Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream 2015: Three New Haunts

This article was originally published at Examiner.com.

Howl-O-Scream 2015 opened on September 25 and runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through November 1. That’s right, you get an extra day after Halloween to encounter witches, demons and twisted, tangled fields of corn.

The park has kicked it up a notch and added not one, not two, but three all new haunted houses for the 2015 Halloween season. Two of the new houses replace previous houses/mazes, and one is completely new.

Now, on to a review of Busch Gardens’ three new haunted houses and mazes.

Unearthed – Scarlett’s Revenge

 

First, the story behind the house (I love a good story – Don’t you?). In Unearthed – Scarlett’s Revenge, Busch Gardens teamed up with Robin Cowie of “The Blair Witch Project” fame. Cowie has conjured up the sinister tale of a mysterious woman named Scarlett. Her suspicious neighbors, who fear witchcraft, kill Scarlett’s husband. They then bury the house deep in the ground. Eventually, the house is “unearthed” by park excavation crews working in the Ireland village.

I don’t like to give away too many details because I feel that it detracts from the experience of being there in person, so I will be brief about the specifics.

Located in the Ireland village, at the site of Europe in the Air, Unearthed – Scarlett’s Revenge takes the place of the former 13 – Your Number’s Up. While my crew was disappointed to see 13 go away, we were excited to see an all new concept and scare tactics. We were not disappointed.

The theming, décor and overall atmosphere of Unearthed is spot on. Guests enter the just excavated Unearthed house where will walk through the decrepit rooms and past dark decorations. Along the way, expect screams, scares and maybe even the scorned witch herself. There is also a really cool vortex scene on a projection screen.

I love a haunted maze that is actually set up like a house, so I was pleased with the whole concept of Unearthed. The only drawback I saw during my visit was a lack of scare actors jumping out guests. Now, there is always the chance of going through during an “off-time” when the actors haven’t set up for the next group, so I am really interested to go back and try it again. Otherwise, great job  Busch Gardens and Robin Cowie.

LumberHack

 

LumberHack is an all-new outdoor maze. It is set up in the woods behind the Oktoberfest village. There is a fairly long behind-the-scenes walk to get to it, so I got kind of confused as to where we actually were. Maybe that was the idea?

As the story goes, more than 50 years ago, a logging camp was abandoned after a terrifying accident took place on its site. As you can imagine, chainsaws, axes and other sharp objects played a part in the scene, ripping into human flesh instead of trees. Loggers perished … only to awaken from the dead filled with an inhuman rage.

The undead loggers rampaged until everything in sight had been destroyed. The lumberjacks now lie waiting for unsuspecting campers and hikers to stumble upon their destructive forces.

I enjoyed the setup of LumberHack. The trail was very open and gave one the feel of actually hiking through the woods. On the other hand, the wide open-ness of the trail didn’t leave a lot of places for the actors to hide. I think the thrill of LumberHack is the fear of the unknown and being out in the woods with its various sounds. And of course chainsaws. Always with the chainsaws.

The various rooms, or scenes, of LumberHack were quite well decorated with campsites, tents, picnic tables and sharp pointy tools and blades.

Cornered

As you might have guessed from the name, Cornered is a corn maze. It takes the place of the outdoor Root of all Evil maze in the Germany village. I was a big fan of Root of all Evil but feel that the time had come for a change. Besides, what is Halloween without a cornfield?

At Cornered, guests become part of a search party in a quaint 1970s farming community. Recent disappearances have residents terrified. With each disappearance, a corn husk doll is left behind.

The townspeople have come to suspect local corn farmer Jasper McCobb, whose farm has fallen into a miserable state of disrepair since his mother’s death. Are the missing bodies somewhere among the rows of corn husks, empty front porches and abandoned farmhouse scenes? Watch out or you may become a cornhusk doll yourself.

Cornered has some really solid concepts and scares. I enjoyed seeing the setups of the different “rooms” of each setting in the maze. Again, great job to Busch Gardens entertainment and setup crews.

In addition to LumberHack, Unearthed and Cornered, Busch Gardens has four other haunted houses/mazes.

Busch Gardens 2015 Howl-O-Scream haunted houses and their themes:

• Bitten – vampires
• Catacombs – tunnels beneath the streets of France
• Cut Throat Cove – pirates
• Cornered – corn maze
• Deadline – construction catastrophe at the Pompeii Metro
• LumberHack – logging camp gone awry
• Unearthed – Scarlett’s Revenge – Scarlett and her unearthed home

Howl-O-Scream Terror-tories

One of my very favorite aspects of Howl-O-Scream is the Terror-tory. Pirates, vampires, demons, Jack the Ripper and paranormal creatures fill the park’s European villages. Creative storylines, decorations and minute details reflect each section’s haunting and sinister past.

My favorite Terror-tory would have to be England. I just love watching Jack the Ripper chase people and stare at them through the glass windows of shops (this is usually a group of young, laughing girls). Busch Gardens’ actors really get into the storyline, which makes Howl-O-Scream a great experience for groups of friends and family. The family that screams together stays together, right?

The returning Terror-tories are:

• Demon Street – France
• Ports of Skull – Italy
• Ripper Row – England
• Vampire Point – Germany
• Wendigo Woods – New France

Howl-O-Scream shows

If you prefer entertainment on a more subtle level than screaming at the top of your lungs, check out a show or two. Returning Howl-O-Scream shows include:

• Monster Stomp on Ripper Row at the Globe Theatre in England
• Fiends at Abbey Stone Theatre in Ireland
• Night Beats at Das Festhaus in the Oktoberfest village

 

If you go

During the day, enjoy all of the rides, shows, animal encounters and fall decorations of America’s Most Beautiful Theme Park. However, at the stroke of 6:00, the park takes a turn to the dark side.

Parents and guardians, please note:  Howl-O-Scream is considered a PG-13 event, and there is an elevated scare factor after 6:00. The darkened park, mysterious sounds and wandering scare actors may be too intense for some children. My child is almost 12 and loves Howl-O-Scream, but I’ve seen more than enough children that don’t love it.

Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream 2015 takes place Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from September 25 through November 1, 2015. Howl-O-Scream features seven haunted houses, five Terror-tories, three live shows, themed dining, shopping and behind-the-scenes tours.

Due to popular demand, Busch Gardens will be open until 11:00 p.m. on the last four Friday nights in October.

Check out Howloscream.com for more information on Howl-O-Scream, tickets and meal deals.