One of horror’s biggest franchises is making a huge splash this spooky season and io9 has your exclusive first look and details. The Conjuring Universe is coming to Six Flags Fright Fest this fall and the all-new maze will incorporate not just scenes and characters from the core Conjuring franchise, but The Nun and Annabelle films as well.
“Millions of fans around the world have made The Conjuring Universe a horror icon. From its brilliant storytelling to its legendary characters, the franchise is perfectly suited to adapt into a maze, taking fans into the world of the Warrens and their most famous cases,” Kathleen Wallis, vice president, Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment told io9 in a statement. “Our partners at Six Flags and RWS Global share the same obsession for detail and accuracy, and we can’t wait for Fright Fest attendees to experience The Conjuring Universe in this new way.”
As hinted there, the maze starts as you enter the Warren Museum of the Occult. Objects are missing though and, over the course of the maze, you’ll find them and experience all their creepy fallout. The Conjuring Universe mazes will be a part of Six Flags Fright Fests at Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Over Texas, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas from early September through November 3. Below, you can check out some never-before-seen images from the maze and read our Q&A with the Chief Fright Officer of Six Flags, Edithann Ramey, about all things Conjuring.
Note: the below interview was conducted via email.
Germain Lussier, io9: While The Conjuring, Annabelle, and The Nun share a universe on screen, we’ve never seen them together in one experience before. What was it like putting the full Conjuring Universe together into one story?
Edithann Ramey: We feel both fortunate and just very excited to have our parks be the first place where these three iconic brands will meet for the first time. This was something we didn’t take lightly. We wanted a natural extension of the movies that also worked together in an over-arching way. Ultimately, along with our friends at RWS Global, we were able to build out something that was not only authentic to the franchise but to make sure each brand had big moments in the maze. I like to say—it’s like reading a great book that’s made into a movie, here is a great movie that’s made into a Haunted House. People who know and love the films will have high expectations, and we intent to meet them.
io9: Will the stories overlap at all or will it be three distinct flavors?
Ramey: It’s a mix. The maze takes place in the Warren Museum of the Occult which allows us to pull from all the brands at the same time in a very organic way. It also really sets the stage that any of these frightening characters can show up at any time. As guests go room-to-room they’ll be more fully immersed in the specific franchises as we bring them into places like Bathsheba’s Den, Annabelle’s Playroom, and St. Carta where they know anything can happen.
io9: What are some ways this maze is unique from others that’ll be at Fright Fest?
Ramey: This is the only maze where we are combining franchises. It’s three mazes in one! We were fortunate to work with WB last year where we did a maze that was just around The Conjuring, so to be able to expand that out is so exciting for us.
io9: Six Flags is leaning heavily into the IP this year, which places in much more direct competition with Universal Horror Nights. What can you say about the inspiration to get more recognizable franchises while not butting heads with the competition?
Ramey: Conceptually it made sense—we are the place for big thrills, what better than partnering with horror movies? Both work really hard at scaring you, thrilling you, and leaving you wanting more. But we wanted to prove it out too, because we value feedback and want to make sure it would work at Six Flags. We did a test run with Conjuring and Saw to see what type of reaction IP-centric mazes would have and it was overwhelmingly positive. We learned guests loved these houses, and thought the movie storytelling was exciting. We learned it was so exciting, that they were willing to make two-hour lines to get in. But this year, we worked on better flow, so we can fit more people in. The feedback was that they wanted more scares, even more Conjuring, so we [went] with the Universe concept. We listened, learned, and activated on that feedback for 2024.
io9: With new Conjuring movies in the works, can fans look out for any teases from the future?
Ramey: I can’t really speak to anything about the upcoming films but I can say the maze should only fuel overall fan excitement of the franchise and give them something fun to do as they await the next film. You can visit Six Flags as the ultimate trailer for any movie to come!
Beyond The Conjuring, Fright Fest will also have mazes focused on Stranger Things, Army of the Dead, Trick R’Treat, and Saw as well as an experience centering on Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Specific mazes vary by park. See the full details here. Below, we’ll leave you with two more exclusive images of a design in the maze: the Malthus Demon.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.