Howl-O-Scream (Tampa Bay)

Howl-O-Scream

Location Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa, Florida, USA
Website Official website
First Occurrence 1999
Season Halloween
Area 335 acres (136 ha)
Slogan "Zombies Live Here"
Amusement Parks Portal

Howl-O-Scream is an annual Halloween event which takes place at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida.

The event takes place during select nights in October (typically on the weekends). The event places focus on haunted houses, "Scare Zones," and shows that pertain to a specific theme. The haunted houses are enclosed areas with specific storylines and highly themed decor. Typically, they lead guests through a somewhat claustrophobic maze with various features designed to startle, confuse, or disquiet those who enter using a combination of strobe lights, fog machines, and other instruments of this sort. Scare zones are similar to haunted houses; however, they are outdoor areas set in the main paths. Scare Zones also feature a specific theme and contain objects used in haunted houses: typically people dressed up as creatures pertaining to the theme, fog machines, strobe lights, and also decor (boxes, broken street lights, and similar accoutrement) pertaining to the theme. The shows are similar in structure to the standard stage shows shown at Busch Gardens; however, they have a Halloween setting, and feature dark humor and grotesque scenery.

Contents

1999: Spooky Safari

1999: Spooky Safari

Howl-O-Scream was not the first Halloween event at Busch Gardens. One year prior to Howl-O-Scream's debut (in 2000), the park featured a family-friendly Halloween attraction called Spooky Safari. It had such attractions as a pumpkin patch, hayrides, and face-painting for the children.[1]

2000

The year 2000 saw the debut of Howl-O-Scream. The event replaced a smaller event called "Spooky Safari," expanding an event oriented primarily toward younger children into one that offered Halloween-themed attractions, shows, and events for younger children, teens, and adults.[1]

Haunted Houses

Shows

Scare Zones

Event icon

Dr. Livingsdoom - A mad scientist character.

2001: Horror Has a Home (This Time, Terror Takes Control!)

In 2001, Howl-O-Scream added new haunted mazes, "scare zones," and shows; the new features repositioned the event toward an older teen and younger adult demographic, though the park's "Land of the Dragons" children's area still offered fare for younger children.[1]

Haunted Houses

Scare Zones

This year scare zones were not listed on the park map, a 'feature that would make a resurgence in later years with a description of zones simply being listed after houses in the key.

Shows

Event icons

Torment, Mangler, and Pernicia Gloom

Controversies

The original slogan, "This time, terror takes control!" was changed to "Horror Has a Home" early in the publicity campaign mostly due to the September 11 Attacks. The character icon of Pernicia Gloom was originally deemed too sexual for the event, and was given a slight change in costume design for approval.

2002: Face Your Fear

In 2002, Howl-O-Scream replaced most, if not all, of the previous year's activities, but kept the same overall concept and demographic target.[1]

Haunted Houses

Scare Zones

Shows

Event icon

Death Spirit- A walking zombie with African voodoo roots and the power to bring deceased spirits back to life as animals.

2003: Fear Has a New Face

The park further refined their formula for 2003. Many of the Haunted Houses from the previous year returned, with a focus on furthering their themes.[1]

Haunted Houses

Scare Zones

Shows

Event Icon

F.E.A.R., The maniacal controller of terror.

2004: No Escape. No Mercy. Nowhere Else

Howl-O-Scream returned to the theme park again in 2004. Although multiple storms from the 2004 atlantic hurricane season delayed the event, it was still able to run by early October.[1][29]

Haunted Houses

Scare Zones

Shows

Event icon

Hack, an evil taxicab driver who would not let his passengers leave his cab.

Weather Impact

In late summer, Hurricane Jeanne caused a possible EF1 tornado touchdown on the original building for the Corporate Nightmare haunted house, destroying it. The hurricane itself also caused moderate damage to the props in the Garden of the Cursed and Agony Express scare zones. Corporate Nightmare was then moved to Tut's Tomb on the second night of the event, and the props in the two scare zones were rebuilt.

2005: Your Childhood Fears Don't Go Away. They Just Get Worse.

Haunted Houses

Scare Zones

Shows

Event icon

An evil jack-in-the-box in a child's bedroom. Oddly, this character was a feature of Darkheart's Fear Fair the year before. But did not actually appear in Freaked or the rest of the park as a character this year.

