A nostalgic evening at the local Drive-In quickly reminds us why this fad died out long ago.

Scream n’ Scream is Central Florida’s first ‘drive-through’ haunt, offering a physically distanced take on some classic Halloween activities. The event runs seventeen select nights from September 25th to October 31st, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Located at Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures, this haunt, although close to Orlando, is a bit off the beaten trail. As such, we advise you allow extra travel time should you choose to visit.

While the main attraction is unquestionably Night at the Die-In, Scream n’ Stream’s drive-through haunt, younger guests and their parents can also enjoy socially distanced trick or treating from the safety of their cars in the alternative Drive-Boo Trick r Treat version during daylight hours.

The year is 1997. A group of teenagers break into the abandoned Lakeside Drive-In Theater on the edge of town on a dare. They’ve heard rumors that people go missing at the abandoned Drive-In, but they dismiss these as urban legends. After a few hours of goofing around, they head back to their car to discover that it won’t start. The fuel line has been cut. The group of teens realize they are not alone. Hours from town on foot, with no way to get help, the teenagers are forced to work together to escape. Except someone is out there, lurking in the shadows. Watching them. Waiting for a chance to terrorize their victims.

The notion of a night at the drive-in gone wrong should serve as the perfect plot for a physically distanced drive-through haunt. After all, what horror film is complete without a shot of the killer sneaking up behind their victim as they enjoy a scary movie? This concept instantly evokes visions of what could be, but quickly becomes a tale of missed opportunities.

Audiences drive their own cars deep into the woods, to the old Lakeside Drive-In theater. This, alone, will make an experience at Scream n’ Stream somewhat uniquely immersive. (And yes, just like at a real drive-in movie, snacks are allowed.)

Night at the Die-In’s plot, at least from the ‘coming attractions,’ is in tune with a classic B-movie. Car breaks down in the middle of no where – check – teenagers are stranded in the woods – check – killer is after them – check. By itself, this would work in its own cliché simplicity. Somewhere along the way, however, Scream n’ Stream takes a hard left turn and inexplicably morphs this into a story about a demonic cult (?), and worst of all, seemingly forgot to even address it.

By the end, the narrative is so convoluted that it left us longing for the credits to roll.

Scream n’ Stream makes a modest attempt at an entry façade, greeting would-be audiences with a small scale movie screen they’ll be forced to physically drive their cars into. Unfortunately, this screen isn’t used to project any kind of actual film that might draw those audiences into its proverbial storyworld, creating the first of several missed opportunities along this 1.25 mile road.

The haunt is divided into several make-shift show scenes, each anchored by a clearly visible, bright traffic signal. Drivers are asked to park their vehicles at each along the way in order to experience “the action,” and not proceed to their next stop until the light turns green.

In truth, the spattering of sets throughout this wooded road feel home-made and disjointed. It’s difficult to imagine they were not haphazardly thrown together from what happened to be available in someone’s garage. Worse, though some connect to the drive-in storyworld, with things like the ticket booth or a concession stand teasing tasty treats for intermission, others just add a total lack of cohesion to whatever narrative remains at Night of the Die-In.

In an attempt to make this old drive-in theater feel a bit more bustling, actual cars are parked here and there throughout the course. However, their sparse nature doesn’t quite deliver in evoking memories of lines of vehicles parked in front of the silver screen. Worse, for a storyworld set in 1997, many of the cars being of newer model years stands out like a sore thumb. It’s difficult to not assume the drive-through path doubles as Scream n’ Stream’s employee parking lot.

Most jarring of all, however, is the fact that drivers stay on a mostly straight path with one single U-turn at the far end. Without sets or borders between show scenes, audiences can see what’s occurring with the next car barely feet ahead at times. What results are major spoilers for the few surprises Night at the Die-In attempts to deliver.

As audiences drive through the haunt, they’ll encounter frightened teenagers, mutilated bodies, and a bloodthirsty cult, for some reason. While many of the performers are in plain view, screaming for help or threatening cars that pass by, some did their best to execute unexpected jump scares – typically targeting fellow actors. (It’s important to stress that at no time will any actor or prop come in physical contact with your vehicle.)

