Matt N
CF Legend
Hi guys. Once you’ve ridden lots of different attractions, like most of us on here have, then it’s plausible to think that the fear element of rides that less seasoned riders often experience and is commonly emphasised in the media might wear off somewhat in most cases. But are there any attractions out there that still genuinely scare you? Are there any rides that still have you nervous before you board?
I actually have a couple of examples of attractions that have scared me or still scare me a bit:
I actually have a couple of examples of attractions that have scared me or still scare me a bit:
- Summit Plummet at Disney’s Blizzard Beach - Now, even though Summit Plummet is not particularly high compared to a number of coasters or other dry park thrill rides, at 120ft, it feels absolutely gargantuan within the sphere of waterpark attractions; it towers over everything else at Blizzard Beach, and provides a level of size and general fear factor that you would never expect from Disney World of all places. Let me tell you, as I was approaching this ride, I was genuinely quite scared; no one else was up there at the top other than me and my dad, and my goodness does it feel high up there! Because it’s a water slide, I think that adds a certain element of fear to it; you’re not strapped in like you are on a dry park ride. It is literally just you, unrestrained, falling down that 120ft plunge! When I was up at the top, my heart was racing in a way that it has been on very few rides before, and even the lovely reassurance of “Enjoy the ride, friend!” from the naturally smiley Disney cast member at the top did little to make me less nervous. However, the nerves were worth it, because I’d say that Summit Plummet is possibly my favourite water slide of all-time; you get actual, unrestrained airtime plummeting down the drop, and the sense of speed is unrivalled! Even though the speedometer at the bottom registered my speed as a mere 40mph, let me tell you it felt a hell of a lot faster!
- Ihu’s Breakaway Falls at Aquatica Orlando - I think you can just file “waterpark death slides” as a general category of attraction that still scares me, because Ihu’s Breakaway Falls really got my heart pumping! Even though Ihu’s is not as tall as Summit Plummet or even Slush Gusher, and it doesn’t have one big, sheer drop in the way that Summit Plummet does, the drop pod really adds a level of fear and suspense; the aspect of not knowing when you’re going to drop really does get your heart going! The body slide that came afterwards was fairly fast and exciting, but I don’t think I’ve ever known a start to a water slide quite like the drop pod; I almost think they’re the hydraulic launches of the water slide world, in a sense! I wonder what the drop pod slides at Volcano Bay are like; those ones have both the sheer height of Summit Plummet and the suspense of Ihu’s Breakaway Falls...
- Jumpscare-laden spooky dark rides - Now these ones don’t scare me as such, but I always ride them feeling rather on edge for the entire ride; on my last ride on Duel, it seemed as though I was jumping out of my skin around every corner, and even the much smaller ghost train at Folly Farm still has me incredibly on edge for the entire ride!
- Anything with actors - I know it sounds rather silly, and I’ll admit that I’m rather scared to admit it, but I have a bit of a fear of costumed characters/scare actors. Even though I know they’re not real, they really, really terrify me. Even the costumed characters and actors that aren’t intended to scare you, like the roaming characters at Disney parks, make me incredibly anxious for some reason, and I remember once being incredibly scared of a group of horror actors in County Hall in London, who were roaming around promoting some scare attraction called Fright Club or something like that. For that reason, I will never choose to do anything that revolves around actors; I’ve never done Derren Brown’s Ghost Train at Thorpe, and I also haven’t done Walking Dead since its conversion. I’ve also never done a scare maze, or the Alton Towers Dungeons. I also never choose to visit theme parks during the Halloween period for this reason. I know it seems close-minded of me to choose not to do actor-led attractions, and I do appreciate these attractions from a technical and creative standpoint, but given that the costumed characters at Disney and roaming scare actors in London make me legitimately anxious, I don’t think that bodes particularly well for a full-on actor-led attraction, especially the likes of scare attractions. While the other attraction “fears” I listed above are just minor butterflies, this one is a legitimate fear that really puts me off doing this kind of attraction.
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