Demon is a steel looping coaster at California’s Great America in Santa Clara that has been thrilling riders since the park’s earliest years. It opened on May 20, 1976 as “Turn of the Century,” an Arrow Dynamics coaster that already featured a double corkscrew after its first drop, paired with two rolling airtime hills rather than vertical loops.
That changed after the 1979 season, when the park gave the ride a dramatic overhaul. The airtime hills were torn out and replaced with two consecutive vertical loops, bringing the inversion count to four, while the track was repainted black and demon-themed decor and effects were added as the coaster reopened in 1980 under its new name. Decades later, Demon remains a beloved fixture of the park’s lineup, prized by enthusiasts as one of the last original Arrow looping coasters of its era still running largely as built.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: California’s Great America
- Manufacturer: Arrow Dynamics
- Opened: May 20, 1976 (as Turn of the Century); renamed Demon in 1980
- Height: about 102 ft
- Top speed: about 50 mph
- Length: about 2,130 ft
- Inversions: 4 (double corkscrew from 1976, plus two vertical loops added in 1980)
The Ride Experience
After an initial drop of around 90 feet, Demon sends riders through back-to-back vertical loops before threading through the double corkscrew that has been part of the ride since it opened. The layout is compact by modern standards, but the rapid-fire sequencing of four inversions in quick succession gives the ride an intense, old-school Arrow feel that’s distinct from today’s smoother steel coasters.
Demon’s trains still run the dim, light-rigged tunnels added during its 1980 transformation, a holdover from the ride’s demon theming that adds a jolt of disorientation between elements. The ride lasts under two minutes, but its tight pacing and classic Arrow rattle have made it a nostalgic favorite for longtime park visitors.
A Ride Reborn
Demon shares its DNA with an identical twin coaster that opened about a week later in 1976 at Six Flags Great America in Illinois, also originally named Turn of the Century and built with the same double-corkscrew layout. Both rides received the same makeover after the 1979 season, swapping out their airtime hills for twin vertical loops, and both were renamed Demon for the 1980 season. Both parks’ versions have kept that name and demon theme ever since.
In 2017, the park temporarily restored much of Demon’s original theming and added new effects for a Halloween event dubbed “Demon Reignited,” underscoring how much affection the coaster still commands decades after its 1976 debut as one of Arrow’s early double-corkscrew designs.
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Demon FAQs
Did Demon always have loops?
Not vertical loops. It opened in 1976 as Turn of the Century with a double corkscrew and two airtime hills. The airtime hills were replaced with two vertical loops when the ride was rebuilt and renamed Demon in 1980.
How many inversions does Demon have?
Four: two vertical loops followed by the double corkscrew that has been part of the ride since 1976.
Who manufactured Demon?
Arrow Dynamics, the same company behind many of the era’s pioneering looping steel coasters.
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Photo: Christophe95 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.