There’s a balance with Halloween between what is truly scary and what is fun scary. Six Flags New England’s Fright Fest must, by needs, fall under the “fun scary” label. But still, Six Flags New England’s Fright Fest added some new elements this year that were truly spooky.
Those include the bridge of misting fog, leading from the main area of Six Flags New England to the Haunt Zone. The mist isn’t new. That something rumbles under the bridge was a surprise, however.
There were also a few added touches on the Haunted House premium attractions, such as the zombie that attacked at the ankle level, a Sleepy Hollow section (complete with the Headless Horseman reciting the famous poem), and the bags of corpses swinging from the ceilings in several of the attractions.
The scariest thing, of course, is total darkness. The use of that, however, is limited by safety concerns. Still, there were a few seconds in the outside haunts that managed to plunge into black, thus upping the scare factor.
There are basically three sections to Six Flags New England’s Fright Fest, which is running through October 28th.
The first is the “Haunt Zones,” sections of the parks decorated for Halloween, some of which can be seen in the slideshow above. These change every year and seem to get more creative each year, such as the skeleton in the kiddie car. But there are some old standbys, such as dying the fountains red as blood. They add a nice note of Halloween to the regular park rides, many of which were still running the night we were at the park.
The second is Monstertainment, the shows that run throughout the Fright Fest in the main areas of the park. These include Graveyard Groove, a monster revue in the Rockville Theater; Academy for Gifted Girls, spell casting on the center stage of Kidzopolis; the Spooktacular Street Party at the Main Street Gazebo, which includes dancing with characters; the Creepshow Freakshow at the Goliath Patio, with “feats of danger and disgust”; The Awakening, a faux call for demons, again at the Goliath Patio; and Mort’s Used Coffins, in which Mort holds a midnight madness sale.
Monstertainment events come with park admission.
The third, and the spookiest attractions, the Premium Haunted Houses, require the additional purchase of the Haunted House passes. These events only begin after night falls and only three of the five takes place indoors, so come prepared for night temperatures in New England. VIP passes provide access to the front of the line, so for those wishing to do all of them in one night, the VIP Haunted House pass is a must. Also, come prepared for walking because we clocked 15,000 steps on my mobile tracker.
I would recommend these attractions for kids no younger than tweens, though that may vary depending on your child’s tolerance for fake scares. No photographs or video were allowed and, really, would you want me to spoil the scare? But here’s a short summary of the five premium attractions.
Indoor
Midnight Mansion: The only premium attraction in the regular part of the park, this takes you through, well, a haunted mansion full of things such as chained prisoners, spooky dining settings, and insane residents. Extra this year were the body bags hanging from the ceiling. Consider this a more interaction version of Disney World’s Haunted Mansion.
The Forgotten Laboratory: An indoor trip through a mad scientist’s laboratory, with actors, dressed the part, as an added scare. This one gets weird and somewhat claustrophobic, which adds to the scare.
Slasher Circus 3D: Warning: Strobe lighting. Yep, you get 3D attractions to walk through this place, peopled by angry clowns and 3D effects.
Outdoor (Not to be missed)
These pair of outdoor sets are consistently our favorites, year after year, with the darkness adding to the spooky vibe and story.
The Aftermath: Zombie’s Revenge: Zombies have overrun the world. Walk through Hell’s Gate Park and it’s abandoned stations and homes, if you dare. Warning: zombies with chainsaws may be present.
Terror Tales (BRAND NEW): This is a new one, a reworking of several gruesome fairy tales. Each is a short segment, which makes for a more interesting walk, but I thought they could have made an entire area just of Sleepy Hollow because corn stalks in the dark will never not be creepy. However, the kids were most impressed by the witch’s cottage from Hansel and Gretel.
Fright Fest continues through October 28th, on selected weekend dates, so there’s still two weekends to experience the haunt. Six Flags season park passes through the entire 2019 season can be purchased now and will provide admission to this year’s Fright Fest as well, though the premium attractions are still extra, at $29.99 for regular admission and $44.99 for a VIP pass.
Disclaimer: GeekMom received park admission and VIP passes for Fright Fest.
