The backdoor of the ambulance was open, with a bloody gurney partially out. A few severed arms were thrown about and a patient without a head sat up, still waiting for first aid. The air was chilly and began to fill with screams. As we made our way through the thinning fog, we set eyes on them. Each one parched on a rock, more beautifully creepy than the last.
These Sirens/Mermaids provided a false sense of ease that nothing too terrible would happen to us. Then! As our unsuspecting friend casually walked up to a maiden standing on a fixture of seaweed, said maiden leaped towards our friend, only to be pulled back by the bungie ropes holding her. We thought for a moment she had screamed, but alas, it came from our friend. From that moment on we knew we could not let our guard down and were excited to see what awaited us in the chilly fog.
Howl-O-Scream began at Busch Gardens park in Tampa, Florida in 1999. Now for the first time ever, Sea World San Diego has brought this Halloween event to their park. We had the great pleasure of being invited to attend their opening night festivities on Friday, September 17th, 2021. We didn’t know what to expect which only added to our excitement.
The Vampire Circus
When it comes to shows at a theme park we mostly welcome the idea of siting down for 30 minutes to rest our tired feet and pay half attention to the performance. This certainly is NOT the case with Sea World’s Vampire Circus. Sitting in our seats we were intrigued by the many sections of the stage that promised individual side shows. There were harnesses for aerial work, a spinning wheel for stunts, a lovely graveyard and of course a coffin. Without giving too much away, there is certainly something for everyone. And all of it is exceptional. The audience is taken through an incredibly beautiful and precise dance performance that is nothing short of stunning. The show easily transitions into gorgeous aerial work, which looks effortless and breathtaking. As characters lead us into the next performance of stunts atop a moving wheel, more aerial work and a bit of comedy, we were surprised by a pair of performers who show us their physical (as well as mental) strength. The beauty of their shapes/lines and the absolutely breathtaking power of movement they display is certainly one would be in awe of. And we are. This show encompasses thrilling stunts, beautiful dance moves and the power and strength of human form we can all celebrate. Vampire Circus is by far the best show we have experienced this season and one of the greatest shows at any Halloween event we’ve ever attended. This show is not to be missed, but seen twice!
Maze Reviews
Nightmare Experiment
With a consent form in hand, the Doctor immediately demanded we sign it. We were being checked into Sunny Meadows Mental Hospital as patients without regard to our present sanity. It didn’t matter to this doctor. From that moment on, our stay would take us through padded walls, patient rooms, dead-icated staff and "treatment" devices. At least we were given three square meals a day from the cafeteria lady.
Nightmare Experiment is a sick and twisted journey through a mental institution where you check in but you won’t be able to check out. This is probably the scariest maze of the three this year at Howl-O-Scream. The talent was on fire both times we went through which led to several startling scares and multiple screams from our friend. The cast had high energy, great timing and brought intensity to scare the nightgown off of you!
Death Water Bayou
4 men in dark suits carried the coffin on their shoulders away from the guests, indicating that the funeral had just ended. But whose funeral was it and who was in the coffin? Maybe it was foreshadowing your own demise as you walk through the dank and murky sets of Death Water Bayou.
This maze has a slow start but the detail, suspense and intensity begin to build as you move throughout the maze. The characters are engaging yet creepy, and the set design perfectly sets the mood of foreboding. When we traveled through, one character made certain to give our experience a personal touch by announcing our presence....by using our names. It certainly creeped us out! This maze has a natural feel of a haunted bayou with evil lurking about. A definite must see!
Simon’s Slaughterhouse
Scary things are happening over at Simon's Slaughterhouse, and if you aren't careful you may end up on the menu! We loved the fact that it was an outdoor maze, leaving the night sky as your ceiling. There were some cool props utilized throughout the maze and the ending has a little surprise that leaves guests literally running for their lives. Overall this maze lacked some detail that the other two mazes had but it did have a bit of a raw edge to it that we really enjoyed. If this maze returns in 2022 we would like to see a little more detail and some additional talent spread throughout. However, with this being 2021 and everyone's first return to Halloween season, we understand if there is a staffing issue. We do recommend visiting this maze first as everyone immediately queues for Nightmare Experiment because it is at the front. You'll find Simon in the back, waiting. To Slaughter you.
Scare Zones
This year’s initial Howl-O-Scream event consists of 6 scare zones and 4 roaming haunts. The areas are fairly large but were sparse in the way of theming and actual monsters. Again, this very well could be a staffing issue as we did see signs outside still hiring. The talent that we did encounter on streets had high energy and were very creative in their scares, which we loved. Part of the fun is to sit for a bit and watch street monsters work the crowds. Nothing like getting a good laugh watching other guests get scared! Many of the roaming monsters used their space to hide and provide some epic scares for unsuspecting guests. For the back areas of the park that didn't have monsters, the real San Diego fog, distant screams and unsettling noises from just about everywhere provided an authentic feel of being isolated and scared. We are certainly excited to see what Sea World does in the scare zones moving forward. With a little more set design and a few more monsters per zone, Howl-O-Scream will definitely have some epic scare zones!
Conclusion
Our first experience with Howl-O-Scream was full of high energy with some intense scares and a creepy atmosphere. Vampire Circus is a must see, the mazes are really great and the talent/monsters worked their tails off. We are excited to see what a fully staffed scare zone will look like at Howl-O-Scream in the future. The one thing we would really like to see next year in 2022 are more food options. On opening night there were only 2 places that provided minimal food options, which again may have just come down to a staffing issue. Overall we had a wonderful time, the staff was incredibly friendly and efficient. We definitely recommend Howl-O-Scream to anyone who is in the San Diego area for a weekend. We are excited for what the future holds for this event and can’t wait to see what they have in store for next year.
Thank You
We would like to give a huge thank you to Sea World’s PR staff for being so welcoming and friendly when we arrived on opening night. Tracy and her team are incredibly professional and generous. Thank you again for inviting us out to experience the event. We truly appreciate it. We would also like to thank the entire staff of Howl-O-Scream from the monsters to the makeup artists, the line control in the mazes, security and all the management team we encountered throughout the night. You have created a scary environment while maintaining professionalism and efficiency . It’s never easy to put on a major event such as this. This entire team is hard working, dedicated and we know the future is on the bright side of the moon for Howl-O-Scream and it will be a must see event in Southern California for years to come. Congratulations to Sea World and everyone involved with this event. You're awesome!!