By Kayla Caldwell
My visit to Fright Fest was my first ever trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain, and let me just tell you, that place is BIG. Did you know it was a literal mountain? I thought it was just a cute, whimsical name. Not so. If you’re going to Fright Fest, wear your comfy shoes, because you will be walking.
Calisthenics aside, Fright Fest is an interesting beast. Unlike other theme parks, Six Flags Magic Mountain doesn’t close down for Fright Fest guests. You get a special wristband as a Fright Fest attendee, so non-horror fans are still roaming the park during the event. Which makes it interesting if a regular guests stumbles into a scare zone, I would imagine.
Luckily, I was there on purpose. So I knew what was coming. Did it still scare me? Of course it did. So please appreciate the somewhat-blurry photos that accompany this story, because it took everything in my scared, wimpy body to snap pics while also trying to run away from monsters.
Speaking of, we started the night with the Sewer of Souls, which comes with 3D glasses. And if I’m being honest, nothing scares me at a maze quite like a worker handing me special glasses.
I can barely handle myself when I can see clearly, let alone when you make things all foggy and blindingly neon. I’m pretty sure I walked with my hands out in front of me the entire maze. Pro tip: this is a great place to begin your night.
Another favorite of mine was Willoughby’s Resurrected. It was so thematic, and I mean, what horror nerd doesn’t love a good, old haunted house? There were moments I felt like I was walking through Disney’s Haunted Mansion, and that’s pretty much the highest a compliment can get from me.
But the one I really can’t stop thinking about has to be Red’s Revenge. It was so well-designed and had so many interesting additions that separated it from a typical haunted maze. Of course, my least favorite of said additions was a giant, MOVING spider that set me running like a Scooby Doo cartoon.
That nightmare fuel aside, there were a lot of interactive elements to this maze, such as things you have to walk over, step through, or crawl through. There were moments where the ceiling got lower until you had to half-crawl from one hallway to the next.
The final room was certainly one to remember, and 10 points to Gryffindor for that interesting twist on a classic fairytale. Red’s Revenge was to thank for my sore throat the next day, so kudos to you on that, Six Flags.
If you’re an ultimate thrill seeker, looking to mix in some heart-pounding coasters with your haunted mazes, Fright Fest is a home run. They even turn the lights out on some of their biggest rides, to make the sudden drops and quick turns all the more horrifying.
From (select days from) September 21 to November 3 you can grab yourself a glowing skull cup full of beer, and enjoy some festive carnival games that you can’t get at other haunts. I won a cute, little pumpkin plush with almost zero effort. And I’m not athletic at all, you guys.
All in all, Fright Fest is fun for the horror fans and scaredy cats alike. Just make sure you’re ready for some sore calves and a little inner thigh chafing. I’m really not kidding about the walking.
