Event Busch Gardens Tampa Howl-O-Scream 2024
- Thread starter MikePat
- Start date
That's a sick theme. Hopefully it's up to the quality of the other recent BGT houses! Do we have any idea where it's going/what it's replacing?
I can't decide if I am:
- Excited for the best possible house theme;
- Hopeful that it makes full use of the characters and story the way HHN's Asylum in Wonderland did; or
- Enraged that Williamsburg doesn't do stuff like this.
Maybe all three
- Excited for the best possible house theme;
- Hopeful that it makes full use of the characters and story the way HHN's Asylum in Wonderland did; or
- Enraged that Williamsburg doesn't do stuff like this.
Maybe all three
Last edited by a moderator:
All info on this years HOS Tampa has been released Howl-O-Scream | Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
They've really fallen into this one new house a year rut, haven't they? Glad Witch is getting a refresh at least, but this house lineup feels a little sad for the 25th anniversary of what used to be the flagship Howl-O-Scream. Hopefully quality remains high, but this event is still moving a little too slowly for my taste.
I will say this though, the scarezone lineup looks really solid—lots of significant updates there at least.
I will say this though, the scarezone lineup looks really solid—lots of significant updates there at least.
Last edited:
As much as I think Stranglewood Estate is one of the best houses BGT Howl O Scream has ever done, this event is not the same as it used to be ten years ago. 2014, for example, we had eight houses (one of which was an experimental interactive personal haunt experience and another experimental haunt interactive "target game" experience) and seven scare zones. While HHN felt like the busier and more crowd-pleasing haunt, Howl O Scream Tampa used to be more experimental and as large as HHN. I even know some people who prefer going to Howl O Scream Tampa over the more significant event down the road because of how unique and different it is. It used to be the flagship Howl-O-Scream event, and honestly, it was a top contender for one of the highest-quality theme park haunts in America. Now that smaller events and another Howl-O-Scream are taking up some talent and resources in Florida, budget cuts, and other behind-the-scenes issues sometimes, I feel like while Tampa is still producing the best quality houses in the "United" chain, it's not the same beast as it was years ago.
I agree; the zone lineup is solid, and I'm interested to see how Shandows of Wonderland differs from, say, Alsyum in Wonderland (which I think is noteworthy that two Florida haunts decided for their 25th anniversary to include at least one house-themed to Alice in Wonderland).
I'm convinced that $PRKS has the single worst marketing division in the industry. They completely wasted weeks of quality marketing material in one, super sudden, anti-climactic go. It really is sad given the incredible marketing this event in particular used to see on a yearly basis. Just makes it feel like marketing, and in turn, the park, couldn't care less about the event.
And if BGT is anything like BGW, the passionate, dedicated people who actually make HOS happen each year despise the ineptitude and disinterest of their park's marketing far more than literally anyone else since a large part of the success or failure of their event relies on marketing doing their job well.
When they redid the entertainment structure they lost their "small" team and basically got "1" person to be in charge of builds now It used to be different directors had different houses/shows ... while other people do different tasks. it's partly why you get "1" new house and 4 revamped houses... and they don't fight to make any new venues as it's not in their budget to go back to 6 or 7 houses... and why they basically lock up the houses and don't touch em till june-ish (unless it's the one getting replaced) Same reason Santa's house has turned into a standing set as well...
Marketing wise, I think it's because their is a disconnect between everyone, They have a "small" social team on their own, but that's it... everything else I believe it out of Orlando, and they don't do crazy stuff like they used to with the former heads of the event anymore...
BGW Platinum Memberships are working for today's Platinum HOS preview—a full reversal from last year. 
Time for some guest services action...
Time for some guest services action...For the record, they instantly refunded the tickets with no hesitation. Great customer service experience! Would have been a huge battle in Williamsburg.
Staffing levels at the event tonight seem great. Tons of actors throughout all the scarezones I've seen so far.
Scenic in Wonderland is really impressive. Haven't seen any of the houses really hitting scare-wise yet, but it's the first night and we are getting good storytelling. Seems like a really strong year so far!
Staffing levels at the event tonight seem great. Tons of actors throughout all the scarezones I've seen so far.
Scenic in Wonderland is really impressive. Haven't seen any of the houses really hitting scare-wise yet, but it's the first night and we are getting good storytelling. Seems like a really strong year so far!
It was an odd year in Florida. I don’t think I was really scared in any house at either Halloween Horror Nights or BGT’s HOS. That is not to say that I didn’t enjoy them: there were some very sophisticated scares and a few houses did create a lot of tension. But there was no dread or fear. I was also saddened by the lack of a fun house at either event.
Regardless, Tampa’s Howl-O-Scream was as well done as you would expect.
The new house, Shadows of Wonderland, is fantastic. You start by going down the rabbit hole and you follow much of the same path as Alice did, but all of the characters you meet have become sinister and dark. The actors were doing a great job of telling the story. Moreover, the house was well-staffed and the costumes were detailed. The sets were intricate and gorgeous, and included a very effective mirror hallway. Delightfully, it didn’t have much SIF (shit in face) either. I was very worried that BGT wouldn’t do justice to my favorite house theme, but thankfully, I was wrong.
