Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has announced a new coaster that actually “coasts” for 2019, and made significant improvements to this year’s Fright Fest presentation. It’s great to see after a period of relative stagnation since The Joker opened in 2016. Keep your arms and legs inside the column, don’t touch the writer and he won’t touch you, and secure your haunted house wristband, these tricks are treats.
Batman: The Ride
First let’s take a quick peek at some concept art for the new, actual proper coaster coming to the park’s ever expanding DC Comics area in 2019. According to Six Flags, “Batman: The Ride (Not the B&M inverted coaster of the same name) is a unique 4D free-fly coaster that features a tumbling, free-fall journey along an I-box track”.
Here are the deets:
- Massive, imposing, floating and twisting I-box track frame in a unique two-tone design;
- One-of-a-kind onboard magnetic technology featuring smooth head-over-heels free-fly flips providing guests the feeling of weightlessness as they soar outside the confines of a traditional track;
- 4D wing vehicles that seat up to eight per vehicle with a total of five vehicles;
- Face-off seats that allow riders to face each other as they tumble head-over-heels;
- A 120-foot-tall, 90-degree hill that is ascended by an elevator-style, chain link lift; and
- Two beyond 90-degree “raven” drops giving the sensation of free-falling.
It certainly looks better than the Harley Quinn Crazy [alleged] Coaster. Although similar to Magic Mountain’s Green Lantern, Batman looks to have a longer layout with fewer switchbacks, so perhaps riders won’t feel so much like they’re in a human pachinko machine (concept art courtesy of Six Flags).
Fright Fest
While Batman appears to be a possible improvement of recent new coasters [sic] at the park, I was excited to see actual improvements to their Fright Fest offerings which have been decidedly inferior to other park haunts that I have attended. This year saw a new Scare zone, arguably their best yet, ditto for the new maze, and new entertainment options that are more compelling to a wider audience. Combined with the return of the wholly unique Steve Daly’s Hypnosis Live and a crazy promotional gimmick involving six individuals inhabiting coffins for 30 hours, it was a full evening.
Coffin Challenge
Six souls seriously seeking cash and passes were given the chance to achieve that goal by staying in a coffin from 4PM Friday the 12th to 10PM Saturday the 13th, with some strategic bathroom breaks. All were smiling my first time passing. Reckon they were off to the loo on the subsequent pass, and workers were removing the corpse cases from the inclined rack to flat on the asphalt. However, on my final viewing, they were re-racked and the contestants were bantering with the assembled mob. No word on whether they all survived, but it was a great opportunity for anybody that ordinarily earns less than $20 per hour.
Scarecrows Hollow
Earlier this month hundreds of pounds of a tree fell in a local city park’s picnic area, breaking a concrete table a mere 20 feet from the one where I was eating. So believe me, I can be scared, but after 4 years of scare actors in theme park haunts I’ve become a little desensitized to their antics. The actors were focused on their roles, and despite not being scare-able by them, I’m still totally down for some character based banter.
I am a huge fan of Halloween atmosphere and a creative environment, and there’s a generous helping of that in the rotting pumpkin patch and its straw stuffed sentries. Closer observation reveals that the scarecrows hatch from the pumpkins– adorable and mildly terrifying. Periodically a great, pumpkin-headed creature rises in flashes of color and lights, laughing menacingly and….hey, that’s not a pumpkin creature! That’s Jabba the Hut in a pumpkin-headed creature costume! I challenge you to hear that laugh and think otherwise.
One fantastic aspect of Scarecrows Hollow is that it doesn’t replace another scare zone, meaning there is a total of four. Area lighting, sounds, and large set pieces are found in Mt. Rotting Cemetery and Arachnid Alley with all that plus power tools in Sawmill Pass. Presumably due to lingering twilight it was not until 6:30 or so before the Scare Zones activated.
Demon’s Lair
There was a lot of entertainment to cover, but I knew I had to see the newest maze in the park’s collection. No worries about big waits on a Friday where the park will close at 10PM. I was inside quickly (the was a no photos announcement at the entrance of all the mazes I saw), and after some disorienting twists and turns in the darkness we were inside a well crafted Demon’s Lair with good set design, enthusiastic demons and well executed large scale props, with a handful of them being animated. This was undoubtedly the best maze ever at Discovery Kingdom.
