By Sebastian Moronta Blanco, Staff Writer
This coming weekend, the Resident Student Association will be sponsoring a trip to Six Flags New England for their annual Fright Fest park event.
Each year, for several weekends around Halloween time, Six Flags New England converts the park into a veritable collection of horrors that visitors can explore both throughout the day and long into the night.
The park unveils new Halloween-themed attractions and experiences, along with decorating the remaining rides and attractions to match the season.
During the day, the attractions that are available tend to be the more kid-friendly rides and halls, including a musical “Graveyard Groove” that sees monsters singing and dancing.
The daytime also offers another family-oriented show, and a candy trail for younger park visitors
Some of the existing rides get a makeover for Fright Fest, including the tea cups transforming into the “Terror Twist”, the bumper cars becoming “Rage in The Cage”, and the exciting zombie coaster experience with their signature “LightmosFEAR”.
However, the attractions truly worth of their ticket price don’t appear until after dark, bringing in a more adult feel and a higher fright level.
According to the Six Flags website, “Every evening, the park transforms into a fright-filled terror park with haunted attractions, frightening shows, and spine-chilling thrill rides.”
The attractions range in size and scale, offering plenty of fear and fright to fill up an evening.
A few of them are merely visual with little interaction, such as the main street that is adorned with crypts, graves, and tombstones lining the sidewalk.
The park even provides an abandoned warehouse district with a chilling secret and a haunted section of woods to explore, as well as several shows and presentations to attend throughout the night.
Firstly, one of this season’s new productions is a show presented by Daniel Greenwolf, a Celtic magician who combines Celtic storytelling with illusions, stunts, and a fire demonstration.
Next, the Calvacade of the Odd gathers to perform feats of “danger and disgust” to thrill audiences.
Hear from Morty the Used Coffin salesmen as he sells visitors on his moonlight madness sale, and see a witch’s trial and punishment carried out, if you have the stomach for it.
Park legend talks of two brothers, the Bandit Brothers, and their wrongful execution at the hands of the townspeople, and some say the brothers return each Halloween to exact their revenge in a spooky display.
Some of the more interactive attractions include missions and experiences throughout the park.
There is a zombie hunt, a party at a mansion whose master was murdered, and a tour through a mad scientist’s laboratory.
In case you weren’t already terrified enough of clowns (what with the recent clown sightings), Fright Fest offers a 3D “Slasher Circus” where sinister killer clowns hunt you as you explore the Big Top filled with terrifying effects and visuals.
Throughout the entire day and night, monsters, ghosts, ghouls, and more roam the park and walk among the visitors, gathering in the square when Mayor Slayer returns in the evening to celebrate the beginning of each fright night, calling upon demons and all sorts of wicked creatures.
The RSA sponsored trip takes UMass Dartmouth students to the park this coming Saturday, but the park will be hosting Fright Fest until the end of October each weekend.
The trip is now sold out, but day passes for Fright Fest are available at a discounted price online at $45.99.
For more information on the park and ticket prices, visit https://www.sixflags.com/newengland.
However, to find the latest SAIL events and general trips offered at UMass Dartmouth, look no further than their website.