Midsummer Scream played host for *deep breath* Six Flags Magic Mountain Fight Fest Extreme presented by Snickers.
This year – it’s Extreme; which involves making it an exclusive after-hours event with seperate admission, as opposed to the traditional wristbands of years past. This brings it in line with all the other events, making it less confusing for first-time guests. 
Before the presentation kicked off, Billy was circling the audience… Totally not creepy at all…
Something that Six Flags has leaned into in recent years has been utilizing IPs. Last year, they debuted a Saw maze, which was brought back for their beloved Scream Break event. 
This time, Stranger Things joins the line-up at Six Flags. They brought up how it’s not based on specific episodes, but rather an expansion of the story – something unique that builds on the lore rather than recreating it. 
Army of the Dead, another Netflix production, will also be featured. This replaces Aftermath, indicating that the maze no longer exists.
The Conjuring Universe is the next big franchise. We were promised plenty of scary nuns, so it’s not just about dolls. All eight films will be represented.
Saw is an intriguing maze. If you’re a fan of the series, your favorite film may differ from others’, making it hard to determine which traps to represent. However, there are common themes throughout.
These mazes will be returning as usual. Six Flags likes to stick to what works, allowing them to focus on the new mazes; and the park’s huge footprint accommodates everything.
And these are the scare zones returning….
While Aftermath is gone, it’s getting a new lease on life in a new location, titled Aftermath: Nocturnal Hunt. That brings the maze count up to 11, which is more than any other professional haunt. That should hopefully keep guests busy without letting lines become too backed up. 
There are 3 new scare zones. Underworlds of Oz, Plaza de la Muerte, and Grimmlore Ridge.
The final maze revealed was Michael Dougherty’s baby, Trick ‘r Treat. He came on stage to break it all down. He had an infectious enthusiasm and made sure to obtain the screen-used Sam costume for the commercial. He volunteered to assist in the maze at all three locations where it will appear.
The idea this time around is that we’ll finally get to see where Sam lives, which is essentially an angsty teenager’s room inside a giant pumpkin. This builds on their pledge to expand the stories and not simply reproduce them.
It remains to be seen if they’ve bitten off more than they can chew for this year, but we’re always happy to see the effort put into it. They also made sure to point out that Magic Mountain in Valencia and Great Adventure in New Jersey are the two flagship parks for Fright Fest, and that slowly over the next years these changes will roll out to the rest. They’re in this for the long haul.
Fright Fest runs select nights beginning September 19th through November 3rd. Tickets are available at https://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain/events/fright-fest-2024.
