Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest is now open for 2025 on Select Nights, September 19 – November 2, 2025. With a massive collection of 3 separate spooky shows, 8 different haunted mazes, and a whopping 9 scare zones, there is more than enough for any Halloween and thrill junkie to feast on. But is it good? We can safely report that Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain has been greatly improved.
After news of the Cedar Fair and Six Flags hit in July of 2024, the future of both Knott’s Scary Farm and Fright Fest became unnervingly opaque. Knott’s Scary Farm Fans fans everywhere only felt slightly better about the future, however Fright Fest was less promising. As ambitious as their 2024 line up was with the likes of The Conjuring, Trick ‘R Treat, Saw, and Stranger Things, the emphasis seemed to be more on quantity than quality.We are thrilled to report that has changed.
While the offerings are still copious, overall quality has noticeably improved to offer a Fright Fest that has never looked better.
Here we will share our experience and observations along with tips on how to attend and what things are a DO NOT MISS
How it works
Unlike other theme park haunts in southern California, Six Flags Magic Mountain stays open all day, transitioning from normal day operations to Fright Fest at 7pm without closing. This means that you can buy park admission and stay all day, then hang out to enjoy the Halloween shows and scare zones. If you are brave enough to explore the 8 mazes, you need to purchase that upgrade.
Shows
There are three shows offered for Fright Fest.
Unleashed
Unleashed is a kick off ceremony show that starts at 7pm in the DC Universe area of the park. Now centralized on a stage, this is the launch moment for the scares that includes a host of fiendish monsters who are eager to run amok. If you are interested in seeing this moment, we suggest getting to the area 30 minutes prior to show time as it fills up quickly.
Margo Rita’s Monster Ball – DO NOT MISS
After making her mark during the park’s wonderful SCREAM BREAK events, the wonderful Margo Rita finally has her own show. Margo Rita’s Monster Ball is a Halloween send up of The Voice and Drag Race featuring Margo and her best frenimie Tequila Sunrise. Three monsters compete to be the winner of the Monster Ball by singing their signature song.
Dismissing the minor sound issues that the show experienced when we saw it, we have to say we really loved this wildly colorful, campy show a lot. Margo and Tequila are a hilarious duo that play off of one another nicely. My one note is that the moments between the songs need to be tightened. That said, the lighting, costumes, dancers, and overall show is exactly the type of energy that Fright Fest needs. Irreverent, silly, colorful, and Campy. They need to bring this show to Out on the Mountain.
Show times vary, but try to catch this fun littls show that is near the Full Throttle entrance.
Sliders of the Night
Sliders. YOu know what they are, right? They are the monsters that run and slide right in front of you, in a burst of noise and sparks. They are terrifying but it takes a massive amount of talent to pull it off. If you really want to observe, admire, and even cheer for these skilled stunt performers, catch the Sliders of the Night show in the City Under Siege Scare Zone. It’s the same spot where Unleashed happens.
Underworlds of Oz
At the far end of the park, on the way to Twisted Colossus and SCREAM is the wonderful scare zone Underworlds of Oz. Imagine a Steampunk industrial nightmare fused with Frank Baum’s classic story and there you have it. The mood is creepy, the monsters are entertaining, and hey, radioactive munchkins.
NEW! Thunderbolt Alley
The new Thunderbolt Alley is a good idea that needs some work. Located at the back for the park near the West Coast Racers and Apocalypse coasters is this 1950’s-inspired zombie nightmare. Beloved Loraine Luraine has landed here for 2025 and she is, of course a stand out. I would even say that the other cast members here are phenomenal too. The problem is that, aside from the costumes, make up, and the characters (which are great,) we aren’t sure what this is supposed to be.
Regardless, if you find yourself in the back corner of Fright Fest, go meet with these colorful characters.
CarnivHELL
A breezy walkthrough located in the dormant kids area of the park is CarnivHELL. A trail of devious carnival set pieces and mutant entertainers cloaked in fog awaits. Wonderful performers here.
Devil’s Triangle
The Devil’s Triangle is the one scare zone that you literally cannot miss. Located at the entrance of the park, this deep-sea nightmare features maritime monsters and scary sliders that set the tone for the night.
Exile Hill
Located at the peak of the titular Magic Mountain is the classic scare zone, Exile Hill. shrouded in fog and crawling with creeps, this once vibrant spot seems, well, dead. No question, the performers give it all they have but with only two reasons to climb to the top of the hill (the Willoughby’s Maze and Ninja,) things felt calm on our visit.
Grimmlore Ridge – DO NOT MISS
In a major improvement, Grimmlore ridge returns with improved lighting and an energetic cast. Here birdlike creatures taunt and interact with guests. Say what you will about their diet, but these creatures were more than happy to share their harvest of carcasses with us. It was a tough choice but we declined.
Plaza De La Muerte –DO NOT MISS
Another improved experience is the DIa De Los Muertos inspired, Plaza De La Muerte. Take a moment to really admire the lovely make up and costumes in this section.
