10 Best Horror Movies Set In Amusement Parks

You'll have a killer time at these attractions.

By Reece Donnell /

Is there anything more fun or carefree than heading to your local carnival for an evening of games, fast rides and laughter?

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It's a wonder for all the senses, from the bright lights to the sweet treats to the screaming...

Oh, the screaming! The absolutely bloodcurdling, bone-chilling screaming.

Yes, that's right, much like every other place of fun, merriment and innocence, the humble amusement park hasn't gone unnoticed by the horror genre.

Surrounded by loud noises, screams and hundreds of other people, there is perhaps no better place fore a killer to blend in... Or perhaps something much more frightening than a white sheet awaits you inside the haunted house ride?

Being a setting that offers endless opportunities for creepiness, it isn't surprising there have been countless horror movies set around parks, carnivals and circuses. So, grab your cotton candy and keep an eye on that shifty clown behind you as we count down the best horror movies set in amusement parks.

10. Jaws 3-D (1983)

Jaws 3-D is often lumped together as "just as bad" as the abysmal fourth film. Is this really fair? Does the movie deserve more credit?

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The film picks up ten years after the events of the second film with both Brody brothers now grown and Mike working as an aquatic technician at the soon-to-be opened Sea World. However, the water park's opening is thrown into deadly disarray when a great white shark gains entry and puts hundreds of lives at risk.

There is a lot that Jaws 3-D could've done better... a lot. The film is instantly dated by the 3-D effects which often come off as unconvincing and sometimes absolutely laughable. But is it fair that this should be the ONLY thing this three-quel is remembered for?

The film does try a very different approach in execution and should receive at least some merit for that. Here, instead of the vast expanse of the ocean, we have a shark in close quarters, confined by the limits of the Sea World park.

In some ways this amplifies the threat all the more, as there are underwater walkways, control rooms and other aquatic life at stake, as well as hundreds of patrons. Victims are all around and the film SHOULD be a tense ride, it's just a shame the execution was... somewhat sub-par.

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