The running joke is that planning for Haunt starts as soon as the previous years event is over, and in a way, it is true. The teams at each of the parks plan year round for the Haunt festivities, and California’s Great America made a brief teaser back in early June that was later deleted for what we can expect when Haunt starts September 22, 2017.

When the Demon roller coaster first opened in 1976 by Arrow Dynamics at California’s Great America, it was under a different name and layout then we all know it today. By the 1979 season, the ride was re-themed with rock work, lighting, music and formerly underwent the name change to the Demon.

Throughout the Demon roller coaster’s history, various elements have gone “missing,” but the underlying spirit of the classic ride remained.

Over the summer a logo popped up on social media with a “Demon Re-Ignited” theme with a note that this is a new Haunt project. So what could it mean?

Demon Re-Ignited Possibilities

At the time of the teaser, we foresaw two possible paths for Demon Re-Ignited.

1) California’s Great America could re-ignite some of the original themed elements of the ride. This would include fog in the tunnels, blood red colored water falling out of the rock formation by the corkscrew and a unique logo. To really solidify the new theme, the park could bring back a remastered soundtrack with additional storyline elements.

2) As the parks move into a new era of how the guests consume entertainment, Haunt could be a good time to test out the new virtual reality (VR) technology to help tell the story. Guests have the option of either riding the Demon Re-Ignited with or without the VR headgear.

After extensive testing of the VR system on roller coasters at both Canada’s Wonderland and Cedar Point, ride operators have gotten extremely efficient at making sure the VR experience does not interfere with the guests wait. Testing the system during Haunt would allow the park to see how the system as a whole handles the change.

We were hesitant at trying a VR experience on a roller coaster, but having done so, it is an extremely FUN way to ride and give the guest a new experience.

Our Prediction

We asked some of the local fan experts for their thoughts of the new Demon Re-Ignited at California’s Great America.

CGA Weekly– “When Demon Re-Ignited was first posted, I was very excited because I believed it would mean the old effects were returning.”

HangTime News- “I first thought of how the Demon at Six Flags Great America is ‘enhanced’ during Fright Fest, so I thought that the CGA version could be enhanced with fixed lighting and special effects to set the Halloween tone.”

Most people’s guess at the time would be a launch of VR on Demon. However, we did not see that being feasible for Demon Re-Ignited.

Demon: Reignited Announced

While we did not run this story when it originally “leaked,” it now has officially been announced that Demon: Reignited will return the lights, fog, music and blood-red waterfall to the iconic Demon roller coaster. We are excited to see the return of the original thematic elements that give the roller coaster some of its former glory gory effects, and what better time to implement them then during Haunt.

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