Five Roller Coasters That Deserve a Movie Adaptation

Welcome to the depths of the theme park off-season, where gals like me who live in the cold states have nothing to do but sit around and watch movies and theme park vlogs.

Being in this bottomless pit of boredom for two months has led me to think about how there are so many roller coasters that have screen-worthy stories. The rides that I’ve compiled here are those that sent my imagination running with expansive backstories or lore, and not necessarily the ones at the top of anyone’s best coasters list.

In no particular order, here are my picks for roller coasters with the most cinematic potential:

1. Wildfire at Silver Dollar City

The backstory of this B&M sit-down coaster is, in fact, wild — one that could only live in the quirky Ozark Mountain park of Silver Dollar City. To be fair, many of Silver Dollar City’s attractions would make for great movies, (I’m looking at you, Time Traveler) but Wildfire is too unique to pass up.

I could explain the backstory of this picturesque coaster, but I’ll direct you to the park’s official blurb instead:

“Inventor extraordinaire Dr. Horatio Harris was obsessed with creating a flying machine that could sail across the Ozark Mountain treetops. In his quest, he developed a specially-powered fuel to propel his contraption. Named for this explosive concoction, WildFire® is a modern-day speed machine!” (SilverDollarCity.com)

The storyline is only expanded upon in the extended queue of the ride itself. Drawings, newspaper clippings, Dr. Horatio Harris’s office and a flying machine are visible. They help piece together the story of this madman inventor.

This story would work well in the form of a Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth) period piece. Toro is known to blend genres and to use practical special effects, which would be important in a film about zany inventions in a historical setting.

2. Mystic Timbers at Kings Island

The presentation of this GCI has been a favorite of mine since I first visited Kings Island in 2022. It’s spooky, unique and all the things that make for a great supernatural thriller. With a premise of aliens and monsters overtaking a lumber company, this coaster might as well be straight out of an X-Files episode.

According to VisitKingsIsland.com, the lore behind this coaster is as follows: “Themed to an abandoned lumber company, riders experience 16 airtime moments as they weave along 3,265 feet of track through wooded terrain, over water and through a mid-course tunnel at speeds up to 53 mph… As the train climbs the 109-foot lift hill, a voice is heard saying, ‘Hey! Hey! I see you up there! What do you think you’re doing? This is security. Seriously, guys, you need to take that truck and go home to your video games. This place is not safe. Whatever you do, don’t go in the shed!’ And then an adventure into the unknown begins.”

We love onboard audio that adds to the story. The same audio would make a cute Easter egg for fans in this theoretical film, directed by Shawn Levy (Stranger Things, Deadpool & Wolverine).

Levy would be the perfect director choice to make this coaster into a borderline family-friendly, supernatural adventure starring a group of newcomers. He would bring wit, and the spooks necessary for a Halloween hit. We only hope the ending in the shed isn’t as underwhelming as it can be in real life.

3. Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point

I still remember when the concept of Steel Vengeance was released. As a self-proclaimed lover of the Western genre, I was excited to see another coaster take on the theme (there is probably a Western-themed attraction in every theme park).

This is a unique take on the genre, of course, because while Steel Vengeance is its own ride, its storyline hints at a bigger overarching story with the neighboring attraction, Maverick. From the Cedar Point website:

“Outlaws Blackjack, Chess and Digger have returned to Frontier Town to reclaim what had been taken by Maverick years before. And they came back with a vengeance. Their creation was so bold that it created a new category of roller coaster: the hyper-hybrid”

Wouldn’t it be cool to see this coaster come to life in a space western? Encompassing the “steel” elements makes me think this story belongs in the future rather than the typical spaghetti western setting. Add Maverick cameo, and that would be the icing on the cake.

As for who’s at the helm of this movie? I’m bringing the legend Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean, Rango) out of retirement and letting him partner with Hans Zimmer for the musical score. This pairing would make for an epic cyberpunk adventure with an electric soundtrack and an intense overarching storyline that could span a trilogy, much like Pirates of the Caribbean.

4. Runaway Mountain at Six Flags Over Texas

As with most Six Flags coasters without intellectual property (IP) bolstering them, we have a little bit more wiggle room here. While I couldn’t find an explanation of this ride’s lore, I do remember being surprised by the theming of this Premier Rides indoor coaster when I rode it in 2022.

I think the easiest way to make this boxed coaster into a great film would be to work with the tagline on the Six Flags Over Texas website: “Is Runaway Mountain really scary… or is it just your imagination??”

Who better to mess with your mind with a simple premise at the cinema than Christopher Nolan (Inception, Oppenheimer)? He’d be the perfect person to helm a traditional adventure with a psychological thriller twist.

5. F.L.Y. at Phantasialand

What other roller coaster has lore as deep as having its own dedicated land and hotel? The Vekoma Flying Coaster, F.L.Y., resides in the fantasy world of Rookburgh at the incredible Phantasialand in Cologne, Germany.

Not convinced this coaster would make for an engaging movie? The park has a perfect trailer tagline right here:

“White steam rises from the streets. A revolutionary flying machine majestically spirals into the sky. In the distance, the pounding of machines sounds: The pulse of Rookburgh awakes!” (Phantasialand.de/en/)

I particularly love the line, “The pulse of Rookburgh awakes!”

Don’t complain when I say I’m hiring Greta Gerwig (Barbie, Little Women) for this one. Gerwig has had her doubters, especially with her interesting comments about her upcoming Chronicles of Narnia remake for Netflix, but her backlog speaks for itself. She knows how to helm the spectacle of an established brand and keep it grounded in a way where emotional beats hit every time.

Gerwig has popular working relationships with a few actors, most of which she would definitely cast for this project. Timothée Chalamet (Dune, Wonka) would be cast as the titular character of Charles Lindbergh in this fantasy world of Rookburgh. As the co-lead, we’d see Saoirse Ronan (Little Women, Lady Bird) alongside Chalamet. The two would bring great chemistry to this film, which would quickly become a steampunk romantic classic.

With big names and gorgeous settings, this movie would become such a success that Gerwig would be brought back to create a medieval epic inspired by Taron (also at Phantasialand). After that, we’d be halfway to a Phantasialand Cinematic Universe.

There you have it. Five roller coasters that would make for great movies. Which coaster would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments.

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About the Author:

Elora Maxwell is a writer based out of Missouri. She writes mostly fiction novels, but also loves to write about her travel experiences in her free time. She enjoys parks that provide great food and even greater roller coasters. Her dream is to one day be on a social media team for a theme park.