Imagine, if you may, some boardroom full of suits, you know those people, the corporate bean counters, and one person with a crazy look in their eyes approaches the board and proposes a plan to compete with Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) in their own city, practically down the street, asks for a near unlimited budget, and with the premise to take all the very best lessons learned form Howl-O-Scream (HoS) Tampa and turn horror production houses and experiences up to 11.

Imagine further that this person’s insane vision was granted and no expense spared.

Boo and I approached the park greeted by the heat and wind of fire columns at the entrance, floor-scraping misdirection spooks at our feet and darting from in front and behind and engulfing us and our fellow travelers, roaming stilted and ripped and shirtless monsters out to intimidate and scare, excellent lighting for visual diversity and tone, fog everywhere adding the volumetric lighting look to every space, and the pulse of electric guitars, synth, and rock music all to raise expectations and set the energy of the evening ahead.

Let me tell you, our experience with Howl-O-Scream Orlando at SeaWorld year 1 in 2021 was exquisite. Our narrative experience and video documentation will break out into the sections further below and I hope, even for those who generally abstain horror scenarios, you enjoy the craftsmanship and performance of the production teams, actors, and service personnelle through our eyes.

There is so much to unpack with this experience, I had to break it down into bite-size pieces. Please know we do this out of the love of the industry, full-stop. Boo and I hope you enjoy!

Future articles on our HoS Tampa (will link here once published):

• Park Layout and Sets
• Guest Service Excellence
• Scare Zones, Amazing!
• Aerialist at the Grotto
• Our Rocky Horror Friend!
• Houses! Omg, the Houses!!