Fright Nights

Last updated

Fright Nights
Warner Bros. Movie World Halloween Fright Nights Logo.jpg
Genre Halloween
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s) Warner Bros. Movie World
27°54′26.17″S153°18′45.54″E / 27.9072694°S 153.3126500°E / -27.9072694; 153.3126500
Inaugurated2006
Website Official website

Fright Nights (previously Halloween Family Fun Nights and Halloween Fright Nights) is a seasonal Halloween event held at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. [1] The event began in 2006 as Halloween Family Fun Night as a single night event and has since evolved into a major park event across a month. [2] [3] It features themed mazes, shows and rides. Fright Nights (formerly Fright Nites) also refers to the Halloween special event at Thorpe Park in Chertsey, Surrey, England, which opened in 2002. [4]

Contents

History

Fellow Gold Coast theme park, Dreamworld was the first to hold a Halloween themed night event. This event occurred once in April 2004, rather than October when Halloween actually takes place. [5] This event has never been held since.

In 2006, Warner Bros. Movie World picked up on the idea and decided to run a single Halloween Family Fun Night held on 31 October with a Scooby-Doo theme. Due to the event being sold out, the park extended the event to become a 3-night event. [6] [7]

This format remained until 2009 when Movie World decided to re-theme the event to target an older audience. The park advertised "extreme experiences at this event not suitable for children". [3] In 2010, Warner Bros. Movie World worked with Sudden Impact Entertainment and Lynton V. Harris to produce mazes based upon the Nightmare on Elm Street and Saw franchises. [8] Sudden Impact also created the Psycho maze. On 20 September 2010, it was announced that "Freddy's Nightmare Maze will be in Show Stage, the Saw Maze will be in a custom built area behind the Wild West Falls area and the Psycho 3D Maze will be in the Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster foyer/entrance". [9] The SAW maze was originally due to be built in a sound stage, however, this was booked and a custom built space was built as a replacement. [10]

Just after the conclusion of the 2010 event, it was announced that the event would return in 2011. [11] In the middle of August 2011, Warner Bros. Movie World began to announce mazes for the 2011 event. On 1 September 2011, full details for the 2011 event were released with the event's name changing to Fright Nights. The Saw and Psycho 3D mazes from 2010 will return alongside the new Zombie Apocalypse Maze (to be located in the adjacent Studio complex) and the new Arkham Asylum Maze (to be located in the show stage). [12] [13] [14] [15]

In 2012, the event returned with new mazes and a collection of live shows. [16] The Psycho 3D Maze, the Les Damned de Burlesque show, and the Club Blood bar all returned. New mazes included The Film Vault, The Walking Dead Maze, and Hillbilly Slasher. New shows included the Creatures of Rock, Death Derby, and Thriller Dance. [17] [18]

Fright Nights will return in 2013. It is scheduled to run on seven nights in October. [19] An attraction list has been announced with a new slew of mazes and shows. Returning is Club Blood but everything else is new with two new shows, Carnevil, and Space Cowboy being the two shows for this year. Four mazes, Hillbilly Slasher 2, The Darkness, a completely revisioned The Walking Dead maze, and Evil Dead maze. All rides were open on the night except for Justice League: Alien Invasion.

One of the most popular additions to the Fright Nights line up was the Ultimate Terror Tour, a VIP behind the scenes experience / tour which occurred at an additional cost during each night of the event season. [20] Each year, a new array of Terror Hosts would escort guests, with crowd favorite original characters such as Toxic, Seymour Graves, and Legendary Lee often returning.

Attraction history

The following table contains a list of the scare zones and shows since the event was established in 2006. [21]

