Crazy as it seems, we are predisposed to pay up for such heart-pounding thrills. A few thundering turns on a roller coaster set off a chemical reaction—the release of adrenaline and dopamine—that makes us feel giddy and intensely alive. As roller coasters continue to push the extremes of acceleration, speed, and corkscrew-like inversions, what does it take to be among the world’s scariest?
The answer turns out to be highly personal; there’s little consensus among even the most discerning riders about the recipe for a good scare. “Some like smooth rides full of floating zero Gs while others want to be thrown around and brutalized so they can live to brag about it,” says Scott Rutherford, a senior writer and editor for Amusement Today who has experienced more than 500 coasters on four continents.
Even so, record-breakers can be counted on to deliver some of the biggest adrenaline rushes. At 45 stories, Kingda Ka is the world’s tallest roller coaster, one of only two Stratacoasters that plummet more than 400 feet. (Call the other, Cedar Point’s Top Thrill Dragster, the scariest and you could be in for a heated debate.)
A memorably scary coaster gets inside your head, employing suspense, the element of surprise, and the illusion of fragility. It’s not only a matter of mind-boggling statistics like accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in—count them—two seconds. Older, wooden coasters bring their own set of thrills, since they actually move. When a train whips around a turn, the coaster sways with it.
The most infamous, The Cyclone, still draws thrill-seekers to Coney Island, NY, where the first roller coaster debuted in 1884. Today, 2,472 are operating around the world, and there’s one for whatever scares you the most, be it speeds of 150 mph or a series of 10 stomach-churning inversions. As Rutherford says, “You have no choice but to let go, to surrender to the ride.”
See if you can stomach the world’s scariest roller coasters, and share your opinions in the comments below.
Steel Dragon 2000, Japan
Where: Nagashima Spa Land in Mie Prefecture.
Scary Stat: Slow climb to a 306-foot drop.
It takes nerves of steel to sit calmly through what feels like the most suspenseful 1:15 minutes of your life as this coaster gradually climbs to the top of the first hill before dropping 306 feet. Built in 2000, the year of the dragon, the world’s longest coaster stretches on for 8,133 feet—an endurance test of marathon-like proportions—and you’ve got no choice but to wait it out for all four minute
Kingda Ka, New Jersey
Where: Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson.
Scary Stat: 456-foot drop.
At 45 stories, the Kingda Ka is the tallest roller coaster on earth—closer to the sky than any Egyptian pyramid—and among the fastest, reaching 128 mph. It’s also one of only two existing Stratacoasters, rides that plummet more than 400 feet. (The other is Cedar Point’s intimidating Top Thrill Dragster.) Kingda Ka shoots riders around an upside-down U track in just 59 heart-stopping seconds. Except when it doesn’t. Beware of rollbacks, when, occasionally, the coaster doesn’t gather enough momentum to pump itself over the very top and plummets backward, forcing riders to experience the launch all over again.
Bizzaro, Massachusetts
Where: Six Flags, New England in Agawam.
Scary Stat: 221-foot drop into a tunnel.
Named after Superman’s evil twin, this imposing coaster rules Six Flags New England’s skyline. It rises 208 feet only to fall 221 into a dark tunnel brimming with fog. Coaster enthusiasts love it because it packs in a lot of “airtime,” that out-of-control feeling you get when your guts fly up into your chest. The cars themselves contribute to the fear factor because the sides come up only to riders’ ankles, creating a major sense of vulnerability.
Colossus, England
Where: Thorpe Park in Surrey.
Scary Stat: 10 inversions.
It’s unwise to board the Colossus after lunch. Riders endure a record of 10 disorienting loops in under two minutes, including a vertical loop, a “cobra roll,” and five “heartline twists.” The last one’s also heart-wrenching—it comes right when you thinkyou’re pulling into the station. Coaster fans and reviewers warn that Colossus is rough, so keep your head forward and ride in the last car only if you’re in the mood to be punished.
Formula Rossa, United Arab Emirates
Where: Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi.
Scary Stat: 149 mph.
