Howl-O-Scream (Tampa)

Howl-O-Scream (Tampa)
Location	Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Howl-O-Scream is an annual Halloween event that is presented at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida, the second Busch Gardens park to begin Howl-O-Scream (the first being Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 1998). The event features haunted houses, scarezones, and shows all themed to original horror concepts. Howl-O-Scream contains intense adult content such as blood, gore, and sexual innuendos, and is not recommended for children under the age of 13.

History

Howl-O-Scream began in 1999 as Spooky Safari, a family-friendly Halloween event that featured a Haunted Jungle Trail, a pyrotechnic/magic show, a pumpkin patch, hayrides, and face-painting for children. The event was rebranded as Howl-O-Scream the following year and over time has hosted different houses, scarezones, and shows. Unlike the event's main competitor, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort, Howl-O-Scream focuses entirely on original characters and concepts as opposed to popular horror films, television shows, and musical artists. Haunted houses and scarezones also return year after year.

Howl-O-Scream celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2019.

Event Icons

Similarly to Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights, Howl-O-Scream has been hosted by a variety of original characters designed by the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Entertainment team. These characters are predominantly featured in advertising, merchandise, and in-park appearances.

• Dr. Livingsdoom: A "comically creepy" albeit evil mad scientist.
• Torment: A "creature spawned from evil" tormented by the voices of demons in his head.
• Mangler: He once existed as an average man named Frank before being abducted from Howl-O-Scream and transformed into one of Torment's creations - a half-man, half-creature held captive by two "Keepers" that dragged him around on chains.
• Pernicia Gloom: An alluring, red-headed seductress who wore tight-fitting clothing crafted from the skin of her victims.
• Death Spirit: A skeletal, walking zombie with African voodoo roots and the power to bring deceased spirits back to life as animals.
• F.E.A.R.: A vampiric looking man who sought to "bring new meaning to the word 'fear.'"
• Hack: A creepy taxicab driver who didn't allow his passengers to have a say in their final destination.
• Jack in the Box: A maniacal child's jack-in-the-box meant to personify your childhood fears that have "just gotten worse."
• Death Jockey: An earless DJ at Club Muse that tortures partiers with his literally earsplitting music.
• Raven Twins: Two disfigured twins searching in vain for a man to see their inner beauty.
• Ms. Vayne: A vampiric fashion designer and heiress of the House of Vayne. She is often seen with her three models Anya, Elsa, and Erik.
• Sylvie: The lead singer and guitarist of the band myX who seduces men and slices off their index fingers with her guitar strings.
• The Lady of the Gardens: A mysterious zombie woman who lurks in the Dark Side of the Gardens.
• Trickster: A clown-masked gravedigger who lurks in the Dark Side of the Gardens.
• The 13: A group of thirteen unique creatures and evil spirits. They are:

1. The Possessed
2. The Torturer
3. The Hunter
4. The Butcher
5. The Banshee
6. The Voodoo Queen
7. The Surgeon
8. The Demon
9. The Zombie
10. The Cannibal
11. The Psychopath
12. The Hangman
13. The Clown

• The Cursed Ones: A group of demons cursed by a song called "Feel the Darkness Rise."
• Scarlett Woods: A village healer turned vengeful witch who murders using her wicked tarot cards.
• Mr. Karver: An elderly toymaker who crafts evil puppets, one of whom is Georgie.
• The Butcher
• The Bellhop: A bellhop of the Motel Shellburn.
• The Witch of the Woods
• "Charlie" (The Game Show Host)

Events

• Spooky Safari - n/a
• Howl-O-Scream 2000 (Tampa) - n/a
• Howl-O-Scream 2001 (Tampa) - You wanted scary? Be careful what you ask for! (Was originally "This Time, Terror Takes Control," but was changed after the events of 9/11.)
• Howl-O-Scream 2002 (Tampa) - Face Your Fear
• Howl-O-Scream 2003 (Tampa) - Fear Has A New Face
• Howl-O-Scream 2004 (Tampa) - No Escape. No Mercy. Nowhere Else.
• Howl-O-Scream 2005 (Tampa) - Your Childhood Fears Don't Go Away. They Just Get Worse.
• Howl-O-Scream 2006 (Tampa) - No One 2 Trust (I'm Closer Than You Think)
• Howl-O-Scream 2007 (Tampa) - A New Spin On Horror
• Howl-O-Scream 2008 (Tampa) - Bad Twin. Worse Twin. (Not All Nightmares Happen When You Sleep)
• Howl-O-Scream 2009 (Tampa) - Evil Never Goes Out Of Fashion.
• Howl-O-Scream 2010 (Tampa) - Revenge Rocks!
• Howl-O-Scream 2011 (Tampa) - Zombies Live Here.
• Howl-O-Scream 2012 (Tampa) - Unlock The Fear Inside.
• Howl-O-Scream 2013 (Tampa) - Once Every Century, On Precisely The Thirteenth Year, Evil Comes Out To Play.
• Howl-O-Scream 2014 (Tampa) - Cursed (Don't Listen)
• Howl-O-Scream 2015 (Tampa) - Unearthed (We Dug Too Far)
• Howl-O-Scream 2016 (Tampa) - Evil Encore (The Show Must Go On)
• Howl-O-Scream 2017 (Tampa) - Enjoy It While You Last.
• Howl-O-Scream 2018 (Tampa) - Trust No One. Fear Everything.
• Howl-O-Scream 2019 (Tampa) - Twenty Years of Fear (Dead Isn't Always Forever)
• Howl-O-Scream 2020 (Tampa) - The Fear is In Your Eyes.
• Howl-O-Scream 2021 (Tampa) - The Witch of the Woods
• Howl-O-Scream 2022 (Tampa)- (No tagline, Icon was Game Show Host)
• Howl-O-Scream 2023 (Tampa)-

Haunted House Locations

Main article: Haunted House Locations for Howl-O-Scream (Tampa)