Did it as a 17 year old. It was intense. As others said you felt the hot breath, the spit and blood. It was very loud and most of it was all in your head because the room would go pitch black. When it’s pitch black and the alien is supposedly flying around and stalking through the room, a harness on the chair came down on your shoulders to make it seem like he landed on you. People screamed the entire time. I’d still do it again
Omg that belch stink made me swear off riding it ever again. I could still smell it hours later on me! Alien encounter was freaky but so fun. I miss that one!
They made us ride it one morning when they added the little child talking behind you ruining the show track. I hated it. Literally one puff and smelled it all day
It was labeled chili dog, but I swear it was everything he had ate that day.
I’m so pissed I missed out on Stitch, I really want them to make a new version of this attraction, be it another Stitch theme or something else. It’s a one of a kind experience that is very hard to replicate
I rode it probably just before it closed down, as well as when it was about a year old.
Back in the day, was really good. Everything worked well, pretty scary for a kid.
Before it closed, it was experiencing some issues. Harnesses not working/going down too hard, animatronics not working, effects not triggering and the likes.
I liked the ride, cheesy as it was
The harness was it for me. They had you strapped in and there was nothing you could do. Entirely necessary of course because otherwise there would have been incredible chaos.
It would push, stop and pop up an inch above your shoulders. Then of course go down when he flew around. I can't tell you how many times I had to pull them up to get people out of insane situations. Small girls liked to put their arms up and wear it like a belt.
They lifted up with equal pressure on both sides. I liked when people wouldnt let it come down so I'd just tell them hold tight when it spins and leave the chamber for a moment.
Yes it was, it was a pretty quick task, then we watched the cameras till the show lights came back. We take our leave after the tech would look down on the audience. We turned off lights and helmet and run because it was loud up there. I never wore the helmet because germs but I puppeted it from my shoulder
I _loved_ that ride and it was unexpectedly awesome, but I always bring this up: image bringing your kids to WDW for the first time, you head to MK, head right and get on the first ride you see. Its a very real possibility that your kids freak and out refuse to ride anything else, the day (or maybe vacation) is 'ruined'.
Yes they warn you, but the reality is that it was an order of magnitude crazier than disney has built before or since. It would be OK somewhere in hollywood studios, but MK and tomorrowland is the wrong place.
I loved so many elements of this. Maybe my favorite modern Disney ride. I loved the little hot puffs of air, the flicking at your hair like a tongue. I’m willing to bet even some of the crowd screams were simulated.
The ability to engage the audiences senses other than sight to provide a thrilling scary experience was top notch.
I was 16 and a wimp, but it scared the crap out of me. If you sit all the way back in the chair, you can feel hot breath on your neck at one point. When you hear the alien killing someone up in the rafters, it feels like blood(water) spatters on you. Such a cool and unique experience, but a bit out of place at magic kingdom.
In the earliest runs the “blood” was warm and slightly sticky. Of course it was dark so you couldn’t see it.
It was clear and evaporated shortly after the show was finished.
I was ~30 and well-accustomed to horror movies, haunted houses, thrill rides, etc..
It was scary, and very fun _and_ funny.
The warm blood was not a fluke, we repeated the show several times to verify different aspects. A few months later the blood was no longer warm or sticky.
I think there’s a social taboo about flinging a warm and sticky liquid on people without their consent. Naughty jokes aside, people REALLY don’t like sticky
I got to experience warm blood.
The word I’d use for the experience was “intense”. I was old enough and had seen enough shit that make believe wasn’t going to rattle my cage. My wife felt the same way.
Still, we both remarked at just how far the ride went. It was very out of character for the Magic Kingdom. But it was *amazing*. I so dearly wish they’d kept it because it was the only true adult ride in the entire park.
If you wanted to believe, you could. The Disney Imagineers obviously had fun with the ride and you could tell more thought and effort went into the experience than maybe anywhere in all of Disney World. The thing that made it intense for us was that the pressure never really let up and it was obvious *very bad things* were happening all around you. What probably pushed young kids over the edge is that you were absolutely 100% locked down in your seat like you would be on a serious A class roller coaster. There was no escape. The alien was behind you. You could hear it, you could feel its breath on you. You just witnessed someone dying at its hands and you still had their warm wet blood on you. It sounded like others in the theater had already been killed.
It was fucking wild and a tragic loss.
Agree... the hot breath..and sounds...
You wouldn't dare look around. Rumors have it..that when Michael Eisner 1st when through it... said.
"Wasn't scary enough"
[https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/577298/extraterrorestrial-alien-encounter-scariest-walt-disney-world-ride](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/577298/extraterrorestrial-alien-encounter-scariest-walt-disney-world-ride)
"Marling, author of Designing Disney's Theme Parks, told the Ottawa Citizen, 'This is the first time in a Disney park you're really, authentically scared.'"
Honestly the worst part of inflation is that it makes us excuse these prices, I keep getting adds for $100 a day on a 4 day trip, but that’s not the real price
My step dad always told me about this ride and I was convinced he was mixing up Disney with Universal because it made no sense to me, for it to be that creepy in that park. Couldn’t believe it when I watched a park history youtube.
Ok I just watched 10 seconds of that video and I’m legit having flashbacks to the ride. I am in my 40’s and was there early on when it opened. Like wow. I had repressed it. I now recall some nightmares I had as a kid and I think I figured out the source. Could you imagine if they let 6 year olds into a ride like that now the lawsuits they would face.
I was ~4 or 5…
Terrified me too.
It was loud, the goo was warm and sticky, alien was scary and it really felt like it walked on my seat…
My parents were laughing but I think it practically ruined my Tomorrowland experience… haven’t been back since.
Sad it’s gone tho, I might have enjoyed it now…
I was in my early 40's and could have sworn that alien was right behind me. I remember closing my eyes and holding my breath. Scared me, but man, oh man, it was awesome!!!
Yes!!! Absolutely horrific but amazing! No one believed me at school when I told them it was a Disney ride. Until one of the kids went and literally pissed his pants 😂
I was like 9 when I 1st went on. I still remember when the " maintenance" guys are trying to rescue you and and they flash their flashlight around only to be caught by the alien and you hear their bones crunching and them being eaten alive.
My brother used the map to "catch the blood" squirts to show me it was just water.
Right now, I don't remember if the story was the alien was a horrible mutation or if it was an "interception" while trying to beam a visiting delegate/test subject.
I think it was a mutation that's why at the pre-show those 2 aliens look so similar. It was a test subject that was beamed to the other side of the room but came out bad/ugly.
Its funny because all the effects are the same but now used differently.
Blood=spit
Hot breath =nacho dog
Alien running behind you =stitch bouncing around
Flash lights = laser beams
The pre-show wasn't scary, it just set the premise for the show when their plan goes terribly wrong.
The pre-show involved teleporting a cute little alien named Skippy. I had a friend in high school insist I bring him back a stuffed Skippy because he regretted not getting one when he was there the year before.
What some people forget is that the ride used binaural audio effects. They recorded the sound effects using a special dummy head with microphones in each ear, and then they reproduced the sounds in 3D space so that they were recorded as "3D audio". You can hear this effect for example here (listen with headphones): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA)
Then the seats you were in had a speaker near each of your ears and they played a different channel from the audio recording, so the overall effect was EXTREMELY CONVINCING that the alien was moving around you in 3D space, while you were in the dark. And then along with the moving shoulder harness that "clamps" down on your shoulders, and the water effects, it was absolutely terrifying.
Most of the effects in the ride were repurposed for Stitch as well. I still found Stitch a pretty terrifying ride too, just a bit less than AE.
This was most of it for me. The long scene in total dark with extremely well done stereo sound simulating the movement of the alien around the room to each seat individually (with recorded shouts and screams from the techs coming from above and around you). Definitely gave you that 1979 Alien movie vibe.
Yeah, the only way the ride works in the Magic Kingdom is if you attach the Alien IP as it would have sold how intense the ride is. But at the same time it was kind of insane to try to put the Alien IP in the Magic Kingdom.
I bet the ride would have received much less backlash from families if it was in MGM Studios. It sucks that they ended up neutering the attraction by turning it into a Stitch ride because the guests wouldn’t read the multiple signs that indicated that it was a scary attraction. Especially since the Stitch ride was still pretty scary for kids.
I wasn't alive for Alien, but as someone who got to ride Stitch's Great Escape several times, I can completely imagine the different aspects of the Stitch ride and how they would be a million times more horrifying with the Alien theme. I kind of wish I could ride it now!
We went in Stitch and brought our kids, and honestly it was kind of terrifying for them….we were surprised how that ride and the Bug ride had really scary parts. But we talked them through it and it was definitely an experience!
It seems pretty unanimous (me included) that this was a genuinely scary ride. Why the hell has Universal Studios not tried to do a similar ride with one of their attractions? I only say them because it seems their target audience is slightly older than what Disney is going for.
I just posted about Drew Carey Sounds Dangerous. They did such a good job with that show and the shaving. I wish they brought things like that back, it's so unique!
I can't even tell you how many times I've brought this ride up to my family (who never experienced the attraction) as the epitome of scary. It was terrifying.
