For 22 select nights between 20th September and 2nd November, the legendary Howl-O-Scream returns to Busch Gardens as they celebrate ‘20 Years of Fear’.

This year, there are several new haunted houses and scare zones as well as returning favourites. Voted Tampa Bay’s Number One haunted attraction, Howl-O-Scream is certainly not for the faint-hearted! Alongside the scare zones and haunted houses, why not take a night-time ride on some of the park’s most popular thrill rides such as Tigris, Cobra’s Curse, Falcon’s Fury, Cheetah Hunt, Montu, SheiKra and Kumba, as these remain open during the evening’s festivities. Watch out though – there might be an unwelcome spooky guest riding next to you!

Howl-O-Scream Haunted Houses

This year, you can pay a visit to the new haunted house experience, The Residence. At first glance, all seems normal in this suburban home belonging to the Clark family, but scratch the surface and you’ll realise that things are about to take a more sinister turn. If you aren’t careful, you might never escape this hellish house, instead becoming the family’s latest sacrifice to the forces of evil.

In 2018, Insomnia made its debut at Howl-O-Scream. This year, the popular house is back with Insomnia: Patients’ Revenge – where the patients who were at the whim of the maniacal sleep experiments of their sadistic doctors, have finally turned the tables on their oppressors and are seeking vengeance…

Last year in Motel Hell you had to escape the Sandman’s nightmarish attentions, this year in Motel Hell: Infestation it is the exterminator who is your biggest threat. As he treats the insect-infested rooms of the macabre motel, it is not just the bugs that he is trying to eliminate – but anything that remains alive – it’s definitely time to check out from Motel Hell!

Back from the dead and raised by the power of voodoo, over at Death Water Bayou: Wrath of the Queen the Queen of Shadows is again, with the help of her loyal devotees, weaving her dark magic on the living. Will you make it through her swamp abode without succumbing to her demonic curses?

Another firm favourite returns with The Black Spot: Bloodshed – where Captain Saw-Tooth Silas has marked you for death, you’ll need to escape from his pirate ship before it is too late!

The final haunted house on our list is Simon’s Slaughterhouse, which, along with Insomnia made its inaugural appearance at the park last year. This haunted house is not recommended for guests under the age of 17 as it’s pretty gory! If you dare to enter Simon’s Slaughterhouse, beware, as you will have agreed to play his twisted games – you don’t want to be the next victim on his butcher’s block!

Howl-O-Scream Scare Zones

To enter the Slaughterhouse, you’ll need to pass the Meat Market scare zone, which is a rather gruesome area filled with cannibals chowing down on a menu of their victims. Again, if members of your party are under the age of 17, you might want to give this area a miss!

Other returning scare zones are:

• Camp DOA – Mutants have risen from the swamp to take over a peaceful campsite.
• Hell on Wheels – A post-apocalyptic world where a crazed biker gang will stop at nothing to get food and supplies to ensure their survival.
• Día De Los Muertos – On the Day of the Dead, the souls of those who have passed before us are celebrated in this festive zone. Dance the night away and get a photo with La Catrina, the hat-wearing skeleton who is the poster child for the traditional Mexican celebration.
• Maniac Midway – Face your fear of clowns at the ‘Scariest Show on Earth’ as Sparky and his crew take over Pantopia and try to make visitors part of their terrifying circus attraction.
• Deadly Toys – If the scary clowns haven’t already ruined your childhood memories, the murderous oversized toys rampaging around this scare zone certainly will!

New Scare Zones!

Along with these six returning scare zones are three new additions – First Fear calls on the past 20 years of Howl-O-Scream to conjure up some haunting horrors! Look out for Dr Livingsdoom, Trickster, the Butcher, the Death Jockey and more legendary figures who are rising from the dead to terrify new victims!

Little Nightmares will evoke your fear of the uncanny and call up childhood memories you would rather forget! As performers wearing papier-mâché masks and homemade costumes prowl around the zone, this is a walk down memory lane that you really don’t want to take!

You won’t find a lot of peace and quiet in the Romanian graveyard at the heart of Carpe Diem. Watch out for bloodsucking vampires feasting on their victims and take a photo in one of the coffins!

Howl-O-Scream Shows and Games

Fancy a break from all of the intense scares? The creatures of the night again rise, though this time onstage for the returning Fiends Show over at Stanleyville Theater. Take a seat for a performance of dance and music with a macabre twist!

Don’t sit down for too long as there’s no rest for the wicked – or even the not-so wicked! Why not stop by DarkHeart’s Games of Skill at Pantopia to test your luck on the carnival games.?

After all that excitement treat yourself to a drink at one of the bars and beer tents around the site. Remember to take suitable ID if you are over 21 and want to buy alcohol – check out our blog on US licensing laws for more information. Watch out for the shot girls who roam the park, or head to one of the following locations for refreshments:

• Carnibar in Pantopia
• Dragon Fire Grill Entrance
• Serengeti Overlook Pub
• Stanleyville
• Meat Market Bar
• Nairobi Walkway

After that, there is one last thing to do before the park shuts at 1am - pick up some ghoulish souvenirs from the Shop of Horrors!

Featuring intense and gory experiences Howl-O-Scream is not really suitable for young children. Although those under the age of 18 will be permitted onsite, there will be no discounted child rates for entry. However, if you buy your tickets online before the event, you will make savings on purchasing at the gate – so this is highly advised. One thing to remember is that you aren’t allowed to wear costumes to the park – so don’t be tempted to dress up as your favourite Halloween monster for the occasion!

Even if you are at Busch Gardens during the day, you will need a separate evening ticket for Howl-O-Scream. The good news is that if you are already in the park and have an evening ticket you won’t need to exit and re-enter, instead you can wait at special areas and watch on as the park transforms from day to night mode!

With plenty of scares and fun to be had, a visit to Busch Gardens for this celebratory 20th anniversary event should be on any Halloween fan’s itinerary! Have you been in the past, or do you plan to visit in 2019? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this year’s line-up!

Howl-O-Scream 2019 dates:

• September: 20, 21, 27, 28
• October: 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 31
• November: 1, 2

Opening times: 7:30pm – 1:00am

Image credits: Howl-O-Scream Busch Gardens