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Over the years, we’ve seen Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain grow, change, and try new things. Honestly, we’ve come to love the experimental style of Fright Fest mazes and scare zones. Sometimes willing to try something that no other park would attempt. Things like Damned and Disguised: Change Before Your Eyes, a scare zone that changed as the night went on! But for 2024, Fright Fest made it’s biggest change yet…it went EXTREME!
A handful of parks in the Six Flags chain of amusement parks changed their Fright Fest events to Fright Fest Extreme. What does this mean exactly? I think depending on the park, the meaning changes. But for Six Flags Magic Mountain it means becoming the largest halloween event in California with the inclusion of IP based mazes! With 11 Haunted Houses, 9 scare zones, and coasters in the dark; SFMM was attempting to take the haunt crown in SoCal. Saw was the very first IP to join SFMM and it was a smashing success for the park, so it’s no surprise that SFMM would take on more IP mazes to compete with other haunts in California, most notably Halloween Horror Nights which has made a name for itself by creating experiences that bring horror films to life.
Generally, I think Fright Fest Extreme was a success, with some areas that need some massaging. The areas that work are what worked before, the scare zones. They are so damn good! The makeup is fantastic and the talent makes these zones come to life. Whether that’s City Under Siege, Nightmares, or the some of the latest scare zones Underworlds of Oz and Grimmlore Ridge. Each and every zone adds something to the overall experience of Fright Fest. We often point to the strengths of their scare zones as the very reason why everyone should visit SFMM during the Halloween season.
The areas in which we think Fright Fest Extreme can improve is the overall footprint of the event and refining creative big swings. SFMM is a massive park…it’s over 262 acres! And Fright Fest Extreme is scattered all over the park too, which means you’ll need to traverse the whole park to experience it all. While we love that the whole park has received that Halloween love, you can easily get tired going from one side of the park to the other. Especially if you’re going to the top of the hill for Sewer of Souls and Willoughby’s Resurrected. As it is, we missed Aftermath: Nocturnal Hunt and Army of the Dead because we didn’t want to make the hike back to the mazes and risk them being closed. We honestly think it’s time to retired Exile Hill and it’s two mazes. Then you can move a new and improved Willoughby’s Resurrected in the spot of Vault 666, which needs to be retired. It would lessen the amount of uphill walking needed to experience everything and it could potentially upgrade the longest running maze in Fright Fest history and replace the weakest of the returning mazes.
Then in terms of the larger creative swings, there are some amazing ideas in the newer IP mazes. The potential is there, but sometimes small choices in maze design and overall maze flow can make a much larger impact on the overall experience. Having a couple larger corridors in what should be a more claustrophobic experience creates a overall less scary experience. With that being said, not all the IP mazes had this issue. The Conjuring Universe made all the right choices and gave me one of the best scares of the entire season! The potential is there, I just want to see this approach taken on all of the mazes.
Opening weekend issues aside, Fright Fest Extreme has the bones to become the top dog in SoCal. If the event can be refined and the fat trimmed, there is no doubt in my mind that this event can reach the next level. And it doesn’t need to be the biggest event in order to take the crown either! In many ways, in the attempt to be the largest, SFMM might have hurt themselves more than they helped themselves. There was a lot of high expectations that came along with the branding change and when the event is spread thin, you’re more likely to leave people wanting and needing more.
Overall, we’ll never stop coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain for Fright Fest Extreme. There is so much heart, love, passion, and care given for guest experiences. Not only from the cast of monsters that help bring it all to life, but from the creative teams as well. While SFMM wants to scare the pants off you, they also want you to have a blast! It’s a multifaceted experience that leaves a lasting impression on us. We can point to countless memories at Fright Fest that have stood the test of time for us. Including taking our Daughter for the very first time! That’s what it’s all about! We are very excited about the continued evolution of Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain and think there is a promising future ahead for the event.
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SIX FLAGS MAGIC MOUNTAIN AND FRIGHT FEST EXTREME, CLICK HERE
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