years. The queue is one of the best Disney has ever done. The music, the perfect cobwebs and aging, and the little gags and details are just astounding. Everything is just so perfect from the Rod Sterling pre-show, to the commited CMs running the ride, to the moving elevator and Twilight Zone effects. I also love that more than any other ride, Disney has been commited to plussing and maintaing the ride over the years. The new random ride profile really put it over the top.
3. Haunted Mansion
You can't have a true list of dark rides without the Haunted Mansion on it. Almost every attraction today is inspired by its greatness. The incredible facade, the preshow, the music, the perfect pacing, and the effects that still trick guests to this day are what make this ride great. Not only is this the epitome of dark rides, its pretty much the epitome of Disney. The new techonolgy just keeps making the ride even better.
2. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
Yeah, it's only second on my list. But I assure you it's not by a lot. It's one of the few rides that blew me away the first time I rode it. I went in only knowing that I was going to be on a Kuka Arm, and had a pretty eye opening experience. The queue is incredible, and I'm sure if I knew more about Potter I would appreciate it even more. But that's one of the few things that hold this ride back for me. It's probably the least accessible on this list in terms of story, to those who don't know the source material. I can't really fault the ride for it, because doing it any other way probably would have ruined the authenticity of the ride, but it's still something that holds me back from putting it #1. I also wish the screens could have worked out a little better in terms of clarity, but it doesn't diminish the overall ride experience very much in the grand scheme of things.
1. The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman
Who better to top my list, then your friendly neighborhood Spiderman? I can't wait to experience the new updated version, because all accounts are the king of the theme park world has returned. This is the ride that all 21st century dark rides should strive to beat. It's amazing that almost 15 years later, no other ride has come close to blending 3D and physical sets so perfectly. And that's what I love about it so much. It was able to blend ground breaking 3D, with real physical effects. Everything about this ride is perfect. It has one of the best stories, and the new update has only added to the incredible level of detail. It's the perfect blend of fun and thrilling, and IMO the perfect dark ride.
Rides I want to experience, but haven't yet:
1. Radiator Spring Racers
2. Journey to the Center of the Earth
3. Transformers
4. The Curse of Darkastle
5. Phantom Manor