Cedar Point, The Roller Coaster Capital of the World, will introduce a dynamically new riding experience when it unleashes Rougarou in the spring of 2015 replacing Mantis.

Named after a terrifying werewolf-like creature in French folklore, Rougarou [roo-guh-roo] feeds on screams and lurks in and around the swampy lagoon at the center of the park, shared with other coasters like Iron Dragon and Top Thrill Dragster.

Rougarou’s floorless trains will take riders on an epic journey at speeds reaching 60 mph as their feet dangle just inches above the track and the murky waters below. The trains will be manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, Monthey, Switzerland, the same team behind rides like Raptor and GateKeeper, and will transform the ride experience dramatically while utilizing the structure and track of the former Mantis roller coaster.

The ride begins with a climb to the top of the 145-foot-tall first hill, providing amazing views of the Cedar Point skyline. After reaching the apex, the trains will make a 180-degree turn to the right and plummet 137 feet, at a 52-degree angle, to within inches above the water. Thrill-seekers caught in Rougarou’s grasp will then be flipped upside-down by a 119-foot-tall vertical loop, spun around a 103-foot-tall dive loop, whipped around a highly-banked 360-degree turn and then twisted upside-down again by the world’s only inclined loop on a floorless coaster, angled at a wicked 45 degrees. Just when guests think the ride is over, the steel beast will take them through a 360-degree flat spin, tight and twisty turns and a figure-eight finale. Riders must be 54” tall to ride Rougarou.

“Rougarou is going to be a fantastic addition to our coaster lineup and our guests are going to love it,” said Jason McClure, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. “With the swampy waters below, the vibrant colors of the supports and track, lighting and other effects, it will be a ride like no other at the park.”

Take a virtual ride on Rougarou:

Knott’s Scary Farm conjures up unprecedented experiences and entertainment for 2014, including the debut of Special Ops: Infected, where guests fight zombies in an interactive six acre war, and the return of Elvira – Mistress of the Dark in an all-new live stage show.

Hunt Zombies in an All-Out War

This ambitious new attraction is the first of its kind in North America and will challenge guests to exterminate the infestation of zombies who threaten mankind’s existence. Armed with specially designed laser guns, brave groups of Knott’s Scary Farm guests will embark on missions, led by their Squad Leader – a loud mouthed, take-no-prisoners commander charged with turning guests into soldiers. Groups must work together to fend off zombies and complete various missions before time runs out.  If zombies drag their bodies too close, the un-infected’s guns temporarily deactivate, compromising the safety of the entire team. Soldiers with the deadliest aim will be celebrated with a tally of the number of zombies killed on a display board for other survivors to see each night in base camp.

Special Ops: Infected seamlessly integrates interactive gaming technology with an immersive mountainous landscape, delivering a breakthrough interactive haunted experience that is as terrifying as it is challenging. Missions will take guests through a variety of wilderness terrains, including the unpredictable barrel bridges across the rushing river, through the dark caverns, and through mysterious backwoods. Six acres of the beloved theme park is now home to mutinous, scream-inducing zombies, and the time has come for a harrowing Special Ops survival mission.

The Return of Elvira – Ring-Mistress of the Park

Back by overwhelming demand for 2014 is Elvira – the legendary Mistress of the Dark.  Elvira will headline her all new show Elvira’s Big Top, in the 1,800 seat Charles M. Schultz Theatre twice nightly for the entire run of Knott’s Scary Farm. In her new show, Elvira becomes the Ring-Mistress of the Park as she hosts a circus carnival of macabre freaks and sinister side show acts.  The show also features explosive dance performances by The Academy of Villains, who return to the stage in 2014 fresh off their appearance on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance?

In honor of Elvira’s return to Knott’s Scary Farm, the Ride Warriors merchandise shop will temporarily become Elvira’s Boo-tique, where fans can purchase stylish apparel and sinfully fun products featuring and inspired by the Legendary Mistress of the Dark. Each night, a limited number of guests who spend at least $50 at Elvira’s Boo-tique during Knott’s Scary Farm will get a chance to meet Elvira between performances of Elvira’s Big Top and collect her signature on one of the purchased items. Knott’s Scary Farm is the only place Elvira can be seen this Halloween season, and Elvira’s Boo-tique offers fans a once in a lifetime meet and greet opportunity!

Face Your Fears in Eleven Haunted Attractions

Three new terrifying attractions will debut this year, with more astounding special effects and richer back stories than ever. These new mazes complement the horrific line-up of seven returning haunted attractions. This year’s nightmares include:

• Voodoo (New for 2014): Trudge cautiously through the cursed swamps of the Deep South, where creatures search the murky bogs for their next bloody sacrifice and demons curse the innocent with Voodoo hexes. Guests must choose their path from a number of foreboding choices, resulting in a different terrifying outcome with each journey into the swamp.

