World's 10 Scariest Roller Coasters (Slideshow)

Tucked away in Japan's Mie Prefecture, in the middle of the Nagashima Spa Land amusement park, is the Steel Dragon 2000 which opened to much fanfare 14 years ago and was named to commemorate the Year of the Dragon. It is the second fastest roller coaster in Japan and the sixth fastest in the world.

At the time it was the world's tallest complete-circuit roller coaster. It also holds the record for the coaster with the longest track: around 8, 133 feet long. It features a gut-wrenching drop of 157 feet and can reach speeds of up to 95 miles per hour!

This Six Flags Golden Kingdom amusement park ride is called "the king of roller coasters" for good reason — it is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in North America running at speeds of up to 128 miles per hour and featuring a u-shaped track at 45 stories high (that's 456 feet).

As if that wasn't terrifying enough, the coaster is planning for more death-defying drops and spirals with new additions... the ride is temporarily closed until the work is complete which will likely be just in time for the summer.

The Colossus at Thorpe Park in England was the park's main attraction when it opened. At 98 feet at it's highest point it features a drop that reaches around 48 miles per hour through several hair-raising corkscrews and a surprising counter-clockwise heartline roll.

Located in Abu Dhabi this coaster launches you 52 meters into the sky before flying through spirals inspired by the world's top racing tracks . At one point the fastest roller coaster on the planet it can hit speeds of up to 240 kilomters per hour in less than seconds... that's so fast that riders have to wear racing goggles just so they can keep thir eyes open for the whole experience (if they're brave enough).

The Phantom's Revenge is one of the fastest roller coasters in the world. Surprsingly, unlike most of the world's coasters, this one's biggest drop comes second (not first) at a massive 230 feet and reaches speeds of up to 85 miles per hour. It also passes right beneath another roller coaster, it's one of the only coasters in the world to even attempt it!

Located in the middle of Holiday Park in Hassloch, Germany, Expedition GeForce features an initial twisting 175-foot, 82 degree first drop and a G-force of 4.5 grams. It's one of the largest roller coasters in Europe: It is 0.75 miles long and has a whopping seven periods of full weightlessness for riders.

Located on Australia's Gold Coast, in Queensland at the Dreamworld Amusement Park, the Tower of Terror was the world's first coaster to reach a speed of 100 miles per hour. It's a reverse freefall coaster that features a pitch down a 90 degree vertical which will leave riders completely weightless for around 6.5 seconds... if that doesn't make you lose your lunch then nothing will!

This roller coaster is one of the main features of Universal Studios' theme park Wizarding World of Harry Potter that opened in 2010. The Escape From Gringott's ride is similar to Universal's Transformers themed coaster and features 360-degree themed sets that show both film images and live special effects... it's more than just an exhilirating roller coaster ride, it's the full Harry Potter experience that's a must-try for any fan!

Kings Island in Mason Ohio got a major investment bump  when the theme park got a new roller coaster — and the Banshee is worth every dime: it features seven inversions along it's 4,124-foot  track. It also has a 167-foot lift hill, a 150-foot curved first drop, a dive loop, a vertical loop, a zero-gravity roll, and a carousel with an elevation change of 208 feet. It's also the world's longest inverted steel roller coaster.

Takabisha in Japan's Fuji-Q Highland amusement park is terrifyingly the world's steepest freefall roller coaster: traveling at around 62 miles per hour it takes the riders through seven major twists before a startling drop of 47 feet at a 121 degree freefall angle!