Controversies

Ironically, a small fire caught in the front of new house The Hunted (a storied burned out hunting lodge) about half way through the run. It was evacuated and closed while the set was checked and aired out; no injuries were reported and the house reopened within a matter of hours. The fire was traced to a guest's cigarette, put out carelessly on a burned couch in the opening hallway of the house. Security in the lines was increased to avoid further incidents.

2006: NO ONE 2 TRUST (I'm Closer Than You Think)

Haunted Houses

Scare Zones

Shows

Event icon

There was no event icon for this year. Instead, there was a victim lying on the ground, dead, covered in blood and holding a cell phone with a grisly text message on it.

2007: A new spin on horror

Haunted Houses

Scare Zones

Mini zones

These much smaller free-roaming zones were not listed on park maps or the official website and primarily involved performers intermingling with guests. They would later inspire the "Roaming Hordes" parkwide scare zone in 2008 and 2009.

Shows

Event icon

The Death Jockey, an evil DJ who killed his victims with burning lights and earsplitting music; his exploits were chronicled in comic book form on [1], the website for 2007's event.

2008: Raven Twins: Bad Twin. Worse Twin. (Not All Nightmares Happen When You Sleep)

Howl-O-Scream 2008 was notable for being the first event since 2001 to have multiple event icons. This action would later follow suit in 2009.

History

Preparation for the 2008 year event began in late 2007. In December 2007, the website page for the 2007 event was replaced by a small page showing the Howl-O-Scream logo in front of red symbols and reading "If you think the Death Jockey had his audience captivated, Wait until next year!". This page remained on the website until June 13, 2008, when a new page was released wishing readers a "Happy Friday the 13th" and detailing in a short summary how the event would become scarier and grislier then previously. It also included a calendar displaying the year's dates for the event. In mid-July 2008, the site was updated again, this time having the events synopsis shortened slightly, and including an option to buy tickets and a link for scare actor auditions, along with usual Privacy Policy and Terms of Use links which appear at the bottom of most Busch Entertainment websites. In August 2008, the website was given a link showing Howl-O-Scream ticket options. The site was completely updated on August 30, including complete listings of the event's attractions, though it is intended for ages over 18.

Haunted Houses

Shows

Scare Zones

Event icon

The Raven Twins, two female twins who were born conjoined connected by the face, but separated themselves with a piece of broken glass when they were called "freaks" by the man they both loved. They then became twisted serial killers who murder anyone unlucky enough to see their disfigured faces and refuse to see their inner beauty.

2009: The House of Vayne (Evil Never Goes Out Of Fashion)

This Fall, Howl-O-Scream celebrates its 10th anniversary and features the fictional House of Vayne, a fashion show run by vampires, as the main theme.

History

The website went live on May 25 with a video of a starlet walking onto a stage followed by darkness and screams. Dates and tickets are now available. It was updated in early June, 2009 with a video detailing the costumes of the mysterious House of Vayne's fashion designer. It has been said that this year, Howl-O-Scream will have 7 haunted houses, two of them brand new. On August 20 the entire website was updated and everything was revealed.

Haunted Houses

Scare Zones

Shows and Entertainment

Rides

Event Icon

Ms. Vayne, the evil vampire fashion designer who operates the House of Vayne, where her vampire models attack and kill photographers.[30]

Minor Icons: Anya,[31] Erik,[32] and Elsa,[33] Vayne's models

2010:My X (Revenge Rocks)

History

A teaser website went live on June 4. The website has a rock concert theme.On July 28, The "HOS" insider twitter account released pictures of a torture chamber themed back stage teaser shots, one of the captions were "Revenge is "ELECTRIFRYING"". On July 29, The website had another big update. On August 19 the entire website was up with all the info for the event.

Two of the haunted houses for this year, MyX: Revenge Rocks and Alone, are brand new, while the remaining six houses are sequels to the prior years renditions.

Houses

Scare Zones

Shows

Entertainment

Event Icon

Sylvie the lead singer of MyX.

Theme

MyX is a rock band headed by Sylvie, who discovered her boyfriend with another woman. She now lures young men at her concert backstage, seduces them, and then uses her guitar strings to amputate their index finger, which she collects in a small vial; dozens of fingers hang from her room.

