Even a world of uncertainty can’t keep hundreds of health-conscious monsters from overtaking the shadows of this a sinister, sprawling jungle.
Howl-O-Scream, located at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, is a separately ticketed event that runs seventeen select nights between September 25, 2020 and November 1, 2020, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In its 21st year, Howl-O-Scream has been greatly modified to operate safely during these uncertain times. This year, there are no traditional Haunts, however, that doesn’t mean there’s no screams to be had. With a whopping ten Scare Zones, this entire, massive park transforms into a Halloween nightmare. The event also features a live show as well as all of your favorite Busch Gardens Tampa Bay thrill rides, including Montu, Kumba and SheiKra in the dark.
Unfortunately, there are no traditional Haunts included in this year’s Howl-O-Scream, although Busch Gardens Tampa Bay puts in extra effort with more outdoor scare zones than ever for 2020, which we’ll outline below.
Howl-O-Scream’s Scare Zones are a mix of ten officially themed areas. There is virtually no safe space throughout the entire, massive theme park. Expect to run into monsters anywhere and everywhere, even if the area you are in is not explicitly listed as a scare zone on the park map. Somewhere in the park (and no, we won’t spoil the surprise!) is what equates to essentially an unadvertised eleventh scare zone – and it’s actually one of our favorites. Full of ‘bush people’ draped in camo netting, these monsters quite literally hide in bushes and under giant palm ferns that line the park’s winding, jungle-like pathways, leaping out when guests least suspect it in an area they were not prepared to find scares.
Howl-O-Scream’s actors are always seem to go the extra mile to create personalized interactions with guests – this year maintaining a safe distance at all times – on a level that many other big chain park events fail to do. Below, we’ll look at each official scare zone:
First Fear
The icons of Howl-O-Scream’s haunted past are the first frights to greet you, rising from the dead and bringing over 20 years of fear back to life.
Interestingly, Howl-O-Scream’s entry statement scare zone actually exists OUTSIDE the park’s gates. While this creates a compelling first impression, the downside is simply nothing going on (besides some rehashed projection mapping effects from 2018) immediately inside the turnstiles.
Scenically, First Fear is little more than a series of stacked crates – but its the characters that inhabit it go the extra mile to make an impression. Best of all, the cast in this scare zone takes their time to offer photo opportunities -something rarely seen at major Halloween events.
We do miss the energy created by having this scare zone inside the park gates. The immediate rush of scares created the perfect first impression for Howl-O-Scream as a whole. The space just beyond the turnstiles currently feels a bit barren without it.
DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS
We found this section of the park much more willing to pose for photos with guests (though this makes a lot of sense, as they’re not exactly “evil” spirits in this world.) Día de los Muertos is different from what you’d typically find at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s Howl-O-Scream, and for that respite from the constant onslaught of monster attackers, it actually works really well.
This year, performers are a bit more separated from park guests – many of them dancing within roped off areas or on upper landings. We were happy to find our old friend the skeleton still out among the people, dancing with them from a safe distance.
The Escape
That is, of course, the ones who were not being transported in jail cell-like cages. Four of Grey Echo’s most dangerous prisoners remain locked behind bars, creating a truly clever means of physically distanced character interactions – allowing for natural scares from the banging of bars while ensuring the safety of both guests and performers.
Deadly Toys
Deadly Toys has greatly benefited from this new physically distanced format. With many of its scares behind hedges or lurking in the bushes, it truly evokes the spirit of old toys abandoned by kids in the back yard. These playthings clearly don’t appreciate the treatment they’ve received, as they’ve gone full-evil and come to life and stalk the kids who once played with them.
From a “friendly” teddy bear yielding a chainsaw to a Panda crashing cymbals behind unsuspecting passers by, to a dirty old rabbit who, well, just screams and screams (and it works!), the cast of Deadly Toys put in extra effort to bring their world to life. Each has a devilishly playful demeanor, almost child-like in their own right while still being entirely foreboding.
Maniac Midway
Greatly reduced in its scale this year, Maniac Midway occupies a smaller footprint from just past Falcon’s Fury to just before SandSerpent. This smaller are by no means kills the fun; it’s still jammed full of demented clowns.