YearNameSloganMazesShowsRidesPrecinctsPanic RoomsOther
12006Halloween Family Fun NightFright ZoneAll rides
22007Halloween Family Fun NightsIt's baaack...Fright Zone Looney Tunes Halloween Show
3 other shows
All rides
32008Halloween Family Fun NightsArkham Asylum
Fright Zone
Scary Maze
Zombie Laser Hunt
Batman Show
Repeat Offender concert
All rides
42009Halloween Fright NightsThis time it's not so funny.Bedlam Manor
Dragon Alley
Fun House
Zombie Kill Zone
Bloody Freestyle MotoX
Les Damned de Burlesque
Nightmare House
69pm
Batwing Spaceshot
Lethal Weapon
Superman Escape
Wild West Falls
611pm
All other rides except Kids WB Fun Zone
52010Halloween Fright NightsOh yes... there will be blood.Freddy's Nightmare Maze
Psycho 3D maze
Saw Maze
Live Freak Show
The Offering
Zombie Motor Cross Live Show
69pm
Batwing Spaceshot
Lethal Weapon
Superman Escape
Wild West Falls
611pm
All other rides except Kids WB Fun Zone
62011Fright NightsYou won't come back the same.Arkham Asylum Maze
Psycho 3D maze
Saw Maze
Zombie Apocalypse Maze
Circus of the Damned
Les Damned de Burlesque
Saw Short Film
69pm
Batwing Spaceshot
Lethal Weapon
Superman Escape
611pm
Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster
Club Blood
72012Fright NightsCan you survive the night?The Film Vault
Hillbilly Slasher
Psycho 3D Maze
The Walking Dead Maze
Creatures of Rock
Death Derby
Les Damned de Burlesque (Vampire Burlesque)
Thriller Dance
69pm
Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy
Batwing Spaceshot
Green Lantern Coaster
Justice League: Alien Invasion 3D
Superman Escape
610:30pm
Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster
Club Blood
82013Fright NightsMovie World's Dark SideWalking Dead Maze
Hillbilly Slasher 2 Maze
Evil Dead Maze
The Darkness Maze
Carnevil
Space Cowboy
69pm
Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy
Batwing Spaceshot
Green Lantern Coaster
Superman Escape
610:30pm
Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster
Club Blood
92014Fright NightsLive The TerrorCannibal Clowns Maze
The Evil Within Maze
The Ripper Maze
Wolf Creek 2 Maze
Hollywood Stunt Driver 2 69pm
Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy
Batwing Spaceshot
Green Lantern Coaster
Superman Escape
610:30pm
Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster
102015Fright NightsLive The TerrorFriday the 13th Maze
Wyrmwood Maze
Evil Within Maze
Wolf Creek 2 Maze
Reel Horror Film Competition
Friday the 13th in 4D
69pm
Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy
Batwing Spaceshot
Superman Escape
610:30pm
Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster
112016Fright NightsThis time you're not welcome. From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series Maze
The Conjuring 2 Maze
Friday the 13th (franchise) Maze
Wyrmwood Maze
Rise of The Dead

Freak Show

69pm
Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy
Batwing Spaceshot
Superman Escape
610:00pm
Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster
122017Fright NightsIf you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series Maze
The Conjuring 2 Maze
Jigsaw Maze
Halloween Maze
Freak Show69pm
Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy
Batwing Spaceshot
Superman Escape
DC Rivals HyperCoaster
610:00pm
Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster
132018Fright NightsChaos returns Leatherface Maze
House of Kain Maze
Jigsaw Maze
Halloween Maze
The Peeler VR Experience610pm
Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy
Batwing Spaceshot
Superman Escape
DC Rivals HyperCoaster
Bloodwood Precinct
The Possessed Precinct
Sci Fear Precinct
Dark Room Panic Room
Quarantine Panic Room
Junkyard Dog Panic Room
The Crypt Panic Room
142019Fright NightsWill you survive the five? It Maze
Leatherface Maze
Zombieland: Double Tap Maze
House of Kain Maze
Doll Haus Maze
A Grave Death Experience [22] 610pm
Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy
Batwing Spaceshot
Superman Escape
Green Lantern Coaster
DC Rivals HyperCoaster
Doomsday Destroyer
Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster: Next Generation
Hell Born Precinct
Nightmares Precinct
Baby Faced Killers Precinct
Dead West Precinct
Dark Room Panic Room
Quarantine Panic Room
Satan's Coven Panic Room
Fallout Shelter Panic Room
2020Cancelled due to delays and restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021
152022Evil Returns It Maze
Zombieland: Double Tap Maze
Doll Haus Maze
Death Row Maze
The Conjuring Universe Maze
162023No Hope. Just SurvivalDeath Row Maze
The Conjuring Universe Maze
Circurse Maze
DCeased Maze
Hellship Maze

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorpe Park</span> British theme park

    Thorpe Park Resort, commonly known as Thorpe Park, is a theme park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England, 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Central London. It is operated by Merlin Entertainments and includes rides, themed cabins, live events and Stealth, the United Kingdom's fastest rollercoaster. In 2019 Thorpe park was the UK's third most visited theme park, behind Alton Towers and Legoland Windsor. However, in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the park only had a 125-day operation season, along with limited capacity, leading to massively reduced visitor numbers.

