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[scaredbenny]

Here is my in-depth Howl-O-Scream review! I went by myself on Thursday, Oct. 20th to HOS and stayed from park opening (I did the Fright Feast) to just before midnight. I have ranked the houses in the order I enjoyed them and gave everything a rating on a scale of 1 to 10. Let me know if you have any questions!

HOUSES

Deconstruction: The Dr. Is Out of Control - 10/10
I LOVED this house! I went here first after Fright Feast let out as I read that the houses at the front would get the longest lines fast and wanted to it them out of the way. As soon as I walked in alone I knew I was in for a treat. I actually got scared in here. This house probably gets bonus points as I was able to do it twice in a row basically all alone, but I loved everything in here from the scares to the sets to the general atmosphere. The guy in the freezer area got me so good I had no idea where I was going and had to ask him where I had to go to next. Loved it. House Count – 2

Nightshade Toys – 10/10
Another great house (keep in mind this is my first time ever going to HOS so this house is new to me). I really liked the atmosphere in here as well. Again, lots of actual scares! This is a big plus to me, to actually get scared. A lot of the house was trying to figure out where the scare would come from only to have it come from a complete opposite direction from me. Major props to the guy before the tunnels as he got me both times I went through the house. House Count – 2

Vampire Casino – 7/10
Great sets, very good house but used a bit too many mannequins for me liking. It would have been nice if one of them would have been real in the opening rooms but alas both times through the house I realized no real scares towards the beginning. I LOVED the Laundry Room scare (I won’t spoil it) but almost gave me a heart attack as I was not expecting that one at all. The final scares in the buffet room were good as well! House Count – 2

Zombie Mortuary – 4/10
Sadly I really enjoyed the scenery from this house and I alone had the time to make it though one time but it was really ruined by the people in front of me. Sadly this house really really needed some Ops people in it as the teenage girls in front of me literally stopped several times during in the house for several minutes until the scare actors went away (no joke) I’m sure it would have been better if I was able to actually focus on the house and not the other guests but sadly that was not the case. I can’t wait to do it again and hopefully get a better run. House Count – 1

Nevermore – 4/10
Again, twice through the house, twice surrounded by less than stellar behaved people which took away a lot from the house. The sets were great and this compared favorably to the HHN house. I LOVED the “birthing canal” as I’m going to call it, except I kept on wondering how many germs were on that thing by the end of the night. Again hopefully on my next trip I can do a run without others ruining it for me. House Count – 2

Death Row Vengeance – 2/10
Had a good run though here just nothing special to stand out. OK stare scares but nothing too exciting to stand out in my memory. One time was enough. House Count – 1

SHOWS AND PROS AND CONS

Fright Feast/The Midnight Hour – 10/10
DO THIS IF YOU GO TO HOS!!! There is no question in my mind this is worth the value. The food was great! Plenty of selection and everything was hot and fresh both times I went though the line plus yummy deserts. The show was actually entertaining (don’t let the opening number fool you) Granted the Snooki and Palin skits were about a year too late but were very well executed. Much much better than Bill and Ted this year IMO. The thing that makes the Fright Feast so worth it is the time it saves you, you get a great meal, one of the shows out of the way before the park opens, and the early house time. In the hour and half of the front of the line time I was able to hit four of the six houses twice each (probably could have gotten in line for a fifth but was not familiar with the park at all and ended up doing a couple circles as I was lost). I can’t stress again what a great value this is.

Fiends – 10/10
YES YES YES!! Universal needs something like this. It was campy, dirty and fun, what a Halloween dance show should be. Nothing too over the top just a fun time dancing to Halloween songs, great time and I can’t wait to see it again. Which brings me to…

Naughty Nurse Photo Op – 10/10
‘nuff said. Universal take note. Photo Ops DO sell!

Crowds – 0/10
This was crazy busy night for HOS. When I was buying my photos at the end of the night I was asking if it was usually this busy and apparently Tampa didn’t have school the next day as I was told which led to the massive amounts of teenagers in the park. There were a couple of times (mainly after Fiends let out) that I could not move at all and ended up walking around the park in the opposite direction just so I could be moving and not standing still. Which also magnified a lot of ugly guest behavior that seems to be common at Halloween events. Sadly Busch Gardens needed a bit more security in some places to help nab some guests partaking in some obvious illegal behaviors and more Ops in the house to keep lines moving, as I noted before.

OVERALL – 7/10
Would be higher if not for the crazy crowds and unruly behavior I witnessed from some guests (not Busch Gardens fault). I was really only expecting to go one time this year when I went on Thursday, but after the amazing time I had I am planning another trip for this Friday! I can’t wait to go again! I would not miss HOS this year if you can get the time to go!

[Spook]

You went on what HHN has called Hell Nights well HOS has Hell Nights also and sadly you hit it. I prefer to Hit HOS on the first Friday to avoid the crowd issues like this. I know the night you went was one of the busiest ever in HOS history as where the last couple of weeks. I didn't see any mention of how many of the hordes you saw. I guess you didn't do ALONE. Also sadly with crowds that bad there is no time to ride the coasters. Also Busch is a Monster park and walking it at Night is even worse. I am glad overall you had a good time though. Also Fright Feast is the best value in the Haunt World IMO.