Arrow megaloopers tend to polarize coaster enthusiasts, and Ill admit Im in the camp that still appreciates the hardcore yet nostalgic brutality of these beasts. This one is nearly identical to Viper at SFMM, which Ive been riding and loving ever since it opened back in 1990 (right when I reached the 54" mark, so it has sentimental value). The Great American Scream Machine conjures up all the same feelings (fast banked drop, enormous first loop, dizzying midcourse break following two other vertical loops, slow and head-thumping boomerang, world-spinning corkscrew). Not only that, these coasters look so good. When I showed my Great Adventure pictures to non-coaster enthusiast family members, they flipped through Kingda Ka, El Toro, Nitro, Medusa, and Superman without much thought, but the Great American Scream Machine received a unanimous "oh my gosh!" Quite a testament to Arrow megaloopers, I would say.

I am a big softy for the classic arrow mega loopers. If this ride if ever torn down Ill cry. The first drop is awesome, the loops are great. The boomerang was pretty smooth, and the corkscrews werent too bad. The only thing was the turn from the double loops to the brake run made my ear bleed, but I dont really care. I love this ride, a perfect ten in my book.

one word - OWWWWWWW! it felt like my ears were bleeding. good speed, inversions and height but its so0o0o0o bumpy. if i put my hands over my ears my hands feel like there bleeding. i felt like crying. hell of a headache.

This was actually one of the better Arrow-loopers I have been on thus far. The initial plunge is fantastic, bringing back several great memories of the Phantom at Kennywood Park. However, this was really the only superb portion of the ride unfortunately. The rest was simply Arrow exercising its uncanny ability to pull off a series of crappy, uninspiring inversions. It wasnt nearly as rough as some complain, however, which was a big plus for the ride. Overall, a decent coaster that fills a nice spot in the Great Adventure line-up

Preety Fuan and a Six Flags classic!

I loved the drop and the speed and the loops were amazing! OTHER PEOPLE SAY THIS RIDE IS ROUGH but i only felt one little jerky part going into the corkscrews. Even if i just had a lucky ride and this ride really is rough, than it is still good for this rare mega looper to still maintane a thrilling fast ride.

I love this ride! I dont care if theres headbanging (though Id still like the ride better if they replaced the corkscrews with bunny hops). All I care about is how fun the ride is and GASM is fun! At the brake run before the kamakaze curve, its a little scary because youre practically braked to a stop. Then it happens--the kamakaze curve, the best part of the ride. It is very disorienting, yet thrilling. It also delivers some GREAT weightlessness. Maybe cause of the hang time. The vertical loops and first drop are also very fun. While at the lift hill, it feels like youre at the same height as the Parachute tower (its 250 feet tall), which is nearby. I mostly love air time, but this ride is awesome! They just dont make them like they used to anymore. Oh well. If anyone has experienced that Bobsled coaster that existed where the Scream Machine is now, respond. Ive never ridden a bobsled coaster before.

I got the roughest rides while riding the red train. In my earlier experiences with it, it wasnt too good. But when I tried the blue train, there wasnt very much pain. I guess they removed the red train because of roughness. Despite my ears, the ride is still one of my favorites.

Every time I step off this ride I say to myself, “I’m never doing this again.” Whether it’s a neck ache or headache I never seem to have the most enjoyable experiences on this. For some reason though, I always return. Maybe it’s because it stands so tall next to the parking lot and lures you to it. Maybe because it has some nostalgia. I don’t know, but for some reason, after all the pain, this ride brings me back. The Scream Machine begins with a slow, innocent climb to the top which provides some nice views of the park to your right. Then the long, swooping first drop comes along. It gets fairly intense at the bottom, but nothing mind-boggling. It is a very nice start to the ride, but the rest of the Scream Machine fails to carry on this trend. The train then whips you through the first of three loops that – like the first drop – are nothing out of this world or intense. After this first loop you go through one of the slightest turns ever, yet the herky-jerky motion of the train gives you a nice meeting with your restraints. This one isn’t that bad, but trust me, it gets worse. Following this turn you zip through two more loops. Then the torture test begins. The train makes a 90 degree turn into a MCBR – oow! The restraints basically punch the side of your head. The brakes following this turn are pretty strong. Thankfully these brakes are so powerful or else the second half would get, dare I say, even more detrimental to your health. The batwing that follows these brakes isn’t painful at all. It goes through the inversion nice and slowly and is a nice feature. Even today this inversion is not too common so it’s nice to find. You actually think to yourself, “Oh, this ride isn’t as bad as I remember it.” Following this rare pleasant experience you enter corkscrew territory. These put an end your “this isn’t too bad” theory. The train enters them coming of a (literally) neck-breaking turn. As you are fully upside down your neck is jeered to the side. This happens twice – twice the fun. This ride was given the name “Scream Machine” for a reason, and here I was screaming for some compassion. Don’t those ride ops and the people who designed this thing know what they are doing to me? A little bunny hop followed by one of the most painful 180 degree turns ever devised by man, and your back in the station. It’s no surprise that lines for this are minimal (unless Superman breaks down). On the barren wasteland where the Great American Scream Machine sits, there are no winners. To make the ride somewhat pleasant to be around they should at least plant grass or put some trees. Right now some rocks and gravel are the only things covering this wasted space. I would not be a proud American if this was really a “Great American” machine.

This ride is a classic! Its really tall, and the lift offers a nice view. Then you plunge into the curved drop, which is surprisingly fast (almost 70 MPH I think) and do a whole bunch of loops. It is kind of rough, but my major problem with the ride is the restraints. They are extremely uncomfortable and cause you to bang your head around a lot- my ears were completely red after the ride. If the restraints were more comfortable Id easily give this ride a 9, maybe even a 10. If theyre too cheap to buy new restraints couldnt they at least add some padding or something to it? Its a shame that a great ride like this has to be ruined completely by the harnesses.

This ride was alot of fun. It has plenty of inversions and goes fast. My ears are always red when I get off, but I like this ride anyway. The first drop is nothing special and there is some earboxing, and that first corkscrew did hurt, but its a Six Flags classic and is underrated.