Frightmares


Frightmares Attractions (2018)
Nightmare Midway -
Malevolent Mansion -
Frightening Frisco -
Nightwalk -
Fun House of Fear -
Pioneer Village Scare Zone -
Spook-A-Boo Walk-Thru -
Scary & Crow's Straw Maze -
Treat Street -
Live Entertainment
Séance -
Mariner -
Hackenslash -
Windy - The Witch (wandering) -

Frightmares is a "haunted" seasonal even held at Lagoon in the fall.

Event Details

Frightmares is the name of Lagoon's Halloween event that occurs at the end of the park's operating season. This event lasts for about 5 weeks and includes haunted houses, live entertainment, a couple of children's attractions, ghouls wandering the midway, and the usual lineup of rides. On top of that, Lagoon dresses up the park with plenty of decorations, has haunting music, and places fog machines throughout the park. The transformation from the normal Lagoon midway to the Frightmares midway is something to behold and enjoy.

Haunted houses

The main focus of Frightmares is, of course, the haunted houses. Every year, Lagoon converts some of their pavilions and terraces into haunted houses. Most of these houses can be found next to Air Race and behind The Bat. Lagoon also converts the Pioneer Pavilion in Pioneer Village into a haunted house. Additionally, Lagoon converts the north end of Pioneer Village into the Pioneer Village Scare Zone. Below is a list of the houses complete with descriptions and pictures.

Nightmare Midway

New for 2018: The Nightmare Midway! Those who have been going to Frightmares for some time now may remember the name. Nightmare Midway was the name of the original haunted located in the Davis Pavilion. Interestingly enough, the entrance to this Nightmare Midway uses the exact same entrance location as the original with a much different facade. It is unlcear if this is a reimaging of the old Nightmare Midway or just recycling of a previously used name. We will know the difference once Frightmares opens up for the 2018 season.

Malevolent Mansion

Malevolent Mansion debuted in 2017, and is returning for another year. The theme of this house is a large mansion that you get to tour with a bunch of malevolent spirits on the inside. Malevolent Mansion is located in the Oak Terrace right behind The Bat.

Frightening Frisco

Frightening Frisco is Lagoon's only haunted house based on a real ghost town in Utah name Frisco. According to Lagoon's website, something sinister has taken ahold of this ghost town. Beware the lingering evil of Frisco, where the outlaws have taken control! The house is located in the Pioneer Pavilion next to Rattlesnake Rapids.

Nightwalk

Nightwalk is considered one of the scariest haunted houses Lagoon has ever created, and it is a favorite of many park guests. Nightwalk usually has the longest lines of the five haunted houses. Located in the Maple Terrace next to BomBora, Nightwalk is the place for all the vampires and demons Lagoon has to offer.

Fun House of Fear

The Fun House of Fear is the longest running haunted house at Lagoon and has become a common part Frightmares. It was created when Lagoon took the original Nightmare Midway and cut it in half creating a second haunted house in the Davis Pavilion. The Fun House of Fear has been in the same location since its creation. It is also the only haunted house that used 3D paint, and guests are given 3D glasses upon entering to use while enjoying the house.

Pioneer Village Scare Zone

Lagoon converts the north end of Pioneer Village into the Pioneer Village Scare Zone. The Scare Zone is mix of an outdoor, indoor, and pioneer village haunt. One big benefit of the Scare Zone is the lack of a line. Guests can enter the zone without waiting and check out the decorated Pioneer Village while dealing with the ghosts and ghouls wandering about.

Time Warp Fast Pass

The lines for the haunted houses can be long and slow moving during Frightmares. For those who are willing to pay extra, Lagoon offers the Time Warp Fast Pass that allows pass holders to skip the lines to the haunted houses. It costs $17 to buy a Time Warp pass or $16 for those with season passes. Guests can purchase a pass at the Time Warp booth located between the Nightmare Midway and Malevolent Mansion, at Guest Services, or any one of the Lagoon merchandise shops.

Children's Attractions

Lagoon offers plenty of Frightmares attractions for the kids, and it has grown to include three walk-thrus this year. The height limit for participants in these attractions is 54". Parents or other guardians are permitted to take kids through the attraction.

