Before we get into Fright Fest though, we've got a quick 2022 Coaster Construction update.
Welcome back to Fright Fest!
While this is a great idea, wish it was about 3 hours earlier
It was CROWDED!
Before we get into the scares, how about a look at Construction/deconsctruction
Anybody want some ZZA!?
I think this was the Green Lantern queue
Easily the most crowded we've seen any park in 18 months
We think this is for us! =)
Fright Fest
For us, the event had crowds that we just were not comfortable with. If you are the LEAST bit concerned or have anxiety about the over-crowding of events or Covid, we unfortunately can't in good conscience recommend this event on a Saturday night.
Because Six Flags Magic Mountain does not close prior to Fright Fest beginning, there's no way to thin out the crowds. So what you get is:
- 50% unsupervised teenagers
- 25% children who probably shouldn't be at an event such as Fright Fest
- An overwhelming amount of strollers
- 25% people who are actually there to experience the event
While we experienced some kind of crowds at other Halloween events so far this year, nothing even came close to what we saw at SFMM. And this is still mid-September. We really do want this event to be successful, but it just didn't feel comfortable for us.
It will also be very interesting to see what crowds are like after October 7th when vaccinations/negative tests are required to visit theme parks in LA County.
Crowds about 10pm
Queue for the food places is a great idea, not using it and the line spilling out into the walkway, bad idea
So let's get into the event shall we!
In case you missed it last week, we took at look at the Scare Zones and Merchandise at Fright Fest. So in this update we'll be looking mostly at the mazes, but a few other pics from around the event as well.
We're ready to get scared!
So great to see Scott Ramp again! His team is truly amazing! See what they did to me a few years back below.
Maze Reviews
Like all events this year, one issue we did experience at Fright Fest was a lack of actors in the mazes and scare zones.
But everybody gets a pass this year.
It's been tough for everybody to find talent, and we're just happy events are actually happening.
Now in it's 8th year (would be 9 if the event ran last year), Willoughby's Ressurected has addressed some issues we had in years past (lighting) and added some amazing new scenes and effects. It's definitely breathed new life into the maze (pun intended).
A new maze façade was the first change we saw, it wasn't the last. They really should keep this up all year.
The maze has a new sponsor this year, and thus has some new scenes and effects
The first room in the maze is completely redone
We absolutely loved this new scene
It definitely feels more like a "Haunted Mansion" now
The other maze that had the most amount of changes this year was Vault 666. Gone is the "animal experiment theme" and it definitely has more of a "Haunted" feel now. TBH, the name of this maze probably doesn't fit too much any more and is probably due for an update in 2022.
This was the maze we actually saw the most amount of talent in, and they were fantastic!
Easily the largest maze at Fright Fest, this one too suffered from a lack of "scary" talent. There were a LOT of soldiers in here, like a LOT, but not a whole lot of monsters to scare you. I don't really think they need the guards/police in this one, just fill it all with zombies. The entire 2nd half of the maze was completely vacant of talent.
Still, this is an impressive maze and has some of our favorite scenery.
A few years back this was one of our favorite mazes, not just at Fright Fest but at any event. They did move the entrance of the maze this year and change a few other things, but once again, the lack of any scares puts it pretty low on our list. It's still one of the more visually stunning mazes at Fright Fest. And for that we will always visit this one.
Don't want to sound like a broken record here, but I think we saw maybe 3-4 actors in this entire maze. And no Red in the climactic scene. This is another one that was revised a bit for this year (no pre-show) but is definitely in need of a major overhaul or retheme for 2022.
The idea of an abandoned/condemned house maze is something we absolutely love. And there was actually a lot of talent in here, maybe more than any other maze. But this one seems to be overly dark (like Willoughby's had been previously). A couple of lighting tweaks in here could greatly enhance this maze.
Our video for this one was so dark we decided not to post it. But the talent in here was awesome!
RIP Fright Fest? =)
We of course had to visit Lorraine-Lurane!
Neon Zombies! This area felt very "80's" to us, and an 80's soundtrack would enhance this area a lot we think!
Got to get a pic of the hearse without a family sititing on the hood eating dinner (yes, that happened last week)
City Under Siege!
One of us is the fastest clown alive
Still one of our favorite parks to take night pictures at
Lastly, the traffic issues are back due to Fright Fest. There is NO REASON to have this signal red for SFMM visitors. Nobody is living in those houses yet!! End Rant!
If you are visiting this year, we do recommend going on a Friday or Sunday.
Have you visited Fright Fest so far in 2021? Let us know your thoughts below!
- Six Flags Magic Mountain 2022 Project and Fright Fest Update - August 20, 2021
- Six Flags Magic Mountain 2022 Project Update - August 9, 2021
- Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger Roller Coaster Premiering at Six Flags Fiesta Texas Summer 2022
- Jersey Devil Media Day at Six Flags Great Adventure - June 10, 2021
- Six Flags Magic Mountain 2022 Project Update - May 25, 202
