16 Most Terrifying Roller Coasters In The US That Will Leave You Shaking, According To Thrill Seekers

What is it about roller coasters that appeals to riders? Is it their sense of wild abandon, the feeling of pushing the limits of what is possible? Maybe it is the way to rise and fall, like giant pieces of bendy spaghetti art come to life? Or perhaps it is just the incredible engineering that goes into them? Of course, there is the simple thrill of these rides at some of the largest theme parks, the way that they can be exciting, rewarding, and terrifying all at once. 

There is something so unique about the experience of riding a roller coaster for the first time. The constant pulsing heart and butterflies, not knowing when the twists, turns, dips, and loops come while you are strapped in, really can make your heart skip a beat. To find the scariest roller coasters out there, we pored over blogs like Road Trips & Roller Coasters that specialize in coasters, and backed up our findings with reviews of each thrill ride.

There are plenty of highlights during this 100-second ride. The ArieForce One adventure begins with a patriotic color scheme, with tracks in red and blue set among the structure's white framework. One of the best sections is the protracted zero-G stall — the time that riders hang upside down — which Fun Spot Atlanta claims is the largest in the U.S. The ride also supplies a zero-G roll, where riders enjoy the sensation of weightlessness while hurtling through a turning track. 

Some of the stats make for eye-opening reading. The initial drop is almost 150 feet, and comes at an 83-degree angle. The coaster cars exceed speeds of 60 mph when it is going full tilt, and while this might not quite hit the highs of other rides on this list, it still unnerves some guests, like this Reddit user. "Into the night on Sunday, even as the air temperature was cooling slightly, it was still getting faster. I would say somewhere around 5 to 6:00 pm, all the way through the end of the night it was going so fast it felt out of control. Utterly insane."

The bull's horns at the front of the leading car of this roller coaster set the tone for this powerful ride. El Toro is a wooden coaster, one that rattles as riders swoop through its dips, adding touches of terror to the trip. "The best wooden coaster I've ever ridden, and could possibly be the best coaster I've ever ridden," explains a reviewer on the site Captain Coaster. "It starts off with an insane first drop which is an insane moment to start off, followed by multiple camelback hills that shove you out of your seat and slam you back down on your way down the hills." 

The initial pull-up brings riders 19 stories above the ground before leading to a small flat section. Soon thereafter, the cars plummet 176 feet at an angle of 76 degrees, a drop that is sure to get visitors' stomachs churning. From there, the ride supplies a succession of undulating hills that lift riders momentarily off their seats, a series of banking turns that range from long and leisurely to short and tight, and rips through the coaster's wooden framework.

The blog Extended Tour offers thrill seekers a taste of what to expect on this monster ride. "You board the train and head up 325 ft, the world's largest traditional lift hill coaster. Before you know it, you are coming all the way back down for one of the longest and best drops out there." Riders will indeed experience a 325-foot drop on this ride that Carowinds touts as the longest giga coaster (these are roller coasters that have top heights from 300 to 399 feet) in the U.S. 

The madness starts with that 325-feet drop at 81 degrees, after which the coaster lives up to the rabid rage that its name suggests. There are intense barrel turns and S-shaped curves where the cars rapidly change directions, shoving riders from side to side. And the coaster tops out a mind-blowing 95 mph during a trip that lasts almost three-and-a-half minutes.

The initial 90-degree drop is wildly hair-raising, as the blog Carried Away Travels notes. "If you happen to be in the center seat of the front row, it's a ride you will never forget. The coaster hesitates for a couple of seconds at the very edge of the drop before plummeting downward and soaring through some inversions and sending up a spray from a small pond." Located in one of America's first planned cities, the coaster is floorless, so riders will feel even more untethered, their legs dangling during the trip. 

The ride starts with a smooth climb up to a level area, and as the cars bend left, the placid waters of Grove Creek come into view. For a short interlude, as the trains lean over the edge of the abyss, time seems to stop, but only briefly. The initial drop is more than 200 feet, and speeds the trains up to 75 mph as the ride winds along the blue track on a series of loops, banked turns, and hilly passages.

The steepest and fastest hybrid roller coaster in the country promises riders real excitement. The ride starts harmlessly enough, rolling past wooden fencing and thatch-roof walkways before making its gradual ascent way up high. But when the trains drop 206 feet on a 91-degree angle, riders are sure to have their breath taken away, literally. From that point, Iron Gwazi pushes visitors to their limits through a series of turns and curves, inversions, and descents. At times, the ride is out in open air, while during other moments, it cuts between the scaffolding of the structure, adding a frisson of claustrophobic dread to the experience. 