Spook-A-Boo is the oldest-running Frightmares attraction at Lagoon and has been a part of the celebration since 1996. Spook-A-Boo replaces the children's bumper cars during Frightmares. It contains a variety of characters and rooms for kids to explore.

New for 2018: Treat Street. This non-scary trick-or-treat trail contains the spirits of some of Lagoon's rides brought to life by the magic of Frightmares. Treat Street is located on the path that connects Kiddieland and Pioneer Village.

Scary & Crow's Straw Maze, located in Pioneer Village, is the final children's walk-thru. This straw maze was originally located in Kiddieland near Spook-A-Boo, but was discontinued after Lagoon added Dinosaur Drop and Ladybug Bop to their ride lineup. After some years, Lagoon brought back the straw maze and placed it on the south side of Main Street in Pioneer Village. Much like Spook-A-Boo, this maze is inhabited by a handful of friendly chracters for the kids to meet.

Entertainment

Returning for the 2018 season is the interactive performance of Séance. It appears this show is here to stay for the foreseeable future because Lagoon added a new entrance building around the door that was used during the 2017 season. This new building includes a new ticket window for purchasing tickets to the show. Due to the limited seating of each show, guests who wish to participate are encouraged to purchase tickets early.

Even though the area around Séance was expanded, Lagoon is still running two stage shows this year. One in the Carousel Theatre and the other on what used to be called the Monster Stage. The new stage has been built over the Bamberger Fountain for the 2018 season. It is unclear if this new stage uses the same name as the stage previously put in front of Game Time during Frightmares or if Lagoon will begin using a new name for it. Lagoon's website doesn't indicate the name on their Entertainment page. They simply list the show there as being East of Space Scrambler.

Lagoon's new show for 2018 is Mariner, based off the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner comes to life with giant puppets, dazzling lighting and a fully orchestrated soundtrack. Watch as the Mariner battles the living dead on a sinking ship in an attempt to save his homeland from a curse that he has brought into the world.

Hackenslash is returning for another year and performing on the new stage location at Bamberger Fountain.

HACKENSLASH! Everyone’s favorite troupe of misfits is back at it again with their wild antics and high jinks!! Get ready to yell, scream, and party! This outlandish bunch of characters brings an adrenaline surge that no other stage show can match. And did we mention… CHAINSAWS!?!

For the younger kids, Windy the Witch and her friends can be found at the entrance to Lagoon-A-Beach where they share stories of magic and adventure.

Spider Rating

Lagoon uses a spider rating to indicate how scary an attraction or entertainment show is during Frightmares. The more spiders an attraction receives, the scarier it is. The current spider rating is as follows:

Not scary at all:
A little bit scary:
Could be too scary for kids:
Definitely too scary for kids:
Absolutely too scary for kids:

History

In 1995, Lagoon introduced park guests to "the dark side of Lagoon" with the introduction of Frightmares, their yearly end of the season Halloween event. During its first year, Frightmares featured just one haunted house, the Nightmare Midway, which was designed by Drew Hunter, aka Dr. Blood and President of Vorta, a company that specialized in Halloween and haunt design. The original Nightmare Midway was a wonderful haunt with the theme of a demented traveling carnival featuring oddities such as a fat lady, a funeral fun house, and a knife thrower, as well as carnival games that participants could play. The Nightmare Midway was placed in the Davis Pavilion, which still houses two of Lagoon's haunted attractions today. A large carnival-like faÃ§ade was placed over the front of the pavilion, which served as the entrance and exit to the haunted house.

In addition to the Nightmare Midway, Lagoon also transformed the Speedway Sr. Ride, now removed, into the Utah Troll Road. The troll road featured ride operators in troll costumes operating the ride as well as scaring participants as they drove their car around the Speedway track. The Carousel Theatre was also transformed into an attraction as well featuring periodic live Halloween music as well as spooky story telling for the kids. After the stories, kids could follow a "pied piper" character around the area to go trick-or-treating. Finally, Lagoon featured a parade of ghouls and zombies that walked around the park interacting and entertaining guests, but at the same time being careful not to scare little kids. To help add to the transformation of the Halloween haunt, Lagoon also created a "Legend of Frightmares" story that was printed in the flyer given to guests as they entered the park. Sadly, no copies of the Legend of Frightmares have surfaced on the internet that we are aware of.