As much as Six Flags is known for being extreme with some of the most intense roller coasters you can find. Fright Fest claims to deliver an even more extreme experience with Six Flags Fright Fest Extreme. With more houses, more scare zones, and more fear. Was is as terrifying as they promised? Let’s find out!
From the very beginning of the night when the monsters made their way into the park the make up was much better than I expected. To be comepletely transparent I was expecting some party city masks but there was some pretty well done make up fx that I saw throughout the night. As far as the scares go, I will say that Fright Fest seemed to be a bit more of a kid friendly haunt. The mazes didn’t have any loud noises to throw off your senses and catch you off guard with the scares, in fact a lot of the corners where you would expect scares, they weren’t there. That being said, while the timing and the scare actors might have been off, the actual set designs were much better than expected.
Fright Fest Cocktails
With 11 haunted houses and 9 scare zones surely there would be plenty of scare actors, you’d be dead wrong. The scare zones felt empty and frankly I couldn’t tell where some of them were. The houses themselves felt like they were pretty empty too but not nearly as much as the scare zones.
Haunted House Rankings
The Conjuring Universe
The Conjuring earns its top spot by being one of the few houses with some pretty decent scares. My favorite of the night being a photo of the Nun with some hands creeping out behind it for it to drop and the Nun jumps out at you. A good scare amongst the dryness of some of the others. The house also wraps up with a solid ending, with a chase out from a demon.
Trick R Treat
I’m giving Trick ‘r Treat the #2 spot mainly due to personal bias. Overall, it’s a fun house, and while there aren’t a lot of big scares, it’s always a thrill to be startled by Sam. One moment that really stood out was when the sprinklers are supposed to be going off, and I got splashed a little—it made me laugh. However, I did run into a hiccup with this house. I stopped by three times, and twice the experience was interrupted by a fire alarm. Hopefully, that’s not a common issue for everyone.
Truth or Dare
Truth or Dare was one of the last houses I visited that night, and I’m glad I saved it for the end. If I had done it earlier, I probably would’ve been more disappointed with the others. The storytelling here is solid, starting with a lady at the entrance giving a monologue about what’s to come. From there, you enter a TV show set where everything feels a bit… twisted. My biggest issue was that it actually felt like a maze—there were so many doors, and at times, I had no idea where I was going.
Willoughby’s Ressurected
Willoughby’s Resurrected was a hotel-themed house with some really interesting set designs. However, it was often missing scare actors, so I found myself walking into empty rooms, just taking in the scenery. In some cases, that wasn’t a bad thing, but in others, it was literally just a regular hotel room. That said, this house delivered the loudest scare of the night when a scare actor jumped out of the wall with a loud BANG. I wish they had used that kind of surprise more throughout the experience.
Stranger Things
There aren’t many things stranger than the Stranger Things house. While it was definitely set in a high school, it didn’t immediately feel like Stranger Things. I’m not sure if it was intentional or just due to poor air quality, but the lighting made it seem like there were particles in the air, almost like you were getting close to the Upside Down. Once again, I found myself asking, where are the scare actors? There was a guy dressed as Eddie, banging on a trash can lid, but aside from him, I can only recall two other actors—one right at the first corner and another at the entrance to the Upside Down. And don’t even get me started on Vecna basically just pointing you in the direction of the exit.
SAW 20th Anniversary
This house was the very first one I visited that night, which might explain why it felt so empty, but the lack of scare actors really stood out. There were large gaps where I expected actors to be, which took away from the overall experience. The house had a lot of potential, especially with the iconic Saw traps on display—it’s always exciting to see those. However, many of the traps were missing scare actors, leaving them more like eerie displays rather than interactive scares. At times, it felt more like walking through a Saw-themed museum than a haunted house, which was a bit disappointing. With a few more actors, the atmosphere could’ve been far more intense and immersive.
Sewer of Souls
This is where the quality of the houses really started to drop. Sewer of Souls had a cool concept and definitely leaned into the gross factor, but it missed the mark in nearly every way. The scare actors weren’t well-timed, and the few that did jump out felt like they were screaming in lower case—there was no intensity behind their scares. The sound design was practically non-existent; it was just a neon-lit sewer with a bad smell. One part that really felt wasted was a hallway where you had to push through two airbags to reach the other side, yet no scare actor was waiting at the end. While I didn’t love this house, I still ranked it higher than others… and that really says something about how the rest of the night went.
Condemned Forever Damned
In Condemned: Forever Damned, you’re walking through what seems to be a house occupied by either possessed people or cannibals—I’m not entirely sure. It’s set in a rundown old country house with one standout section where you have to duck down while going through a broom closet, so consider this a claustrophobia warning. This was the shortest maze of the night (which I wasn’t too upset about), and because of that, there wasn’t a lot to take in visually. Despite its length, there were a decent number of scare actors, but they all kept shouting the same thing: “Get out!” After a while, it got a bit repetitive—trust me, I’m trying.
Vault 666
I’ll be fully transparent—I don’t remember too many details about this house, but I’m confident it was better than the two that followed. Vault 666 is set in the vault of a collector with a fascination for the macabre. The concept was intriguing, as the vault was filled with haunted artifacts and dead bodies, which made for some eerie and captivating scenery. However, despite the creepy atmosphere, the experience was let down by the noticeable lack of scare actors. The house had potential to deliver more intense moments, but with so few actors present, it felt more like a display of curiosities than a true haunted house experience.
Army of the Dead
Army of the Dead, along with the next house, are both set entirely outdoors, and that really works against them. Many of the houses already felt somewhat empty, but being outdoors took away any sense of claustrophobia, which is key to creating tension. You could spot the scare actors from a mile away, which made the scares feel predictable and less effective. On top of that, the constant loop of 'Vivaaaaaaaaaaa Las Vegas' playing in the background didn’t help with creating a creepy atmosphere—it just felt out of place.
Aftermath: Nocturnal Hunt
If I could go back, I’d tell myself not to waste time on this house. Despite waiting absolutely zero minutes for it, I still don’t think it was worth my time. Like Army of the Dead, it was far too open, but this one had even less direction. It felt like the decorations changed with every corner, making it seem as if they were told to create eleven houses, designed ten of them, and then just threw leftover decorations into this one. There were a few scare actors, which was an improvement, but they were still outnumbered. To make matters worse, one of them knocked my phone out of my hand and broke it, and he wasn’t even a good scare actor—he was just shouting ‘RAWR’ at people. From the moment I walked out, it was clear this maze was a flop and would end up at the bottom of my list.
SAW 20th Anniversary Entrance
Scare Zones
With nine scare zones to consider, I’d love to rank them as well, but to be completely honest, many of them didn’t even feel like true scare zones. It seemed like you had to actively search for scare actors as you walked around the park, which was a bit disappointing. Only two or three of the scare zones really felt alive: CarnivHELL, Underworlds of Oz, and City Under Siege. Of these, CarnivHELL was probably my favorite. It had the most energetic scare actors who seemed to be having a great time. Pinky stood out as the best scare actor of the night—if you spot her with her bird beak, be sure to tip her some worms for her time!
Sliders Of The Night Show
The highlight of the night that genuinely surprised me was the Sliders of the Night Show. If you find yourself at Six Flags Fright Fest, PLEASE make sure to carve out some time to see this performance. First, it’s clear that the scare actors put a lot of effort into it, and second, it’s genuinely entertaining. The show lasts about 15 to 20 minutes and features sliders performing some impressive stunts with plenty of sparks. Be prepared to find yourself saying ‘OH S**T!’