Constructed above Abu Dhabi’s Formula One racetrack, the world’s fastest coaster aims to re-create the sensation of racing in a red Ferrari. It uses a hydraulic launch system similar to the kind that propels fighter jets off aircraft carriers to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in the first two seconds. The coaster can’t maintain its top speed of 149 mph for long, but front-seat riders still have to wear the same protective glasses used by skydivers.
Phantom’s Revenge,Pennsylvania
Where: Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh.
Scary Stat: 232-foot drop under another coaster.
The Phantom’s Revenge owes its nasty reputation to its infamous second hill, which plunges riders 232 feet into a ravine and underneath the support structure of another coaster, creating the impression that the rider will be, well, decapitated. Most riders have no inkling of the terror that awaits them because it’s impossible to see the bottom of the drop unless you’re already on the ride.
Intimidator 305, Virginia
Where: King’s Dominion in Doswell.
Scary Stat: 305 feet in no time.
Intimidator 305 was voted the Best Coaster of 2010 by Amusement Today, and Scott Rutherford, a senior writer and editor, says the “massively tall and imposing” Intimidator 305 “whips your butt with pure intensity.” The Intimidator races you up its first, 305-foot hill in a matter of 20 seconds and reaches up to 94 mph. Often compared to Cedar Point’s Millennium Force, the I305 is considered by many to be that coaster’s meaner cousin.
Expedition GeForce,Germany
Where: Holiday Park in Hassloch.
Scary Stat: 82-degree-angle hill.
“Roller Coaster King” Richard Rodriquez didn’t just inherit that title. He rode the Expedition GeForce for 49 days back-to-back, setting the Guinness world record for longest continual coaster ride. Built in celebration of Holiday Park’s 30-year anniversary in 2001, this coaster will make you feel weightless—seven times. The coaster delivers steep thrills, tossing you down a 184-foot, 82-degree-angle hill. In 2010, the GeForce’s fourth car mysteriously derailed after the first drop, and passengers had to be rescued by firefighters, though no one was seriously harmed.
El Toro, New Jersey
Where: Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson.
Scary Stat: Nine instances of airtime.
El Toro has a cheesy matador theme and, at 188 feet, it’s well below the heights of adjacent Kingda Ka. But when a roller coaster expert says it’s “one of the scariest rides I’ve been on,” you take heed. Scott Rutherford, a senior writer and editor atAmusement Today, loves this coaster because of its sheer intensity and nine moments of airtime. “That’s what we live for,” he says. At a record-breaking 76 degrees, the coaster also boasts the steepest drop ever on a wooden coaster in America.
Tower of Terror II, Australia
Where: Dreamworld in Gold Coast, Queensland.
Scary Stat: 377 feet high.
Don’t get Australia’s Tower of Terror confused with the tame Disney World ride by the same name: this coaster’s tagline is “Face Gravity, Face First.” Hold on tight as the fastest and tallest coaster in the Southern Hemisphere shoots you backward up the tower in just seven seconds, dangles you in the air for a few more, and then drops you back to earth at a 90-degree angle and at 100 mph. The total experience is just 27 seconds long, but it’s worth every minute spent waiting in line.
The Coney Island Cyclone, New York
Where: Coney Island.
Scary Stat: 80-year-old wooden frame.
Nothing makes you feel safer than finding out the coaster you’re about to ride is a historical landmark, right? Dating to 1927, the Coney Island Cyclone is “the coaster against which all others are measured,” and “the grandaddy of them all,” according to Scott Rutherford ofAmusement Today. He says experiencing the aggressive, not-entirely-predictable throttle of the Cyclone is “like a mugging.” So it’s fitting that the video game Grand Theft Auto IV features a coaster that’s almost an exact replica.
Dodonpa, Japan
Where: Fuji-Q Highland in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi.
Scary Stat: 0 to 107 mph in 1.8 seconds.
The Dodonpa combines record-breaking speed and psychological torture. When it debuted in 2001, it was the fastest coaster in the world, and it still holds the record for fastest launch acceleration, propelling riders from 0 to 107 mph in 1.8 seconds. If you understand Japanese, be prepared for some mind games. A voice over the loudspeaker counts down to launch; sometimes there is a “failed” launch followed by an “accidental” launch to surprise riders. You’ll catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji in the background—if you can keep your eyes open.
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