Florida: Tampa, Howl-O-Scream 2009 Bares Its Fangs. 
This fall, Florida’s top-rated haunted theme park attraction is back for their tenth season of blood-curdling scares with more NEW haunted houses, scare zones and terrifying live shows than ever before! For 17 killer nights, Howl-O-Scream 2009 will transform Busch Gardens Africa into a nightmare of inescapable fear designed to overwhelm the senses with a new spin on horror.
The devious creatures that infest seven haunted houses, four scare zones and two thrilling shows and one devlishly daring nightclub have plenty of psychotic surprises in store, and bone-chilling roller coasters to keep the screams coming all night long.
Howl-O-Scream 2009 is a separate ticketed event, and the general admission price is $69.95. Savings are available on advance ticket purchases for Passport Members and Florida Residents. Discounts are also available through promotional codes provided on Bud Light, Domino’s Pizza and Applebee’s products statewide.
The event runs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night during October: Oct. 1-3, 8-10, 15-17, 22-24 and 29-31. Freaky Preview lets guests sink their teeth into the scares a week early on Sept. 25-26 for discounted rates as low as $29.95 for general admission and $24.95 for Passport members. Operating hours are 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. during Freaky Preview and on Thursday nights. Friday and Saturday hours are 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Catch Your Breath – So You Can Keep Screaming! Howl-O-Scream 2009 will host seven houses of horror, four scare-zones, two twisted live shows, a dance club and the trademark Howl-O-Scream House of Horrors.
Nightshade Toy Factory – By day, the old Nightshade Toy Factory appears abandoned. Bust as night falls, the mysterious manufacturing plant glows and hums as it creates the diabolical dolls, terrible teddy bears and possessed playthings of your childhood nightmares. These twisted toys are alive…and they are coming after the adults who have forgotten them.
Delta Epsilon Delta: Pledge Week – For decades, the most mysterious sorority on campus has invited only select girls from the top families to join. But this year, it’s open rush, and the sisters are welcoming new members with open arms. Can you escape before you fall victim to the sinister secrets of this twisted sisterhood? No one does it like a
Trapped in the Walls – The gruesome fate of an innocent family made headlines when it happened. Years later, evil still lingers in the rooms where the tragedies occurred. It has seeped into the walls, trapping dark demons and polluting a house that can’t let go of its horrible history.
13 – Each October, the underground members of The Messengers come out of hiding to seek out 13 unlucky victims, who are tracked down and tortured before the gang feats on their flesh. This year, they have already claimed 12 lives… will 13 be your unlucky number?
Taste of Blood
– Once revered as otherworldly royalty, vampires have now been forced underground into the subways and sewers to avoid the light. By day, they feed on rats to survive. But as night falls, members of the horde set out into the urban jungle to seduce fresh blood.
Death Row Vengeance – The inmates at Grey Echo Penitentiary are slated for execution, and they blame you. With their last breath, they curse those who do nothing to save them from the electric chair or lethal injection and vow to haunt those who watched them suffer. Will you make it out alive when they come back to make good on their dying promise?
Reconstruction: The Doctor is In – Dr. Edger VonAngst has the skill and technology to make you over…but what will you become. This mad reconstructive surgeon has set up shop, putting human parts back together with mechanical pieces and combining flesh, bone and steel in the most hideous ways. Nip/Tuck has never been like this!
Scare Zones: At Howl-O-Scream 2009, even the sidewalks aren’t safe from the terrors of the night. Five scare zones will keep guests watching their backs as they explore 335 acres of fright:
Unearthed – Ancient evil rages when archeologists unearth the tomb of a feared Egyptian ruler, releasing his spirit into the world of the living. Ahmenhotep and his underworld minions will carry out a dreaded curse, seeking revenge on those who dared to defile his final resting place.
Banshees – According to legend, a banshee will wail around a house if someone there is about to die. When several banshees appear at once, it is said to foretell the death of someone great or notable. Here, Banshees glide through the darkness, preying on the living and looking to make their screeching songs come true.
El Carnaval del Muerto – In the small town of Decada de Sustos, the locals come together once a year to celebrate death. But in the midst of the wild revelry, visitors to this tiny village unwittingly play an important part in this macabre party by becoming the victims of the raucous and bloodthirsty townspeople.
Werewolves – As night falls, a hoard of restless half-man, half-beast monsters patiently wait for innocent guests to stumble into their lair. Those who are not worthy to join the clan will be preyed upon as dinner. These scavengers’ insatiable hunger is match only by their cunning and determination to satisfy their need to feed.
