Serial Thriller was a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster that opened on May 9, 1998, at Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio. Built as the manufacturer’s Standard 689m model, it was an inverted coaster with fixed, rigid trains that hung below the track, sending riders’ feet dangling through a compact circuit of loops and corkscrews laid out partly over reclaimed marshland along the shore of Geauga Lake, complete with a man-made island and a pump system to keep the site dry.
The coaster stood as one of Geauga Lake’s signature thrill rides through the late 1990s and early 2000s. After Cedar Fair acquired the park, the ride was rebranded Thunderhawk in 2004, and it kept that name through the park’s final operating years. When Geauga Lake permanently closed in 2007, the coaster was dismantled and relocated to Michigan’s Adventure, where it reopened in 2008 and still runs today as Thunderhawk.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Geauga Lake (Aurora, Ohio)
- Manufacturer: Vekoma
- Opened: May 9, 1998
- Closed: September 16, 2007 (renamed Thunderhawk in 2004)
- Height: 109.3 ft (33.3 m)
- Top speed: 49.7 mph (80 km/h)
- Length: 2,260.5 ft (689 m)
- Inversions: 5
The Ride Experience
As a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster, Serial Thriller sent its fixed, dangling-foot trains up a lift hill before dropping riders about 85 feet into a fast, twisting circuit. Unlike older suspended coasters, the SLC’s two-across trains were rigidly mounted rather than free-swinging, so riders felt sharp, direct forces through each of the ride’s five inversions on a layout that packed a lot of action into roughly 2,260 feet of track.
The setting was as memorable as the ride itself. Much of the structure was built over water at the edge of Geauga Lake, giving riders a rare view of steel supports rising out of a man-made island rather than solid ground, a detail that set the coaster apart from other SLC installations of its era.
From Geauga Lake to Michigan’s Adventure
Serial Thriller operated under its original name for six seasons before Cedar Fair, which had taken over park operations, renamed it Thunderhawk in 2004. The coaster kept running under that name until Geauga Lake shut its gates for good in 2007 amid declining attendance and the park’s broader closure.
Rather than being scrapped, the coaster was dismantled and shipped to Michigan’s Adventure in Muskegon, Michigan, where Cedar Fair rebuilt it. It reopened there as Thunderhawk on May 17, 2008, giving the ride a second life that has now outlasted its original home by nearly two decades.
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Serial Thriller Photo Archive: 2000–2003
These are original ThrillZing photos of Serial Thriller taken at Six Flags Ohio and Geauga Lake between 2000 and 2003, restored and upscaled from the original camera files. They show the Vekoma SLC’s red track and teal supports beside the lake, riders through the loop, the station and its sign. The ride left with the Six Flags era and reopened at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom as T3. All photos are free to reuse under a CC BY 4.0 license with credit to ThrillZing and a link to this page.
Serial Thriller FAQs
Is Serial Thriller still standing today?
Not under that name. The coaster was relocated from Geauga Lake to Michigan’s Adventure after Geauga Lake closed in 2007, and it now operates there as Thunderhawk.
What type of roller coaster was Serial Thriller?
It was a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC), the Standard 689m model, an inverted coaster with fixed (non-swinging) trains and five inversions.
Why was Serial Thriller renamed Thunderhawk?
Cedar Fair renamed the ride Thunderhawk in 2004 after taking over operation of Geauga Lake, retiring the original Serial Thriller name three years before the park closed.
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Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rollercoasterphilosophy/ / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.