The speed is also unnerving, with the cars peaking at 76 mph as they hurtle along the purple track. "I had very high expectations," explains a reviewer on Captain Coaster. "After my first ride, let me tell you, it exceeded them. What a trip. As soon as I got off, I thought, 'what in the world just happened to me??' This ride is relentless."

A user of Reddit frankly describes the sensation of taking a ride on this fastest coaster at Universal Orlando. "VelociCoaster is scary as hell." The ride might not surpass the velocity of some of the other coasters on this list, but it features a beginning that is madly intense. This ride shoots riders straight out of the starting gate, like a missile, launching the cars at 70 mph in just over two seconds. From there, the ride never really lets up. There are no lulls in its ferocity, or moments where riders can catch their breath and contemplate what they are going through. 

VelociCoaster just keeps pushing and pushing, twisting above areas of manicured land and large bodies of water as it maintains its powerful pace, crossing over itself 40 times. Riders, wearing only a lap bar (so no shoulder restraints), will be inverted four times. There is even an 80-degree drop of 140 feet, about halfway through the ride, and the second half of this ride is quicker than the parts that precede it.

"Manta is easily the most intense coaster I've ridden," declares a Captain Coaster contributor. "I had never done a pretzel loop before this and I felt like I [was] about to be forced through the train." The flying coaster will make riders feel that they are rising and swooping like a manta ray. The graceful marine creature is, in fact, part of the design of the structure, with manta shapes arrayed above where the riders are strapped in. 

The coaster features a track above visitors, and they are secured below with their legs free, adding to the harrowing sensation of the ride. The initial ascent weaves through a series of steel structures that look like window frames. Early on, riders will be thrown into a quasi nosedive, and since they aren't seated, it will feel like they are plummeting untethered to their demise. The drop quickly transforms into an inversion, meaning riders don't have a second to recover. From then, a succession of twists and turns unfurls until the end.

While this ride doesn't match the air time of the world's longest roller coaster (it's in Japan), it does place riders on the track for more than two minutes, making it a satisfyingly long trip. Maverick is a relatively low coaster, topping out at 105 feet, but that lack of vertical heft doesn't stop it from getting riders all discombobulated. "I made the mistake of underestimating Maverick since there are no high drops," relays a Reddit user. "I was very mistaken! That ride is very intense and the transitions really whipped me around. The launches are no joke either." 

Cedar Point likens the ride to a bucking bronco, one that is unrelenting in its motion until the rider surrenders. The initial launch brings the cars up to a drop that is 95 degrees down, the most extreme angle in Cedar Point. U-bends, corkscrew rolls, a dark tunnel that the cars rip through at 70 mph, and more make this a ride that you will never forget.

"The hang time, backwards airtime hill, sideways airtime. What else can I say???? I loooooove this ride," beams a reviewer on Captain Coaster. The coaster takes the tales of the Roman Gods as its inspiration, drawing on the deities' strength and speed to create this ride. Pantheon rises up 180 feet at its pinnacle, and revs up to a zippy 73 mph during its winding course. 

Along the way, riders will experience a 95-degree drop, four separate launches, five hills where they get some serious air time, and a pair of inversions. One of the more unexpected parts of a ride happens quite early on during the trip. Just as the cars seem to be cresting a hill, they don't quite make it, sending them speeding backwards. This twist is a fun and surprisingly scary element in this ride that winds between towering trees and above manicured lawns.

This coaster was formerly known as Intimidator 305, renamed for the 2025 season as Pantherian. Some things, however, have not changed. The wild speeds of more than 90 mph ensure that this is a ride that will continue to get riders gripping their harnesses with white knuckles. A review on Incredible Coasters hints at what to expect. "Just a very steep drop, falling straight to the ground, and speed just POURING ON!!!! I'm loving it already. However, what happens next is what makes Pantherian stand out from other giga coasters. We don't go into a hill. But rather, we go straight into a banked turn." 

This is a pretty quick ride, over in about a minute, but what it lacks in length, it makes up for in raw intensity. It recreates the speed and power of a panther as it begins with a 300-foot dive at an 85-degree angle. Onwards it marches through twists, turns, and banks among trees and lawns.

If you suffer from vertigo, this might be a ride to avoid. While other rides hit some pretty scary heights, the sensation of elevation on this one is a little different. That is because, early on in Siren's Curse, riders might feel like they are falling off the edge of a cliff. The cars are set on a section that stops, offering views of other coasters and the waters of Lake Erie. Then it gently tilts in mid-air, and suddenly stops again. 