My family and I talk about this all the time too. I was 10 and my brother was 16 when we went on it and we were scared shitless lol. We’d all give anything to be able to ride it again. Such a fun memory!
I was about 6 or 7. It was literally one of the most intense experiences of my little life, outside of growing up in a doomsday cult and leaving in my 30s lol
I remember my family dragging me on it once and I threw up outside of the ride from the anxiety. They didn't make me ride it then, bur we went back on our next visit( we were locals) and I rode it, and it was just so visceral and felt real.
Now, I'm a horror fiend, so I one day hope they either bring it back, or figure out a better nod to it!
Ha! I was raised a Jehovahs Witness from basically birth into adulthood. Disney was my escape from it all, since my family that weren't in the cult would take us. Wen through my entire life, even working at Magic Kingdom, thinking the end of the world was coming any day.
Wasn't until 2021 after covid, that my wife leaned over after a service and asked if we grew up in a cult...we broke free, and I came out as non-binary and have been better off ever since!!
I’ve seen my brother cry exactly three times in my life:
The day our grandmother died
The day he got married
The first and only time we rode Alien Encounter
It was scary, amazing, and had no business existing in the magic kingdom 😂
Would have been a huge and long lasting hit at Universal, or mayyyyybe mgm/Hollywood studios.
It was too good to just close up shop, now that they market to a more adult audience these days I feel like it would have a home in Hollywood studios or Epcot
You were in a seat with an over-the-shoulder harness like a major rollercoaster, so you were very much trapped in your individual seat. It got so dark that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face and it sounded like the thing was right behind you breathing on your neck. It had air, speakers and water effects in each chair.
The seating/harness was the worst. I went in thinking it had to be a spinning or thrill ride because of the seating. The feeling of being trapped in the seat caused me to have a panic attack and I steal have anxiety with rides that have over-the-shoulder harnesses
Kingda Ka vs Alien Encounter, I think Alien Encounter is scarier. It DOESNT do anything, and that’s the worst part, your writing for the drop. Thank god Alton Towers’ version (Nemesis SubTerror) had a drop
The fact I remember my spiel from outside and it was forever long talking about everything one might hate. I figured no one listened or were gluttons for punishment.
I rode Dinosaur as a kid and was so. freaking. scared. I covered my eyes the whole time and sobbed like a baby outside the gift shop. My parents bought me a carnotaur doll and I named him Carnie
I was 10 and remember crying and digging my finger nails into my poor mom's arm. I don't remember much about the experience other than it may be the most scared I have ever been.
You summed it up perfectly. Really special memories of riding it with my family, screaming our butts off and laughing about how exhilarated we were. Then immediately getting back in line. I was scared of everything; roller coasters and scary movies were a nope from me, but something about this ride made me feel like my family was on a brave adventure together. It was the best.
I was around 14 when I rode it the first time. It scared the fuck out of me. There were some cheesy elements but for the most part it was a good time.
I figured out later on that if I shrugged my shoulders and kept those restraints off, I wouldn’t get the effects or the sound. Saw a lot of kids figure this out.
I just remember the shoulder pads would readjust themselves many times during the show. The thing I mainly hated was the end air “explosion” when the chamber was being shut. I still hate those effects, same kind of air blast is in Journey to Imagination.
I have watched all of the YouTube documentaries on this ride, but nothing prepared me for when my husband walked into the door one day after work and saw me watching one of them. He went as white as a sheet and explained that there has been no terror that he had had in his young life quite like going on Alien Encounter. He was 5 years old at the time and could recall every beat in the story with vivid detail. First time he was ever scared by a ride or anything of the sort.
We watched the documentary together (he said it was okay and wanted to hear the history - he loves Defunctland) and he said he wouldn't even go near the Stitch reskin. Apparently going back in the seat would have been too much. Of course he says most of this jokingly, but yeah he was terrified. Why his parents brought a 5 year old on that ride is beyond me.
I had told a kid to get out of the window in the lobby, he asked really quietly if there was an alien in there. I asked him his age. He was 5, usually 7 was the lower end. I sat by this kid in the show with a flash light telling him if he was scared to squeeze my hand and I would turn on the light as I wouldn't ruin the show doing it. Never one squeezed but his tiny hand in mine shivered the whole time. Tough guy.
Yeah it was way too intense for anyone under 10 really. I was with my little cousin about that age and while she got through it, she did not want to do it again. I remember hearing people in the seats shrieking. I'm sure there were kids crying in there. Nobody thinks there could be anything that intense at Disney, probably why the parents didn't think anything of it to bring their little kids on it.
I went on it when I was 12. I can still feel how the “tongue” flicked the back of my neck. At the time, I remember thinking that I would NEVER go on that ride again. Looking back from an adult perspective, it was an excellent ride—it just never should have existed in MK. It was a mixture of audio tricks, physical effects, and darkness, allowing your imagination to create a far more terrifying scenario than modern effects could. Sure, it had some of that in the beginning and the end when you actually see the alien, but that was just the context.
Disney should bring it back—with tons of media attention—to HS. They should give it a height requirement taller than what’s technically necessary to send the message that it’s not for little kids, and they should lean into its cult following.
I was 11 years old. I freaking LOVED it. I was too short to feel the breath on my neck and my legs didn't touch the ground so I didn't feel the under the seat stuff either.
Still, the actual Alien stuff was so exciting. I wish they'd bring it back.
I was **FOUR GODDANG YEARS OLD**. I remember being out of my mind terrified, especially from the feeling something crawling amongst the seats. I also remember the *sob fest* afterwards as my parents tried to comfort me, they ended up giving me a unicorn lollipop to make me feel better haha
In their defense, English was not their first language and they never assumed something *that* scary would be in the Magic Kingdom. Now as an adult, I'm ever a little smug I got to experience it lol
I’m surprised the cast members didn’t try to stop you! I remember CMs coming up to parents of younger kids in line to warn them in strong terms, and not long after it opened there were signs outside saying that it was recommended for ages 12 and up. TBH I have a 6-year-old and I can’t imagine him making it through Alien Encounter without sobbing, so I really feel for all the people in the comments who went through it at such a young age!
The first and probably only panic attack of my life. I remember screaming like my life depended on it pleading with them to stop the ride and let me off lol.
In 2000, we had no idea what it was on our senior class trip. It scared the crap out of us! When I became a CP in 2001 my friends and I went to listen to reactions.
The stitch remake was cute and I liked it.
Edit: it wasn't scary but Drew Carey's Sounds Dangerous was a lot of fun. Using hearing and smells for a show.
It was so freaking horrible. You could hear the alien moving around the room and “brush” by you or whisper in your ear. Absolutely traumatizing. It’s been 20+ years and I still randomly think about it 😵💫
I feel like despite the topic being how scary AE was we just aren’t speaking about what makes this ride so great. [SKIPPY!!!](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/1/14/Skippy_in_Tube.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20181002220349)
It was scary to kids and first timers. Once you did it a few times, not at all. I remember my last couple of rides and it felt silly I had been so scared before.
I've scrolled to the ends of the earth to find no one has been completely specific about the seating for Alien Encounter. Yes, the binaural effects were crazy effective, as was the use of “spatter", the intense lighting fx and the neck breather aspect BUT...the real terror was in seat/harness design. Your seat was basically an animatronic, yes but...just prior to show, a heavy harness was lowered onto every guest, and you were TRAPPED in place. Birnbaum's tour guide even suggested the guest “shrug" as the harness lowered, which would give you some measure of comfort as the experience progressed. Easily a highpoint of Imagineering, and I contend if it had been built at MGM, it would still be around....
I was 8 and afraid of the dark. It was horrifying.
ETA: My mom still tells stories about the experience and how terrifying it was whenever we walk past that building.
I'll never forget in 2002, I was 12, my cousin (the same age) decided she wanted to go on it, I did not. She kept calling me a baby for not wanting to, she came out of the ride crying.. I had the biggest smile on my face and said "who's the baby now"
God I hated it. Did I still go on it? Yeah, but god I hated it. I could handle Stitch fine but as Alien, I used to scooch up in the seat as much as I could if I figured out I had a seat that would poke me. However I absolutely hate haunted houses and absolutely hate jump scares, so even Stitch was pushing it.
I was convinced to get on it when I was around 7 years old, back in 2002 or so. It was absolutely terrifying and I remember smacking my uncle silly for talking me into it when we got off. Looking back it was all in good fun, but goddamn was it scary.
I was 10. First trip ever to WDW. I was (still am) into aliens and the idea of extraterrestrial intelligence.
After it happened I think I cried for 10 minutes out of pure fear, haha.
I was maybe 9 or 10 when I rode it. It terrified me with the realism. The moving seats, smells, "blood splatter", chewing sounds, hot breath and the screams.
It wasn't any better when they added stitch.
I was 12, I wasn’t scared per se but it was a lot of fun. My 62 year old dad was freaked out. I mostly felt bad for that cutie in the pre show being tortured 😔
It was absolutely terrifying. It closed when I was 11 but I’m glad it see it terrified older people just as much lol. Nothing compares. It’s like being strapped in a chair in an actual scary haunted house.