• The Tooth Fairy (New for 2014): The joy of hiding a lost tooth under the pillow becomes a nightmare of pain and blood in this new maze that will leave teeth chattering. This twisted tooth fairy steals more than just baby teeth as he drags his victims out their bedroom window and into a world of deranged dentistry.  Unbelievable special effects include a blackout room through which guests must feel their way out, a disorienting x-ray strobe light room, and a final encounter with the massive tooth fairy, himself. Say aahhh.

• Trapped: Lock and Key (New for 2014): This year Trapped returns with more rooms, more intricate puzzles and a shocking finale more extreme than any experience ever presented at Knott’s Scary Farm. You become part of the terror and are forced to face your darkest fears, confront your inner terrors and descend into the madness of a maze with no way out. Trapped is not for the squeamish as the challenges are darker and more terrifying than any that have come before.

• Trick-or-Treat: Trick or treat, which will it be?  Step forward and ring the witch’s doorbell. You can come away with a treat, but is it worth it?  Featuring a high flying finale and new scares in the witch’s dining room, this fan favorite is back for its third year of fear.
  

• Black Magic: The veil between the living and the dead is severed when Houdini’s ghost materializes during a séance and ushers a host of demonic illusions to play tricks on anyone who intrudes on his theatre. Back for its second year, Black Magic was one of the most popular mazes in its debut season last year.  Guests will find new magic and even more monsters inside the ominous theater in 2014.

• Forevermore: The twisted mind of Edgar Allen Poe comes alive as the “Forevermore Killer” works his way through one haunting tale after another. Back for its second killer season, Forevermore is one of the longest mazes ever created for Knott’s Scary Farm, and features richly detailed story lines and scenery.

• The Gunslinger’s Grave: Return to the Old West and walk in the bloody footsteps of a betrayed and left for dead gunslinger on his path of retribution against a corrupt township. You may have visited Knott’s historic Ghost Town, but it’s not until you’ve followed the blood lusting gunslinger that you know the real dangers that lurk in the old west.
  

• Dominion of the Damned: The Blood Queen’s reign has ended, but the seductive vampires continue to lure unsuspecting guests into this gothic lair of terror. Guests’ thirst for this bloody maze was unquenchable last season, and it returns with an unbelievable new finale. 

• Pinocchio Unstrung: Years have passed since the blue fairy denied him his final wish, but Pinocchio has returned with an army of murderous marionettes intent on killing his former masters. Revenge comes with no strings attached. 

• The Witch’s Keep: Many years ago, The Green Witch uncovered a wicked source of power in the depths of the Calico Mine, and now she’s hell-bent on using this mysterious energy to capture and corrupt all who dare enter! With newly enhanced show scenes, lighting, and special effects, this not-too-scary mine train adventure is perfect Halloween fun.

• The Hanging: A live stage show in Calico Square irreverently looks back at the year's pop culture with killer comedy. Notorious for its special effects, pyrotechnics and high-flying stunts, The Hanging is a no-holds-barred assault on pop culture’s most infamous moments of the past year. A must see parody!

160 Acres of Scares

Knott’s Scary Farm is far more than a collection of haunted attractions. Every night monsters spill out onto the streets and turn theme park midways into murderous scare zones. From the world famous Ghost Town Streets to the Boardwalk area filled with evil clowns, there’s nowhere to hide in Knott’s Scary Farm.

Ghost Town Streets is the original and still most terrifying scare zone that started it all. Bands of half-human, half-animal monsters prowl the streets and inhabit the fog, and beware the notoriously startling sliders, who lunge from in every fog-filled corner of the land. Just beyond the streets of Ghost Town lies the mysterious outcropping known as Gypsy Camp, where fortune tellers prognosticate future terrors, and ravenous werewolves howl in the light of the moon.

Fiesta De Los Muertos fuses dance music, colorful costumes, and larger than life stilt walkers in a dance party scare zone with even more characters than last year. It’s the ultimate late night celebration of Dia de los Muertos. Around the corner from Fiesta Village is the Boardwalk, where each night of Knott’s Scary Farm, clowns crave your undying attention in the CarnEVIL scare zone.

Knott’s Scary Farm has welcomed millions of visitors over the past 41 years and has become an institution in the Southern California theme park landscape.  This year, the event returns September 25, 26, 27, October 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31 & Nov. 1. Knott’s Scary Farm is open 7:00pm – 1:00am Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and 7:00pm – 2:00am Fridays and Saturdays.  With more than 1,000 monsters roaming the park and lurking in the fog – whatever you’re imagining, it’s here…