Six Flags Fright Fest 2022

Halloween in Southern California means a treasure trove for theme park fans. Universal and Knott’s seems to be in an arms race with each other for Best Scary Destination. Disneyland sticks with their loyal family-friendly audience, and Six Flags leans into what it does best–thrill rides. Of course, they put on their best spooky face with Fright Fest, although it feels pretty similar to years past. What’s new for 2022?

Something Wicked This Way Comes

The scares don’t really kick off until sunset, but I recommend arriving during the day. For one thing, there’s a lot of fun decor that’s easier to see before it gets dark. Second, the park is emptier and lines are shorter. I was able to ride 2 of Magic Mountain’s top rides (Goliath and Twisted Colossus) with very short waits. Third…it means you’re in time for Unleashed! At 7:00, a gate at the back of the park opens to spill all manner of ghouls into the park. They scare onlookers on their way to designated Scare Zones and gathered a pretty solid crowd.

Speaking of Scare Zones, there are several throughout the park, more than I remembered. Some of them have a little bonus area, not a “maze” but a themed walk-through section with roaming monsters. These were great fun, and a wonderful low-key substitute for waiting in lines for the big attractions. I wish there was one of these in every Zone! A new Zone called CarnivHELL looked fun but I didn’t have time to go in. And the Devil’s Triangle underwater area was a new theme for Fright Fest that I liked. Plus the always-trippy neon Nightmares section was back too.

It did seem that staffing shortages may have hit Six Flags this year. The parade of monsters felt a little light, and I didn’t notice as many actors throughout the Scare Zones. Although because there were more zones, maybe they were spread out more. One of the haunted houses even had to open late. Since it seems unlikely to be technical difficulties, like a ride would have, our guess was that they didn’t have enough people to open on time.

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

There are 6 Haunted Houses (I’ve never liked the term “mazes”), and 5 of them are repeats from previous Fright Fests. Aftermath 2: Chaos Rising is Fright Fest’s elaborate outdoor experience. It takes up so much space I wonder what they do with it during the rest of the year. They toned down the fog this year, which helped to enjoy the scenery. Willoughby’s Resurrected is the granddaddy of Fright Fest, and even though the interior hasn’t changed much, it still occupies a premium location on top of the hill.

Also on top of the hill is Sewer of Souls, which has some gross-out sets, and tries to do something unique with 3D Glasses and neon glowing walls. The effect isn’t really 3D, but it is disorienting and overall I liked it. Vault 666 Unlocked is essentially the same as before, a semi-random assortment of creepy artifacts that turns into a cult story at the end? I wasn’t quite sure.

Condemned: Forever Damned was the best one last time, and it still is. It’s more interactive than the rest, with some ducking required and an optional tight passageway. Alas, they took out one of the best interactive elements from before, maybe for liability reasons, or just to increase traffic flow. But I missed that moment. The last one is Fright Fest’s only new Haunted House–Truth or Dare. With an eye-catching entrance, and the longest line of all the mazes, I had high hopes. Unfortunately, they were soon dashed. A video intro promised a good story, but after going inside, the possibility of staffing shortages really hit home. The walls were mostly solid black plywood with no decoration. Half of the rooms seemed to have props in them but no scare actors. A couple of actors on wires/cords were probably supposed to be the big moments, but they didn’t work well since the apparatus was so visible, and the storyline implied by the video never coalesced. For the only new Haunted House this year, it was easily the biggest disappointment.

The Monster Mash

Fright Fest also offers “Monstertainment” throughout the park. Most prominent is VooDoo Nights, a stage near the front of the park with live music and dancers. The performers are talented, and the song selection is great. Normally I’d walk right by a stage show to get somewhere more exciting, but I lingered every time I passed it. Definitely a winner. Another public performance called The Rising is set in the underwater-themed area at the entrance. I didn’t see any stated showtimes, and the one time I walked by during the show, I stopped to watch. Unfortunately, it was mid-scene, and I couldn’t catch up to the plot. It had a Pirates of the Caribbean (movies) vibe, with underwater man/fish hybrid monsters fighting over a magic artifact. This theme perfectly suits my taste, but coming in halfway through made it too hard to follow. I would watch this whole thing…if I just knew when it was going to start!

The big promotion this year was Spirits with Spirits. This is a separately-purchased buffet dinner at one of the picnic pavilions. Besides all you can eat/drink, the ticket ($59.99) includes one cocktail (or mocktail) in a Fright Fest glass to take home. An appropriately Halloween-themed soundtrack was playing in the pavilion, and 2 monsters roamed around for pictures as well, along with light set decoration. The food was solid theme park food–chicken strips, nachos, mac and cheese, sausages. Plus the requisite salad, along with 3 dessert options. I enjoyed all of this, and the monsters were certainly accommodating for photos. I only wish the decorations were a little more elaborate and better lit. Oh, and the bartenders were very friendly, although perhaps newly-trained. My drink was very strong, and my friend’s was very weak. When we poured them together, the mix turned out pretty well!

I Drove All Night

Last, but FAR from least, is the thing Six Flags does better than anyone in the world: Thrill Rides! For Fright Fest, they turn off the lights. Although the rides are scary enough already, going in the dark adds another level. The lines got longer as Fright Fest filled up, so I didn’t get to ride my most-wanted of Full Throttle and Crazanity. But I did manage a late ride on Apocalypse. Although the line was surprisingly long, I had forgotten just how intense this roller coaster is. Just absolutely relentless from start to finish. What a rush! The rides are really where Six Flags shines, and they never disappoint.

Fright Fest has figured out its niche, I think. It’s not going to be the best or biggest Halloween event, and it’s not going to try either. It’s going to get into the spirit of the season, and it will entertain its target audience with spooky offerings, for sure. But it keeps its focus on excelling at the rides, while the Halloween trappings make for a more enjoyable day than normal, and the Haunted Houses are an affordable, if unspectacular, way for everyone to really get into the mood. (Except for Truth or Dare . . . whoa does that need to be reworked). If you’re looking for a fun seasonal way to enjoy a theme park, Fright Fest is a good option. If you’re looking for the biggest, scariest Haunted Houses in town…there are probably better options.

Six Flags Fright Fest is open every weekend from now through October 31st. The Haunted Attractions pass is a separate purchase from park admission, but at only $24.99 for the basic pass, it’s a steal, especially compared to the other parks’ ticket prices. Descriptions of all the mazes, scare zones, and other attractions are available at their website here.