Frank’ N Coaster is the rooftop roller coaster at the House of Frankenstein in Niagara Falls.
While this ride has the stats of a kiddie coaster,
the ride’s placement and forces make it a deceptively thrilling experience.
Find out everything you need to know about one of Canada’s newest roller coasters in this review!
This particular coaster got its start as the Thriller Coaster at Sports Plus
Entertainment Center on New York’s Long Island. This complex was mostly an arcade,
but they made an interesting addition in 2004 with a Wisdom Rides kiddie coaster.
Rather than featuring an off-the-shelf layout, the ride featured a super compact layout.
And the ride featured some horror theming too! When Sports Plus closed in 2007, it seemed like
the end for this quirky coaster. But in 2019, Niagara Falls’s House of Frankenstein revealed
they purchased the Thriller Coaster and intended to place it on the roof of their attraction.
House of Frankenstein is part of Clifton Hill, a super touristy street on the Canadian side
of Niagara Falls. This street is filled with restaurants and entertainment options.
And House of Frankenstein is one of the flashiest.
This attraction is a haunted walkthrough. From the street, you have a creepy facade,
but the Burger King next door is what will likely catch your eye. You have Frankenstein
above it holding a giant burger. It’s so goofy and extravagant at the same time.
Then in 2020, the Frank’ N Coaster opened above House of Frankenstein. The complex
advertises Frank’ N Coaster as the world’s first rooftop coaster, but I don’t quite think
that’s accurate. Three that come to mind are the former High Roller atop the Stratosphere Tower,
the Big Apple Coaster at the New York, New York Casino, and the former Boomerang coaster from
Knott’s Berry Farm that was relocated atop a building in Indonesia. However, I think this
is the first rooftop coaster in Canada and it is still quite rare to see a coaster atop a building
so it’s a real attension grabber. It manages to stand out on a flashy street like Clifton Hill.
In peak season, House of Frankenstein has extremely long hours. The complex and coaster run
from 9 am to 2 am. You have the option to purchase the coaster alone or a combo ticket including the
haunted house. The coaster alone costs roughly $15 per ride or you can purchase a combo ticket
for $28 Canadian dollars. It’s pricey, but what else would you expect in a tourist trap?
I would recommend the combo pass since the haunt is pretty solid. There are lots of air blasts and
loud noises that can startle you. Then there are these cool extended scenes triggered by a button.
There is also a single scare actor in there who catches you off-guard after all the statues and
figures preceding them. I really liked the haunt. To reach the coaster, you need to head up a few
flights of stairs, open a door, and continue up some more stairs to the roof of the building.
Here, you get a full view of the coaster’s layout. The red track tightly spirals around itself.
The train look particularly nice. It is designed to look like black coffins with some skulls on the
sides. And one neat design feature is that the cars are coupled on the left side of the train,
as opposed to the center like most coaster, since this one only makes left-hand turns,
many of which are tight. The ride runs a single train comprised of 4 cars,
seating a maximum of 16 riders. The ride was a total walk-on for me even on a holiday weekend
and I imagine the high price point ensures this most days.
I only experienced this coaster once up front, and I suspect this is the best
seat between the views and laterals since you are pushed into many of the turns.
Riders are restrained by just a lap bar. Two important seating notes. One, place the larger
rider on the right. This ride has some strong laterals, all of which throw riders to the right.
Two, there is limited leg room in the trains. I’m just 5’9” and I had to be careful on
some of the elements not to smack my knees. Once dispatched, you turn left, which you better
get used to. Then you ascend a surprisingly steep 25 foot or 8 meter tall chain lift.
While this height may not sound like much, it may be the tallest coaster ever built by Wisdom Rides.
Further, you feel way taller since this ride is placed atop a 3 story building.
While you won’t get any views of the waterfalls, the highest point
is roughly 50 feet or 15 meters above the street since you’re atop the building.
This height becomes scary when you feel how janky this coaster is. Atop the lift,
you have this loud and tangible bang as the train releases from the chain. It’s oddly the roughest
part of the ride. You then navigate some slow turns and an extended straightaway on the edge of
the building. While this section has no physical thrills, it’s a psychological thriller between the
height and thin supports. It really feels like you may fall down to the street below. I guess that
type of mental thriller is fitting for a coaster located at a haunted attraction like this.
Eventually you reach the first drop, which is awkwardly banked inwards.
So you start to slide left. You immediately head back up. At the top, you sharply turn left and are
slammed to the right side of the train. This is the first of several moments of good laterals.
You then navigate another slow section with impressive views
and then start spiraling inwards. You start gaining more speed
and this leads to another abrupt turn over the station that delivers a good dose of laterals.
You then pass over a trim. You hear it, but it barely slows the train down.
So the laterals remain crazy. The next two turns feel like the hairpin turns of a wild mouse
as you’re pinned to the side of the train. You then enter a downwards helix finale.
Unlike most helixes that flare outwards, this one gets tighter as it goes. While
you get no laterals at the start, the end of this element delivers great laterals.
You then pass over another set of trims. These ones do nothing. So instead of slowly navigating
the final turns into the station, you get some truly wicked laterals. The second to last turn
violently slams everyone sideways. Then if you’re up front, you get another burst of laterals
entering the station. You then slow way down, crawl through the station, and get a second lap
on this 700 foot or 213 meter long coaster. But the experience still has some thrills.
When you re-enter the building, you head down a designated exit pathway. There’s a
scare effect in there I don’t want to spoil. Then you head down what looks like a creepy
alleyway and are dumped off on the street. So what would I rate the Frank’ N Coaster?
I would give this unique kiddie coaster a 6 out of 10. This is one of the best kiddie coasters
in the world for two reasons. One, this ride has some legitimately strong laterals. There isn’t
a single coaster at Canada’s Wonderland that can beat Frank ‘N Coaster in this department.
So if you love laterals, do not hesitate to shell out the money for this ride. Two,
this ride’s placement is quite memorable on the roof as you overlook the bustling streets below.
This ride isn’t without its flaws though. While I don’t find it painful,
the ride is janky. If I were any taller, I suspect I would’ve been subjected to knee
smashing that would have ruined this coaster for me. Then this coaster doesn’t have any
other forces like negative or positive Gs. This ride only has laterals and views.
This is an expensive kiddie coaster that’ll cost you as much as a mountain coaster,
but it does offer a unique coaster experience you cannot get elsewhere.
And with long hours, it’s easy to pair on a trip to Niagara Falls or Canada’s Wonderland. I have
no regrets paying what I did and may be willing to do it again. This is a standout kiddie coaster.
So those are my thoughts on the Frank ‘N Coaster at the House of Frankenstein. What are your
thoughts on one of the best coasters from Wisdom Rides? Let me know what you think of this ride
either at its current home or its former one back at Sports Plus Entertainment Center. Do you agree
this is one of the better kiddie coasters out there? If you enjoyed this review, I’d
appreciate it if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a
lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!