The ride consists of three individual Turbo Drop model towers arranged in a triangular footprint; the three towers joined at their peaks by a 60-foot-tall (18 m) pyramidal crown and marquee.
The entire structure is 312 feet (95 m) tall from the base to the top of the structure (omitting the topping 13 feet (4.0 m) flagpole) and is the tallest free-standing structure in Orange County. Supreme Scream carries 12 riders per tower in octagonal carriages upward at a speed of 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) before pausing for a brief moment at a height of 252 feet (77 m). Utilizing pneumatics paired with a pulley system, the ride carriages are then accelerated downward faster than a true free-fall to attain a top speed of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h)—exposing riders to a maximum G-force of 4 and negative G-force of -1.
The ride’s tagline is "30 Stories Up. 3 Seconds Down."
History
Supreme Scream opened to the general public on July 3, 1998, as the tallest turbo drop–type amusement ride in the world. A soft opening for the attraction was held two days prior.[1]
During its opening year, nearby local residents were complaining about the ride's noise. This was due to the screeching, scratching and rumbling sounds of punctuated blasts of air. To address the issue, S&S Worldwide and Knott's Berry Farm engineers would install 14-inch sound buffers in the ride's mechanics to muffle the screaming.[2]