NEW! Nightmares: Reign of Blood
Nightmares is back, sort of. We have now fallen down the rabbit hole and have landed in a twisted version of Alice in Wonderland. The new sets really add visual pop to the blacklit area while the talent still seems to be looking, admirably, for their footing. Still, it’s one of those sections of the event that you just kind of want to hang out in for a bit.
Mazes
Across the board, Six Flags has improved each and every maze this year. From the classic Willoughby’s to the new Carnage, effects have been fixed, sound cues have been refined, and it even feels like the talent has gotten at least a little direction. That’s not to say that everything is beyond perfect. But everything is consistent now. This is the best collection of mazes that Fright Fest at Magic Mountain has ever had on account of the quality being raised across the board.
The Conjuring Universe – Do Not Miss
What has now evolved into a greatest hits from the Conjuring franchise, The Conjuring Universe perfectly lives up to the name. While this maze has been good in the past, the attention to maintenance, the lighting, and a few updated scares makes this a do not miss.
SAW Legacy of Terror
While not the most effective maze, Saw Legacy of Terror has been improved overall with an attention to tech. The lighting is much better this year with extreme contrasts and bright colors. The torture scenes are bland, with static set pieces being acted around with very little gore. Still, if you can remember the year that the work lights stayed on all season, washing this maze in a cold white hue, this is a much better experience now.
Trick ‘r Treat – Do Not Miss
Last year the new Trick ‘R Treat maze tried hard to recreate the feel of the classic film with its playful mix of scares and mischief. While it succeeded in capturing the tone, there was a lot of work left to be done. For 2025 Trick ‘R Treat is closer to what everyone expected. As we recount the iconic moments from the film we notice that the sets have been laiden with even more set dressing and the lighting feels intensified in spots.
Carnage presented by M&M’S® – Do Not Miss
Carnage and his clan of murderous clowns invite you to join their crew to spread mayhem throughout the city. While the Stranger Things maze took this spot last year, it felt expansive and empty. Carnage, on the other hand, feels like a more suspenseful experience. The new attraction features tighter spaces and closer calls with more monsters. Loud, frenetic, and fun, Carnage is a Do Not Miss.
Truth or Dare presented by SKITTLES®
Following its debut year, the troubled Truth or Dare maze has never gotten back to the energy it once had. That said, this is the closest it has ever gotten. This cynical take on fame invites guests to audition for a new game show, only to put them through hell with deadly games. We begin in what looks like a TV studio and are soon led backstage to prepare for the show. One wrong turn and we are behind the scenes and a madman is killing contestants. As much as I want to report something good, this one still has some work to do. On our trip through only one of the major stunt show scenes had an actor in it, much less anything happening. The technical features have been touched up, but Truth or Dare is still skippable.
Condemned: Forever Damned presented by SNICKERS®
We venture into a dilapidated home where the walls crumble to reveal dark secrets. The tenants of this nightmare want you to stay forever. We are back to what made Condemned good to begin with. The sets have been touched up and every scene had at least one performer in it. This one is gross, creepy, and fun.
Willoughby’s: Resurrected – Do Not Miss
In 2014 Six Flags spent a chunk of money to update the classic Willoughby’s haunted house with new state-of-the-art effects and sound and rebranded the maze as Willoughby’s Resurrected. As the years went on, the maze again fell into disrepair with actors doing what they could as the only real scare effects in the walkthrough. This year the time and money has been spent on bringing things back up and running and the result is a better attraction. Too it seems that the actor’s all have a better sense of their scenes and what they should be doing aside from a cheap jump scare or screaming to startle visitors.
Willoughby’s is back to being the classic haunted house experience.
Vault 666 UNLOCKED
We are back at Vault 666. The maze which debuted in 2014 was a solid, if short walkthough that led visitors through a warehouse of demonic and possessed relics that held unspeakable darkness. In 2017, Vault 666 lightly rethemed as a movie overlay for Hell Fest. Next was Vault 666 Unlocked. All the while, the main structure, path, layout, and show scenes have remained unchanged.
This year, Vault 666 Unlocked is back to its former glory. What was once a dismissible journey through crates and dark scenes is scary again. This is in part to the obvious maintenance that has been done throughout and a more skilled set of performers. The experience is still in need of some work, with a few scenes missing an actor and key effects missing. But we actually got a few very nice jump scares in this one after years of it being a sleepy experience.
Well done.
How to Visit
This isn’t Knott’s Scary Farm or Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. Instead Fright Fest at Magic Mountain offers a less structured theme park haunt experience that allows guests to take it at their own pace and price point. You can pop in for the day and choose to leave after things get scary, you can stay and hit the scare zones, or you can buy access and brave the mazes.
You can look at all of the ticket options here. We advise you to buy tickets ahead of time online so that you can focus on the fun.
GRAB YOUR TICKETS HERE
The Verdict
Resurrection seems to be the theme for Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Fright Fest 2025. Across the board from scare zones, mazes, and attractions, a subtle but noticeable rise in quality does a great deal to improve the experience. The mazes feel less slapdash and more of an actual experience. The actors are more engaging. The scare zones feel defined and polished. It’s not that it’s scarier, but it’s overall much better haunt than in previous years.
Six Flags management should be proud of the hard work that has obviously gone into giving this event the overall upgrade that it so desperately needed.
