SHADE-O-METER RATING
4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”
What’s Howl-O-Scream Williamsburg? It’s the Halloween event at Busch Gardens, in Williamsburg, Virginia. The event occurs on select nights—mostly weekends—in September and October. How much were the tickets? There isn’t an extra charge for the event. A regular Busch Gardens ticket includes admission to Howl-O-Scream. If you buy it online, a two-day ticket costs $80. How much was the parking? $20.
ADVERTISEMENT
How was the event? The way it looks is fabulous. Although the houses at Halloween Horror Nights might be better than the houses at this event, there’s no topping the landscape and décor of Howl-O-Scream Williamsburg. Given the Virginian landscape and climate, the event is much more Halloween looking than the Florida Halloween events. Many of the roller coasters were open as well.
How were the crowds? We went on Friday and Saturday. The crowds on Friday were very thin. None of the house had any lines—you just walked right on them all. However, Saturday was the opposite. The lines were nuts on Saturday. The suggestion would be to get the two-day ticket and do the houses and some of the rides in the dark on Friday, and then do the shows and the scare zones on Saturday.
How were the houses? There were seven of them: Demented Dimensions (where human are at the bottom of the food chain at “Sterling Manor), Vault XX (which featured a walk down memory lane with prior Howl-O-Scream mascots), Dystopia (themed to a futuristic post-apocalyptic world), Circo Sinistro (a circus theme; picture AHS: Freak Show), Cornered (set in a farming community in 1977, where people have gone missing), Frost Bite (set in a “macabre, icy graveyard,” where the ice comes alive and has “teeth”), and Lumber Hack (where saws mysteriously killed loggers, and the woods are subsequently haunted by their ghosts). The best houses capitalized on the Virginian landscape (i.e., Cornered and Lumber Hack). The weakest house, Dystopia, had lackluster sets and a clichéd theme (zombie-ish-looking beings from the future). The circus house, Circo Sinistro, was fabulously surreal and psychedelic.
How were the scare zones? There were six of them: Fools’ Court (in France), Garden of Souls (in Italy), Axe Alley (in New France, or, in other words, Canada), Ripper Row (in England), Sideshow Square (in Festia Italia), and Vampire Point (in Germany). The showpiece, which was right when you walk into the park, has got to be Ripper Row, in England. This alone was worth the price of admission. The scare zone was haunted by Victorian characters, including bobbies who kept blaring whistles, and woman who kept walking by and snapping fans. The area was made all the more disorienting by profuse fog, which was so thick in parts of it that you could barely see two feet in front of you. The rest of the zones weren’t particularly memorable.
How were the shows? There were three: Fiends, Monster Stomp on Ripper Row, and Night Beats: Revamped. The Nights Beats show was in the German beer hall. Don’t both with this show; it wasn’t even really a Halloween one. The show that should not be missed, however, was Ripper Row. This show was in The Globe Theater in England. The dancing and singing in it was great, but the real stars of the show were the percussionist quartet. The show was so entertaining, that it could have been longer than it’s half an hour running time. We didn’t see the Fiends show.
What could have improved Howl-O-Scream Williamsburg? That Night Beats show in the beer hall definitely needs to be improved (or maybe just scrap it), they could stand to spend some more money on the sets, and the concepts for some of the houses and scare zones should be more complex and nuanced.
What was surprising about it? Some of the landscapes in the distance were unbelievable, with scary-looking farm houses and barns. There were times when it felt like you were in the real Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Also, some of the performers in the houses were cleverly and surprisingly hidden. For example, some of them were coming at you from above.
Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Williamsburg is located at 1 Busch Gardens Blvd., in Williamsburg, Virginia. The event is open on select evening in September and October. Refer to the website for exact hours.
