Andrew Daume
Last month, I traveled to both Six Flags New England to attend their annual Fright Fest, and Canobie Lake Park to see their “ScreeeemFest”. I know it’s November, but it’s never too late to prepare your mind for the screams of the future! I rode almost all of the best rides from both amusement parks and detailed them in a lightning round. As someone who seeks thrills, chills, and loves the feeling of the drop on any given coaster, I’ll guide you through Massachusetts’ top 2 most popular parks of the amusement variety.
To preface, the lower the score, the worse the experience. (1/5 is bad. 5/5 is amazing.)
Let’s start with Six Flags New England, located in Agawam MA, and their “Fright Fest”
To start, here are all the Normal/Non-Halloween rides I could get to in one day.
- Riddler
- 4/5
- Plenty of twists and turns. Your feet will be hanging in this one, so tie your shoes! Some slight whiplash will be felt but for an experienced rider this thrills just right. Some sharp turns and deep but not perilous drops keep the ride engaging and speedy.
- Not bad for beginners.
- Superman
- 5/5
- Really fast, you feel like a speeding bullet. The Superman theme blasting from the speakers, echoing throughout the whole ride, helps with the “super” feel.
- For effect, hold your hands up in fists in front of you. It helps, trust me.
- Thrilling but not too extreme for beginners. Only 1 major drop at the start.
- Batman
- 3.5/5
- Pretty short ride. A decent drop to start, like you’re pouncing on crime with twists and turns emulating Batman’s dynamic gliding for immersion. The coaster itself lacks decoration but overall a thrilling ride.
- Fine for beginners, drops are smaller but still thrilling.
- Escape from Arkham Asylum
- 2/5
- This one was a mixed bag. It’s a smaller coaster that features smaller carts, mainly for the kids.Decent pace and length, and the subtle drops were fun and engaging
- No intense drops and not too fast, but the jarring stops and acute turns dug the safety bar into my hips and stomach, so it’s not a great ride the older and bigger you get.
- Catwoman
- 2.5/5
- Catwoman’s whip lives up to its name. This ride speeds along and has you go almost perpendicular to the ground. Despite that thrill, it’s not nauseating or too boring. It’s a fair split of mild fun with an appropriate amount of speed to keep me smiling. This one’s for those seeking a light thrill, or those who can’t stomach the drops of the bigger coasters.
- Superman (again)
- 6/5
- Full transparency, I just wanted to ride this one again. This time it was at night, when I could see all of Six-Flags lit up neon and bright. This makes it even better as the neon lights are speeding by like you’re entering hyperspeed. This ride was truly super.
Now to the Halloween-themed rides of Six Flags. Rides that were all halloweened up for the season.
- Houdini
- 0/5
- This ride is as annoying as it is nauseating. The introductory video that “sets the scene” tells you about Harry Houdini, but it doesn’t end with any sort of scare or payoff, nor is it important to the ride. This ride locks you in a stiff bench and starts slow. For most of the ride I was confused, as the bench swings back and forth while the room around you moves too, creating the illusion you’re not moving at all. Meanwhile your body feels the movement and this brain-body disconnect creates quite the headache. Once we all figured out what the ride was doing, it starts to swing you more and more despite the ruined illusion. The worst part is as a Dua Lipa fan, her recent smash hit of the same name was absent in this ride.
- Midnight mansion
- 5/5
- Now we’re onto the haunted house part of Six Flags. The Midnight Mansion, located next to Houdini, is a really great haunted house to start with. This house will keep you on edge, the scarers were on point here and you’re truly immersed in the haunted room. For those who like a good scare, get here while you can.
- Slasher circus 3D
- 3/5
- This one’s alright. There’s a 3D glasses gimmick here and it kind of works. The 3D paint messes with your depth perception but it doesn’t exactly add to the scare, rather it just makes you feel like you’re gonna fall over. Not ideal when clowns are pouncing at you, but they were still a scary good time overall.
- Camp Killamore/Terror Tales in the Wicked Woods
- 4/5
- This one is a double! It’s a trail walk that starts at a campsite gone wrong, full with Friday the 13th style cabin horror. The atmosphere is good on this one. The second part of the walk takes you to the woods with chainsaw runners, and this part’s decently fun! It’s a lengthy scary time that keeps you on edge almost all of the time, although the length semi-breaks the immersion.
Now onto Canobie Lake Park, located in Salem NH, and their aptly named “SCREEEMFEST”
Let’s start with the Normal rides
- Untamed
- 3/5
- This one’s truly fun! Not too much but the starting loopyloop is a great hook. The only downside is the ride is less than 2 minutes long, by the time you get into it, it’s over. Not bad for beginners who can handle a thrill.
- Swings
- ⅗
- Fun for a typical swing, but short. Only about 2 minutes long. Decent speed but nothing noteworthy. Good for beginners.
- Skater (spinning giant skateboard)
- 3/5
- This one’s decent. It’s not too exciting, but it’ll give you a decent thrill when the spinning board reaches its peak. It’s 25% thrill, 75% wind-in-your-hair levity. Definitely sit on the end. Good for beginners.
- Teacup
- 1/5
- This is a classic teacup; that being said, it’s classic nausea. If you have a strong stomach for spinning, this is fun; if not, stay away. I myself do not have that privilege, and suffered a post-ride headache after.
- Yankee Cannonball
- 4/5
- I sat next to a scared grandma on this one, but surprisingly, that didn’t take away from the experience. It’s not all that thrilling, but it’s a good time with some solid drops.
- Pirate Ship
- 2.5/5
- For the swinging pirate ship, it’s fun half the time. The half where you’re at the climax of the ship’s arc. You’ll get a suitable drop feeling here, but nothing all that thrilling.
The Haunted Houses of Canobie
- Cargo
- 3/5
- Inside this haunted cargo maze, there’s a fair share of scarers,but it feels monumentally lacking in filled space. The decorations are efficient and the place feels full of frights. But there is a severe lack of scarers, so it was underwhelming. I did have a weird interaction with one of the scarers where she apologized for being in our way, while keeping her gravely psychotic tone. It was a strange immersion break.
- Carnivus 2
- 6/5
- This one was my favorite haunted house of them all. Outranking all of Canobie’s rides and all of Six Flags. There are so many thrills in this 2-part attraction, and it was also the last attraction I went in after all of this. You’d think I would be thrilled out by this point, but I was on fire! Every scare here made me smile, one giant snake animatronic even got me to shriek, this attraction was where it’s at! Its relentless scariness isn’t too much for a newbie, but its 8+ minute walk through time doesn’t break immersion, and it doesn’t let up.
Final Verdict: Overall, Canobie Lake Parks Screamfest and Six Flags Fright Fest are both excellent ways to spend a night during the spooky season. Although the tickets are not exactly cheap, if you can afford it, the experience is something you’ll be thinking about for weeks to come, and if you’re able to gather a group, you’ll find yourself wanting to go back again and again! To answer the question of what’s the better place to go for both the Halloween season and general rides, I have to give it to Six Flags, especially for their rollercoasters! Canobie certainly edges out Six Flags in terms of scary thrill, and the scarers that walk around at night are far better, but Six Flags simply has more to offer to the average consumer when counting their normal roller coasters. If you want a great night of both normal and spooky, go to Six Flags; if you only want the spooky thrill, Canobie is where that’s at.
