Howl-O-Scream 2022: Orlando Vs. Tampa Bay
This is not going to be a typical review of the HOS events held in these 2 cities. Instead, this will be a comparison piece, looking at which one is the better one to go to in case you only have the time for one. Let's face it, both events have to deal with the issue of being within a close proximity to the big event at Universal Orlando. Especially HOS Orlando has to deal with Halloween Horror Nights being just down the street. For many that means being able to only to spare 1 night to one of these other events. In our opinion, there is a clear choice of the 2 for which is the better option to visit if you only have 1 night.
Starting out with houses, both events vary heavily in quality. The totally new house in Tampa is Stranglewood Estate, which is a pretty typical haunted mansion haunted attraction. This one is nicely designed, with a creepy ambiance helped by a thunderstorm while roaming the long abandoned halls. The atmosphere and well placed scares help to make this a good addition to their lineup. Another house got a sizable makeover, The Residence: Home for the Holidays. This is a suburban home harboring some dark secrets during the Christmas season. This is easily the most fun house of the event, as the mix of dark subject matter and Christmas will almost always create an entertaining mix. On the other end is Death Water Bayou: Blood Moon- The Final Phase. Hopefully the final in the title is a legit statement that this house is gone. What used to be easily the best house of the event has been a shadow of its former self since its turn from a voodoo house to a werewolf house. Lacking the impressive scenes from years past and devoid of almost any scares, this was a house that left us depressed after our visit.
Orlando also suffers from uneven houses. On the good end we have houses like Beneath the Ice, a visit to an arctic base where a Siren has corrupted the inhabitants. That is the overarching story for the entire Orlando event, with the various Sirens being in control of the park. Beneath the Ice manages good scares using well placed actors hidden in the dark crevasses of the building, which is kept perfectly in between too dark to see, while just enough light is used to keep things tense. Another good house is Siren of the Seas, which is technically a new house, but honestly felt like just a quick revamp of their hotel house from last year. Still, it was freshened up enough to be exciting, and the house has some good set design, especially some of the boarding rooms and the kitchen, as well as actors that pull off the perfect balance of being scary and funny. On the other end is Blood Beckoning, another new house, that is horrifically bad. The set design and plotting is confusing with scenes going from a derelict bookshop, to a homeless encampment to a random strip club, all flimsily held together by a Siren being involved, I guess? Nothing is scary and the only reaction from this house is pure confusion.
While both events are uneven when it comes to house design I give the slight edge to Tampa. Stranglewood Estate and The Residence are both decent to good haunted houses, and repeat houses like The Forgotten and Witch of the Woods are still good enough attractions. The major downfall here is Death Water Bayou, which is easily the worst house of both events. Orlando's issue is the really bad Blood Beckoning and a repeat house called Dead Vines, another disappointing house. If those 2 houses get fixed then Orlando will be the clear favorite. For now though, Tampa is slightly ahead on houses.
The real difference between the 2 events comes in the streets. Tampa has long had an issue where their scarezones feel too much the same. Even with different themes throughout the park, they all feel like they give the same direction to all the actors. It is almost criminal how many actors they can have in the zones and still not be able to get much scares. In some cases, a zone like their Voodoo scarezone feels like the direction given is not to even attempt for scares, instead to just be creepy. It makes for a weird atmosphere where the scarezones feel inconsequential. Where they do kill it is with their roaming hordes, who do a better job of keeping guests on edge in the non-zone areas of the park. You never know if a person is hiding in the bushes or just behind a park sign. The irony is that this means the zones feel like the safe areas.
In Orlando, the scarezones are the strength of the event. Each scarezone feels unique, from set design, to lighting, to how the actors are allowed to portray their characters. Frozen Terror – Alive in the Ice is an extension of Beneath the Ice, with zombies roaming the midway, shambling around not saying much vocally, while using props to make startling noises. Deadly Ambush is a campground with lively music and festive lighting strung up along the length of the zone. Actors here get scares while also pull off being hilarious. Cut Throat Cove is an area with a loud soundtrack and pirates roaming for either victims or new help. Orlando manages to make all their scarezones varied and scary in their own way, making it the clear winner of the two events when it comes to the streets.
Going back to the original question, if you have one day to spare to go to a Howl-O-Scream event, which one should you go to? To us, the choice is Orlando. In just its second year, it has put together a strong event with a decent collection of houses, that aren't quite to Tampa's level yet, but the quality of the streets makes up for that. Tampa really needs to make their scarezones feel worth it, or else Orlando will continue to improve their houses and become the dominant event soon enough. For now though, especially if you only have a little time to spare if going to HHN, stay in Orlando for their HOS event.
