Why people come to the Gold Coast to be scared
THE Gold Coast is heaven (or is that hell?) for those who love a thrill. This Halloween we discover why we enjoy scaring ourselves silly.
Lifestyle
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If an accurate advertisement for the Gold Coast were created it would showcase the brilliance of our beaches overlaid with not the rhythmical crashing of waves but blood curdling screams.
We’re not talking about the noises you make when you wake up with a mouth full of sand after a hard night’s partying in Surfers.
It’s that heady combination of roller-coasters, adventure sports and flesh eating monsters which stagger at you from every corner of the Glitter Strip.
When they say the Gold Coast is famous for fun, they really mean the kind that gets your blood pumping faster than the East Australian Current.
From zip lining in the hinterland to getting pursued by a creature with its nose rotting off its face, locals and visitors alike get their thrills on our doorstep.
Our fearsome reputation has lead to Surfers Paradise this week being named the new home of the annual Zombie Walk for the next five years.
Previously held in Brisbane each October, the RMW Entertainment event will see the undead shuffling along Australia’s most famous beach each year from October 2018.
The Gold Coast’s thirst for blood is so insatiable that the masterminds behind EvilCorp Haunted Attractions are working on creating a permanent year round scare feast in our neck of the woods.
For the past three years they’ve been creating terrifying events at locations including Cedar Creek, Surfers Paradise and now at the Beenleigh Historical Village where daredevils can basically pay for the privilege of getting terrorised by the walking dead.
Then there’s the increasingly popular Fright Nights hosted by Movie World.
By day children snuggle up to the delightful Looney Tunes characters but when the sun sets and the colourful attractions are bathed in shadows, the monsters come out to play.
The event, which will run for the final time tonight, is so popular with around 7000 people attending each session it has been expanded to satisfy our bloodlust.
This year magician Matt Hollywood is putting on a show brimming with dark magic that would make even Voldemort shiver.
In addition to the From Dawn Till Dusk and Conjuring 2 mazes, which were favourites from last year, they’ve added Jigsaw and Halloween versions containing all the horrors made popular in the film franchises.
Village Roadshow Theme Parks CEO and chairman Clark Kirby believes come Halloween everyone is secretly rooting for the bad guys.
Clark, whose family own one half of the Village Roadshow brand, would know as despite being named after Superman he too chose to shed his hero status this year and join the cast of evil creatures swarming the theme park.
“I had all my senior executives, myself included, get dressed up and take part in scaring people in the park,” Clark says.
“I was a demonic clown with a chainsaw. Park guests had no idea it was me – even my colleagues had no idea.
“I scared my wife – as she pulled into the carpark I jumped out at her. I don’t think she’s forgiven me yet.”
His personal experience with Fright Nights gave Clark an insight into what people got out of the spooky event.
“It’s hard to explain. People are nervous and there are lots of squeals and shrieks but at the same time everyone is enjoying themselves,” he says.
“We have some guests we know intimately because they come along every single night from the moment it opens – they’re full on Fright Night junkies.”
It’s a distinct crowd from the thrill seekers who get their highs from the rides including the new DC Rivals hypercoaster.
Voluntarily subjecting yourself to more than 4Gs at speeds in excess of 115km/h seems insane but guests have been lining up in their hundreds to ride the Coast’s newest rollercoaster.
“I think going on those kind of rides is almost like a personal challenge,” Clark says.
“It’s something you do with your mates so you can say, ‘I did it’.”
Bond University’s Psychology Clinic Director Dr Deborah Wilmoth agrees there is a difference in motivation for adrenaline seekers and horror fans.
“I’d separate the thrills from the scares. Thrills are for people who like an adrenaline rush,” she says.
“People like the thrill that comes with pushing the limits.”
The profile of someone who enjoys watching the terror unfold isn’t so clear cut according to Deborah.
Horror film fans are diverse with Deborah saying it’s often people you would never pick who secretly lust after zombie movies.
“There’s actually a variety of research which has been done on this topic,” Deborah says.
“For some people, they like it because the bad guy eventually ends being taken care of and the good guys makes it through so there is some form of resolution.”
Actually participating in an event like EvilCorp or Fright Nights takes this experience to a whole new level.
“People like that they have some capacity to control how they’re affected by things going on around them,” Deborah says.
“There’s this build up of tension and they’re thinking, will I make it through this? Will the hero make it through this? Young men in particular like to feel big and macho and strong in these situations.
“Others have a fear of death and they like to challenge that.”
If you’re getting ready to indulge in your love of gore this Halloween, a word of warning for those who may encounter young children on their descent into the underworld.
Fright Nights doesn’t recommend guests aged under 14 attend their events which Deborah says is a prudent measure to protect children who don’t have the capacity to process the scares.
“I think it’s very important to not expose younger children to that because they’re not ready for it,” she says.
“For children do let them be involved in Halloween but focus on black cats or other loveable characters they might like the chance to dress up as.
“Until a child is maybe 10 to 12 they don’t have the concrete operations to start figuring things out and connect the dots understand how one thing links to another.
“After that they’re able to realise that there’s a real person behind the hockey mask and there’s no reason to be truly scared.
“When the horror genre first began there wasn’t as much realism but as cinematography and technology improved it’s much more intense.”
For those of us big and ugly enough to tackle Halloween head on we can all rest comfortably, or perhaps not on second thoughts, that the Gold Coast ghosts the rest when it comes to having fear on tap.
How many of these Gold Coast spine tinglers have you conquered?
1. Tower of Terror, Dreamworld
2. EvilCorp Haunted Attractions, Beenleigh Historical Village
3. DC Rivals Hypercoaster, Movie World
4. Gold Coast Skydive, Kirra Beach
5. Sling Shot, Surfers Paradise
6. Haunted House Ghost Train, Dracula’s Cabaret Broadbeach
7. Canyon Flyer Zipline, Mount Tamborine
8. Russian YAK 52 Aerobatic Joy Ride, Gold Coast Adventure Flights Coolangatta
9. The Wedgie, WhiteWater World
10. Fright Nights, Movie World
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