2011: The Dark Side of the Gardens (Zombies Live Here)

Haunted Houses

Zombie Mortuary (Timbuktu Warehouse) - One of the three new houses this year, Zombie Mortuary is set in a funeral home, and the dead are arising. Walk into the maze of scenes that immerse visitors into a too-real funeral home scene, and then taken into the back rooms, showing many other scenes, including a crematory scene.

Nevermore (Orchid Canyon Building) - Another new house in 2011, it's a twisting house bringing you into the works of the deranged author, Edgar Allan Poe. This house provides the opportunity to wind your way through some of his most famous works, such as The Tell Tale Heart, The Black Cat, and The Pit and the Pendulum.

Vampire Casino (Gwazi Event Yard) - The final new house for 2011. Enter Rivivara, a casino for the undead. Upon first sight, a brightly lit casino, with flickering lights an festive music welcome you, but as you continue through the winding maze, it steadily gets darker, and you find yourself intruding in on an Elvis-style wedding, and eventually finding yourself at the all-they-can-eat buffet.

Alone (Bird Gardens Pavilion) - Alexander Daedalus uses Minotaur Storage to house his vast collection of items. But now, Daedalus obsession has led to stockpiling people. This haunted house is at an added cost and gives the buyer the option to experience it by themselves or with no more than three other group members. At any time they can chicken out by saying the safe-word. Many chose to do so. No refunds for cowards.

Nightshade Toy Factory (Morroco/Nairobi Building) - Abandoned toys come back to life in this twisted factory. Their mission is to terrorize the adults that have long abandoned them.

Death Row Vengeance: Fear The Dead (Nairobi Pavilion) - The inmates at Grey Echo Penitentiary vowed before their executions that they would one day return to take revenge on those who would not bother to save them. Now, the evil inmates have returned to make good on their dying promise.

Deconstruction: The Doctor is Out of Control (Former Akbar's Adventure Tours) - This house has changed very little from the 2010 house, inside you'll find Dr. Edgar Von Agnst. He's fallen deeper into insanity and is putting together even more horrible creations. You'll start with just a few changes, but who knows what you'll eventually become.

Shows

Fiends (Stanleyville Theatre)

The Midnight Hour (Desert Grill)

Other Attractions

No Scare Zones- The lack of scare-zones made the locations of scareactors uncertain, and the majority of guests found it to be quite a success. Roaming Zombie hordes, twenty total, walked all over the park as they pleased, making everywhere in the park a scare zone. The idea was that guests wouldn't safe anywhere.

Zombie hordes: Cheerleader, Clowns, Homeless, Junkyard Dogs, Construction, Doctors and Nurses, Radioactive, Sliderz, Hillbilly, Street Creeps, Family, Mummy, Motorcycle/chainsaw gang, and more.

There was also a "Containment Horde" that contained one of each horde that was captured and in a chain gang.

Club Virus- A nightclub in the park, and one of the only places where there weren't zombie hordes scaring. The club switched to an 18+ club for the 2011 season.

Howl-O-Scream Shop of Horrors- The shop to buy everything you could imagine from Howl-O-Scream. The entire shop was decorated in the Dark Side of the Gardens theme, and there was a corner of the shop called 'Sylvies Closet' featuring leftover items from last year.

Haunted House Locations

The following list contains the facilities used by Busch Gardens Tampa Bay to house haunted houses for Howl-O-Scream. They range from Warehouses, existing queue lines, or temporary buildings.

