Howl-O-Scream At SeaWorldBy Madison Collett

Seaworld’s Howl-O-Scream, open weekends from 7-10pm, entails a thrilling experience subject to mature audiences, turning the once tranquil amusement park into a place of terror. Voted by USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards as the Best Halloween Theme Park Event of 2023, the arena contains five haunted houses and seven scare zones. Each is more chilling than the last, leaving a trail of horror until the exit. The night also includes drinks, coaster rides, and a new live show.

The first experience we tried was Area 64: Alien Outbreak. The way it’s assembled represents

something similar to a crashed spaceship with aliens suspended in every corner. The goal is to evade lethal security and mad scientists when proceeding through the building. The space is compact and forces you to interact with actors as they intimidate you through the haunted house. A few of the scare actors appear to be decorations, but they may just surprise you as you get closer.

The next experience was Death Water Bayou. The name is misleading as we realized later on that

we had stepped into a cemetery. The concept is to evidently escape the swamp witch, who lurks

throughout the house. The experience is also more contained, giving the actors more of a chance to creep up on you. Between this haunted house and the alien-themed one, they both were extremely tame compared to what would come next.

After waiting in a thirty minute line, we were certain Circus of the Damned would be the most

terrifying out of all of the events. This is the only house with a 3D vision option, and we were uncertain of how it would play out. Most of the house relied on the distortion, considering it focused on the art on the walls more than the actors themselves. I took my 3D glasses on and off, as they made the experience more deceptive to scare. The area was noticeably spacious and designed for a non-claustrophobic feel, which was beneficial to me. The point of the haunted house is to get past the ringmaster who aims to restore his “once turned-over circus back to its glory”. Overall, this seemed to be the least-frightening out of the group as well as the most immersive.

In our opinion, the next house we tried ultimately ruled scariest of the five: Nightmare

Experiment. As we stepped in, we were greeted by a receptionist who was able to check us into Sunny Meadows, a mental institution. When we ventured through, we were met with unwell patients who warned us of the doctor. As I learned from Scream Zone in Del Mar around two years ago, hospitals are subjectively one of the worst possible haunted houses to go through. From patients in their beds to a man seizing on the floor, the room captured specifics to an extreme. Just as we reached the exit, yearning to leave, a hand came from the wall when we were most vulnerable and least expecting. This experience qualified as the most surreal and morbid of everything we had seen so far.

Partially sectioned off from the park, Simon’s Slaughterhouse consisted of a considerably long

line as well, which wrapped around a vacant banquet hall. The path through is designed to appear like a butchery of hanging severed bodies, human as well as animal. We eventually reached a point where there were hundreds of bloody feet and hands dangling from the ceiling, making for the most gruesome aspect of the tour. When we finally escaped, the smell of gas enveloped the air as a chainsaw-wielding maniac ran towards us, threatening to add our body parts to the collection. “Simon’s Slaughterhouse” had a real feeling of authenticity and we left feeling almost physically ill as a result.

Aside from the “angry haunts”, there were also scare zones positioned throughout the park

consisting of themed activities. They included numerous scare actors who were positioned in the streets: deceased scuba divers, cursed dolls, and citizens of Ripper Row. Scare actors in the Jack the Ripper section would run up to you and slide on their knees, creating sparks with claws on their hands. The park also offered select rides in the dark, featuring Arctic Rescue, Electric Eel, or Emperor. We decided to ride Tentacle Twirl, chinese swings that had a jewels-of-the-sea theme. The experience was scare-free and a refreshing pause from the horror of the houses. The attributes surrounding the haunted houses kept the event feeling connected and flowy while also possessing an interactive atmosphere.

Seaworld discloses Howl-O-Scream to be for mature audiences only due to the amount of

advanced topics in the haunted houses and the overall atmosphere. I saw many little kids while I was there, some enjoying it, and others crying. I would recommend the experience for an older age group, but it ultimately depends on the person’s ability to handle fear. The concept of a kid-friendly amusement park diminishes here and is generally advertised oppositely. For someone who enjoys haunted houses put together with quality and consideration, I would encourage giving this experience a chance.