Last year’s new maze, D.H. Baggum's Circus of Fear, remained really strong, as well. The large cast was fully in character and engaged with the audience. Structurally, the house is very sophisticated, including conservatory scares and super-clever variations on mirror boo-holes. Given how much we liked it previously, I was glad to see it still so effective.
I was disappointed that the new house replaced The Residence, rather than one of the weaker houses. I would have happily seen Witch of the Woods, The Forgotten, or Stranglewood removed.
The scare zones were once again clever, immersive, and beautifully executed. In fact, they seemed better staffed than some of the houses. A few particularly stood out for me. Terror Through Time is effectively an outdoor maze and there was an amazing clown who chatted me up, because of my Kill Die shirt. Sawgrass Slaughter: Legend of the Skunk Ape had amazing vibes, but we wondered where the Skunk Ape was. Ragnar’s Wrath proves that you can have a good Viking-themed scare zone (BGW: just cut-and-paste these sets, costumes, and script). Sin City Zombies was brilliant and hilarious, especially the zombie Elvis impersonator.
One last thought: PRKS is leaving money on the table by failing to produce unique, event-specific merchandise. I would have bought something themed to their new Alice house. I might even have purchased an event shirt, if it hadn’t been the same (bewildering) design as SWO’s and presumably BGW’s. I don’t need two shirts with the same random conspiracy theorist design. What l will never buy from any of the parks is generic Halloween merch, which seems to be at least 75% of their stock at this point. Meanwhile, Universal has house-specific items, a whole line dedicated to a Lil Boo, overall event merch, special pass holder stuff, and even a Dead Coconut Club shirt. Guess where I spent all of my money?
Anyway, BGT’s HOS was once again a great event. Not perfect, but totally worth visiting.
Regardless, Tampa’s Howl-O-Scream was as well done as you would expect.
The new house, Shadows of Wonderland, is fantastic. You start by going down the rabbit hole and you follow much of the same path as Alice did, but all of the characters you meet have become sinister and dark. The actors were doing a great job of telling the story. Moreover, the house was well-staffed and the costumes were detailed. The sets were intricate and gorgeous, and included a very effective mirror hallway. Delightfully, it didn’t have much SIF (shit in face) either. I was very worried that BGT wouldn’t do justice to my favorite house theme, but thankfully, I was wrong.
Last year’s new maze, D.H. Baggum's Circus of Fear, remained really strong, as well. The large cast was fully in character and engaged with the audience. Structurally, the house is very sophisticated, including conservatory scares and super-clever variations on mirror boo-holes. Given how much we liked it previously, I was glad to see it still so effective.
I was disappointed that the new house replaced The Residence, rather than one of the weaker houses. I would have happily seen Witch of the Woods, The Forgotten, or Stranglewood removed.
The scare zones were once again clever, immersive, and beautifully executed. In fact, they seemed better staffed than some of the houses. A few particularly stood out for me. Terror Through Time is effectively an outdoor maze and there was an amazing clown who chatted me up, because of my Kill Die shirt. Sawgrass Slaughter: Legend of the Skunk Ape had amazing vibes, but we wondered where the Skunk Ape was. Ragnar’s Wrath proves that you can have a good Viking-themed scare zone (BGW: just cut-and-paste these sets, costumes, and script). Sin City Zombies was brilliant and hilarious, especially the zombie Elvis impersonator.
One last thought: PRKS is leaving money on the table by failing to produce unique, event-specific merchandise. I would have bought something themed to their new Alice house. I might even have purchased an event shirt, if it hadn’t been the same (bewildering) design as SWO’s and presumably BGW’s. I don’t need two shirts with the same random conspiracy theorist design. What l will never buy from any of the parks is generic Halloween merch, which seems to be at least 75% of their stock at this point. Meanwhile, Universal has house-specific items, a whole line dedicated to a Lil Boo, overall event merch, special pass holder stuff, and even a Dead Coconut Club shirt. Guess where I spent all of my money?
Anyway, BGT’s HOS was once again a great event. Not perfect, but totally worth visiting.
I hope you are right about it being worth it. They have a big hill to climb to make up for the sticker shock from when I bought my ticket for this coming Friday.
I logged into the pass holder portal on BGT's web site with my Sesame Place Platnium pass. It said tickets started at $30. I clicked on the link, and the lowest price was $45.99. At the checkout, an $11 proceeding fee and ~$5 in tax were added on. We are in the ballpark of HHN pricing, and HOS isthree two hours shorter.
Edit: It helps to read the right date when checking event hours.
I logged into the pass holder portal on BGT's web site with my Sesame Place Platnium pass. It said tickets started at $30. I clicked on the link, and the lowest price was $45.99. At the checkout, an $11 proceeding fee and ~$5 in tax were added on. We are in the ballpark of HHN pricing, and HOS is
Edit: It helps to read the right date when checking event hours.
Last edited:
I like how the Terror through Time zone is using the Iceploration frog mask lol
Not good... (if true)
Last edited:
This is not true apparently
I don’t know what’s with this guy and hating on this event
I don’t know what’s with this guy and hating on this event