Not even a global pandemic could steer this ship off course.

UNDead in the Water is a walk-through haunt that takes guests aboard the SS American Victory, located on the Ybor Channel in downtown Tampa. After being built in a California Shipyard in 1945, this authentic naval warship was used in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, before being retired to Tampa, Florida as a historic attraction & floating museum in 1996. The SS American Victory still holds the distinction of being only one of three operational cargo ships left in the United States, and still sets sail once per year on its annual Relive History Cruise.

Another annual event, UNDead in the Water, transforms the vessel into something altogether more sinister. This specially ticketed stand-alone haunt takes place across eleven select nights between October 2, 2020 and October 31, 2020, including every Friday and Saturday of the month and one additional Thursday right before Halloween.

As you walk down a dimly lit alleyway to the sound of sirens, explosions, and screams, it’s obvious that you’re about to enter a battleground. Rounding the corner brings the dramatically illuminated SS American Victory into view, and it suddenly becomes clear that this is going to be more than just your ordinary, run-of-the mill haunt.

UNDead in the Water doesn’t shrink back in the face of a real life pandemic, but rather embraces it, absorbing it into its storyworld in such a seamless fashion that guests may just end up forgetting about any virus from outside the ship as they begin to worry about the fictitious zombie outbreak onboard.

Crew are first briefed on their mission before entering the hold by a charismatic lab assistant, but not before having their hands sprayed by a chemical that will supposedly turn blue if they’ve been infected by the zombie pathogen. In real life, this is actually hand sanitizer used to ensure a safe experience for all guests and performers – however, within the context of the established storyworld, it feels so organic that it becomes not just invisible from a fourth-wall perspective, but entirely logical for the narrative. Once cleared, new crew board the SS American Victory in pursuit of Dr. Simonne – and the cure.

There’s no shortage of media depicting haunted or abandoned ships, but nothing quite compares to the feeling of actually being trapped inside one. In their search for an antidote to the virus, decon crew will explore what feels like every nook and cranny of the authentic SS American Victory, going up ladders, down steep sets of stairs, and even along the outside of the deck of the ship.

Having served in multiple wars, this vessel was not made to be a luxury cruise liner. Its doors are small, its ceilings low, and its hallways cramped. Just when claustrophobia begins to set in, though, it’s replaced by vertigo, as passengers find themselves on a metal grate catwalk multiple stories above the still-functioning engine room. This isn’t the only place where height is used to great effect along the way, either: ancient metal grates set into the floor give views of several floors below deck and, while perfectly safe, make passengers second guess their journey through this vessel.

Even the ship’s large cargo holds seems tightly compact as crew weave in and out between stacks of barrels, crates, and flotation devices. It’s easy to imagine getting lost on a ship of this size, and yet designated paths are still readily apparently despite the sheer magnitude of this floating maze.

Being an active museum during the remainder of the year, the SS American Victory is still completely outfitted with authentic decor like beds in the crew quarters and life preservers in the hold – plus some additional lights and effects that turn the ship into an authentic zombie battleground.

With no shortage of sharp corners, tight spaces, and confined corridors, there’s no telling what will come next, and UNDead in the Water knows full well how to use this to their advantage.

Although their path is clearly laid out through the ship, decon crew are given a sense of being lost in an immersive maze as they search for Dr. Simonne. But first, along the way lie a few surviving members of the Ripper Squad, the ship’s captain, and a whole horde of zombies.

Each (former) person encountered throughout the vessel feels unique and different, with actors utilizing a variety of methods to bring their undead characters to life, so to speak. Combined with the authentic setting, these performances make for a believable situation that’s often difficult to find in even the most large-scale, high-budget haunts.

There’s little we can think of that could be more frightening than walking down a seemingly empty corridor lined with open doors, and yet UNDead in the Water manages to make every moment of this experience truly terrifying. A great mix of jump scares and an understanding of deeper, psychological horror makes every moment aboard the SS American Victory unique. Even the ship’s entry, covered in plastic tarps that sway idly in the breeze, sets the tone for what’s to come as you glimpse the silhouettes of countless corpses – some moving just a little more than others.

Even the haunt’s actual cleaning crew, decked out in hazmat uniforms and bloodied masks, add to the scares as they go about their duties sanitizing the attraction’s high-touch areas such as handles and ladders to ensure constant safety. When they aren’t unexpectedly popping out from behind a corner, they might even join your party for a time, shuffling slowly behind you and keeping the story moving. It’s this level of immersion that makes guests truly forget about any pandemic outside of the ship as they get lost in the masterfully crafted storyworld come to life onboard the SS American Victory.

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.

UNDead in the Water is a walking attraction with both physically distanced and up-close scares. Face coverings are required for both guests and scareactors. Many actors are also separated from guests by seamlessly integrated plexiglass barriers to add further protection.

Temperature checks are mandatory for both guests and staffs upon arrival at the event. Social distancing markers are present in the queue line to instruct guests on where to stand, and guests are asked to choose an arrival time slot with their ticket purchase.

Groups are limited to 8 people inside the ship, and separate parties will not be paired together. There is plenty of time and space being afforded between groups. Crowding is not allowed in the haunt, and guests may be stopped to allow for additional time if they get too close to the group ahead.

Rigorous cleaning standards are also in place, with high-touch areas such as hand rails, ladders, and countertops being sprayed or wiped with hospital-grade cleaners continuously between groups inside the attraction.

Perhaps most compelling of all, UNdead in the Water uses its narrative to offer one final Health & Safety assurance; Decon crew members lucky enough to locate Doctor Simmone will receive the antidote by means of inserting their hands into a large machine that sprays them clean. You guessed it – this custom device actually sprays a generous amount of sanitizer on each guests’ hands and arms as the climactic finale to its compelling storyworld.

While the SS American Victory is chock full of zombies, it also has its fair share of surviving members of the Ripper Squad who not only help guide guests through the haunt, but serve as “hand checks” along the way. This offers several opportunities throughout the experience to seamlessly blend health and safety in a way that doesn’t just feel like another scare tactic, but an actual part of the story.

Even the most high-budget theme park haunts have reason to be jealous of UNDead in the Water’s unique location. Being aboard a still-functional ship affords many opportunities other haunts can only dream of as guests navigate what feels like a literal maze in search of the cure. Going up and down ladders and steep flights of stairs adds another level of immersion to the experience that is rarely seen in similar events.

UNDead in the Water’s focus on safety as just another piece of their story has created one of the most ambitious haunts we’ve seen this Halloween season. While many locations have opted toward physically distant scares, those on board the ship have opted for masks and barriers that feel so realistic to the situation that you may just end up forgetting about them. Though many of the infected you’ll encounter get up close and personal, many others are contained in makeshift cells or behind doors, windows and fences. As an active battle zone between the Ripper Squad and the zombie horde, there are also plenty of loud noises to startle guests – one of which is so loud it has to take place several rooms away.

The American Victory Ship and Museum has created one of the most immersive and believable attractions we’ve experienced yet this season. While many haunts have been forced to adapt to the reality of life during a pandemic, UNDead in the Water goes the extra mile by not just ignoring the virus, but instead absorbing it into their storyline in a way that makes it possible to set sail in their story and forget about any real pandemic that might be happening beyond the walls of this ship.

You can find an extended photo gallery from our night at UNDead in the Water 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:  American Victory Ship and Museum

Location: Tampa, FL

Dates: Select Dates October 2nd – October 31st

Hours: 7:30pm – 10:30pm

Cost: Prices range by date from $15 – $20 per person ($13 – $18 for active military, first responders or veterans with ID)

We thank American Victory Ship & Museum for inviting us to experience this event. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.