Time unspools, and riders might think that there has been a malfunction, that the section is stuck (that said, the ride has gotten stuck on a few occasions). But this is all part of the design, as the section eventually links with the track below, and the cars hurtle down at high speed thereafter. "Siren's Curse has it for outright SCARE factor! That tilt and the anticipation of that drop. Suspended in the air for what? 6 seconds?" posts a reviewer on Facebook. "My heart was pounding, I was breathing heavy. Scared to death lol."

A user of Reddit describes the feelings of taking this coaster. "It's kinda scary when the ride takes you into itself—the wood is under you, next to you, and over you. It's so cool, though." The hybrid coaster claims to be the longest of its type in the world. The ride lasts for two-and-a-half minutes, reaching heights of more than 200 feet, and a top speed of 74 mph. 

The track extends for more than 1 mile, and riders will enjoy 30 seconds of airtime along the route. Among the highlights are a 200-foot drop at 90 degrees and four full inversions that shred through the frame of wood and steel. At the crest of the first drop, the views of Lake Erie extend as far as the eye can see. From there, expect the usual twists, turns, climbs, and falls, as well as sections that burrow through the wooden structure.

While many coaster rides come with a single launch that sets up the rest of the journey, Top Thrill 2 features three launches. The coaster isn't linear in its voyage, but chooses to reorient the traditional single-direction experience. The initial launch sends the cars up a vertical piece of track, climbing higher and higher. But wait, the cars don't have enough thrust to reach the top, and suddenly they fall backwards at high speed, ascending another incline at the back. 

The pendulum-like action soon resolves itself, and the cars gain enough power to continue their forward motion. Riders can look forward to mad twists, and speeds that top out at a tear-inducing 120 mph. "I survived the backwards spike and absolutely loved it!" mentions a Facebook user. "Shout out to the man in front of us who had his hands up during the pic bc I clearly thought I was going to die & needed to hold on for dear life."

This is another ride where travelers dangle over an edge, garnishing the experience with an added level of terror. "Everything about this type of ride revolves around how intense the dives are at each drop in the attraction," explains the blog ThemeParkHipster. "So, adding 75 mph to an already intense roller coaster only puts it to the insane level." The trip begins with a climb up to 223 feet, way above Lake Erie. 

What comes next is another ledge where the cars tilt on a platform, slowly turning 90 degrees down before joining the next piece of track. Just as riders get their breath back, they are thrown straight into a full inversion loop. Visitors can also expect a 270-degree roll, more inversions, and even a second drop of 130 feet, where the cars just seem to hover over the edge for a time that will make riders squirm in discomfort.

For a no-holds-barred review, check out this entry from a contributor on Captain Coaster. "Wow. This thing should 100% be illegal, but I'm so glad it's not at the same time. It is so intense, and it has fantastic transitions from crushing positives to floaty negatives." Riders will go as high as 200 feet, and soar through the air at speeds peaking at 76 mph on X2. 

Travelers are strapped in from above, with shoulder harnesses, and their legs are free to hang below, and feel the rushing air as they fly through the sky. The novel concept of X2 is that the seats rotate 360 degrees, and so riders often have no sense of what is up, and what is down, what is forward, what is backward, as the trains whip around the track. Expect full dives, flips, twists, and loops that turn into drops.

The beginning of this ride is, for riders like this Reddit user, the highlight. "The LAUNCH! Absolutely one of the most intense available—best in the West and faster acceleration than any car!" In just over two seconds, riders will surpass 80 mph, climbing 205 feet in the air. That forceful initial surge, enough to press you back in your seat, quickly leads to a twist that might surprise riders. 

That loop turns seamlessly and shuffles into a sheer 90-degree drop, and then, after a couple of horseshoe bends, the ride ends. This isn't a long adventure, lasting just over one minute. Chances are that at the end, riders will still feel their heart pumping from the initial rocket-like boost. The theme of this ride is post-war hot rods with flames painted on hoods and tail fins adorning the backs.

There are many roller coasters all over the world, even one on the ocean, with almost 1,000 in the U.S., according to the Roller Coaster Database. To find the most terrifying of them, we pulled from various sources. We consulted blogs that focus on these thrilling rides, like Captain Coaster, Road Trips & Roller Coasters, and Blooloop, as well as more general sites like TripSavvy. We also were diligent to not include reliable scream-inducers like Kingda Ka, which closed in 2024. To flesh out each choice, we included personal testimony from actual riders who have lived to tell their terrifying tales.