It’s time to step back into the misty nightmares of Busch Gardens Tampa’s Howl-O-Scream. We were in attendance on opening night to experience the frightful fun. There’s a lot to see, let’s step into the fog…
Return of the Haunted Houses
Last year offered an all open-air event with no enclosed haunted houses (just scare zones), but this year the houses are back! There are five houses this year at Howl-O-Scream, 3 that are brand new and two returning favorites with new, sinister twists.
The new houses are:
Witch of the Woods: Something wicked this way haunts…an ominous legend summons you with her inescapable curse. Curiosity has brought many travelers into this dark forest, but only bone-chilling stories and dying screams make their way out.
The scares for this house start as soon as you enter the queue, which meanders through the former bird gardens, and takes you along a pathway through the “woods” to the village the witch lives in.
Fun fact: The building used for this house has been around for a long time. Back in the 80s and 90s, it housed animals such as pandas, koalas and wallabies. Howl-O-Scream took the building over when the event started in the early 2000s.
The Forgotten: Victims will be drawn into a hidden world beyond the rubble and rocks of an unsuspecting quarry, where dark secrets lurk in the shadows. Just beyond a hidden gutter entrance, the legend of the human uprising is revealed as a swarm of starving vampires plot their imminent revenge. Will those who enter return to the world of the living or are they destined to become the newest minion of the Forgotten army?
This house is on the loud side, with throbbing House/EDM music blaring throughout. If you love vampires though, this is the house for you.
Cell Block Zombies: Vicious criminals resurface from beyond the grave, as death row zombies seek their own twisted form of justice…and your flesh.
We didn’t do this house, but the plot seems somewhat similar to the Death Row Vengeance house that was a part of Howl-O-Scream for several years, just with a Zombie twist to it.
The two returning houses are:
Death Water Bayou – Blood Moon: New terrors will stalk the swamp this season. Can you outrun the pack?
This is the 8th year that a version of Death Water Bayou has been at Howl-O-Scream. This is probably one of the longest running houses in Howl-o-Scream history. In this iteration, it newly features werewolves.
The Residence: This suburban home paints a pretty picture on its eerily quiet street but open the front door and discover the domestic demons that lie beneath.
This is the 2nd year The Residence has… taken up residence at Howl-O-Scream. This is an interesting premise, so it’s one that shouldn’t be missed.
Scare Zones
Along with all the mazes, there are also 8 scare zones this year, with three of them being brand new.
The new scare zones are:
Voodoo: Driven out of the bayou by ravenous werewolves, the witch doctors now practice their dark magic on you as they pursue their twisted revenge through ancient curses.
This large scare zone had interesting theme with several buildings that look like the bayou. Unfortunately, it was not very well lit, so it was hard to see all the details and take it all in.
Skeleton Crew: Rising from their watery grave, shipwrecked pirates seek to plunder the world of the living, taking all lost souls as their bounty.
Tampa is well-known for its pirate lore, with the annual Gasparilla festival (think Mardi Gras, but pirate themed), and of course the current Super Bowl Champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so a pirate-themed scare zone is perfect! Sadly, this was another that needed to be better lit and a little less fog, as you really couldn’t see what was trying to scare you. Here’s my only shot that came out:
In the Shadows: Eerie legends and horrifying myths passed down through centuries of ghost stories have gathered in the woods, turning wary skeptics into doomed believers.
This was an interesting scare zone, with some really cool monsters lurking about. It was also very foggy in this one too, so sometimes it was hard to see and admire the unique scare actors in this zone.
And the returning scare zones are:
The Shortcut: Cutting through the cemetery may seem like an easy way out, except when the corpses rise from the ground only to drag you back into their graves with them.
This scare zone moved to a new location this year – last year it could be found on the pathway along the Skyride station between Jungala and Pantopia, this year you’ll find it near Nairobi train station. Sadly this year’s version is not quite as good as the 2020 version. Though, it does have a few good scares (I was completely surprised by one and gave me quite a shock). But overall it was another that needed a little bit better lighting to admire its spookiness.
The Junkyard: You’ll find more than spare parts as you rummage through this surly scrap site. Will you make it out in one piece or be devoured by the haunted rubble?
