Thrills and Chills: The Cry of the Banshee

Welcome to the start of a new weekly post!

Pause for applause…

Part of the reason I find myself drawn to horror movies is because I enjoy the thrill of being terrified. There’s nothing like the rush of a good scare to make you feel alive again. As such, I often find myself venturing outside the realm of horror movies and diving into the land of theme parks and roller coasters to find those scares.

Whether it’s a haunted house attraction or a thousand pounds of twisted steel hurtling you along at breakneck speeds, theme parks provide a brush with terror that can only be described as euphoric. And I can’t believe that I’m the only horror fan who seeks out a good scare in the real world, so I’m going to write a weekly post about theme parks and roller coasters so we can all get together and share our love for thrills and chills.

Making its foray into the world of roller coasters this week was a brand new ride dubbed “The Banshee” at Kings Island, Ohio. This thing is a remarkable sight to behold (I recommend you look at some of the aerial photos just so you can grasp how massive a construct it is).

One of the big selling points for the ride is that it’s the world’s longest inverted roller coaster, featuring 7 inversions over 4,000 feet of track.  If you don’t know, an inversion is where you find yourself upside down during a ride and the contents of your stomach are knocking at the back of your throat. However, it doesn’t hold the record for number of inversions. That title is held by Alton Towers Resort’s “The Smiler” which features over 14. It makes me want to vomit just thinking about it.

Check out this awesome POV video of The Banshee below. That first drop really takes your breath away.

Also, since this is the first week, let’s keep the discussion simple.  If you’re excited to ride “The Banshee,” let us know.  If you’re not, why not tell me about your favorite theme park?