And even outside the scare zones… beware of the
Roaming Hordes!
You never know when your next scare is preparing to pounce. Just when you thought you were safe, Roaming Hordes of clowns, zombies, monsters and more take their terror to the streets and sneak up on unsuspecting victims. Who’s watching your back?
After braving bone-chilling coasters in the dark such as SheiKra, Montu, Gwazi and Kumba, you can catch your breath at two twisted live shows, or dance the night away at the new exclusive Howl-O-Scream nightclub:
Full Moon Cabaret: The Magic of Jason Byrne. As darkness descends on the Desert Grill each night, The Academy of Magical Arts’ “Stage Magician of the Year” Jason Byrne takes to the stage with tantalizing tricks and ominous illusions as he presents his unique brand of award-winning killer magic.
Fiends – Is there a doctor in the house? This captivating crew of creatures of the night will infect you with dance fever and keep your pulse pounding with their deranged dance party. But when Dr. Freakenstein’s mischievous nurses start operating, the diagnosis is always “code pink.”
Club enVy – ($10 cover charge at the door) Looking for a killer party? Take a break from the terror to stop by Howl-O-Scream’s new, exclusive 21+ dance club, featuring unlimited access to exclusive cocktails, drink specials, character meet-and-greets and great music all night long. A special “Happy Hour” option also includes hors d’oeuvres and exclusive early access to haunted houses.
What’s the deal?
Take advantage of the best way to see Howl-O-Scream with
All-Inclusive Fear Tours that include your admission ticket. Fear Tours offer three levels of terrifying special treatment: “
The Viewing” is a three-hour group tour of haunted houses and major thrill rides. The five-hour “
Funeral” group tour adds reserved show seating, and “
The Embalming” includes the Fright Feast dinner buffet, preferred parking and a private “Ghoul Guide” for your party of three or more. All tours include commemorative photos and complimentary beverages, and packages start at $89.95.
For those who want to skip the lines and get right to the screaming, the
Front Line Fear pass offers no-wait access to your choice of seven haunted houses as well as photo, games and merchandise – all for $35.00. The Front Line Fear Extreme pass also includes front-of-line access for your choice of four major coasters for $45.00.
The
Thrills & Chills Weekend Pass lets true Halloween fans face their fears over and over again with a long weekend (Thursday through Sunday) of unlimited access to Busch Gardens’ thrills by day and Howl-O-Scream’s chills by night – all for just $79.95! For out-of-town guests,
Gory Getaway vacation packages are also available, featuring Howl-O-Scream admission and accommodations at one of Busch Gardens’ preferred partner hotels. Prices start at $238.04 per person plus tax, based on double occupancy.
And if there’s one thing worse than being terrified, it’s being terrified on an empty stomach.
Fright Feast is the most deranged dinner show in town, featuring a buffet of monstrous main courses and devilish desserts, plus an exclusive performance of Full Moon Cabaret: The Magic of Jason Byrne. Fright Feast guests are also the first to brave the dark with a half-hour of early access to the haunted houses. Fright Feast is $24.95 per person, with group rates and discounts for Passport members available. Howl-O-Scream is a separate ticketed night event. No costumes are allowed.
Need to know. 
Howl-O-Scream is too intense for young children. Parental discretion is advised. No costumes are allowed. Howl-O-Scream is a separate ticketed night event, and operating hours are subject to change without notice.
FamilyTravelFiles.com Staff Comments: Genuinely creepy vibes radiate from the park as the sun goes down and the ticket holders assemble outside of locked gates. I like to think of myself as hard to rattle. Nerves of steel and a pragmatic outlook can turn almost any fear-themed attraction into nothing more disturbing than cheap parlor tricks.
I’ve seen the standard presentation of the horrific and believe me when I say that most seasonal Halloween attractions leave me nothing more than slightly amused and mostly bored.
One venue rises above the rest in both quality and originality however; Busch Garden’s annual Howl-O-Scream. The Howl-O-Scream experience is complete in a way that many similarly enacted concepts are not; the entire park transforms utterly into a shadowed haven of horrors for the unsuspecting. And yet, the experience can be as terrifying, or as mild as the Halloween connoisseur so desires, something that certain companions of mine were extremely grateful for.
Bottom Line: For horror and Halloween fanatics, Busch Garden Tampa Bay’s Howl-O-Scream is a terrific way to have great Halloween fun.
For more information on how to get scared in Howl-O-Scream style visit
houseofvayne.com,
www.BuschGardens.com or call 1-888-800-5447.