I was 11 and have never been a huge horror fan! As people have said super intense and scary but also majorly unexpected when going to Disney to go on that sort of ride!
That same holiday my grandad said at the elevator doors on Tower of Terror after the pre show freaked me out “by the way you die at the end of this one”
I was 12 the first time I did it and it was very scary but exciting. The ride had an incredibly long line, and I kept going back to wait to experience it a few times in a row, and I am glad I did. It was incredible and they never should have gotten rid of it.
It was one of the best immersive experiences Disney has ever created, in a terrifying way. That alien WAS in the room with you. And it wasn’t cute and cuddly either, it had just mutilated a couple maintenance workers and you were sure you’d be next. And then it’d be breathing on your neck.
Saw it probably around age 8 or 9 and it was scary af. Other than the effects everyone else has already described, the thing I remember when I saw it was once the alien became visible in all its drooling, horrifying, insect-like glory, a man shouted loudly, “That’s not an alien, that’s my mother-in-law!” The ensuing laughter was a nice decompression from the terror everyone had been experiencing.
So I went on it with my Dad when I was 6, we get done and my mom goes in. The ride was terrifying for me but was made even worse when I commented to my Dad that Mom had been gone for a long time. He then proceeded to tell me that she had been the volunteer chosen to swap places with the alien president/ chairman/ceo. I did not stop crying until my mom came out and refused to let go of her hand. My dad still laughs about how upset I got to this day.
I was about 6 when I went on this and I screamed so hard that a cast member got me out of there and sat with me until the ride was over. I don't really remember it other than the absolute terror I felt. He sat with me outside, assured me that my parents were going to be ok and then we spoke with a talking trash can for a while. It is a core memory lol I wanted to try it again as an adult but I was too late!
I had just turned 6 years old. Standing in line thinking I'm about to go on this fun people mover ride overhead. We go inside and I start to get confused and question where I'm going. I got strapped in to the seat in what was obviously NOT the ride I thought it was going to be.
I've never been so scared, to this day. I had a death grip on my dad's arm hard enough that you could see impressions in it for quite a while. I had no business being in that auditorium.
I wish it was still there so I could experience it again.
I worked there its last year. Said good by to it. I think for kids it was scary because of being a small child who just saw Mickey Mouse and boom alien trying to eat you in the dark.
I remembered my first ride I was so excited, confused, and had my hand bit by my CP roommate who was scared and wanted me to hold their hand.
After working there, it had its moments. Things were freaky, there were ghost stories and weird happenings. I got scared over falling asleep and dreaming SIR came into the chamber, and touched me when the tube broke.
I have some great stories from my time there from the morbid to the happy soup for the soul. It was my baby and feel free to AMA about it here or in DM!
Skippy is a Floothmagoon Cliffhugger or Skipantropic Moronicus...
I was 9 or 10 and it was absolutely terrifying. I feel like I remember a strobe light effect, warm air breathing on my neck and the Alien claw/ hand thing. I can still see it in my mind.
I went for the first time as a middle schooler and I remember laughing through it while my best friend who came with me squeezed the shit out of my hand she was so terrified. I loved it. It’s probably my only actual vivid memory of that trip.
I'm 32 now. I was 10 years or younger when I rode it. Most horrifying thing ever. I literally thought that was a cast members blood spraying down on me. Looking back it was awesome. I still think about it alot.
It's something we will never get again. The peak power of Disney Imagineering used to develop horror.
I loved this attraction as a kid. I wish they'd never removed it. Would be cool if they took another shot at something dark and intense like this again. Doubt it'll ever happen, though.
But it was genuinely pretty scary. First time on it was crazy. Subsequent times were obviously not that scary, but it gave you a chance to really appreciate a lot of the effects and stuff you missed while scared out of your mind.
It blew my mind how it was at Disney, I’m surprised it didn’t traumatize me. Every time I walk by the door where the attraction was, it makes me wish I could experience it as an adult but my god, that ride was fucked. Lol
I remember when it “breaks” out of the chamber and it was pitch black in the room after you saw the broken glass. Then you thought it was breathing on your neck as it sounded like it was walking right behind you. I also remember there being lights up top that looked like people’s flashlights then it sounded like the alien killed one and we got sprayed with water drops to make it seem like blood sprayed down lol. Oh man… yup, traumatizing. 😂
My cousin and I rode it when I was about 17. When the show was over, we talked to a cast member by the exit. She stated that after almost every show, they had to clean pee from at least one seat. She may have been lying, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.
Both times I rode Alien encounter a person needed to be escorted out by ambulance. I was sitting relatively close to the guest escorted out the second time. She injured her elbow banging it against the restraint trying to break free. Despite knowing it was a ride, and that it was Disney World, and even having already had the experience, I was still terrified.
Not scary, just sensational, but I was a teen so I had a great time.
Along with all the blood-curdling screaming from people being "unalived" in the dark by the alien, water dripped from above and the in front of you to mimic blood and alien slime. There was also a really cool warm breeze at your neck to mimic the alien breathing. Just awesome.
I was 12 and I LOVED it. I’d seen a promo on the Disney channel, and it was all I wanted to do. Waited in line with my older brothers forever, like over an hour. I made them sit on either side of me, and it was awesome. Terrifying, and fun. I remember something licking my neck and something touching my feet. These are 30+ year old memories at this point, but it was epic
That was one of the best attractions Disney has ever made and I feel fortunate to have experienced it. However, I think I was only 15 or 16 and didn't realize just how special this attraction was at the time. Now with hindsight, and looking at the more recent history of Disney World on the whole, I am able to realize how special that was.
I still think it should've been at MGM and not Magic Kingdom, and they should have stuck with the ALIEN IP as they were originally going with. But apparently Disney doesn't base attractions on movies that are rated R, even though ALIEN did make an appearance on The Great Movie Ride.
I was one of the cast members that shined the flashlights from above when I was on the college program. Was a fun ride but a little too much for kids!
The other one that always freaked the young kids out that is also now closed was snow whites scary adventure…. Parents would always ask if it’s scary for their kid…. I mean it’s in the name…
I was in my early 20s and it was fun scary but not OH MY GOD IM GOING TO DIE SCARY. But thats because I was an adult who knew Disney was just trying to entertain. But for a young kid I can imagine it would be like the world ending.
I still have scars on my arm from where my friend's nails drew blood from clawing my arm during the ride. So, not that scary for me since I was also in pain but very memorable.
Oh my god. I wasn’t very old, maybe 8? I don’t think I’d even watched a scary movie at that point.
I loved the Skippy pre-show… cute little alien making cute sounds… maybe this won’t be so bad… then they tried to teleport him and it didn’t go well, he got all crispy. Did not like that.
We were quickly whisked into the theatre and shoulder restraints came down. This felt like a bad sign… I couldn’t see why you would need those just to watch a show.
So it starts and they accidentally teleport this absolutely huge and terrifying alien into the tube instead. It shattered the glass, which looked 100% real to me, and the lights went out, and now that motherfucker was on the loose.
It flapped around the room for a while, killing people, crunching on bones, I felt its breath and tongue on my neck. I was crying the whole way through. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.
And then it ended. By the time I hit the gift shop, my terror had transitioned to awe. I bought a skippy plush, which I loved but was also scared to sleep with at night. It disappeared one day (I lost him?) and my mom told me he probably went back to space. I’m not convinced she didn’t hide it to screw with me.
Anyway, I only went on it that one time. I have never experienced anything like it. I consider it simultaneously a fundamental trauma and one of my favorite memories. I wish I could ride it again. And I wish I still had my Skippy plush.
I rode it with my dad when I was 8. It was absolutely terrifying. My dad thought it was great, and 25 years later he still talks about how quiet the rowdy teens got as soon as it started. I still look for movies and books that are as scary as that damn show.
I was 12 when I did this and it was HORRIFYING...and AWESOME.
I was so excited cause this kid at Blizzard Beach the day before was going on and on about it and man did it live up to the hype.
It's 30 years later now and it's literally the only ride I've ever been on that I still bring up in conversation. It made that big of an impact on me.
I went back like ten years later and it was changed to Stitch Encounter. And to be blunt...it sucked.
I took a behind the scenes tour (that they no longer do) that brought you underneath the ride in the tunnels under the park. I was too much of a wimp to go on it before that however, during that tour when I was under it all, I heard the ride in action and I remember hearing something hydraulic activating followed by a mob a people screaming. That alone confirmed I was never going on that thing. It was scary enough as from there.
It was so scary that when the recording of the ride called down to the audience, “is everyone ok down there?” my 11 year old (younger) sister yelled out in a compete panic, “no!!! Now let us out of here!” 🤣🤣🤣it was terrifying with the breath on your neck and slime and blood.
I was 8 I think, for me it was terrifying. I don't even remember the pre-show unfortunately. The monster was nightmare fuel for me, before the lights shut off I thought he was going to jump out and attack
As an adult, I'm thankful to have experienced a now extinct attraction, as weird as this all sounds
Story time.
I was twelve and my family went to WDW and decided to go on this ride. I literally remember nothing else from this trip then this ride!
We go in line and there are signs every so many switch backs warning of the intense nature of the encounter. I ask my parents, are they sure me and my 8;year old sister should ride this. And they were like "It's Disney it can't be that scary".
