Film director Alfred Hitchcock often said people go to scary movies for the same reason we ride on roller coasters. We enjoy being scared … more or less safely. And we enjoy anticipating the fright and how we’ll respond to it.

So, on the anniversary of the opening of the first gravity-driven amusement-park roller coaster, we offer a small selection of some of the world’s finest — and scariest — rides. (Be sure to let us know about your own favorite roller coasters in the comments.)