Top 10 Scariest Theme Park Rides of All Time

For starters, we have this steel roller coaster which, when it was first built, was the fastest and tallest of its kind. Carrying up to 14 passengers, the vehicle thrusts backwards at 100 miles per hour to climb the ride’s namesake tower, which stands at an impressive 377 feet in height. You’ll experience 3.25 seconds of weightlessness both on your way up and on your way back down the vertical portion of the ride, making for a combined 6.5 seconds. When you reach the top, gravity takes hold and you drop almost as fast as you came up. As its tagline says: “Face Gravity, Face First”.

Finished in 2008, Fahrenheit is considered the first roller coaster to have gained attention through the use of a viral marketing campaign. At the time of its construction, it had the steepest incline of any roller coaster at a staggering 97 degrees. Reaching speeds of nearly 60 miles per hour, Fahrenheit features six inversions or loops, including a couple of corkscrews, a barrel roll, as well as a few other frightening surprises for riders. Fun fact: the name is not only a nod to the 97 degree drop; it’s also inspired by Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451. The ride may not be as terrifying as that dystopian future, but it’s pretty scary in its own right.

Although Six Flags has a handful of coasters named “Superman: Ride of Steel” at other locations, we’re talking about the world famous ride that’s been consistently called one of the top steel roller coasters in existence. Though, at a glance, not as fancy as some of its contemporaries, it does boast speeds of 77 miles per hour and a 221 foot drop. In 2016, they introduced a Virtual Reality experience, with a narrative about Superman duking it out with Lex Luthor’s Bots. Although a novel concept, the VR feature was removed in 2017, proving that sometimes, an old-school coaster can be even more thrilling and intense than CGI.

The Stratosphere Las Vegas is a combination hotel, casino and tower that features a mini-theme park at the very top. Though the rides may be simple, they are some of the scariest. With only one car that sits on a 68-foot rail, X-Scream hangs off the side of the tower at a stomach-churning height of 866 feet. The track tilts downwards to catch the riders off guard and simulate nearly falling off the tower. It then retracts the car back and tilts down at a steeper angle to do it all again. It’s simple but so very effective.

You know a ride that makes you sign a waiver before you get on means business. The Giant Canyon Swing sits 1300 feet high, overlooking Glenwood Canyon. You’ll swing over the canyon at 50 miles per hour while at the same time getting a breathtaking view of the surrounding area, if you’re brave enough to open your eyes during the experience. This is a ride so scary that its own creator has reportedly only ridden it once. Oh, and don’t let the word “swing” give you a false sense of security; you’ve never encountered any like it in the playground.

Named after a rare Bengal tiger once held in a neighboring exhibit, and later moved to the park’s safari area, Kingda Ka certainly lives up to its impressive namesake – it’s the world’s second fastest roller coaster. After the ride tells you to hold on, passengers are thrust forward at speeds reaching 128 miles per hour in less than four seconds. The car then climbs the tower that reaches a little over 400 feet, going over a spiral and then dropping back down almost as fast. Kingda Ka only lasts 28 seconds, but that’s all this ride needs.

Many rides on this list are the world’s first “something” in the roller coaster category, and Colossus is no exception - it was the world’s first roller coaster with 10 inversions. Translation: as a rider, you’ll be going upside down 10 times in just 1 minute and 45 seconds. Is your head spinning just thinking about it? This roller coaster is seemingly so impressive that an exact replica of it was built in Guangzhou, China, albeit with the not so creative name of “10 Inversion Roller Coaster”. But hey, they do say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery.

What can you expect from a roller coaster with the name X2? How about the world’s first 4th dimensional roller coaster? What’s a 4D roller coaster? Basically, while you’re on the coaster, your seat is twisting and turning at the same time to give you an experience unlike any other. While the coaster is climbing hills, going through inversions or dropping, your seat is changing directions on its own to coincide with the track in unexpected ways. Originally called X, this ride was revamped between 2007-2008, during which time it acquired flamethrowers. As if people weren’t adequately intimated already...

How does the expression go? Anything you can do I can do better? Well, this is definitely the case with Eejanaika, the world’s second 4th Dimension roller coaster, which is both faster and taller than its American counterpart. Reaching a height of nearly 250 feet and a speed of 78 miles per hour, this mechanical monster soundly beats its predecessor. It also holds the Guinness World Record for most inversions on a roller coaster, thanks to the many times the seats turns in addition to the three inversions of the track itself. When all’s said and done, you’re looking at 14 inversions in roughly 2 minutes.

Before we get to the front of the line to get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Big Shot
Stratosphere Las Vegas in Las Vegas, USA

- The Smiler
Alton Towers in Staffordshire, United Kingdom

- Expedition GeForce
Holiday Park in Hassloch, Germany

Also located atop the Stratosphere Las Vegas, Insanity hangs you 64 feet off the side of the building, giving you both an amazing and terrifying view. You are then spun around fast enough to experience 3 Gs. In the process, your seat tilts to a 70 degree angle so that you can’t really help but look down. While all the other rides on this list have had you feeling safe in a car, Insanity literally dangles you 900 feet in the air. Count yourself lucky you weren’t one of several riders who had to endure hanging there for an hour and a half the time that the ride shut down to prevent a malfunction in 2005.