Ask any roller coaster enthusiast what they believe the scariest coaster is and you will get a few different answers. Perhaps they will bring up Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure which accelerates to a speed of 128 miles per hour and ascends to a height of 456 feet. Or maybe Hades at Mount Olympus in Wisconsin Dells, which goes underground and hits incredible speeds and G-forces. However, there is a new ride coming to the scene that will blow these other coasters out of the water.
Located at Thorpe Park in the United Kingdom, a new zombie-themed roller coaster — the very first ride based on AMC’s The Walking Dead — promises to deliver thrills unlike any other. There will be incredible set pieces that draw heavily on the show and riders will visit some of the most recognizable The Walking Dead locations on this “quest for survival”. The coolest thing about the new coaster is that a full sensory experience has been promised. The ride will incorporate — according to creative director John Burton — “the latest in special effects, lighting, smells, and even touch elements” with the end goal of scaring the wits out of anyone who wants to ride. In fact, the ride is so scary that nobody who is under the age of 13 will be allowed on.
This coaster will make use of live actors to play walkers who will provide a terrifying visual. Even more frightening is the fact that they are allowed to touch you — adding a whole new tactile element to the ride. The ride will occasionally pause in the darkness and then assault the senses with physical and digital effects that are solely designed to terrify anyone who views them. Superfans of The Walking Dead will not be disappointed, either. John Burton ended up watching the entirety of the series twice to make sure that he didn’t miss any details when recreating the show’s setting. This means that even the most dedicated fan shouldn’t be able to spot anything that is immediately immersion-breaking (the most important aspect of a ride like this is immersion).
We will see you at the Safe Zone…For the first time ever, experience The Walking Dead: The Ride. Those who ride…survive!#TWDTheRidehttps://t.co/sm14RKkBeL pic.twitter.com/nQ1Oo4KCXF
— THORPE PARK Resort (@THORPEPARK) February 20, 2018
This ride draws a lot on an old coaster configuration called X:\ No Way Out — which opened back in 1996. It uses some of the same structures but was reconfigured to fit the purposes of the new ride. In fact, anyone who rode this coaster when it was still running would be hard-pressed to even recognize the new ride due to its undead makeover.
The Walking Dead coaster will revolutionize how we view theme park rides. It shows that they can be more than a simple thrill ride — rather, a roller coaster can turn into an immersive way to experience a show or other theme at a deeper level. Themed coasters have been successful in the past — such as Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride (at Universal Studios) or Verbolten (at Busch Gardens). So, it is only a matter of time before we see whether the newest themed coaster takes off like its predecessors.
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