Event Howl-O-Scream 2018

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CastleOSullivan

CastleOSullivan

Sep 29, 2009
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In a new video, Howl-O-Scream in Tampa just tweeted the same skull icon that Williamsburg is using for their logo. The video was very dim, and the caption said: "Something sinister is coming." At the end of the video, the screen flashed and showed two skulls. It's very hard to catch, but it's pictured below.

All three Howl-O-Screams have shared the same theme before, but this is the first time that Williamsburg will be receiving a house from Tampa. Given Tampa's very bleak current situation in Entertainment, I would not be surprised to see Tampa share an extra house with Williamsburg. Tampa currently has no creative staff to speak of for HOS; just project managers that are going off of old material. Their last in-house creative position was eliminated at the end of 2017. Sharing houses, then, would make a lot of sense for Tampa this season.

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It appears there's a logo change for this year as well, incorporating the skull symbol seen in the video.
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Today Busch Gardens Tampa announced their full Howl-O-Scream lineup. Howl-O-Scream Site

The new house that was just announced today is called Simon’s Slaughterhouse. This house and the scare zone nearby both have disclaimers that say they are suggested for ages 17 and up. They may surprise us, but right now I am calling publicity stunt. I say this because in the past they have said that their entire event is recommended for ages 17 and up. Butchery houses are also typically on the cheaper side and they definitely need to be frugal right now.

The thing that surprises me most about this house is that it’s replacing Undead Arena: Live which debuted last year. I know the house had bad reviews, but it’s unheard of in the last 10 years or so for Tampa to have a house for only one season. I hope this one is better and doesn't just recycle from The Basement.

The other house that was announced recently is called Insomnia. This one looks very enticing to me since it seems to have a more unusual story than most of their recent houses. The park posted a video of the maze under construction on their Facebook page. From this video, the maze looks huge. It is in a very large space, but it looks like this maze might utilize the space to its full potential. Honestly, I might only be this happy since they finally got rid of Zombie Containment Unit. ?

Here is the video.
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Can anyone send me some pictures of the cursed monster of 2014, me and my friend are trying to settle a debate? As many as possible, videos are good too!
 
I'm planning to head to the park this weekend to see what's up with the event.

Looks like the event is down to six mazes from the seven they had last year. Wonder how that'll affect attendance considering HHN announced 10 mazes. Also disappointed Distorted Dimensions isn't back for a second year. WTF Tampa? At least take out Unearthed since that's the weakest of the current lineup right now.
 
Here is a photo of Simon's Slaughterhouse from BGT. Is pointless pathway splits the new thing chain-wide for Busch Gardens? It looks like they are splitting the pathway here, only to have them enter the same way. I would have thought Tampa would stop doing that after Undead Arena's epic failure last season.

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CastleOSullivan said:
Here is a photo of Simon's Slaughterhouse from BGT. Is pointless pathway splits the new thing chain-wide for Busch Gardens? It looks like they are splitting the pathway here, only to have them enter the same way. I would have thought Tampa would stop doing that after Undead Arena's epic failure last season.

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You enter through different doors, and are separated for a bit into the maze. Inside is a cattle pen like area that you have to walk through separately and they single you out and direct you different ways. Also Insomnia was pretty bad, full HoS review coming. Did anyone else make it out last night? We were able to finish all the mazes and make a round of coasters before 11pm.
 
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SPOILER ALERT

Here's a complete media night video walk through from Orlando-based theme park vlogger Tim Tracker showing the six scare houses and six scare zones.


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This trip was planned at the last minute. Wasn't planning on doing opening weekend but ended up going anyway.

Unearthed (3/5) - Maze is reversed, but the reason the maze even exists is long gone. Bring back Scarlett or scrap the whole thing.

Curse of the Black Spot (3/5) - I love the sets but pirates just aren't scary. Can't wait to see what replaces it next year when Tigris opens.

Slaughterhouse (4/5) - Dunno what the whole 17+ marketing gimmick was all about. The maze was no different from any other slaughterhouse maze I've been in

Dead Water Bayou (4/5) - As much as I love this maze, it hasn't really changed in 3 years. Its beginning to feel like Bitten all over again.

Motel Hell (4/5) - The pool and garden scenes have been scrapped for a parking lot scene. Still one of the better mazes at the event.

Insomnia (5/5) - Probably one of the best haunts in Florida. Long, full of gimmicks, and had some great scares

Losing Demented Dimensions was a mistake. Crowds were insane at the front of the park last night. They should stick some mazes toward the back to help spread out crowds a bit more.

Scare zones were pretty solid. We weren't able to see all of them but I'm planning to do another trip sometime in October to see the rest.

Saw Fiends for the first time in 2 years. I still think Williamsburg's version is better. The group I was with seemed to agree. Something about vA's show just rubs me the right way lol.

- Park is starting to add more elaborate projection mapping in places. It looks fantastic, especially around the entrance.
- Park is focusing more on adding more atmospheric music outside the scare zones. The party zones with the DJs are still around however
- I really hope the park doesn't cut anymore mazes for future events. Losing one doesn't really help the event considering HHN opened its 10th maze this year.
- While there aren't as many conga lines here the people I was with rushed through the mazes so i wasn't able to get the experience I was hoping for.
- Because all the mazes are at the front of the park, crowds are far heavier in front than they would be if the park spread the maze locations out a little more

Overall another solid year for the park. While I don't like that they cut one of the best mazes of last year without replacing it, I'm ok with the solid maze selection they have now. Planning on doing another trip sometime later next month to redo some of my favorites and check out some of the other scare zones I missed out on.
 
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I just found a very interesting video on YouTube where a young man explores several dormant Howl-O-Scream houses in Tampa during December of 2018. He is an urban explorer, so he allegedly trespassed backstage to film this. Firstly, I want to make it clear that I asked for permission before posting the link to this video- and in no way do I condone his behavior. It was very dangerous and foolhardy what he did.

That being said; I would love to talk about how amazing it is to see these houses with the lights on. Death Water Bayou (which the man in the video explores about 30% of) is one of my favorite mazes of all time. I am both saddened, and elated to see it with the lights on. The only reason I am slightly saddened by it is because it’s like seeing all the magic of my favorite maze melt away.

Would anyone else like to see Busch Gardens Tampa officially allow people to take photos of mazes such as these before they are retired? They have done this before to some extent, but could it benefit them to do this more often, or would that ruin the newer mazes too?

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Admins: Since the guy filmed this in 2018, I’m not sure if this is the right thread, or if a new one should be created.
 
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