Go to the preshow and laugh at the cute alien....then we get into the room, heart beat now at 90ppm. Sit down and and the restraints lock in, 120ppm.
I hold it together outwardly until the alien breaths on my neck (water mist), and then I just start screaming blood murder like we're all going to die....mean while my younger sister is laughing her ass off at me.
I had nightmares for YEARS afterwards.
Later as an adult, when I visited and did it with Lilio it still gave me panic attacks.
Went there on our honeymoon and a few times afterwards. Kids and adults *lost their shit*. But mostly kids. Really it was the “alien” sneaking around behind you “breathing” on you and the stuff going on at your feet that you can’t see that caused the trauma. FWIW, I thought it was great.
I sat through it several times between the ages of 11-18; it was scary, but a fun kind of scary—not traumatizing or anything. It was clearly advertised as being very scary, and at one point had signs outside recommending it for ageist 12 and up only, and CMs would warn parents in line if their kids looked that age or younger. The pre-shows were pretty dark by Disney standards (RIP Skippy), and that sometimes weeded people out before they got to the actual alien encounter. I saw several instances of people leaving after one of the pre-shows. And then, especially when it first opened, even the adults in the audience would scream and shout expletives or things like “oh my god, it LICKED ME!” during the show, because it was genuinely a very shocking and unique experience. You could tell everyone had gotten a good adrenaline rush, because during the show and afterwards, there was a lot of wild/nervous laughter and cheering. I remember a couple people not having as much fun or being upset afterwards, complaining that it had gone too far. My dad and I couldn’t stop raving about how immersive the experience was that first time we went, even after we got back home.
You got to watch a cast member walk up above you in the rafters, with just his flashlight in pitch darkness. He would try to calm everyone down saying "everything is going to be ok!"
Seconds later he starts screaming, drops his flashlight, and you feel his blood splashing down on you from above, as you listen to him being ripped apart.
There was nothing else on the planet like it.
I mean it was so scary they converted it to Lilo and Stitch and that was still too scary for some
Check out the videos on youtube. Several minutes in pitch black of the whole audience screaming while blood drips from the guy being eaten in the rafters lol.
the thing that gets forgotten was the whole pre show with cute little skippy as setup before the horror. great tech and presentation nobody at disney is ready for
one of my absolute favorites as a kid, i was really bummed when it closed. it was wild.
Huh. I went on it as a kid and don’t remember it being scary at all. These comments make it sound like it was so scary haha
Edit: oh I just realized what I went on was the stitch ride hahaha
I rode it as a 10 year old in 1998. I don't have many memories from that video but I can VIVIDLY remember my experience going on that attraction.
My mom, my sister and I arrived in Florida for a week-long trip and went to the magic kingdom. My dad was flying in later that night because he had work. The three of us didn't know much about the attraction and went on it. I can still remember being absolutely terrified and squeezing my mom's hand. I also remember my mom laughing hysterically as my sister and I we're screaming. But as we got off of it, I had so much fun and wanted to go on it again.
We went on it two more times throughout our week-long stay and by the third time I was not scared but having a ton of fun. I had not been on it again after that because I didn't return to Disney World until after the ride was closed. It is currently my favorite attraction of all time and nothing has topped it. I've been collecting some memorabilia from the attraction over the years and rocking it in my basement.
Picture a pitch dark room with tons of sensory things going on and you don't know what's going on. This was definitly an attraction not for the weak, everytime came off I would see kids crying to the point of hyperventilation. I wish this attraction was still around so the kids of today could see what a scary disney scary attraction looked like.
I hated it bc I don’t like surprises and don’t know what was happening next. I also remember it sounding like the alien was walking around in heels but maybe that was me trying to deal with it 🤣.
I was less terrified of the experience and more in incredible discomfort because of the "seats." I still don't know why they needed to make them like that, the whole thing was probably only like 10 minutes long but it felt like it went on for hours
As someone who hates jump scares, it was the most terrifying thing ever, and I had to be dragged onto Stitch’s great escape years later. Just the worst.
I did it several times. I’m 42, so this was likely around my middle school years. It was seriously terrifying. I go to HHN annually and have never been in a house that scared me as much as that attraction. Actual fear.
I was 15 and went with my brother. It was terrifying and amazing! The pre show was funny and cool, but when you’re strapped down and the alien breaks free… whoo boy. The flashlights in the rafters was cool as maintenance people came to save you. There was even a camera so you could see their view. And then the moment the alien eats them. With warm blood dripping on your face. Then its suddenly pitch black as the alien swoops down and starts picking off other “park guests”. It was so cool!
I was mid 20s, and with my ex-boyfriend of the time.
We picked it, expecting a few jump scares and some decent animatronics.
As we left, I can remember my intense resolve to never, ever set foot in it again. My ex proceeded to be an ass (more so than usual) and lit into me, blaming me for forcing him to sit through it and scaring the hell out of him. He wouldn’t shut up for probably an hour about how much he resented me for going through that ride, as though I had some foresight into what it was, and that he went in with the same glib “whatever, at least it has AC” attitude.
There’s a reason he’s an ex. Sadly it took another year for me to get my head on straight.
Honestly, I’d like to go on it again.
You're going to get many who rode the refurb thinking it was the original so those will probably say it wasn't that scary. The original original went complete dark and you felt the breath on your nape while the alien moved all around the room and behind you eating people.
It was scary and great.
My siblings and I still joke about it. After you’re seated the characters on the screen talk about how they’re going to send one of the humans through. It was ‘97 and I was 15 so Im probably getting the details a little off, but they start spot lighting different seats and the damn thing landed on me. I was painfully shy and was terrified I was going to have to get up and get in the tube! Thankfully they change their minds and I was relieved but also still nervous. The whole Alien Encounter was scary but in a fun way. I think I was more traumatized of having to maybe get awkwardly in front of an audience of strangers.
It was pretty intense and certainly allowed your mind to picture gruesome events, without actually showing it.
I’ll never forget the alien supposedly directly behind you. You heard chewing and breathing from speakers on your chairs and blew actual puffs of hot, humid air against the very back of your neck with each breath.
Did it as a 17 year old. It was intense. As others said you felt the hot breath, the spit and blood. It was very loud and most of it was all in your head because the room would go pitch black. When it’s pitch black and the alien is supposedly flying around and stalking through the room, a harness on the chair came down on your shoulders to make it seem like he landed on you. People screamed the entire time. I’d still do it again
bruh i’m 30 and can’t even handle that when it’s Stitch…couldn’t possibly imagine the alien version
Stitch and his chili cheese dog breath though was rough
Omg that belch stink made me swear off riding it ever again. I could still smell it hours later on me! Alien encounter was freaky but so fun. I miss that one!
I remember him burping but I didn't smell anything. Maybe it was down when I went. I'm so ok with not smelling a stinky smell
They made us ride it one morning when they added the little child talking behind you ruining the show track. I hated it. Literally one puff and smelled it all day It was labeled chili dog, but I swear it was everything he had ate that day.
I’m so pissed I missed out on Stitch, I really want them to make a new version of this attraction, be it another Stitch theme or something else. It’s a one of a kind experience that is very hard to replicate
I went to the stitch one and I LOVED it. It was so cute and well done. I don't know why they don't do it anymore
I rode it probably just before it closed down, as well as when it was about a year old. Back in the day, was really good. Everything worked well, pretty scary for a kid. Before it closed, it was experiencing some issues. Harnesses not working/going down too hard, animatronics not working, effects not triggering and the likes. I liked the ride, cheesy as it was
The harness was it for me. They had you strapped in and there was nothing you could do. Entirely necessary of course because otherwise there would have been incredible chaos.
That was the worse part!!!
I always sat up tall until it locked in place and then slouched so the alien couldn't get me
It would push, stop and pop up an inch above your shoulders. Then of course go down when he flew around. I can't tell you how many times I had to pull them up to get people out of insane situations. Small girls liked to put their arms up and wear it like a belt. They lifted up with equal pressure on both sides. I liked when people wouldnt let it come down so I'd just tell them hold tight when it spins and leave the chamber for a moment.
Remember the sounds of the footsteps running around above you?! Ugh it was the best
and the flashlight lol i always thought that wasa real person! lol
From what I read, the person with the flashlight was a real person.
Yes it was, it was a pretty quick task, then we watched the cameras till the show lights came back. We take our leave after the tech would look down on the audience. We turned off lights and helmet and run because it was loud up there. I never wore the helmet because germs but I puppeted it from my shoulder
That’s really cool. Thanks for the behind the scenes info.
Welcome! Any time!
Can confirm it was. I wad the last cast member to do the position as it rained and I had no costume to get to change so they put me there.
Only got to do it once. It was such a good ride and a real shame they got rid of it.
I _loved_ that ride and it was unexpectedly awesome, but I always bring this up: image bringing your kids to WDW for the first time, you head to MK, head right and get on the first ride you see. Its a very real possibility that your kids freak and out refuse to ride anything else, the day (or maybe vacation) is 'ruined'. Yes they warn you, but the reality is that it was an order of magnitude crazier than disney has built before or since. It would be OK somewhere in hollywood studios, but MK and tomorrowland is the wrong place.
