We Went to the Opening Night of Howl-O-Scream SeaWorld Orlando- How was It?

Howl-O-Scream Orlando began its third year of operation this weekend. This event runs select nights through October 31, 2023.

SeaWorld Orlando invited me out to look at this event. I visited last year for the first time at SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream. I have experienced spooky events at other major theme parks. This event shared many characteristics with that style of event.

Howl-O-Scream Orlando: Basics

Howl-O-Scream Orlando 2023 features five haunted houses, seven scare zones, several thrilling SeaWorld roller coasters, and more unexpected frights than ever before. This makes it a great experience for haunt fans and thrill-seekers alike. The SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment Company also holds a Howl-O-Scream event at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay as well as at several of their other theme parks in the United States.

Howl-O-Scream functions as a separately ticketed event held after regular theme park hours in September and October. The dates for Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld Orlando are:

• Every Friday and Saturday left in September
• Every Friday through Sunday in October
• October 19 and 26 (Thursdays)
• October 30 and 31 (Monday and Tuesday).

Howl-O-Scream Orlando: New Hair-Raising Houses and Slashing Scare Zones

Guests will begin their journey venturing beneath the sea’s surface in the all-new “D3LER1UM666 Laboratories.” Surrounded by the near-infinite depths below and expansive oceans beyond, guests peer into the darkness that engulfs an inescapable research headquarters before time runs out. Transport to the arctic terrain in pursuit of Frost, captured following her frigid fame and frostbite-ridden touch.

Howl-O-Scream participants can also follow the smoke of Frost’s fiery twin, Flame, in the brand-new house, “BENEATH THE ICE – The Meltdown,” which could be the hottest rescue attempt ever made. Once free, there is nowhere to run. Prepare to freeze or burn.

Another house option at Howl-O-Scream allows guests to drift through gruesome gators and ghoulish gravestones of the Louisiana Bayou in “DEAD VINES: Nawlin’s Nightmare.” Here, guests will trespass on Hex’s hideaway, feeling her wrath and wicked witchcraft while evading the jaws of her horrific home. Alongside these brand-new additions are the return of reimagined houses like “Captain’s Revenge: Drowned in Darkness” and the fan favorite “Blood Beckoning” house.

Scare Zones

Guests can face their most frightening fears and scariest spooks in three brand-new scare zones. For example, guests will venture through a lethal landfill of mutant creatures, humans, and even plants hungry for a fright in the all-new “Toxic Turmoil.” The chemical chaos holds many surprises. In other words, not everything is as it seems.

If escaping from that infection looked easy, do not be so fooled by the brand new “Blood Light District,” a borough that is known to tempt the faint of heart. The beauty and beckoning of their inhabitants are a curse, binding victims in bond and blood.

Completing the cauldron of chills is the unveiling of “Carn-EVIL Pier.” Fun transitions to fright in the cloud of the night as freaks, barkers, and demented clowns welcome guests to the show. Step up to the plate, but there is a lot at stake!

The first scare zone you enter through the Howl-O-Scream entrance is the reimagined “Portal of Passage.” SeaWorld says guests can have a drink, catch a performance, and enjoy the atmosphere while waiting for the night to begin.

Also appearing alongside these new nightmares are returning scare zones “Frozen in Terror: Alive in the Ice,” “Witchcraft Bayou,” and “Terrors of the Deep.”

Bloody Bars with Frightening Foods at Howl-O-Scream

We know I enjoy most theme park food. When they told me that food was involved, then I was all in. Howl-O-Scream’s frights would be incomplete without the spectacular share of bites and flights. Returning for the event’s triple threat is the “Longshoremen Tavern,” where the longshoremen are dying to entertain those who enter their doors. A few scare zones away is the restoration of “Siren’s Last Call,” a hideaway for the Siren’s followers and home to the signature drink The Siren’s Kiss. Alongside the specialty bars are frightening food offerings like the Vampire Burger, Bloody Ribs, The Ofrenda (stuffed pork corn tamale), and Teriyaki Chicken Hibachi.

This year, for Howl-O-Scream, guests can purchase sampling lanyards. For $40, these sampling lanyards entitle guests to three full-size drinks and one food item from designated booths and bars. Annual passholders can purchase a $75 sampling lanyard, which entitles them to five full-size drinks and two food items.

