Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is preparing to rejoice 25 spooky years of Fright Fest with 200 dedicated horror actors—a brand new record for the park—and a brand new nightmarish maze.
“We really wanted to focus on making the scare zones and ghost mazes as full as possible, especially given the 25th anniversary,” said Marc Merino, Six Flags marketing and entertainment manager.
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The park opens its hottest season on Saturday and continues through November 3 with five scare zones and five themed haunted mazes: Club Fear in 3D, CarnEvil, Midnight Mansion, Lost Souls and the brand new Haunted House on the Block.
This yr's debut ghost maze, called Hotel Hellview 666, is housed within the park's old elephant stables and features the bloody interior of a Nineteen Twenties hotel.
“Weary travelers stumble upon this hotel, but it is not quite what it seems, and you actually pay for your stay with your soul,” Merino said.
“We had an interesting challenge,” said Merino. The large interior originally housed two different themed labyrinths. On one side was a house with the theme “Saint Hades Hospital,” while the opposite side was called “Demon Cave.”
Combining the 2 sides right into a latest, oversized ghost maze required a brand new backstory. Merino said that they had to work out the best way to “understand why you were suddenly in a hotel and now in a demon's lair.”
As visitors to the haunted house – or hotel guests – make their way through claustrophobic tunnels, doors product of hanging “skin” and a kitchen with a questionable menu, each room regularly leads them from the hotel right into a hellscape.
After 13 years of experience at Six Flags, Merino knows the ins and outs of a successful scare experience, although he's not an enormous horror fan himself. “Seeing other people get scared and scared and being able to laugh together – that's the best part. That's what makes it so rewarding and fulfilling.”
Each yr after the festival, the park reviews audience feedback and park logistics to see what worked and where improvements have to be made. Then, when preparations begin again in July, the team implements latest features to deal with issues like crowd control or guaranteeing areas scarier.
For show technician Robyn Smithson, the thrill lies in organising the scene and background for Fright Fest.
“It's really impressive to see how people get scared just by seeing the area and the surroundings,” said Smithson, who will tackle a senior role as house manager when Fright Fest begins.
Smithson began working as a seasonal employee at Six Flags in 2017 before moving to full-time three years ago. In 2020, Smithson worked on Napa Valley College's production of “The Addams Family” and “decided this was my passion.”
Fright Fest runs parallel to the park's Oktoberfest and the family-oriented Kids Boo Fest, which incorporates trick-or-treating trails and hay and corn mazes. For those that wish to avoid encounters with ghouls, Merino recommends leaving the park before 6 p.m. – “That's when the scares come out.”
Access to the park's five scary zones is included in a Six Flags ticket, while admission to the five ghost mazes requires a separate wristband. After 4:00 p.m., minors won’t be allowed into the park without an accompanying adult over the age of 21. Tickets might be purchased online at sixflags.com.
Originally published:
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