History Main / AmusementParkOfDoom

** Carnival Night Zone from ''VideoGame/Sonic3'', what with all the spikes, robots, and the [[GuideDangIt/PlatformGames infamous red-and-white barrel]].

* While not a park in itself, the infamous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_Castle_(Six_Flags_Great_Adventure) Haunted Castle]] at Ride/SixFlags Great Adventure in New Jersey became a symbol of amusement park doom on May 11, 1984, when a horrific fire roared through it, killing eight. The park operators managed to escape culpability by insisting to the court that it was a case of arson; even if that were true (and the official report doubts that explanation), inspectors still counted [[NoOSHACompliance a dozen egregious violations of fire codes]] at the attraction, up to and including ''a lack of smoke detectors''. It had managed to escape inspection before the fire by virtue of its status as a "temporary structure" (even though it had been in place for five years) due to it having been built in seventeen mobile trailers.

* ''WebOriginal/AbandonedByDisney'' is a creepypasta that focuses on a strange (and fictitious) abandoned Disney resort in Georgia, that appears to be haunted. It's probably the best-known of a long, ''long'' list of creepypastas that involve sinister happenings at the Ride/DisneyThemeParks.

* In ''FanFic/KillOrBeKilled'', the final act takes place in one. [[spoiler:Hyoyeon, Donghae, and Yoona all die on rides (and all by falling off of said rides), and Leechul dies on a deadly carousel.]]

* The [[FourIsDeath fourth stage of the fourth]] ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' game takes place in a horror-themed carnival whereupon the Amadeus Syndicate have unleashed real Zombies and Mummies. The boss is a [[HostileAnimatronics weaponized animatronic], as is a vehicle you can use at the beginning.

May have started life as SouvenirLand before it went deadly. Brother trope to CircusOfFear.

* The secret stage from the first episode of ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'' is called "House of Horrors" and features among other things a deadly ride on a water slide. It can be accessed from the stage called "[[CircusOfFear Dark Carnival]]".

* The titular park ''VideoGame/{{Illbleed}}'', built by horror movie director Michael Reynolds. Unlike most examples, it advertises itself as lethal and dangerous park that ''tries'' to kill guests, the incentive for going being massive cash prizes for surviving each attraction, with a grand prize of $100,000,000 to anyone who lives all the way to the end. A visiting reporter claims that roughly a hundred people a day perish attempting the challenge. Eriko, the main character, wisely avoids it until her friends vanish after winning free tickets there and she has to go find them.

* The titular park ''VideoGame/{{Illbleed}}'', built by horror movie director Michael Reynolds, which the main character wisely avoids until her friends vanish during a trip there and she has to go find them.

* In the 1920[=s=], American engineer [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Traver Harry G. Traver]] constructed various roller coaster rides, including three that have come to be known as the "Terrible Trio", including two different iterations of the "Cyclone" -- one in Ontario and another in New Jersey -- and the "Lightning" in Massachusettes. The Ontario Cyclone, the likely inspiration for the musical ''Theatre/RideTheCyclone'', was so shoddily constructed that it had a bad habit of practically tearing itself apart whenever it was operated, which not only resulted in irregular operating hours since it had to be frequently shut down for repairs, but it also caused numerous injuries and one fatality (on its opening day, no less!). The New Jersey Lightning, on the other hand, has no recorded fatalities among patrons, but it was notorious for its violent side-to-side motions that resulted in terminated pregnancies (leading to the slang term "Take her on the Lightning" to refer to abortions) in addition to rib fractures. The New Jersey Cyclone has the cleanest track record for having no injuries or fatalities, but only because it was demolished before anyone got hurt on it. All indications point to it being a potential health hazard in a similar vein to its siblings, however.

* In the 1920[=s=], American engineer [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Traver Harry G. Traver]] constructed various roller coaster rides, including three that have come to be known as the "Terrible Trio", including two different iterations of the "Cyclone" -- one in Ontario and another in New Jersey -- and the "Lightning" in Massachusettes. The Ontario Cyclone was so shoddily constructed that it had a bad habit of practically tearing itself apart whenever it was operated, which not only resulted in irregular operating hours since it had to be frequently shut down for repairs, but it also caused numerous injuries and one fatality (on its opening day, no less!). The New Jersey Lightning, on the other hand, has no recorded fatalities among patrons, but it was notorious for its violent side-to-side motions that resulted in terminated pregnancies (leading to the slang term "Take her on the Lightning" to refer to abortions) in addition to rib fractures. The New Jersey Cyclone has the cleanest track record for having no injuries or fatalities, but only because it was demolished before anyone got hurt on it. All indications point to it being a potential health hazard in a similar vein to its siblings, however.

