Demon is a steel looping roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, built by Arrow Dynamics and designed by Ron Toomer. The ride first opened on May 29, 1976, as Turn of the Century, a milder coaster with airtime hills and a pair of corkscrews near the park’s entrance.
After the 1979 season, the park removed the airtime hills, repainted the track black, and added two back-to-back vertical loops, relaunching the ride in 1980 as Demon. The revamp gave it four total inversions, a stone demon head marking the first drop, and a red-lit tunnel effect, turning it into one of Great America’s signature thrill rides for more than four decades.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, Illinois
- Manufacturer: Arrow Dynamics
- Opened: 1976 (as Turn of the Century); renamed Demon in 1980
- Height: about 102 feet
- Top speed: 50 mph
- Length: 2,130 feet
- Inversions: 4 (two vertical loops, one double corkscrew)
- Duration: about 1 minute 45 seconds
The Ride Experience
Demon’s layout packs its four inversions into a compact, high-energy circuit. After the lift hill, riders drop past the ride’s stone demon-head facade into a pair of consecutive vertical loops, then thread through a lighted tunnel lined with red lights before finishing with a 35-foot-diameter double corkscrew. The whole cycle lasts under two minutes but delivers forces up to 6 Gs, a hallmark of Arrow Dynamics’ looping designs from the era.
A Great America Original
Demon has operated continuously at the Gurnee park since its 1976 debut as Turn of the Century, making it one of the longest-running rides at Six Flags Great America. Its 1980 transformation into Demon let the park market what was essentially a new attraction without building a coaster from scratch, and the ride’s dark tunnels and looping sequence have kept it a fan favorite through multiple ownership changes at the park.
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Demon FAQs
When did Demon open at Six Flags Great America?
The ride opened on May 29, 1976, as Turn of the Century before being reworked and renamed Demon in 1980.
Who manufactured Demon?
Arrow Dynamics built the coaster, with the ride credited to designer Ron Toomer.
How many inversions does Demon have?
Demon has four inversions: two vertical loops followed by a double corkscrew.
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Photo: Jonrev at en.wikipedia / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.