Thrills and Chills- Horror Movie Roller Coasters

In this weeks edition of “Thrills and Chills” we blur the lines between fantasy and reality as we take a look at a few famous roller coasters that got a gorey make-over for their big screen debut.  Journey on as we look at the scenes they were used in and then compare them to what they actually look like.

“Final Destination 3″ was one of the more well-received films in the “Final Destination” franchise.  Critically, it earned a few glowing reviews and managed to do very well at the box office.  Personally, it’s also one of my favorite entries in the series because of the awesome roller coaster disaster that kicks off the film’s story.

The scene played to all the crazy fears I have about riding in a twisting coaster.  What if my harness comes loose? What if the cart jumps the track? What happens if I come flying out?  Roller coasters are incredibly safe, but in the back of my mind, I tend to count all the ways it could go wrong rather than all the things that make it safe.

Part of what made that scene so intense, though, was that it used an actual roller coaster as the basis for the scene.  Of course they used CGI and set pieces to enhance the experience, but if you wanted to ride the coaster used in “Final Destination 3″ you could do that today.  The name of the ride is “Corkscrew” and it’s located in Vancouver at the Playland.  Check out a POV of the actual ride (filmed by the folks at Theme Park Review) down below and then look at its appearance in “Final Destination 3.”

The next roller coaster comes from a movie that I have less affection for, but it has a fantastically absurd roller coaster scene.  In the remake of “The House on Haunted Hill”, Steven Price runs a theme park with the latest and scariest rides.  The ride featured in the film is so far removed from reality, that it would be impossible to replicate in real life.

However, the filmmakers did use an actual ride as the basis for it.  It doesn’t have the crazy thrills of the one featured in the movie, but it’s still pretty intense.  Check out the scene from “House on Haunted Hill” below and then a POV of “The Incredible Hulk” at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Oh, there’s one more bonus story this week.  If you love the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and would love the opportunity to perform in a production of it, Universal Orlando is currently casting for a live tribute show that’ll be performed during their annual Halloween Horror Nights event.  Check the link for more details.