* The ''Literature/GiveYourselfGoosebumps'' line began with ''Escape from the Carnival of Horrors'' which was practically made from this trope. The original series even ended (before the 2000 line) full circle with ''Return to the Carnival of Horrors'' in which you, a friend from the previous book and a cousin are tricked into coming back.

* ''Film/JurassicPark'':

An AmusementPark without the amusement, unless you are amused by EverythingTryingToKillYou. Maybe the place has been abandoned for years, everything covered in filth and on the verge of falling apart. The rides are old, rusty, and creak eerily in the wind; if they still function at all they are [[NoOSHACompliance horrifying deathtraps]]. Or maybe the park merely has been... refurbished by a new owner or owners; the place seems quite normal until the roller coaster brakes fail and the monster house turns out to be filled with lethal traps or ''real'' monsters... or both.

Whatever the case, there is something unspeakably ''wrong'' with that amusement park, except of course if you happen to be a MonsterClown, SerialKiller, [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs Clown Serial Killer]] or some variety of EldritchAbomination, in which case you can go right ahead and make yourself at home. Even better when the Abomination [[GeniusLoci IS the amusement park]].

SubTrope of PleasureIsland. Compare AbominableAuditorium, where the theatre is either broken, dangerous or all of the above. Contrast with CrappyCarnival: it might still be creepy, but the only thing that's dangerous there is the food.

* Ride/LunaParkSydney was shut down in June 1979 after six children and one adult were killed when the park's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Sydney_Ghost_Train_fire Ghost Train went up in flames]]. The cause of the fire has never been determined, with speculation ranging from faulty electrical wiring to arson (an investigation by Creator/TheABC in 2021 revealed possible links to police corruption and organised crime). The park has since reopened, and while it has occasionally closed again due to safety issues, this tragedy has not been repeated.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bioshock}}'':

** ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'' has Soldier's Field which is meant to be a tribute to the history of Columbia and Zachary Hale Comstock's accomplishments as its "Prophet", but it secretly works as one [[PropagandaMachine big propaganda tool]] to recruit the citizens into joining military service -- complete with a catchy anthem, at the entrance; so that later, Columbia would have more troops against the Vox Populi and eventually the world below the clouds. For good measure, it has mechanical puppet shows that spout examples about "not being a Dimwit", and giant [[ClockPunk clockwork caricatures]] of the Founding Fathers that could shoot you with [[GatlingGood miniguns]] if programmed to do so.

* The Big Whoop Amusement Park/Carnival of the Damned from ''VideoGame/{{Monkey Island 2|LeChucksRevenge}}'' and ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland''.

* ''WebVideo/LiminalLand'' is this trope when it meets the "liminal horror" typical of ''WebOriginal/TheBackrooms''. Liminal Land is a fictional amusement park created in the 70s in New-Mexico as an attempt to rival and dethrone Disney as the leader of the amusement park industry. It however closed in 1989 after a series of disappearances and accidents. When you build a park entirely themed around liminal spaces on top of a repurposed nuclear power plant, with attractions unsafe for the human healt and a staff that does its best to hide from the public any "accident", what could go wrong? And of course, let's not mention the fact that, when someone has their picture taken at the park, the faces never quite come out right...

%% ** Nor do you want to get lost in their [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-944 Mirror Maze]]
%% ** And lets not forget [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1357 SCP-1357]].
%%
%% The commented-out examples above need to mention what's so dangerous about the parks.
%%

%% ** The [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-823 SCP-823]], aptly named "Carnival of Horrors".

%%** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-097 SCP-097]], the remains of a 1969 fairgrounds overgrown with some very strange plant life.

* The ''Which Way'' book series by Patrick Burston, includes the 1990 entry, ''The Funfair of Evil''. The contents of the book are [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly what you'd picture from the title]], a dilapadated, toxic, horrifying nightmre of a ''[[Literature/ChooseYourOwnAdventure Choose Your Own Adventure]]'' book from a [[MonsterClown clown-created]] Hellscape. Good luck surviving [[TheManyDeathsOfYou the first page]]. Or [[HaveANiceDeath the second]]. Or [[{{Gorn}} the third]].

* The extras DVD for ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' included a ShowWithinAShow cartoon called "WesternAnimation/MrIncredibleAndPals" where Mr. Incredible, Frozone, and [[TheScrappy Mr. Skipperdoo]] go to one of these to find and fight the villain Lady Lightbug. Amusingly, the cartoon Mr. Incredible deduces it's her lair because "[[LogicalFallacies evil lurks in dark remote places. And this abandoned fairground is certainly dark and remote]]."