Demon (roller coaster)

Demon is a multi-looping roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois and California's Great America in Santa Clara, California. Both coasters opened in 1976 as Turn of the Century, when both Great America parks were owned by Marriott Corporation. Following the 1979 season, they were slightly modified and renamed Demon, which introduced a new theme.

History
The Turn of the Century coasters opened with both Marriott's Great America parks in 1976 and were designed by Arrow Dynamics. Both were painted light seafoam green and were among some of the first roller coasters to feature a double corkscrew. They also featured two airtime hills after the first drop. The hills were well known for ejecting loose articles from the trains, such as hats, sunglasses and cameras. The ride was custom-built for both parks.

After the 1979 season, Turn of the Century was heavily modified. The airtime hills after the first drop were removed and replaced with two back to back vertical loops and a lighted tunnel. Fake rock formations were built around the second loop and around the first half of the lift hill, with a third formation just before the corkscrews. The entire ride was painted black and was renamed Demon. After the loops were added, it became the second four-inversion roller coaster, after the Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds which opened two months earlier.

In addition to the re-design, the theme was changed as well. Fog machines were placed in the tunnels, blood red colored water fell out of the rock formation by the corkscrews and a unique logo was unveiled. This logo featured red eyes staring out of a boarded up pipe. A large version of this logo was placed on the Demon's sign with a pool of red dyed water in front of it. The original trains were also modified. A three-dimensional version of the logo was attached to the front car of each train and flames were painted on the sides of the cars. Red lights were placed into the ride's second tunnel, creating a swirl effect.

The storyline of the ride's transformation heard in the Demon soundtrack is that the park accidentally missed three payments on the roller coaster, and that a demon has repossessed the ride.

For a period in the 80s, Demon at both Great America parks was branded with the Tasmanian Devil character from Looney Tunes.

Most of the Demon's theming elements were removed by 1990 including the pipe on the ride's sign, the 3D logos and flames on the trains, the smoke and lighting effects, and the ride's soundtrack due to opposition from religious groups.

Six Flags Great America theming
In 2005, for Six Flags Great America's Fright Fest event, almost all of Demon's original theming returned. Decals similar to the original logos were added to the noses of the trains, fog returned in the tunnels, the Demon song played in the queue again, and red lights and tiki torches were placed all around the ride. A re-creation of the original sign was present at Fright Fest. Built from an oil barrel with red lights and fog, it was placed in the flower bed in front of the ride's sign. This display returned for subsequent Fright Fests.

On the park's 2006 opening day, the Demon song continued playing in the queue, the decals were still on the front of the trains, and the flames were still painted on the station. The rest of the theming was removed, as it was for Fright Fest only.

For 2007, the Demon logos on the front of the trains were updated. The decals of the original Marriott-era logo were replaced with new airbrushed logos similar to the originals. The updated logos feature meaner-looking demon eyes, flames, and on the yellow train, fangs.

In 2008, gray paint replaced the flames on the outside of the operator's booth.

After Memorial Day 2010, Demon's black train was given airbrushed flames on the sides of the front car with no red stripe. Around 2010, the waterfall after the stone demon head was disabled. For a 2010 advertising deal with Six Flags, the red train was wrapped in Stride Gum advertisements for the entire season.

For the 2016 season, the Demon sign's letters were repainted black with airbrushed flames. In late 2016, the attraction was given a virtual reality (VR) upgrade. The experience would be called Rage of the Gargoyles. Riders had the option to wear Samsung Gear VR headsets, powered by Oculus to create a 360-degree, 3D experience while riding. The illusion was themed to a fighter jet, where riders flew through a futuristic city as co-pilots battling demonic creatures.

In 2019, flashing yellow eyes were added to the ride's first tunnel.

For the 2021 season, several changes were made. The multicolored bowl-shaped lights around the first tunnel were replaced with red cage lights, flames were put back on the outside of the operator's booth, and the two red demon eye lights in the first tunnel were fixed, as they previously did not turn on.

In late 2023, the ride reopened with rockwork removed around the first two loops.

California's Great America theming
Over the years since its transformation into Demon, much of the ride's theming had been removed due to protests from religious groups.

In 2017, for the park's Halloween event, California's Great America temporarily modified Demon into what they called "Demon Reignited". During this, a large amount of the ride's theming returned, as well as additional effects. Decorations were added to the ride's station, flames were painted around the first tunnel, and red gobo projections were put in the second tunnel. Strobe lights were installed in the first tunnel, after the stone demon statue, and during the corkscrew elements. Additionally, various thematic elements were added to the stone demon head statue. This included the water being dyed blood red, a jet of flame being added next to the stone structure, and projection mapping being used to display blood, flames, and eyes onto the demon's face. A new pre-show and on-ride soundtrack accompanied the ride, both voiced by James Iglehart.

The majority of these effects were for Halloween only. The pyrotechnics, projections, and strobe lights were removed after Halloween. The waterfall still operated, but without its coloring. The flames painted around the first tunnel stayed past Halloween, but have since been painted over.

The ride's first tunnel used to feature red, green, and blue LED strip lights. However, these began to stop working in 2012, and were removed by 2015. In recent years, strip lights of the same colors were added back to the first tunnel in a vertical configuration.

For the 2021 season, red lights were added back into the second tunnel, fog was added around the ride, and the waterfall was reactivated. Unlike for Fright Fest 2017, these effects are permanent.

Queue
During the queue, a 25 minute long soundtrack is played, including dialogue, sound effects, and the ride's theme song. The backstory of the ride is that a demon slithered into Great America and attached himself to one of the ride's cars, then disappeared into the ride's structure. He has supposedly grown large from repossessing riders and is unable to escape.

The California version has a listed height restriction of 48 in, but the Illinois version has a listed height restriction of 42 in.

Layout
After boarding the ride, riders start by traveling through a small tunnel with lights which turns slightly to the left. An eerie sound effect is played, then the train then ascends the lift hill. A pre-drop turns riders nearly 180° just before the first drop. The drop leads directly into two vertical loops, where, according to the park, riders can feel between 2 and 6 g's. Next, riders speed through a tunnel containing red lights at 45 mph, then climb a small hill where their speed is significantly decreased. At the top of the hill is the midcourse brake run and another pre-drop, this time with a slightly greater angle than 180°. After this is another drop through the mouth of a stone structure. At the bottom of this drop, directly inside the stone arch, the track immediately banks to the right, and the train begins a double corkscrew. These corkscrews have a diameter of 35 ft. Afterwards, the train makes a large approximately 270° turn to the right, up and over itself, then finally a smaller right turn back into the final brake run and the station.

Incidents
In 1993, two trains collided at low speeds in the station of the Six Flags Great America ride causing eight people to be injured.

An incident on the Six Flags Great America version of Demon occurred around 11 am on Saturday, April 18, 1998. Twenty-three riders were left stranded upside-down after the black train came to an unexpected halt in the middle of one of the vertical loops. Firefighters used a cherry picker to bring the passengers to safety. Riders were stuck for over two hours. Four passengers were taken to local hospitals out of precaution but released that afternoon. Investigators concluded that the incident was caused by mechanical failure. A guide wheel that runs along the inside of the track separated from the axle of the last car. A mechanical safety system built into the wheel assembly engaged, preventing the train from derailing. The roller coaster reopened shortly after the conclusion of the investigation.