Each vignette scene follows a similar pattern; upon arriving at it, the traffic light turns red to inform the driver it’s time to safely park. An actor, wired with a microphone, gives a brief monologue, and in some rare instances, physically interacts with a prop. The traffic light turns green, and audiences are on their way to the next stop.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention, as respectfully as possible, that we recognize and appreciate that the team of performers absolutely gave their all into their respective characters. Unfortunately, they were not entirely equipped to pull off such featured interactions. Throughout the event, we could not pinpoint a single believable performance, making for a particular eye-rolling, silent drive through the woods.

And then there’s the finale. Or so we’re told. We honestly wouldn’t have any idea. After being directed to turn right and head deeper into the woods for said climax, we found ourselves parked in front of a single visceral, almost tribal drummer. He pounded the various buckets-turned-instruments at his disposal for a minute and a half, before we were told to continue driving forward.

Somehow – that – was the finale.

And then, like all good B-movies, whether you want it or not, there’s a post credit scene with a chainsaw-yielding cult devotee. It’s better than the drummer, anyway.

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.

Scream n’ Stream is one of central Florida’s first haunted drive-through attractions, and would-be movie-goers may be confused about what to expect. To answer these questions, a list of rules is posted at the attraction entrance for drivers to follow and verbally reiterated to every guest before entry to the attraction is permitted.

The road is, for the most part, a straight path with very few turns. Drivers are also asked to maintain a speed of under 3 MPH while experiencing the haunt, and follow traffic light signals which indicate when the next scene is ready. Although passengers are welcome to take all the photos or videos they wish, drivers are strictly prohibited from doing so.

While performers generally stay well away from vehicles, at times members of the operations team may ask you to put your car in park while scareactors approach your car. These performers are always wearing masks, and event attendees are also required to wear masks at all times while their windows are rolled down.

Although you will be asked to dim your car’s headlights during the duration of the haunt, the road is clearly marked with signs and traffic cones to keep drivers from getting lost. There are also no strobe lights or fog effects that might reduce visibility. Most importantly, each passenger within the vehicle must have their own seatbelt.

All of these safety precautions are put in place not only for the safety of Scream n’ Stream’s performers, but also for their guests, creating a secure environment that allows guests to enjoy Halloween frights without ever leaving their vehicle.

While the notion of ‘drive-through’ haunts may seem like a necessary evil resulting from our current world of uncertainty, they’re not entirely that unheard of. At their core, these experiences are a self-guided natural derivative of the classic haunted hayride. There, guests board large open-air flat beds pulled by a tractor through a series of outdoor scenes, often through the darkened woods on a cool October night.

One obvious, important difference between a haunted hayride and a drive-through experience such as Scream n’ Stream is, well, you’ll be driving your own car. With October still being well within Central Florida’s rainy season, one should expect very muddy conditions at Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures if there’s any wet weather on the day of your visit. Should that be the case, your car may, and likely will, come out of this experience absolutely filthy.

Having experienced several haunted hayrides, including some particularly iconic ones in the Northeast where they’re far more common, we remain hopeful that this advent of drive-through haunts can work, and more over, work well. As such, we really do look forward to seeing more of them spring out from the shadows in the future. That not withstanding, Scream n’ Stream’s execution is just not ready for prime time.

This is not a review we reveal in sharing, because now more than ever, we truly want to support those who try their very best to innovate in a time where we all need a seasonal distraction. But the reality is we need to think about you, our readers, and give our honest, experienced assessments to help guide where you may choose to spend your hard-earned money. Simply put, had we paid for this horror movie, we’d be screaming at the screen for all the wrong reasons.

As always, we encourage you, our readers, to make your own choices on what venues you visit. Although Scream n’ Stream was not right for us due to its lack of depth or direction, we appreciate that it’s clearly a project of passion, created by a team that truly loves Halloween and will do what they can to help keep its spirit alive.

You can find an extended photo gallery from our night at Scream n’ Stream 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: Scream n’ Stream

Location: Kissimmee, FL

Dates: Select Nights September 25th – October 31st

Hours: Drive-Boo Trick-r-Treat 5:30pm – 6:15pm, Night at the DIE-In Haunted Drive-Thru 7:00pm – 11:00pm

Cost: Prices range from $48-70 per vehicle if purchased in advance online. Costs may be higher at the venue.

We thank Scream n’ Stream for inviting us to experience this event. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.