Name Description Houses Hosted
Employee Parking Lot A large parking lot for BGA team members is located in a backstage area behind the Marrakesh Theater and part of the Bird Gardens land. During the Fall, team members were required to park elsewhere as the space was used for Howl-O-Scream. The space, however, has not been used for Howl-O-Scream since 2005. Labyrinth of Lost Souls (2000), The Mortuary (2002), The Mortuary (2003), The Mortuary (2004), The Mortuary: The Mourning After (2005)
Bird Gardens Pavilion The open area in the Bird Gardens land houses an animal exhibit featuring flamingos. In the past, large tents were constructed just for Howl-O-Scream, allowing compatible space for haunted mazes. Screaming Reality (2001), Bloody Bayou (2002), Darkheart's Fear Fair (2003), Darkheart's Fear Fair (2004), Freaked! (2005), Freaked! (2006), Alone (2010), Alone (2011)
Nairobi Pavilion A long, rectangle shaped pavilion is located next to Jambo Junction in the Nairobi area. For Howl-O-Scream, the Pavilion is converted into a haunted house. In 2004, the pavilion was damaged by a tornado, and had to be rebuilt while its would-be haunted house, Corporate Nightmare, was moved to Tut's Tomb. Nightstalker in 3-D (2000), Ripper Row (2002), Ripper Row (2003), The Hunted (2005), The Hunted (2006), The Hunted (2007), Death Row Vengeance (2008), Death Row Vengeance (2009), Death Row Vengeance: No Escape (2010), Death Row Vengeance: Fear the Dead (2011)
Ubanga Banga Bumper Cars The Ubanga Banga Bumper Cars attraction is located in the Congo area of the theme park. During the event. the vehicles used in the attraction are temporarily removed for haunted mazes. The space, however, has not been used for Howl-O-Scream since 2010. Tortured (2002), Tortured (2003), Till' Death Do Us Part (2004), Deathly Departed (2005), Deathly Departed (2006), Taste of Blood (2007), Taste of Blood (2008), Taste of Blood (2009), Taste of Blood: A Different Vein (2010)
Timbuktu Warehouse A storage space building located between the Timbuktu 4-D Theater and Sand Serpent attractions. It became a spot for haunted mazes starting in 2006. Trapped in the Walls (2006), Trapped in the Walls (2007), Trapped in the Walls (2008), Trapped in the Walls (2009), Trapped in the Walls: GhostChasers (2010), Zombie Mortuary (2011)
Akbar's Adventure Tours Akbar's Adventure Tours was a simulator ride at the Egypt area of the park. In 2002, the attraction was shut down and only operated seasonally due to its manufacturer going out of business, allowing for Howl-O-Scream mazes to take place throughout its unused queue areas. In 2007, the attraction was dismantled when it became impossible to continue running it; however, haunted mazes still continue to call the building home during the event. Demented Dimensions (2002), Demented Dimensions (2003), Chaos! (2004), The 3rd Dementia (2005), The 3rd Dementia (2006), Radiation Alert 3-D (2007), Reconstruction: The Doctor is In (2008), Reconstruction: The Doctor is In (2009), Deconstruction: The Doctor is Out of Control (2010), Deconstruction: The Doctor is Out of Control (2011)
Tut's Tomb An attraction located in the Egypt area of the park. Its first haunted house, in 2001, was portrayed to be an evil version of the Tut's Tomb attraction itself. In 2004, "Corporate Nightmare" was relocated to Tut's Tomb after a tornado damaged its former location at the Nairobi Pavilion. The space, however, has not been used for Howl-O-Scream since 2004. Curse of King Tut's Tomb (2001), Corporate Nightmare (2004)
Myombe Reserve An animal exhibit located in the Crown Colony area with an emphasis on protecting Gorilla habitats. An outdoor haunted house was constructed on the attraction's pathways in 2000. For the following year, 2001, the outdoor maze was replaced by a smaller scare zone which did not cover as much of the attraction. Haunted Jungle Trail (2000)
Serengeti Safari Tours An added cost sightseeing tour located on the Edge of Africa. In 2000, it was "horrified" as part of the first official Howl-O-Scream event. Evening Serengeti Safari Tours (2000)
Curiosity Caverns This cave-themed animal attraction is located in the Nairobi area of the park. It was horrified at Howl-O-Scream 2000, and once again served as a haunted house location in 2001. Dark Caverns (2000), Creeper's Crypt (2001)
Orchid Canyon Building The Orchid canyon Building was used for the park's former Tile exhibit museum. Starting in 2009, it was used to house haunted mazes for Howl-O-Scream. Delta Epsilon Delta: Pledge Week (2009), Delta Epsilon Delta: Extreme Rush (2010), Nevermore (2011)
Crown Colony Skyride Station The CC Skyride station serves as the main entrance to the SkyRide from the southern area of the theme park. Haunted Houses which take place in the station have an entrance at the former Veldt Monorail entrance of the station. The queue then weaves around to an employees only area underneath the station where the maze begins. The space, however, has not been used for Howl-O-Scream since 2009. Escape From Insanity (2001), Escape From Insanity (2002), Escape From Insanity: Resident's Revenge (2003), Escape From Insanity: Lockdown (2004), After Hours: Dead of Night (2005), After Hours: Club Muse (2006), After Hours: Club Muse (2007), After Hours: Last Call (2008), Nightshade Toy Factory (2009)
Gwazi Event Yard A large open yard located next to Gwazi is used specially for the park's annual events, such as Viva la Musica and Summer Nights. During Howl-O-Scream, haunted houses are built on the yard Catch Your Breath (2007), Eat Your Heart Out (2008), 13 (2009), MyX: Revenge Rocks (2010), Ultimate Gamble: Vampire Casino (2011)
Morroco/Nairobi Building A new indoor location was built behind Zagora restaurant, next to the Gwazi roller coaster, to serve as a site for Haunted mazes. Nightshade Toy Factory: Son of Nightshade (2010), Nightshade Toy Factory (2011)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f http://www.hauntedattraction.com/40/currentissue_coverstory.shtml
  2. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20021207020521/http://www.howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/escape_from_insanity.html
  3. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20021017110010/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/bloody_bayou.html
  4. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619120303/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/tortured.html
  5. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030205234404/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/ripper_row.html
  6. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619115624/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/mortuary.html
  7. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030206012920/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/demented_dimensions.html
  8. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619115624/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/grisly_gardens.html
  9. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619113623/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/cursed.html
  10. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619113423/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/agony_express.html
  11. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619120130/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/x-ecutioners.html
  12. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619121702/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/rip_tv2.html
  13. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030206014643/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/fiends.html
  14. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806101421/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/escape.html
  15. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806100442/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/darkheart.html
  16. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806103934/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/mortuary.html
  17. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806105115/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/ripper.html
  18. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806100526/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/demented.html
  19. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806093351/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/tortured.html
  20. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806103138/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/grisly.html
  21. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806095911/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/cursed.html
  22. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806095545/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/agony.html
  23. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806095325/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/whiplash.html
  24. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806105739/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/speed.html
  25. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806102731/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/fiends.html
  26. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806101754/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/eternal.html
  27. ^ http://halloweenmagicshows.com/jbphalloweenshows_007.htm
  28. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guVGPiBYU-4
  29. ^ Gershman, Rick (October 14, 2004). "Scare tactics". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/14/Weekend/Scare_tactics.shtml. Retrieved 2009-08-22. 
  30. ^ http://www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/main.html#/vayne/
  31. ^ http://www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/main.html#/anya/
  32. ^ http://www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/main.html#/erik/
  33. ^ http://www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/main.html#/elsa/