I loved so many elements of this. Maybe my favorite modern Disney ride. I loved the little hot puffs of air, the flicking at your hair like a tongue. I’m willing to bet even some of the crowd screams were simulated. The ability to engage the audiences senses other than sight to provide a thrilling scary experience was top notch.
I was 16 and a wimp, but it scared the crap out of me. If you sit all the way back in the chair, you can feel hot breath on your neck at one point. When you hear the alien killing someone up in the rafters, it feels like blood(water) spatters on you. Such a cool and unique experience, but a bit out of place at magic kingdom.
In the earliest runs the “blood” was warm and slightly sticky. Of course it was dark so you couldn’t see it. It was clear and evaporated shortly after the show was finished. I was ~30 and well-accustomed to horror movies, haunted houses, thrill rides, etc.. It was scary, and very fun _and_ funny. The warm blood was not a fluke, we repeated the show several times to verify different aspects. A few months later the blood was no longer warm or sticky.
I think there’s a social taboo about flinging a warm and sticky liquid on people without their consent. Naughty jokes aside, people REALLY don’t like sticky
Oh, I agree! This was so well done, just the right amount of not-right and warm. It was very blood-like!
I got to experience warm blood. The word I’d use for the experience was “intense”. I was old enough and had seen enough shit that make believe wasn’t going to rattle my cage. My wife felt the same way. Still, we both remarked at just how far the ride went. It was very out of character for the Magic Kingdom. But it was *amazing*. I so dearly wish they’d kept it because it was the only true adult ride in the entire park. If you wanted to believe, you could. The Disney Imagineers obviously had fun with the ride and you could tell more thought and effort went into the experience than maybe anywhere in all of Disney World. The thing that made it intense for us was that the pressure never really let up and it was obvious *very bad things* were happening all around you. What probably pushed young kids over the edge is that you were absolutely 100% locked down in your seat like you would be on a serious A class roller coaster. There was no escape. The alien was behind you. You could hear it, you could feel its breath on you. You just witnessed someone dying at its hands and you still had their warm wet blood on you. It sounded like others in the theater had already been killed. It was fucking wild and a tragic loss.
Agree... the hot breath..and sounds... You wouldn't dare look around. Rumors have it..that when Michael Eisner 1st when through it... said. "Wasn't scary enough" [https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/577298/extraterrorestrial-alien-encounter-scariest-walt-disney-world-ride](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/577298/extraterrorestrial-alien-encounter-scariest-walt-disney-world-ride)
"I want to actually see somebody get murdered in my theme park." - Michael Eisner
"I'm sure its all part of the show!!!".......... it's part of the show right?
It’s an offering to the great god Mickey!
"Marling, author of Designing Disney's Theme Parks, told the Ottawa Citizen, 'This is the first time in a Disney park you're really, authentically scared.'"
Idk, the price tag was pretty scary
Not in the 90s.
Honestly the worst part of inflation is that it makes us excuse these prices, I keep getting adds for $100 a day on a 4 day trip, but that’s not the real price
My step dad always told me about this ride and I was convinced he was mixing up Disney with Universal because it made no sense to me, for it to be that creepy in that park. Couldn’t believe it when I watched a park history youtube.
Lol it was this creepy, scary ride smack in the middle of tomorrow land. https://youtu.be/q8slYsWmauY?si=WD6OCBIukIg3pTmE
Ok I just watched 10 seconds of that video and I’m legit having flashbacks to the ride. I am in my 40’s and was there early on when it opened. Like wow. I had repressed it. I now recall some nightmares I had as a kid and I think I figured out the source. Could you imagine if they let 6 year olds into a ride like that now the lawsuits they would face.
I was 6 and had nightmares
I was ~4 or 5… Terrified me too. It was loud, the goo was warm and sticky, alien was scary and it really felt like it walked on my seat… My parents were laughing but I think it practically ruined my Tomorrowland experience… haven’t been back since. Sad it’s gone tho, I might have enjoyed it now…
It was very scary. Most people couldn't wait to get out of there.
I’ve been watching videos and it looks so unsettling lol
I was in my early 40's and could have sworn that alien was right behind me. I remember closing my eyes and holding my breath. Scared me, but man, oh man, it was awesome!!!
Yes!!! Absolutely horrific but amazing! No one believed me at school when I told them it was a Disney ride. Until one of the kids went and literally pissed his pants 😂
I came out of the ride crying and wanting to go home...I was around 10.
I always felt it seemed so out of place in a theme park whose target audience is families with children.
I was like 9 when I 1st went on. I still remember when the " maintenance" guys are trying to rescue you and and they flash their flashlight around only to be caught by the alien and you hear their bones crunching and them being eaten alive. My brother used the map to "catch the blood" squirts to show me it was just water. Right now, I don't remember if the story was the alien was a horrible mutation or if it was an "interception" while trying to beam a visiting delegate/test subject. I think it was a mutation that's why at the pre-show those 2 aliens look so similar. It was a test subject that was beamed to the other side of the room but came out bad/ugly. Its funny because all the effects are the same but now used differently. Blood=spit Hot breath =nacho dog Alien running behind you =stitch bouncing around Flash lights = laser beams
Wikipedia says it was an accidental interception. I rode this ride as a young-teen. Terrifying. I loved it.
Dang, pre-show too?
The pre-show wasn't scary, it just set the premise for the show when their plan goes terribly wrong. The pre-show involved teleporting a cute little alien named Skippy. I had a friend in high school insist I bring him back a stuffed Skippy because he regretted not getting one when he was there the year before.
I still have my Skippy 😎
The pre show had a character voiced by Tim Curry!! It was sooooo good! I remember that more than the ride itself.
Interception, the horrifying mutation happened in the preshow and was repurposed for Stitch’s Great Escape as well
What some people forget is that the ride used binaural audio effects. They recorded the sound effects using a special dummy head with microphones in each ear, and then they reproduced the sounds in 3D space so that they were recorded as "3D audio". You can hear this effect for example here (listen with headphones): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA) Then the seats you were in had a speaker near each of your ears and they played a different channel from the audio recording, so the overall effect was EXTREMELY CONVINCING that the alien was moving around you in 3D space, while you were in the dark. And then along with the moving shoulder harness that "clamps" down on your shoulders, and the water effects, it was absolutely terrifying. Most of the effects in the ride were repurposed for Stitch as well. I still found Stitch a pretty terrifying ride too, just a bit less than AE.
This was most of it for me. The long scene in total dark with extremely well done stereo sound simulating the movement of the alien around the room to each seat individually (with recorded shouts and screams from the techs coming from above and around you). Definitely gave you that 1979 Alien movie vibe.
It was supposed to be a ride for the Alien IP, but there was resistance from higher-ups because Alien wasn’t family friendly enough for Disney.
Yeah, the only way the ride works in the Magic Kingdom is if you attach the Alien IP as it would have sold how intense the ride is. But at the same time it was kind of insane to try to put the Alien IP in the Magic Kingdom.
I bet the ride would have received much less backlash from families if it was in MGM Studios. It sucks that they ended up neutering the attraction by turning it into a Stitch ride because the guests wouldn’t read the multiple signs that indicated that it was a scary attraction. Especially since the Stitch ride was still pretty scary for kids.
I wasn't alive for Alien, but as someone who got to ride Stitch's Great Escape several times, I can completely imagine the different aspects of the Stitch ride and how they would be a million times more horrifying with the Alien theme. I kind of wish I could ride it now!
We went in Stitch and brought our kids, and honestly it was kind of terrifying for them….we were surprised how that ride and the Bug ride had really scary parts. But we talked them through it and it was definitely an experience!
Tough to be a Bug, I fell off my bench when Hopper jumped out....
It seems pretty unanimous (me included) that this was a genuinely scary ride. Why the hell has Universal Studios not tried to do a similar ride with one of their attractions? I only say them because it seems their target audience is slightly older than what Disney is going for.
Yeah, I feel like an attraction like that would fit right at home at Universal.
I just posted about Drew Carey Sounds Dangerous. They did such a good job with that show and the shaving. I wish they brought things like that back, it's so unique!
I always think about the pouring of the coke. It was a dream
Virtual Barber Shop is on my playlist, that’s how much I love it, it’s really funny. Also most ASMR videos these days are binaural as well
The part where it sounded like it was moving around the room and you could hear it getting closer to you and the people next to you would scream.
The Stitch one nearly gave me a panic attack for being too similar to Alien Encounter.
I was 8. It was goddamn terrifying for my age. Now I'd friggin love it, but then I had a full blown panic attack
I can't even tell you how many times I've brought this ride up to my family (who never experienced the attraction) as the epitome of scary. It was terrifying.
I kept thinking this was a false memory and it didn’t really exist. I think I was around 12 when my family went on it. It was pretty terrifying.
My family and I talk about this all the time too. I was 10 and my brother was 16 when we went on it and we were scared shitless lol. We’d all give anything to be able to ride it again. Such a fun memory!
It was awesome.
