Lotte World's 30-year-old 'Fantasy Dream' ride turns into a horror train after dark

A ride that has delighted visitors for more than three decades is reinventing itself this autumn as a nighttime horror experience. The attraction flips its signature fairy-tale setting into a nightmare world, aiming to draw a new wave of visitors to the park.

Lotte World Adventure announced Tuesday that its indoor attraction Fantasy Dream will run a special autumn season program themed around "strange nightmares."

Fantasy Dream is an indoor ride-through attraction at Lotte World Adventure's Magic Island. Guests board a train and travel through a whimsical world of candy and stuffed animals. Since opening in 1993, the ride has been a staple for visitors of all ages.

After dark, the attraction undergoes a full transformation. As night falls, creatures of horror awaken and a nightmare unfolds. Through Nov. 15, Fantasy Dream will operate nightly from 6 p.m. to 8:50 p.m. under the name "Fantasy Dream: Strange Nightmare." The special run is part of Lotte World Adventure's autumn festival "Invitation to a Strange World," a collaboration with the Junji Ito Collection that continues through Nov. 15, and the horror-themed elements have been woven into the Fantasy Dream experience as well.

Since its special evening run launched Thursday, "Fantasy Dream: Strange Nightmare" has generated considerable buzz — all seats sold out for four consecutive nights, from Thursday through Sunday.

Meanwhile, Lotte World Adventure continues its autumn festival "Invitation to a Strange World," developed in collaboration with the Junji Ito Collection, through Nov. 15. Inside the park, a mystery-party concept featuring the "Dark Fantasy Festival" parade and other eerie programming draws guests into an atmosphere of sinister intrigue, while Magic Island hosts Junji Ito Collection-themed photo zones and a range of additional content.