BlogLab

1. Pirates of the Caribbean

Let’s first finish our discussion about that rainy scene in Pirates of the Caribbean. What could be more frightening than a raging thunderstorm? How about a raging thunderstorm out at sea with a skeleton or two thrown in for good measure? This is exactly what you’ll find in Pirates of the Caribbean, right as you pass the beach scene strewn with the skeletons of the less-fortunate pirates who tried to make off with the treasure ages ago. This scene appears on your right and is filled with thunderous explosions of lightning and a torrential downpour. At the helm is the skeletal remains of a notorious pirate, and the scene is so convincing that you’ll swear you’re getting drenched by the raging storm. Though you actually don’t get wet here, don’t fret…you just might get your wish on the drop through the darkness looming ahead.

2. Haunted Mansion

During its development, there were two schools of thought on how the attraction would be realized. Some of the Imagineers wanted to have a suitably creeping setting, while others wanted to take a more lighthearted approach. While several of the scenes, most notably in the graveyard, have their whimsical moments, the attic is most definitely themed to be creepy and frightening. A thumping heartbeat can be heard as you make your way through the cobweb strewn attic, and the images of the bride’s husbands disappearing from their portraits (signifying their unfortunate demise) leads you to the knife wielding bride herself, who wickedly recites her wedding vows…with a curious emphasis on the “till death do us part” section.

3. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

This attraction is frightening from start to finish, beginning with your journey through the decaying remains of the lobby, left in the state that it was in when lightning struck the tower in 1939. But surely the most frightening part of your journey into the unknown is that uneasy moment before your elevator takes its initial faster-than-gravity plunge down the elevator shaft. Even more terrifying (for those with sensitive stomachs) is the rapid ascent back to the top. To make things worse, you’ll drop again…and again…and…well, you’ll never know quite how many times you’ll drop or when your journey to the Twilight Zone will end due to the random nature of the drops. Just hang on tight (and be sure to scream when the elevator doors open at the top so the whole park can hear you).

4. The Great Movie Ride

This is the first of our entries that reference attractions that have since closed, but these scenes still put a chill in our hearts when we think back upon them. In the Great Movie Ride, things started off happily enough as you got a glimpse of the musicals made back in the heyday of Hollywood glory. But things took a turn when you found yourself in the midst of a gangster-filled shootout, and things definitely hit the top of the scary-meter when you found yourself aboard the Nostromo from the classic sci-fi film, Alien. As you saw an Animatronic version of Ripley nervously looking around, armed with her flamethrower, the alien itself suddenly sprang out at you with teeth gnashing and claws bared. And just when you thought you’d escaped, it descended upon you from overhead. Yikes! At least now you were off to Munchkinland. What could be scary about that?

6. Ellen’s Energy Adventure

Another scene from a now-closed attraction, this one makes our list not because it was intentionally frightening, but just because it was loud! As we watched the universe explode into existence with the Big Bang, galaxies, solar systems, and planets quickly formed. Before we knew what was happening, we found ourselves racing over a newly-formed planet Earth, where we took a sudden turn and crashed into the primordial forest. And boy, did we crash! The thunderous boom that rocked the theater was ear-splitting, and quite scary if you weren’t expecting it! But then came the dinosaurs, and at least they weren’t so scary.

7. DINOSAUR

Perhaps the dinos from Ellen’s Energy Adventure weren’t overly frightening (unless you consider getting sneezed on frightening), but the creatures in the Animal Kingdom’s DINOSAUR attraction definitely are. The ride itself is treacherous enough, but it’s that final encounter with the Carnotaurus that will leave you screaming…if you can hear yourself, that is. The ear-splitting roar of this fearsome prehistoric predator leaves Guests trembling, and lest you thought you were brave enough for it not to bother you; you’ll see evidence to the contrary as you disembark the ride to find the souvenir photo taken of you just as the Carnotaurus roared. Yep, that’s you cowering in your seat, hands tightly covering your ears. And we’re not sure but…yep, we can definitely see you screaming. Brave indeed.

8. ExrtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter

Soon to be home to a Wreck-It Ralph-themed attraction, this theater was once home to one of the most frightening attractions every to be found at Walt Disney World, the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. Don’t let the early appearance of the lovable and cuddly Skippy fool you; the show itself brought you face to face (or teeth, or, well, whatever it was) with a fearsome alien, who proceeded to break loose from the teleportation tube to wreak havoc throughout the theater…in total darkness mind you. Wait, was that blood you felt dripping down from ceiling? And you thought Stitch’s chili dog burp was bad…

9. Expedition Everest

This one is a bit subjective, for if you like roller coasters you’ll love Expedition Everest. The frightening moment we’re referring to isn’t the encounter with the Yeti (though that’s pretty scary enough). No, it’s the backward portion of the ride, which sends you hurtling UP a hill at breakneck speed. It’s scary enough going forward, but racing along backward with no idea where you’re going can be rather unnerving for the faint of heart!

10. Snow White’s Scary Adventures

This seemingly innocent dark ride that once resided in Fantasyland did contain one truly terrifying scene; the moment the Queen turns to reveal herself as the evil witch. While you may have been expecting a whimsical jaunt through the woods with Snow White and those lovable dwarfs, this was an unexpected fright…and the one that definitely put the “Scary” in “Scary Adventures!”

11. Maelstrom

Now home to the charming (and dare I say tear-jerking) Frozen Ever After, this attraction was formerly known as Maelstrom and took you on a journey through the Norse world of Vikings and trolls. In actual fact, that attraction wasn’t all that frightening, but for first-timers who were hurtling backward toward an apparent backward plunge down a waterfall, this was definitely a “hold your breath” moment! Of course, when you were traveling with a first-timer, you didn’t tell them that they wouldn’t actually fall backwards, did you? No, we thought not.

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