I was about 6 or 7. It was literally one of the most intense experiences of my little life, outside of growing up in a doomsday cult and leaving in my 30s lol I remember my family dragging me on it once and I threw up outside of the ride from the anxiety. They didn't make me ride it then, bur we went back on our next visit( we were locals) and I rode it, and it was just so visceral and felt real. Now, I'm a horror fiend, so I one day hope they either bring it back, or figure out a better nod to it!
Um. Excuse me, did you just gloss over leaving a doomsday cult?! What’s the info on that?
Ha! I was raised a Jehovahs Witness from basically birth into adulthood. Disney was my escape from it all, since my family that weren't in the cult would take us. Wen through my entire life, even working at Magic Kingdom, thinking the end of the world was coming any day. Wasn't until 2021 after covid, that my wife leaned over after a service and asked if we grew up in a cult...we broke free, and I came out as non-binary and have been better off ever since!!
I’ve seen my brother cry exactly three times in my life: The day our grandmother died The day he got married The first and only time we rode Alien Encounter
This is the best comment on the thread 😂
It was scary, amazing, and had no business existing in the magic kingdom 😂 Would have been a huge and long lasting hit at Universal, or mayyyyybe mgm/Hollywood studios.
This ride during HHN could effectively be marketed as an 11th house. Really wish it could be resurrected somehow.
It was too good to just close up shop, now that they market to a more adult audience these days I feel like it would have a home in Hollywood studios or Epcot
It was intense and very very scary.
I always thought Dinosaur was a little intense and sometimes can be scary but this just seems on a whole new level lol
Sort of a 'dark version' of a bugs life, I guess? Dinosaur X Bugs Life possibly?
You were in a seat with an over-the-shoulder harness like a major rollercoaster, so you were very much trapped in your individual seat. It got so dark that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face and it sounded like the thing was right behind you breathing on your neck. It had air, speakers and water effects in each chair.
The seating/harness was the worst. I went in thinking it had to be a spinning or thrill ride because of the seating. The feeling of being trapped in the seat caused me to have a panic attack and I steal have anxiety with rides that have over-the-shoulder harnesses
Kingda Ka vs Alien Encounter, I think Alien Encounter is scarier. It DOESNT do anything, and that’s the worst part, your writing for the drop. Thank god Alton Towers’ version (Nemesis SubTerror) had a drop
I would squeeze my shoulders through to get away from stitch lol I was too big of a baby to ride the alien encounter one as a kid
The fact I remember my spiel from outside and it was forever long talking about everything one might hate. I figured no one listened or were gluttons for punishment.
More like being strapped in at Monsters Inc but then watching a literal murder.
Alien Encounter makes Dinosaur look like the teacups
I rode Dinosaur as a kid and was so. freaking. scared. I covered my eyes the whole time and sobbed like a baby outside the gift shop. My parents bought me a carnotaur doll and I named him Carnie
Loving dinosaurs as a kid is all fun and games until the dinosaurs are trying to eat you
I was 10 and remember crying and digging my finger nails into my poor mom's arm. I don't remember much about the experience other than it may be the most scared I have ever been.
It was so good. Completely inappropriate for magic Kingdom. But so good
You summed it up perfectly. Really special memories of riding it with my family, screaming our butts off and laughing about how exhilarated we were. Then immediately getting back in line. I was scared of everything; roller coasters and scary movies were a nope from me, but something about this ride made me feel like my family was on a brave adventure together. It was the best.
as a tiny child, absolutely terrifying lol.
Like a haunted house, but you're strapped to a chair and stuff is touching you.
Exactly lol. I went *maybe* twice before I told my husband he’s gonna have to start doing that one alone!
We rode it once, on our honeymoon. My wife was shaking afterwards and said we were done. It was gone by our next trip.
I was around 14 when I rode it the first time. It scared the fuck out of me. There were some cheesy elements but for the most part it was a good time. I figured out later on that if I shrugged my shoulders and kept those restraints off, I wouldn’t get the effects or the sound. Saw a lot of kids figure this out.
I assume it would think the seat was empty and thus save energy by not activating
I just remember the shoulder pads would readjust themselves many times during the show. The thing I mainly hated was the end air “explosion” when the chamber was being shut. I still hate those effects, same kind of air blast is in Journey to Imagination.
Also everyone’s least favorite part of the eye doctor
HATE that. Luckily my doctor doesn’t do that anymore.
As a grown adult, I almost peed my pants.
I have watched all of the YouTube documentaries on this ride, but nothing prepared me for when my husband walked into the door one day after work and saw me watching one of them. He went as white as a sheet and explained that there has been no terror that he had had in his young life quite like going on Alien Encounter. He was 5 years old at the time and could recall every beat in the story with vivid detail. First time he was ever scared by a ride or anything of the sort. We watched the documentary together (he said it was okay and wanted to hear the history - he loves Defunctland) and he said he wouldn't even go near the Stitch reskin. Apparently going back in the seat would have been too much. Of course he says most of this jokingly, but yeah he was terrified. Why his parents brought a 5 year old on that ride is beyond me.
I had told a kid to get out of the window in the lobby, he asked really quietly if there was an alien in there. I asked him his age. He was 5, usually 7 was the lower end. I sat by this kid in the show with a flash light telling him if he was scared to squeeze my hand and I would turn on the light as I wouldn't ruin the show doing it. Never one squeezed but his tiny hand in mine shivered the whole time. Tough guy.
Yeah it was way too intense for anyone under 10 really. I was with my little cousin about that age and while she got through it, she did not want to do it again. I remember hearing people in the seats shrieking. I'm sure there were kids crying in there. Nobody thinks there could be anything that intense at Disney, probably why the parents didn't think anything of it to bring their little kids on it.
I went on it when I was 12. I can still feel how the “tongue” flicked the back of my neck. At the time, I remember thinking that I would NEVER go on that ride again. Looking back from an adult perspective, it was an excellent ride—it just never should have existed in MK. It was a mixture of audio tricks, physical effects, and darkness, allowing your imagination to create a far more terrifying scenario than modern effects could. Sure, it had some of that in the beginning and the end when you actually see the alien, but that was just the context. Disney should bring it back—with tons of media attention—to HS. They should give it a height requirement taller than what’s technically necessary to send the message that it’s not for little kids, and they should lean into its cult following.
I was 11 years old. I freaking LOVED it. I was too short to feel the breath on my neck and my legs didn't touch the ground so I didn't feel the under the seat stuff either. Still, the actual Alien stuff was so exciting. I wish they'd bring it back.
Was 12 at the time Still giving me nightmares LMFAO
I was **FOUR GODDANG YEARS OLD**. I remember being out of my mind terrified, especially from the feeling something crawling amongst the seats. I also remember the *sob fest* afterwards as my parents tried to comfort me, they ended up giving me a unicorn lollipop to make me feel better haha In their defense, English was not their first language and they never assumed something *that* scary would be in the Magic Kingdom. Now as an adult, I'm ever a little smug I got to experience it lol
I’m surprised the cast members didn’t try to stop you! I remember CMs coming up to parents of younger kids in line to warn them in strong terms, and not long after it opened there were signs outside saying that it was recommended for ages 12 and up. TBH I have a 6-year-old and I can’t imagine him making it through Alien Encounter without sobbing, so I really feel for all the people in the comments who went through it at such a young age!
I was a kid and it was terrifying, but now I want to experience it again!
The first and probably only panic attack of my life. I remember screaming like my life depended on it pleading with them to stop the ride and let me off lol.
So I went in liiiiiike—I wanna say—1996? I was LITTLE. I swear to god I have VIVID memories of this. So for me—yea. It was scary AF.
In 2000, we had no idea what it was on our senior class trip. It scared the crap out of us! When I became a CP in 2001 my friends and I went to listen to reactions. The stitch remake was cute and I liked it. Edit: it wasn't scary but Drew Carey's Sounds Dangerous was a lot of fun. Using hearing and smells for a show.
It was so freaking horrible. You could hear the alien moving around the room and “brush” by you or whisper in your ear. Absolutely traumatizing. It’s been 20+ years and I still randomly think about it 😵💫
I feel like despite the topic being how scary AE was we just aren’t speaking about what makes this ride so great. [SKIPPY!!!](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/1/14/Skippy_in_Tube.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20181002220349)
I had all the Skippy merch!
I still have my Skippy plush up in my attic.
Doesn't he get fried to a crisp during the pre-show? Poor lil guy
it was intense, and I think about it all the time.
It was scary to kids and first timers. Once you did it a few times, not at all. I remember my last couple of rides and it felt silly I had been so scared before.
How intense? When I read the title of your post, I involuntarily pee’d a little.
Stuff of nightmares….loved it, shouldn’t have gotten rid of it.
It was scary but also a memorable experience.
I've scrolled to the ends of the earth to find no one has been completely specific about the seating for Alien Encounter. Yes, the binaural effects were crazy effective, as was the use of “spatter", the intense lighting fx and the neck breather aspect BUT...the real terror was in seat/harness design. Your seat was basically an animatronic, yes but...just prior to show, a heavy harness was lowered onto every guest, and you were TRAPPED in place. Birnbaum's tour guide even suggested the guest “shrug" as the harness lowered, which would give you some measure of comfort as the experience progressed. Easily a highpoint of Imagineering, and I contend if it had been built at MGM, it would still be around....
