Michael Jackson fans living in France can experience Le train Fantôme Thriller, a traveling ghost train ride that pays homage to the King of Pop’s multi-platinum selling album and iconic music video. Totally not authorized by the Jackson family estate, this three-story attraction is chock-full of hungry zombies that are ready to devour you alongside a very familiar soundtrack from 1982.
 
The ride was created by Stéphane Camors, the descendant of a family of funfair attraction developers dating back a century and a half. Stéphane had previously created two popular ghost train attractions: “Fantom Manor” and “King Kong.” While searching for an idea of a more contemporary and innovative ride, inspiration struck when he came across his children watching the John Landis-directed “Thriller” music video on the internet. Stéphane immediately began consulting with manufacturers, set decorators, and visual artists. After fourteen months and 18,000 hours of construction, his dream became a reality.
 
You can track the location of Le train Fantôme Thriller via its official Facebook page. Alternatively, you can rent it during the off-season and assemble it yourself in your own backyard (mounting the ride takes just three days, only two days to disassemble).
 

 

 
See Le train Fantôme Thriller in action after the jump…

If this is how I go, then this is how I go…
 
Why did I have to learn about www.rideaccidents.com? As a seasoned roller-coaster and water park aficionado, I like to turn off the part of my brain screaming for self-preservation and enjoy the ride. Unfortunately, what I’ve always subconsciously known can no longer be denied: those things are hastily assembled deathtraps. But why would someone dedicate time to maintaining this sort of site? The description doesn’t allude to a personal experience of the owner, Jared Costanza, just a cryptic mission statement:

this site is intended to serve as a resource that helps identify circumstances that have either caused or contributed to accidents so that similar circumstances may be avoided. To all visitors, the information at this site is openly reported with the purpose of bringing awareness to the risks associated with amusement rides—an awareness that will translate into a safety-conscious respect for rides and a greater willingness to follow instructions, procedures and warnings.

What? I mean, sometimes the injuries/deaths are the result of improper safety procedures (seriously, don’t stand up when they tell you not to), but sometimes the water slide just splits in two and some one falls to a gruesome death in front of a bunch of families on vacation! That’s… life. The best/worst part of the site is the search feature, which allows visitors to look up the history of all their favorite rides and muse about all the times they cheated death for two minutes of cheap thrills.

Regardless, I won’t be eschewing the Cyclone anytime soon, even though I now know it to be a venerable murder-machine. When my time comes, I’d like my loved ones to be able to say I died how I lived—ignoring all common sense.

 
A fellow writing under the name DubaiDave posted a series of photographs taken at what has to be the world’s single worst amusement park at Theme Park Review. It’s become somewhat of a classic:

OK, I have just got back from a trip to Alexandria in Egypt. Apart from arriving the day that the riots started and the place being dirty as hell we had a nice few days away.

I had heard that there was a kiddie credit at a place called Fantazy Land but could not find anyone who had been there. Anyway We finally found the park and it was the worst run park I have ever been to.

On the net I had found that the entry fee was 7 Egyptian Pounds, around $1.50. However when I got there they said it was 13 Pounds. I went back to the car as or whole group was going to go in, but when we got back to the pay window it was now 30 Pounds each, Anyway, I decided to go in on my own to get some photos.

One thing to note was that when I paid my 30 Pounds I was actually given 3 tickets with 10 Pounds written on them, something tells me I was ripped off. lol

 

 
Anyone stupid enough to willingly strap themselves in to one of “The United Rides of Funtazy’s” attractions deserves what they’d get! Still more photos here.
 

 

 
Bonus: Leninland! Via Popbitch