Demon’s Lair replaced The Boathouse, the weakest maze I’ve personally seen, in the count of six, but it is located in a different location. It is located adjacent to St. Hades Hospital, last year’s newest and most popular maze. Both are utilizing the space and buildings previously inhabited by the departed elephant herd, with what I assume were generous applications of Febreeze during maze construction. This year’s incarnation of the Hospital was even better than last year with some improved props and more involved scare actors. Arsenic and Arnia’s Nightmare Manor was decent enough, but I needed to run through it to ensure I had time to go through Shipwreck of Horror. From what I saw, it looked like the maze (which was one I thought was another weak maze) had an upgrade with some minor reinventing of the overall atomosphere.Time constraints prevented me from seeing the returning CarnEvil or Scrap Yard of The Dead.
Unleashed
Kick off shows for these events seem to always seem to be of the carnival barker variety. “See this maze, watch this show, Spend Money!” Not much different here, but once the preliminaries were out of the way, we got a preview of the show that would occupy the stage on the Main Plaza: Creepshow Freakshow, with an appearance by Donnie Vomit and Frankie Sin. Donnie did some juggling, but the most remarkable component about his performance was he was eating during his act. Frankie demonstrated her ability to obliterate a rose bud. Tied to a sword handle. Swallowed by Donnie. With a whip. Good, clean Fun! It all concluded when a horde of zombies was Unleashed into the crowd.
Creepshow Freakshow
The aforementioned Frankie and Donnie (motto: Don’t try this at home; try it at school), began the first of their three performances after a short interval, with a cavalcade of juggling, comedy, bullwhips, chainsaws and a wide ranging assortment of deadly implements, not to mention Frankie using a fan to back up her claim of most powerful tongue in town.
Sacred Fire
After it was fully dark the pyro prancers of Sacred Fire hit the boards with a captivating display of pyjinks that must make their mothers cringe to this day.
Steve Daly’s Hypnosis Live
The one returning show is the most unusual theme park show I’ve ever encountered, a show featuring the hypnotism of audience volunteers clocking in at a full hour by Steve Daly and his trusted minion, Kevin. After a few warm-up exercises involving all in attendance, the call went out to fill the seats on the stage. We then hit the brief period where audience silence was required as a light bulb and music were combined with Steve’s voice to induce the trance.
At first there were some group activities, like playing musical instruments led by a balloon wielding conductor.
As time passed, some were sent back to the audience; as you look at the photo where they were told that 100 helium balloons were tied to their wrist, see if you can deduce who was the first off the island.
That was easy, right?
When the final group was established, they introduced themselves, while having to keep their tongues stuck out. Then they started receiving individual instructions like if you hear this word jump up and say “I’m the man”. Or if he says that, you say “No you’re not”. Or you think your shoe is a phone to make a call, but then this other you will yell at you for being rude by talking on your shoe phone. They were even told Steve has no rear in his pants, and you may not want to be on the end of the row during the domino fall.
It’s a fun show, and I must admit being tempted if being under is in fact like 8 hours of deep sleep. Plus, Steve is clearly a San Jose Sharks fan since he concluded by having them do The Chomp for his InstaTwit feed or some such nonsense. That would be the ultimate hypnotic test for me since I personally will only do The Chomp during a playoff emergency.
One of those eliminated joined her friends on the same row as your humble narrator; she simply shook her head when asked if she remembered what happened on stage. The show was only offered once, so plan accordingly. Did y’all have fun.
See, they had fun; check it out.
While Fright Fest at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is still a work in progress, this year was a good step up in the progress of the work. Let’s hope they keep their foot on the gas and make Fright Fest into an evening that doesn’t involve wondering what could have been.
One of our favorite events is the long running Clam Chowder Cookoff at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk held every February, but there’s also a group of upstart chefs both amateur and professional bringing the same spirit to the October Chili Cookoff. Can they bring to the pepper such gems as Silence of the Clams or Knights of Clamalot? I’ll cross the hill to find out, and we can take a look on the next Day by The (Monterey) Bay.