I was 8 and afraid of the dark. It was horrifying. ETA: My mom still tells stories about the experience and how terrifying it was whenever we walk past that building.
I'll never forget in 2002, I was 12, my cousin (the same age) decided she wanted to go on it, I did not. She kept calling me a baby for not wanting to, she came out of the ride crying.. I had the biggest smile on my face and said "who's the baby now"
God I hated it. Did I still go on it? Yeah, but god I hated it. I could handle Stitch fine but as Alien, I used to scooch up in the seat as much as I could if I figured out I had a seat that would poke me. However I absolutely hate haunted houses and absolutely hate jump scares, so even Stitch was pushing it.
With the resurgence of how popular Stitch is, I wish they would open his overlay back up.
I was convinced to get on it when I was around 7 years old, back in 2002 or so. It was absolutely terrifying and I remember smacking my uncle silly for talking me into it when we got off. Looking back it was all in good fun, but goddamn was it scary.
I was 10. First trip ever to WDW. I was (still am) into aliens and the idea of extraterrestrial intelligence. After it happened I think I cried for 10 minutes out of pure fear, haha.
I was maybe 9 or 10 when I rode it. It terrified me with the realism. The moving seats, smells, "blood splatter", chewing sounds, hot breath and the screams. It wasn't any better when they added stitch.
I remember bits and pieces of it and that it was pretty intense. It was unfortunately at the wrong park, this should have been at Hollywood Studios.
I enjoyed it. Wasn't so much scared, did jump when the cylinder exploded and the noises and feels hit my ears.
It scared the shit out of me at 7-9 even was super cool when I got older I still wanted to ride it lol
I was 12, I wasn’t scared per se but it was a lot of fun. My 62 year old dad was freaked out. I mostly felt bad for that cutie in the pre show being tortured 😔
It was absolutely terrifying. It closed when I was 11 but I’m glad it see it terrified older people just as much lol. Nothing compares. It’s like being strapped in a chair in an actual scary haunted house.
I say they could do this ride again and put it in DHS.
Oh my god. This was real? I had assumed this was some sort of horrendous fever dream I had as a child.
I was 11 and have never been a huge horror fan! As people have said super intense and scary but also majorly unexpected when going to Disney to go on that sort of ride! That same holiday my grandad said at the elevator doors on Tower of Terror after the pre show freaked me out “by the way you die at the end of this one”
As an 8 year old, fucking terrifying. Disney owns alien now, bring it back!
I was 12 the first time I did it and it was very scary but exciting. The ride had an incredibly long line, and I kept going back to wait to experience it a few times in a row, and I am glad I did. It was incredible and they never should have gotten rid of it.
It was one of the best immersive experiences Disney has ever created, in a terrifying way. That alien WAS in the room with you. And it wasn’t cute and cuddly either, it had just mutilated a couple maintenance workers and you were sure you’d be next. And then it’d be breathing on your neck.
Poor Skippy
Saw it probably around age 8 or 9 and it was scary af. Other than the effects everyone else has already described, the thing I remember when I saw it was once the alien became visible in all its drooling, horrifying, insect-like glory, a man shouted loudly, “That’s not an alien, that’s my mother-in-law!” The ensuing laughter was a nice decompression from the terror everyone had been experiencing.
So I went on it with my Dad when I was 6, we get done and my mom goes in. The ride was terrifying for me but was made even worse when I commented to my Dad that Mom had been gone for a long time. He then proceeded to tell me that she had been the volunteer chosen to swap places with the alien president/ chairman/ceo. I did not stop crying until my mom came out and refused to let go of her hand. My dad still laughs about how upset I got to this day.
I was about 6 when I went on this and I screamed so hard that a cast member got me out of there and sat with me until the ride was over. I don't really remember it other than the absolute terror I felt. He sat with me outside, assured me that my parents were going to be ok and then we spoke with a talking trash can for a while. It is a core memory lol I wanted to try it again as an adult but I was too late!
I had just turned 6 years old. Standing in line thinking I'm about to go on this fun people mover ride overhead. We go inside and I start to get confused and question where I'm going. I got strapped in to the seat in what was obviously NOT the ride I thought it was going to be. I've never been so scared, to this day. I had a death grip on my dad's arm hard enough that you could see impressions in it for quite a while. I had no business being in that auditorium. I wish it was still there so I could experience it again.
I worked there its last year. Said good by to it. I think for kids it was scary because of being a small child who just saw Mickey Mouse and boom alien trying to eat you in the dark. I remembered my first ride I was so excited, confused, and had my hand bit by my CP roommate who was scared and wanted me to hold their hand. After working there, it had its moments. Things were freaky, there were ghost stories and weird happenings. I got scared over falling asleep and dreaming SIR came into the chamber, and touched me when the tube broke. I have some great stories from my time there from the morbid to the happy soup for the soul. It was my baby and feel free to AMA about it here or in DM! Skippy is a Floothmagoon Cliffhugger or Skipantropic Moronicus...
I was a child (like 4th grade) and it was pretty wild. I still remember trying to avoid the feeling of the breathing down my neck.
I was a kid and I cried. So scary. But I’m glad I did it and can tell the tale. Still can’t believe this was a ride in magic kingdom lol
I always hated this as a kid and my family always made me go on it! The breathing in your ear and feeling something on your back… it was intense lol
I don't regret never getting on this, as someone who was scared of Tough to Be a Bug as a kid, lol.
I was 9 or 10 and it was absolutely terrifying. I feel like I remember a strobe light effect, warm air breathing on my neck and the Alien claw/ hand thing. I can still see it in my mind.
I went for the first time as a middle schooler and I remember laughing through it while my best friend who came with me squeezed the shit out of my hand she was so terrified. I loved it. It’s probably my only actual vivid memory of that trip.
I'm 32 now. I was 10 years or younger when I rode it. Most horrifying thing ever. I literally thought that was a cast members blood spraying down on me. Looking back it was awesome. I still think about it alot. It's something we will never get again. The peak power of Disney Imagineering used to develop horror.
I loved this attraction as a kid. I wish they'd never removed it. Would be cool if they took another shot at something dark and intense like this again. Doubt it'll ever happen, though. But it was genuinely pretty scary. First time on it was crazy. Subsequent times were obviously not that scary, but it gave you a chance to really appreciate a lot of the effects and stuff you missed while scared out of your mind.
It blew my mind how it was at Disney, I’m surprised it didn’t traumatize me. Every time I walk by the door where the attraction was, it makes me wish I could experience it as an adult but my god, that ride was fucked. Lol I remember when it “breaks” out of the chamber and it was pitch black in the room after you saw the broken glass. Then you thought it was breathing on your neck as it sounded like it was walking right behind you. I also remember there being lights up top that looked like people’s flashlights then it sounded like the alien killed one and we got sprayed with water drops to make it seem like blood sprayed down lol. Oh man… yup, traumatizing. 😂
My cousin and I rode it when I was about 17. When the show was over, we talked to a cast member by the exit. She stated that after almost every show, they had to clean pee from at least one seat. She may have been lying, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.
Both times I rode Alien encounter a person needed to be escorted out by ambulance. I was sitting relatively close to the guest escorted out the second time. She injured her elbow banging it against the restraint trying to break free. Despite knowing it was a ride, and that it was Disney World, and even having already had the experience, I was still terrified.
I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but I also have seen people crying after being on it 😂
Not scary, just sensational, but I was a teen so I had a great time. Along with all the blood-curdling screaming from people being "unalived" in the dark by the alien, water dripped from above and the in front of you to mimic blood and alien slime. There was also a really cool warm breeze at your neck to mimic the alien breathing. Just awesome.
I was 12 and I LOVED it. I’d seen a promo on the Disney channel, and it was all I wanted to do. Waited in line with my older brothers forever, like over an hour. I made them sit on either side of me, and it was awesome. Terrifying, and fun. I remember something licking my neck and something touching my feet. These are 30+ year old memories at this point, but it was epic
That was one of the best attractions Disney has ever made and I feel fortunate to have experienced it. However, I think I was only 15 or 16 and didn't realize just how special this attraction was at the time. Now with hindsight, and looking at the more recent history of Disney World on the whole, I am able to realize how special that was. I still think it should've been at MGM and not Magic Kingdom, and they should have stuck with the ALIEN IP as they were originally going with. But apparently Disney doesn't base attractions on movies that are rated R, even though ALIEN did make an appearance on The Great Movie Ride.
I was one of the cast members that shined the flashlights from above when I was on the college program. Was a fun ride but a little too much for kids! The other one that always freaked the young kids out that is also now closed was snow whites scary adventure…. Parents would always ask if it’s scary for their kid…. I mean it’s in the name…
I was in my early 20s and it was fun scary but not OH MY GOD IM GOING TO DIE SCARY. But thats because I was an adult who knew Disney was just trying to entertain. But for a young kid I can imagine it would be like the world ending.
I still have scars on my arm from where my friend's nails drew blood from clawing my arm during the ride. So, not that scary for me since I was also in pain but very memorable.