    Shrek 4-D is a computer-animated 4D film based on the Shrek franchise created by DreamWorks Animation, itself based on the book by William Steig. It also is a 4D simulator ride attraction with motion-based effects and water sprayers located at various theme parks around the world. It is currently shown at Universal Destinations & Experiences in Japan, Singapore, and previously in Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood, where it closed on August 14, 2017, in Hollywood to make way for the DreamWorks Theatre attraction while the one in Orlando closed on January 10, 2022 and was replaced by Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast. Outside the Universal parks, the movie was shown at Movie Park Germany in Germany from May 2008 until July 2011, and Warner Bros. Movie World in Australia from September 2005 until August 2010. A spin-off attraction titled Donkey's Photo Finish is located at the Florida venue while Meet Shrek and Donkey is located at the Hollywood venue. In Universal Studios Japan, the attraction is shown in the same theater as Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic, with the Shrek 4-D film shown for the first 12 hours of the day, and the Sesame Street film shown for the next 12 hours of the day.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Movie World</span> Theme park in Queensland, Australia

    Warner Bros. Movie World is a theme park on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Owned and operated by Village Roadshow Theme Parks, the park opened on 3 June 1991. It is part of a 154-hectare (380.5-acre) entertainment precinct, with the adjacent Village Roadshow Studios and nearby Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast, among other sites operated by Village Roadshow. Movie World is Australia's only film-related theme park and the oldest of the Warner Bros. parks worldwide. As of 2016, it receives a yearly average of 1.4 million visitors.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast</span> Water park on the Gold Coast, Australia

    Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast is a water park situated in Oxenford, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, owned and operated by Village Roadshow Theme Parks. In 2019, the park received 1,120,000 visitors making it the most visited water park in Australia and the 19th most visited water park in the world. Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast is located adjacent to Warner Bros. Movie World, a movie-related park also owned by Village Roadshow Theme Parks. The park remains open all year with all of the pools and slides heated during the winter months. It is one of several water parks operating under the Wet'n'Wild brand globally.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Haunted attraction (simulated)</span> Horror-themed recreational venue

    A haunted attraction is a form of live entertainment that simulates visiting haunted locations or experiencing horror scenarios. They usually feature fearsome sets and characters, especially demons, ghosts, skeletons, zombies, monsters, possessed people, witches, serial killers, and slashers. Humorous characters may also be included.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkham Asylum – Shock Therapy</span> Roller coaster in Queensland, Australia

    Arkham Asylum – Shock Therapy was a Vekoma SLC roller coaster located at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. When the ride was introduced in 1995, it was themed to the Lethal Weapon film series created by Shane Black and was named Lethal Weapon – The Ride. In 2012, the ride was rethemed to Batman: Arkham Asylum and renamed Arkham Asylum. The ride was the first steel inverted roller coaster at an Australian theme park.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Kids' WB Fun Zone</span> Themed attraction

    Kids' WB Fun Zone is a themed attraction in Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia based on the Looney Tunes cartoons. The attraction was originally named Looney Tunes Village and was renamed in late 2007 when two new rides were added. At the same time, the Australian Kids' WB TV show began filming at the theme park.

    Looney Tunes River Ride was a dark boat ride at the amusement park Warner Bros. Movie World at Gold Coast, Australia. The ride was unveiled on 3 June 1991, the same time as the park, and was closed on 1 February 2011 to make way for the Junior Driving School.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Flags Fright Fest</span> Annual Halloween-oriented haunt event

    Fright Fest is a Halloween-oriented haunt event held annually at Six Flags theme parks in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It mainly features haunted attractions, themed areas named Scare Zones, and live entertainment.

    Fright Night is a 1985 horror film.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Village Roadshow Studios</span> Film studios located in Oxenford, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

    Village Roadshow Studios are a set of film studios located in Oxenford, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The studios are owned by Village Roadshow and consist of nine sound stages as well as a range of other production facilities. The studio commenced in June 1991 and is one of three film studios in Australia, the others being Disney Studios Australia in Sydney and Docklands Studios Melbourne.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Halloween Haunt (Canada's Wonderland)</span> Halloween event at Canadas Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

    Halloween Haunt, previously known as "Fearfest", is a Halloween event at Canada's Wonderland located in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It runs after the park's regular operating hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings in October until the end of October or early November – up to, and recently in the 2019 season, NOT including Halloween night. It is Canada's largest haunted theme park featuring over 300 monsters, nine walk-through "maze" attractions, six uniquely themed atmospheric scare areas, and three live shows. During its operation, the grounds are transformed via decorative props, thematic music, eerie lighting to further create its scary atmosphere.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Stunt Driver</span> Stunt show at Warner Bros. Movie World

