Nightmare Fuel / Alton Towers

"You belong to The Smiler."

• Nemesis - not only is the coaster itself intense, but the "backstory" behind the ride only adds to the fear factor. The story is that an Eldritch Abomination landed around 700 B.C., and is currently pinned down by specially made steel girders put in place by people that were immune to its unspecified powers. And then they built a roller coaster on it, just to really annoy it.
  • The backstory for the 30th anniversary refurbishment in 2024 is just as chilling. With the alien creature acting strangely, a mysterious military force locked down the site and conducted a series of experiments on the creature. The latest teaser video showcases Nemesis coming back to life with a more horrifying experience than before...
  • In January 2024, the rides new name was confirmed to be Nemesis: Reborn. With the monster now supporting a new red and black colour scheme, the iconic roller coaster will be even more terrifying then ever before.
• Oblivion, which is a coaster that's just as terrifying as the above, along with containing theming that looks like a cross between Blade Runner and 1984. It starts by slowly climbing up the lift hill and turning a corner, then stops over the edge of its first drop, which happens to be almost 90 degrees straight down^note  It’s actually only 87 degrees. It hangs there on that edge for about three seconds before diving into a tunnel; but the tunnel is obscured by fog so for all you know, you could be about to slam face-first into the ground or fall into a Bottomless Pit. The marketing even claims that at least one car disappeared completely, leaving no trace. Fun, right?
  • On top of all that, as the coaster reaches the top of the first lift hill, there is a voice that says, "Don't look down!", but the only way you can look is straight down.
• Everything concerning Thirteen (right down to its commercial). The coaster itself is an airtime-filled ride through a forest, then it enters the crypt, completely overgrown with vines and poorly lit. After the sound effect, then the track drops half a meter, gives you 3 seconds to register this, then freefalls 22 meters. It doesn't end there, of course — you then end up in a crypt with hooded statues before launching backwards out into the dark.
• Duel - The Haunted House Strikes Back, was quite the creepy experience, which comes naturally with its Haunted House setting. Among the things you see in it include a bust that lurches forward, a giant face opening up to reveal a screaming skeleton face underneath, zombies jumping out everywhere with bright strobes, and plenty of other jump scares, especially when you're about to head into the Trommel tunnel then BAM, that gory zombie screams out of nowhere, and the fact that it's a Big-Lipped Alligator Moment that has nothing to do with the rest of the scene only adds to the surprise if anything. It also has a massive spider tilting its head as well as a man who you see flicking the switch who turns out to be a skeleton. You also see three ghosts appear out of nowhere behind a large triple window only to swerve to the right and encounter a groaning zombie with a grossly disfigured face with blood and snot everywhere. In 2023, it was refurbished into the equally creepy Curse at Alton Manor.
• Hex, which is another creepy dark ride through a haunted location; in this case being through a haunted tower. First, there's a pre-show, with a disembodied voice telling you the story. An Earl is cursed by an old woman after not sparing her a farthing; the curse being that every time a branch falls off a certain oak tree, a family member dies. When this eventually happens, the Earl has the tree chained up to prevent it from happening again, then conducts a series of mad experiments to find a cure for the curse. From there, the next room (AKA the Octagon) is merely intended for freakiness, with you standing around listening to the voices and some lightning flashes and stuff out to get to you. Then you move into the vault (which is not actually part of the Towers), sit in two rows opposite each other as the restraint bars fall... and then the room starts spinning. Oh, and it doesn't just start spinning — oh no, it spins in such a manner as to be completely disorientating; imagine being on one of those pirate boat rides but being unable to orientate yourself as to which way is up, or any direction really. Not only are the outer walls spinning, but the floor in which the benches are on sway 30 degrees in each direction, using subtle changes in the tilt to make the spinning effect scarier. Even worse is the demonic, glaring roots that appear in the climax, which appear to have been growing and hiding under the floor for two centuries.
• The Smiler on its own is just as intense as the other coasters in the park with 14 inversions, but the real creepy stuff about it comes from the marketing for the ride — which depicts the people riding it being brainwashed and gaining extremely freaky smiles that put them deep into the Uncanny Valley, such as in one of its commercials. The "Smile. Always" series goes even further into this theme, depicting Miles Cedars' slow descent into madness as he's tortured and brainwashed by Dr. Kelman.
  • The music in the queue line, which features a pounding bass loop mixed in with the sounds of people laughing maniacally, also adds to the creepy factor.
• Wicker Man, as you approach the ride, ominous drum beats are heard throughout the area. There's also the statement "Be chosen." Then, you enter the ride's pre-show, which states that the Beornen has lived there for centuries led by the titular Wicker Man. Their elders told them when he would rise, which would grant them freedom and eternal wellbeing. However, they need to give the Wicker Man a gift to start the ritual. The gift? YOU! The ride is basically you being burned alive inside a giant wooden effigy as a sacrifice to please a demon overlord!

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