The Howl-o-Scream food options include the following:

• Cheese Flatbread Pizza -Topped with Parmesan Cheese
• Pepperoni Flatbread Pizza – Topped with Parmesan Cheese
• Skull Pretzel – Served with Beer Cheese
• Teriyaki Chicken Hibachi -Served with Fried Rice, Egg
• Vegetable Crispy Dumplings -Served with Ponzu Sauce
• Soft Pretzel
• Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel
• Pizza Pretzel
• Hot Dog Pretzel
• Vampire Burger -Bison Burger, Bacon Onion Jam, Chevre Cheese, Arugula
• Bloody Ribs -Char Siu “Chinese style” Ribs, Sesame Seeds, Scallions
• Sidewinder Fries -Loaded with Bacon Bits, Cheese Sauce, Chives, Sour Cream
• Zombie Taco -Mazina Tortilla, Thick Cut Bacon, Pico de Gallo, Shredded Lettuce, Flaming Cheeto Dust
• The Ofrenda – Stuffed Pork Corn Tamales with Zombie Ancho Poblano Secret Sauce
• Beef Birria Soup Shredded Beef, Queso Fresco, Onions, Cilantro, Tri-color Tortilla Strip
• The Nacho Dog -Foot-long Hot Dog, Crushed Doritos, Cheese Sauce, Sour Cream, Jalapeno, served with Chips
• The Bacon Jam Dog -Foot-long Hot Dog, Bacon Onion Jam, Sauerkraut, served with Chips
• The Plain Jane – Foot-long Hot Dog, served with Chips
• Cheesy Mac -Macaroni & Cheese, Deep Fried and Topped with Bacon and Pico De Gallo
• Country-Fried Pork Belly -Deep Fried Pork Belly with Sweet Glaze
• Cotton Candy
• Hatchet Pretzel -Served with Cheese
• Stitched-up Turkey Legs

The drink options make a list far too long for anyone to want to read. I suggest going to the SeaWorld webpage for that info. Of course, if you can dream up a drink, SeaWorld probably has it for you. 

Returning Fan Favorite Shows

Howl-O-Scream Orlando provides guests with several shows to enjoy balancing out their scary evening. As SeaWorld Orlando states, the Howl-O-Scream experience would not be complete without SeaWorld’s darkly entertaining, high-energy shows like the haunting “Siren’s Song.” Guests can become immersed in the story of the iconic Sirens as they feast on the fears of even the toughest of travelers. Guests can also be mesmerized watching a pulse-pounding musical performance starring the one and only Jack the Ripper in the award-winning “Monster Stomp.”

So, How Was Howl-O-Scream Orlando in 2023?

First, I was invited out by SeaWorld Orlando. As a result, some aspects of my experience will not match a typical visit to Howl-O-Scream Orlando. I will leave those aspects out of this article. However, our scare zone, house walkthroughs, shows, and other components mentioned in this article will match a standard experience.

Also, this resource will not focus on food and beverage as you might anticipate with an article written by someone specializing in food and dining. However, we will say that the Teriyaki Chicken Hibachi provided the best flavor of the items we tasted during the media event. Unlike a typical food blogger trip to SeaWorld Orlando, we did not try all the food specially designed for Howl-O-Scream Orlando guests.

The opening night of Howl-O-Scream Orlando appeared busier than in previous years. We view that as a good thing for the long-term success of this event. Of course, the crowd levels fail to reach the wall-to-wall traffic of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando.

So, the Howl-O-Scream experience provides a more relaxing, spooky season than other haunting options. The scare zones offer plenty of space to move around in. The houses at Howl-O-Scream drew longer queues than expected. However, the Fear Pass queue moved reasonably on opening night.

Houses at Howl-O-Scream

Based on the Howl-O-Scream pattern, several houses are reimagined for the following year. Along with that, a new house or two occurs each year.

This year, the new house was “D3LER1UM666 Laboratories.” Since we went on opening night, we will not do any spoilers for the house. Still, we appreciated two well-done theme park tricks of the trade created for this house. This shows that Howl-O-Scream’s creative team strives to continue improving the event.

We thought the other four houses were good. We liked some of the reimagined ideas like Flame. Still, the props and scenery work could be better, along with more staff working the houses. In fairness, we also voiced a similar criticism about the big theme park spooky event at Universal Orlando. It will take some time before the houses at this event can compete evenly with Halloween Horror Nights.

In contrast, the seven scare zones have the potential to start competing with Halloween Horror Nights. SeaWorld has far more space to work with. Given some time, the scare zones could compete, but a clear storyline will need to be evident to the guests.

The new scare zone, “Carn-EVIL Pier.” It contained several new props to set the scene for this theme. The scare actors enhance the experience here also.

Shows  at Howl-O-Scream Orlando

Regarding shows, our group (except for one person) loves the “Monster Stomp:” show at Howl-O-Scream. This show had developed a loyal following. If you can get past the plotline of Jack the Ripper killing people, this show fits a spooky theme park event very well.

This year’s event created a better experience than last year. Spooky season fans should only expect improvement, not perfection. They received that for the 2023 event.

We enjoyed our night at Howl-O-Scream. The invitation from SeaWorld Orlando to check out the event was appreciated.

If you are looking for a spooky theme park event, the Howl-O-Scream Orlando version offers several considerable advantages, such as:

• Lower price point
• More relaxing due to overall space
• Easier to experience everything in one evening.

Now, the Howl-O-Scream event heavily promotes alcohol sales and more adult situations. We cannot recommend bringing a child to this event. Still, the responsible adult should make that final decision, not my moral compass, since every kid is different.

For more information about Howl-O-Scream Orlando, please consult the SeaWorld Orlando website