This year’s 30th annual Fright Fest at Six Flags Over Georgia will feature a “Stranger Things”-themed maze for the first time and a “Saw” franchise space for the second year in a row.
“Fright Fest has lasted 30 years because it’s become an event everyone knows and loves,” said Greg Fuller, Six Flags Over Georgia general manager, who has worked at the park for most of the past 33 years. “Revenue is higher. Crowds are bigger. The fall has become our busiest time of year.”
The “Saw” house last year was a huge success, he said, so he lobbied to ensure the park got a new version this year as well.
“The franchise is 20 years old so the maze will cover the best of 10 movies,” he said.
Fuller is also thrilled that Six Flags signed a licensing agreement with Netflix’s “Stranger Things” for another haunted house maze given the show’s massive popularity. It’s also shooting its fifth and final season locally. He is hoping to get some of the cast to come by at some point to check the park out once the maze opens.
“It’s an iconic brand, especially in Atlanta,” he said, noting the maze will be set at Hawkins High School, the fictional school in the series. “There will be lines but it’ll deliver.”
The park hires 220 extra people for Fright Fest, 180 to 185 of them assigned to scare the patrons. Most of the “scare zones” are generic and not branded to a particular horror franchise.
Fright Fest officially begins Saturday, Sept. 14, and runs on weekends through Sunday, Nov. 3. The park opens Friday evenings starting Sept. 27 and will also be open on Thursday, Oct. 31, Halloween evening.
IF YOU GO
Fright Night
Begins Saturday, Sept. 14, and will run on Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 3. It will also be open on Friday evenings starting Sept. 27 through Nov. 1 and on Thursday, Oct. 31, from 6 to 11 p.m. Daily admission starts at $25. Six Flags Over Georgia, 75 Riverside Parkway, Austell. sixflags.com.