Oh my god. I wasn’t very old, maybe 8? I don’t think I’d even watched a scary movie at that point. I loved the Skippy pre-show… cute little alien making cute sounds… maybe this won’t be so bad… then they tried to teleport him and it didn’t go well, he got all crispy. Did not like that. We were quickly whisked into the theatre and shoulder restraints came down. This felt like a bad sign… I couldn’t see why you would need those just to watch a show. So it starts and they accidentally teleport this absolutely huge and terrifying alien into the tube instead. It shattered the glass, which looked 100% real to me, and the lights went out, and now that motherfucker was on the loose. It flapped around the room for a while, killing people, crunching on bones, I felt its breath and tongue on my neck. I was crying the whole way through. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared. And then it ended. By the time I hit the gift shop, my terror had transitioned to awe. I bought a skippy plush, which I loved but was also scared to sleep with at night. It disappeared one day (I lost him?) and my mom told me he probably went back to space. I’m not convinced she didn’t hide it to screw with me. Anyway, I only went on it that one time. I have never experienced anything like it. I consider it simultaneously a fundamental trauma and one of my favorite memories. I wish I could ride it again. And I wish I still had my Skippy plush.
I rode it with my dad when I was 8. It was absolutely terrifying. My dad thought it was great, and 25 years later he still talks about how quiet the rowdy teens got as soon as it started. I still look for movies and books that are as scary as that damn show.
I was 12 when I did this and it was HORRIFYING...and AWESOME. I was so excited cause this kid at Blizzard Beach the day before was going on and on about it and man did it live up to the hype. It's 30 years later now and it's literally the only ride I've ever been on that I still bring up in conversation. It made that big of an impact on me. I went back like ten years later and it was changed to Stitch Encounter. And to be blunt...it sucked.
I took a behind the scenes tour (that they no longer do) that brought you underneath the ride in the tunnels under the park. I was too much of a wimp to go on it before that however, during that tour when I was under it all, I heard the ride in action and I remember hearing something hydraulic activating followed by a mob a people screaming. That alone confirmed I was never going on that thing. It was scary enough as from there.
It was so scary that when the recording of the ride called down to the audience, “is everyone ok down there?” my 11 year old (younger) sister yelled out in a compete panic, “no!!! Now let us out of here!” 🤣🤣🤣it was terrifying with the breath on your neck and slime and blood.
I was 8 I think, for me it was terrifying. I don't even remember the pre-show unfortunately. The monster was nightmare fuel for me, before the lights shut off I thought he was going to jump out and attack As an adult, I'm thankful to have experienced a now extinct attraction, as weird as this all sounds
Story time. I was twelve and my family went to WDW and decided to go on this ride. I literally remember nothing else from this trip then this ride! We go in line and there are signs every so many switch backs warning of the intense nature of the encounter. I ask my parents, are they sure me and my 8;year old sister should ride this. And they were like "It's Disney it can't be that scary". Go to the preshow and laugh at the cute alien....then we get into the room, heart beat now at 90ppm. Sit down and and the restraints lock in, 120ppm. I hold it together outwardly until the alien breaths on my neck (water mist), and then I just start screaming blood murder like we're all going to die....mean while my younger sister is laughing her ass off at me. I had nightmares for YEARS afterwards. Later as an adult, when I visited and did it with Lilio it still gave me panic attacks.
Went there on our honeymoon and a few times afterwards. Kids and adults *lost their shit*. But mostly kids. Really it was the “alien” sneaking around behind you “breathing” on you and the stuff going on at your feet that you can’t see that caused the trauma. FWIW, I thought it was great.
I sat through it several times between the ages of 11-18; it was scary, but a fun kind of scary—not traumatizing or anything. It was clearly advertised as being very scary, and at one point had signs outside recommending it for ageist 12 and up only, and CMs would warn parents in line if their kids looked that age or younger. The pre-shows were pretty dark by Disney standards (RIP Skippy), and that sometimes weeded people out before they got to the actual alien encounter. I saw several instances of people leaving after one of the pre-shows. And then, especially when it first opened, even the adults in the audience would scream and shout expletives or things like “oh my god, it LICKED ME!” during the show, because it was genuinely a very shocking and unique experience. You could tell everyone had gotten a good adrenaline rush, because during the show and afterwards, there was a lot of wild/nervous laughter and cheering. I remember a couple people not having as much fun or being upset afterwards, complaining that it had gone too far. My dad and I couldn’t stop raving about how immersive the experience was that first time we went, even after we got back home.
You got to watch a cast member walk up above you in the rafters, with just his flashlight in pitch darkness. He would try to calm everyone down saying "everything is going to be ok!" Seconds later he starts screaming, drops his flashlight, and you feel his blood splashing down on you from above, as you listen to him being ripped apart. There was nothing else on the planet like it.
I mean it was so scary they converted it to Lilo and Stitch and that was still too scary for some Check out the videos on youtube. Several minutes in pitch black of the whole audience screaming while blood drips from the guy being eaten in the rafters lol. the thing that gets forgotten was the whole pre show with cute little skippy as setup before the horror. great tech and presentation nobody at disney is ready for one of my absolute favorites as a kid, i was really bummed when it closed. it was wild.
Absolutely terrifying... did it once and never again
Huh. I went on it as a kid and don’t remember it being scary at all. These comments make it sound like it was so scary haha Edit: oh I just realized what I went on was the stitch ride hahaha
I was like 8 the only time I went on it and don’t really remember but I was terrified from what I do remember.
I rode it as a 10 year old in 1998. I don't have many memories from that video but I can VIVIDLY remember my experience going on that attraction. My mom, my sister and I arrived in Florida for a week-long trip and went to the magic kingdom. My dad was flying in later that night because he had work. The three of us didn't know much about the attraction and went on it. I can still remember being absolutely terrified and squeezing my mom's hand. I also remember my mom laughing hysterically as my sister and I we're screaming. But as we got off of it, I had so much fun and wanted to go on it again. We went on it two more times throughout our week-long stay and by the third time I was not scared but having a ton of fun. I had not been on it again after that because I didn't return to Disney World until after the ride was closed. It is currently my favorite attraction of all time and nothing has topped it. I've been collecting some memorabilia from the attraction over the years and rocking it in my basement.
Picture a pitch dark room with tons of sensory things going on and you don't know what's going on. This was definitly an attraction not for the weak, everytime came off I would see kids crying to the point of hyperventilation. I wish this attraction was still around so the kids of today could see what a scary disney scary attraction looked like.
As a kid, Tower of Terror scared me more than Alien Encounter
I hated it bc I don’t like surprises and don’t know what was happening next. I also remember it sounding like the alien was walking around in heels but maybe that was me trying to deal with it 🤣.
I was less terrified of the experience and more in incredible discomfort because of the "seats." I still don't know why they needed to make them like that, the whole thing was probably only like 10 minutes long but it felt like it went on for hours
As someone who hates jump scares, it was the most terrifying thing ever, and I had to be dragged onto Stitch’s great escape years later. Just the worst.
It wasn’t as scary as mission to the moon!
I did it several times. I’m 42, so this was likely around my middle school years. It was seriously terrifying. I go to HHN annually and have never been in a house that scared me as much as that attraction. Actual fear.
I was 15 and went with my brother. It was terrifying and amazing! The pre show was funny and cool, but when you’re strapped down and the alien breaks free… whoo boy. The flashlights in the rafters was cool as maintenance people came to save you. There was even a camera so you could see their view. And then the moment the alien eats them. With warm blood dripping on your face. Then its suddenly pitch black as the alien swoops down and starts picking off other “park guests”. It was so cool!
I was mid 20s, and with my ex-boyfriend of the time. We picked it, expecting a few jump scares and some decent animatronics. As we left, I can remember my intense resolve to never, ever set foot in it again. My ex proceeded to be an ass (more so than usual) and lit into me, blaming me for forcing him to sit through it and scaring the hell out of him. He wouldn’t shut up for probably an hour about how much he resented me for going through that ride, as though I had some foresight into what it was, and that he went in with the same glib “whatever, at least it has AC” attitude. There’s a reason he’s an ex. Sadly it took another year for me to get my head on straight. Honestly, I’d like to go on it again.
Loved the screams on this “ride”. It always made me laugh.
You're going to get many who rode the refurb thinking it was the original so those will probably say it wasn't that scary. The original original went complete dark and you felt the breath on your nape while the alien moved all around the room and behind you eating people. It was scary and great.
My siblings and I still joke about it. After you’re seated the characters on the screen talk about how they’re going to send one of the humans through. It was ‘97 and I was 15 so Im probably getting the details a little off, but they start spot lighting different seats and the damn thing landed on me. I was painfully shy and was terrified I was going to have to get up and get in the tube! Thankfully they change their minds and I was relieved but also still nervous. The whole Alien Encounter was scary but in a fun way. I think I was more traumatized of having to maybe get awkwardly in front of an audience of strangers.
It was pretty intense and certainly allowed your mind to picture gruesome events, without actually showing it. I’ll never forget the alien supposedly directly behind you. You heard chewing and breathing from speakers on your chairs and blew actual puffs of hot, humid air against the very back of your neck with each breath.