^ a b c d e f http://www.hauntedattraction.com/40/currentissue_coverstory.shtml

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20021207020521/http://www.howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/escape_from_insanity.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20021017110010/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/bloody_bayou.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619120303/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/tortured.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030205234404/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/ripper_row.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619115624/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/mortuary.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030206012920/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/demented_dimensions.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619115624/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/grisly_gardens.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619113623/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/cursed.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619113423/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/agony_express.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619120130/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/x-ecutioners.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030619121702/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/rip_tv2.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030206014643/howl-o-scream.com/Tampa/fiends.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806101421/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/escape.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806100442/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/darkheart.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806103934/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/mortuary.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806105115/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/ripper.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806100526/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/demented.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806093351/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/tortured.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806103138/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/grisly.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806095911/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/cursed.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806095545/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/agony.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806095325/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/whiplash.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806105739/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/speed.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806102731/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/fiends.html

^ http://web.archive.org/web/20040806101754/www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/eternal.html

^ http://halloweenmagicshows.com/jbphalloweenshows_007.htm

^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guVGPiBYU-4

^ Gershman, Rick (October 14, 2004). "Scare tactics". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/14/Weekend/Scare_tactics.shtml. Retrieved 2009-08-22.

^ http://www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/main.html#/vayne/

^ http://www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/main.html#/anya/

^ http://www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/main.html#/erik/

^ http://www.howl-o-scream.com/tampa/main.html#/elsa/

^ http://www.insidethemagic.net/2010/10/review-howl-o-scream-2010-mixes-halloween-haunts-with-humor-and-a-party-atmosphere-at-busch-gardens-tampa-bay/

External links