    Hollywood Stunt Driver is a stunt show at Warner Bros. Movie World, which originally opened on 26 December 2008. A sequel to the show, titled Hollywood Stunt Driver 2 made its debut in February 2014.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Road Runner Rollercoaster</span>

    The Road Runner Roller Coaster is a Vekoma Junior Coaster which opened on 26 December 2000 at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Australia. The 335-metre (1,099 ft) ride features an incline of 13 metres (43 ft) and reaches a top speed of 45.9 km/h (28.5 mph). The ride has a height restriction of 100 centimetres (39 in). It is themed to Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Bermuda Triangle (Sea World)</span> Defunct flume ride in Australia

    The Bermuda Triangle was a themed indoor water ride at the Sea World theme park on the Gold Coast, Australia. In 2013, the ride was replaced by Storm Coaster, a Mack Rides water coaster.

    <i>Universals Halloween Horror Nights</i> Annual Halloween event at Universal Studios theme parks

    Universal's Halloween Horror Nights is an annual Halloween-themed event at Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando, Hollywood, Japan and Singapore. The longest-running & most successful iteration of the event, in Orlando, Florida, began as Universal Studios Fright Nights in 1991 as a 3-night event at Universal Studios Florida. The following year, it was re-branded as Halloween Horror Nights, advertised as the "second annual event". Since then, it has evolved into a scare-a-thon event filled with themed haunted houses, scare zones & shows that runs over the course of select nights from early September until late October/early November, inspiring offshoots at other Universal Studios locations across the globe.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">The Flash: Speed Force</span> Roller coaster in Australia

    The Flash: Speed Force is an upcoming steel shuttle roller coaster at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. It is an Intamin Half Pipe roller coaster themed to the DC Comics superhero the Flash that is set to open in April 2024. The ride originally opened as Surfrider at the nearby Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast, where it operated from September 2007 until 2020, before being removed in April 2023.

    <i>White Christmas</i> (Warner Bros. Movie World)

    Warner's Christmas Celebration is an annual night-time Christmas event which is held at Warner Bros. Movie World across selected nights in December.

    References

    1. Warner Bros. Movie World. "Halloween Fright Nights at Warner Bros. Movie World". MyFun. Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
    2. Messenger, Jordan. "Movie World "Fright Nights" – A history". GCGuy.net. Archived from the original on 20 October 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
    3. 1 2 Warner Bros. Movie World (2009). Halloween Fright Nights Brochure.
    4. "Fright Nights Halloween Event | Thorpe Park Resort". Thorpe Park. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
    5. Parkz Members (2004). "Fright Night". Parkz. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
    6. Jamberoo Fan (26 October 2006). "Halloween at Warner Bros. Movie World". Parkz. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
    7. ParkFan-Germany. "Halloween at Warner Bros. Movie World" . Retrieved 5 July 2010.
    8. Lewis, Maria (23 September 2010). "Ghosts, ghouls, spectres". Gold Coast Bulletin.
    9. "Warner Bros. Movie World - Gold Coast, Australia". Facebook. 20 September 2010. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2010. Alt URL
    10. Messenger, Jordan (5 November 2010). "Lynton V Harris "Fright Night" Interview". Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
    11. Movie World Fright Nights (5 November 2010). "Movie World Fright Nights's Photos - Profile pictures". Photo. Facebook. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
    12. Warner Bros. Movie World (17 August 2011). "This year, a new". Facebook. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
    13. Warner Bros. Movie World (16 August 2011). ""Why so serious?"..." Facebook. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
    14. Warner Bros. Movie World (1 September 2011). "Fright Nights". MyFunFright Nights at Warner Bros. Movie World. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
    15. Warner Bros. Movie World (1 September 2011). "Movie World's Freaky Fright Nights are Back!". Press Release. MyFun. Archived from the original on 15 September 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
    16. "Movie World Fright Nights". MyFun. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
    17. Warner Bros. Movie World. "The Walking Dead". MyFun. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
    18. Warner Bros. Movie World. "Thriller Dance". MyFun. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
    19. "Overview". Warner Bros. Movie World. 2013. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
    20. frightnights.com.au https://frightnights.com.au/attractions/ultimate-terror-tour-platinum . Retrieved 5 April 2021.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
    21. Wilson, Richard. "Halloween hits Movie World". Roller-Coaster.com.au. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
    22. Movie World's latest attraction is the stuff of nightmares , retrieved 5 April 2021