Broken down remnants left over from the circus they attacked line the midway, populated by a mix of static figures and real live clowns. This juxtaposition makes it often impossible to guess which clown is real and which is not, further enhancing the scares.
With each end beginning with a ticket booth, it’s clear that we’re here for a show. And a show is exactly what audiences of this circus of carnage will receive, thanks to non-stop, high-energy interactions from its cast of clowns, always from a safe distance, and always while behind their clown-smile printed custom face masks.
Lycan Landing
It’s always a full moon at this campground and the park rangers can’t hear you scream. When the campfires burn out, will you escape the glowing eyes leering through the trees or will you share their cursed fate?
New for 2020, Lycan Landing is one of of Howl-O-Scream’s strongest scare zones – and not just because it’s packed full of bruting, ferocious werewolves. Framed as a quaint campground where assuredly nothing could possibly go wrong, councilors have been ravaged by this hungry nocturnal beasts, and the constant barks, growls and howls that echo through the night air make it clear that we – the campers – are next.
Filled with parked cars, trailers and RVs, Lycan Landing does an excellent job at bringing its storyworld to life in a very real way. Picket fences separate each camper’s “yard,” while also offering a safe, physically distanced barrier that blends seamlessly into the scenery. The occasional stray wolf lurking in the bushes is sure to offer an unexpected scare, even to those of you with silver bullet-like courage.
The Shortcut
A tight passage from Stanleyville to the Congo section of the park sets the scene for Howl-O-Scream’s most immersive scare zone. The Shortcut through a cemetery seemed like an innocent enough idea at the time; but upon first sight of the old church ravaged by a recent fire – smoke still lingering thickly in the air – it becomes instantly apparent that sometimes it’s wiser to take the long road…
The Shortcut is full of chilling interactions with the ominous parishioners of that ill-fated church. A sinister priest shouts sermon from the story of David and Goliath, while faceless nuns lurk in the shadows, ready to scold. The gravedigger is ready to add to their collection, swinging a shovel that quite literally sparks as it drags across the gravely ground.
Of Howl-O-Scream’s ten official scare zones this year, The Shortcut was certainly our favorite. Its narrow path and immersive interactions make it feel much more like an actual outdoor haunt than just a simple scare zone. It’s also a bit different in that it’s one-way traffic only – from the Stanleyville Sky Ride station near SheiKra, exiting at the beginning of the Congo section near Kumba. As such, The Shortcut may actually require waiting in a queue at times, but during our visit, this line was very quick-moving.
Little Nightmares
Little Nightmares aims to recreate the nostalgia of a spooky night of trick or treating way back when you were a kid. The pathway that boarders Sesame Street Safari of Fun is littered with bloody doors, framing small vignettes meant to imply a neighborhood street.
Each door has its own trick or treating actor – some yielding knives, scissors or chainsaws along with their candy sacks – all of whom are clearly up to no good. A random empty door here or there doesn’t mean the neighbor isn’t home; you simply just have not found them yet.
Little Nightmares is among the scare zones which most benefited from this year’s modified format. In a time where physical distancing is required for the safety of all, these roped off vignettes feel much more appropriate, and serve as a satisfying means to otherwise interact with the story from a safe distance.
The Junkyard
Although light on story, the experience within The Junkyard relies much more heavily on atmospheric scares. Full of rusted old cars, piles of trash and crates stacked into the moonlit sky, this scare zone more than lives up to its name. It also, in the process, creates a seemingly infinite amount of hiding places for its monster inhabitants.
Much like The Shortcut, The Junkyard has the flow of a genuine outdoor haunt much more so than a traditional scare zone. Occupying the traditional queue and exterior exit path of the Motel Hell haunt, The Junkyard has a one-way only flow, and may require a quick queue during busier times.
Interestingly, although the event map makes The Junkyard appear to be the event’s smallest scare zone, it’s actually the largest – by a lot. Jam-packed with props and scares, The Junkyard makes great use of its expanded footprint and remains one of our solid favorite scare zones of this year’s event.
Hell on Wheels
Hell On Wheels occupies the area up to and around the forthcoming Iron Gwazi roller coaster. This is a sort of post-apocalyptic wasteland overrun by a menacing Mad Max-inspired biker gang.