This is another scare zone that is in a new location. Last year, it used part of the pathway that was used for the old Motel Hell house and currently the Witch of the Woods. This year, it occupies the space of the former Marrakesh Theatre toward the front of the park. This is almost like a mini house with the way it’s located off the main pathway.
Little Nightmares: Take a creepy walk down memory lane to the bygone era of papier-mâché masks and homemade costumes sure to stir up the nightmares of your childhood.
Last year, this scare zone was along the pathway behind the Sesame Street Safari of Fun area (where In the Shadows is this year).
Deadly Toys: You can run but you cannot hide as giant toys spring to life in a murderous rampage with you in their sights. Childhood memories will be destroyed when these toys turn a play date into a slay date.
This scare zone is one of our favorites, and it has moved around over the years. This year it resides in Pantopia. We loved all the glowing black-light props with the creepy dolls and stuffed animals.
There is supposedly a “hidden” scare zone as well, but we couldn’t find it even after going around the entire park twice. I guess it’s pretty well-hidden! It was a bit frustrating, and I’m a little disappointed that this scare zone eluded me. I hope I’ll get to see it on my next visit (if it really exists…).
Crash Test Zombies Returns
One of our favorite things at Howl-O-Scream, Crash Test Zombies, is back after being absent last year. Going up against zombies on the bumper cars? We’re all over it! It’s such a fun twist to a classic ride.
Rides in the Dark
And of course, with the houses back this year, wait times for the rides were much shorter as a result. We saw wait times range from 5 minutes up to 45 minutes at peak times, but most were in the 10-20 minute range. Wait times significantly dropped to no more than a 5 minute posted wait during the last hour or so of the night. So if there’s a ride with a normally long wait that you’d like to ride, this is your opportunity.
Nothing beats riding roller coasters in the dark!
Live Entertainment
There are only two live show offerings during Howl-O-Scream this year: the long-running and still popular “Fiends” (which is back at the Festival Field stage again), and the Rolling Bones band over at the Dragon Fire Grill stage. We missed “Fiends” (which is essentially the same show every year, just with a different general “theme” to the show… last year they took on being quarantined and also a lot of Tom Brady jokes, which were hilarious). But we really wanted to check out The Rolling Bones as we somehow missed them last year.
As guests dine between devilish destinations, the live performance of this skeleton band lights up Dragon Fire Grill with epic covers of classic rock anthems.
Unfortunately, this show did not live up to expectations. The band did a medley of snippets from various classic rock and 80s hair band tunes…. for a whole 15 minutes. That was it. The whole show is just 15 minutes long. If you’re already at the Dragon Fire Grill having a bite and a show starts, by all means, stick around and watch. But this is one show you do not need to go out of your way to see.
It was a bit of a disappointment that there isn’t more entertainment since Busch Gardens generally does it so well.
Merchandise
What haunt event is complete without merchandise! There are lots of shirt designs to choose from this year, as well as tumblers, can coolies, pins, lanyards and more!
A new item they had for sale is a “No Boos” necklace. It’s styled as a skull and crossbones and when worn and turned on (it lights up different colors), it lets the scare actors in the scare zones know not to scare you (it does not work in the houses though, just to be forewarned). Yes, this can defeat the purpose of going to a haunt event, but some people like spooky things and don’t want the wits scared out of them.
Our Thoughts
Overall, we enjoyed our visit to Howl-O-Scream, but something felt a little… off. I can’t really place it, but the energy as a whole felt on the low side in some areas. Even last year’s modified event felt more energetic to me. Perhaps it was an off night, or things weren’t adjusted quite right. But I’ll be back to check it all out again, and the parts they get right really make the visit worthwhile.
Howl-O-Scream runs select dates now through October 31st. It is a separate hard ticket event not included with regular daytime admission. Tickets start at $41.99 and annual pass discounts are available. You can purchase tickets at the Howl-O-Scream website.
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Let’s Hear From You
That was our overview of Howl-O-Scream this year. I’ll be back soon to get more photos and video (first time through is always hard for me because I’m so scared of what’s about to jump out at me). Is there a haunted house that you’re interested in hearing more about? What do you think about the “No Boos” scare preventative? Should more rides add a monster element? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.