We found this scare zone to feel a bit more minimal than it has in prior years – lighter on both scenic and actors. Minimal barricades and a small handful of roaming thugs are energized by two monsters riding through the area on bicycles themed to motorcycles.
Still though, for us, the biggest scare in this area was the realization of just how much longer we need to wait to finally get a ride on the massive new Iron Gwazi hybrid coaster looming in the background!
FIENDS
Is there a doctor in the house? These captivating creatures of the night will infect you with dance fever and keep your pulse pounding with their deranged dance party. But when Dr. Freakenstein’s naughty nurses start operating, the diagnosis is always “code pink.”
Offered twice nightly, at 8:30 and 10:00pm, Fiends is an incredibly popular Howl-O-Scream tradition. This year, in an effort to maintain a safe environment for both guests and cast, Fiends has moved to a new outdoor venue at the Festival Field Stage. Benches are clearly marked with physical distancing markers, and both guest and cast must wear masks at all times.
Part sexy dancing, part pop culture, this edgy caters to the ‘after hours’ Halloween crowds, and may not be suitable for all audiences. Although a long running feature of Howl-O-Scream, we opted to skip Fiends as dance shows are not our preferred style of entertainment.
This is not one of our typical Haunt review sections, but we feel that it’s critically important to address during the 2020 Halloween Season. We understand that a lot of you are still nervous about venturing out this fall, and may have questions about what venues are doing to keep you and your loved ones safe. It is our hope that we can assuage some of those very valid fears in our Health & Safety section of each Haunt Review.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay was among the first theme parks to reopen early this summer. Since doing so, they have helped establish Health & Safety standards – and those policies clearly carry over to Howl-O-Scream. Clearly marked, touch free hand sanitizing stations are available throughout the park, at every attraction, roller coaster and scare zone, and clearly marked physical distancing markers on the ground help keep parties spaced at a safe distance in the queues.
Something bound to thrill long-time HOS-goers: gone are the endless conga-lines of people thanks to this year’s outdoor format, even in the two scare zones which flow more like traditional haunts. Individual parties are pulsed through in such a way that ensures a minimum of six feet of distance between each group at all times.
All ten scare zones have a comfortable, open flow that allow them to remain entirely contactless throughout. Masks are required to be worn by all park guests and team members (yes, that includes the monsters!) We were thrilled to hear a uniquely spooky Howl-O-Scream version of the park’s recording health & safety reminder spiel playing throughout the park at regular intervals during the event.
There’s no question that 2020 itself has been scary, but Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has gone to great lengths to ensure that despite everything going on around us, there’s still a safe, responsible way to enjoy a little bit of Halloween fun. Certainly, this event is not the tradition Howl-O-Scream we’ve come to know and love, but we appreciate its ability to adapt and innovate.
One side effect we noticed resulting from the lack of haunts this year is longer lines for the park’s world-class coasters. However, given the shorter hours across the board at Central Florida’s theme parks for the time being, any opportunity to ride the rails after dark is certainly welcome.
Even without the traditional haunts, Howl-O-Scream is a welcome – and satisfying – taste of what could have been. More importantly, it’s a suitable appetizer to what will be again soon enough. Remember, this is not “the new normal,” it’s only just for now.
We as a team do not take health & safety standards lightly in these chaotic times. We recognize the importance of going above and beyond to ensure a fun time can be enjoyed by all. In our experience, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay offers an entirely safe, accommodating and comfortable environment to get a little Halloween-fix. We certainly understand that going to a theme park right now might still not be for everyone, and we fully respect that stance. But for those of you who may be on the fence, we hope that this review helps to give you the confidence that procedures are in place to keep you as safe as one can possibly be.
You can find an extended photo gallery from our night at Tampa Bay’s 2020 Howl-O-Scream in this exclusive album on the Escape Authority Facebook page! While there, why not give us a “LIKE” if you haven’t already? We’ll give you candy!
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Venue: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Location: Tampa, FL
Dates: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, September 25th – November 1st
Hours: 7:00pm – 12:00am (Fridays and Saturdays) / 7:00pm – 11:00pm (Sundays)
Cost: Prices vary from $29.99 – 59.99 if purchased in advance online, but significantly higher if bought after 6 pm the night of your visit. To help ensure a limited capacity, reservations are required.
We thank Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for inviting us to experience this event. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.