First look: SeaWorld’s 2023 Howl-O-Scream haunted houses

SeaWorld Orlando enters spooky season fray with its third edition of Howl-O-Scream, an after-hours, extra-ticket fright fest. The park again leans into its water-based theming with five haunted houses, seven scare zones and plenty of back story involving sirens, who generally are not amused.

SeaWorld has also developed a string of specialty bars that go with the houses. There’s a lot to take in as even the bartender play a part.

The event runs on select nights through Oct. 31. The park’s Spooktacular, a more family-friendly daytime event that’s included with regular admission, begins Sept. 16.

Here are impressions from each of the Howl-O-Scream houses on Friday’s opening night festivities.

D3LER1UM666 Laboratories

Three-word description: Government below surface.

Walk-through views: This is a slick house with a strong look and settings, presented with urgency from the staff. There’s a preshow of sorts with a (going down) elevator setting that prevents the conga line from being constant, and that seemed to add length to the queue outside. If you’re sensitive to mythical sea-creature violence, you may be triggered.

Bottom line: Plus there’s a twisty, mind-bending ending.

Beneath the Ice: The Meltdown

Three-word description: Sister Act IV.

Walk-through views: This house features sibling rival sirens Frost and Flame, but it’s another industrial looking maze. We had stretches in hallways with zero scares, which increased tension and hunched-up shoulders but also made us think “Shift change?” Hilariously, we took a wrong turn and ended up backstage in a big room that looked right, like the rest of the house. A creature ran toward us shouting, which also seemed like part of the maze. After we were back on track and around the corner, we said hi to the same, helpful creature. (They were doing their job. Twice.)

Bottom line: The mazes in the former Wild Arctic building have been unnervingly louder in the past, so this was a relief, but not relaxing.

Dead Vines: Nawlins Nightmare

Three-word description: New Orleans greenhouse.

Walk-through views: SeaWorld goes the horticulture route again, but it works, even without an obvious watery connection. There are scads of dangling greenery, props and jump scares. This house had some of loudest, most startling human outbursts that I can recall in a house. That, as the kids say, spiced me up a couple of times.

Bottom line: Takes the prize for most effective camouflaging of the event, even with characters that aren’t plant-based.

Captain’s Revenge: Drowned in Darkness

Three-word description: Cursed crew blues.

Walk-through views: The facade of this house is well-done, although we were confused as the entrance looks like the exit and vice versa. The piped-in shanty music put us in a New Orleans state of mind again.

Bottom line: This wasn’t so much scary as dodging the pleas of pirates for help. No, matey, we don’t have any change.

Blood Beckoning

Three-word description: All that rot.

Walk-through views: This is a repeat house from previous Howls, but the layout is worthy, with multi-level stages and a well-populated indoor-outdoor path that keeps you on your toes. But was that creepy (in a good way) bug noise always there?

Bottom line: This house is probably the goriest of the five Howl-O-Screamers.

Other Howl-O-Scream notes

• It’s the first scare season that Pipeline roller coaster has been in operation, and there’s a carnival scare zone beneath it. The creepy character count was high, and there are themed foods and games over there.

• Blood Beckoning is on the other side of the park from the other mazes. Look for the bright red Blood Light District (wink-wink-nudge-nudge) scare zone to guide you back there. Picking up the event map is recommended.

• Last year’s drag show is not back. There’s a presentation in the pearl diving area, and “Monster Stomp” is back in Nautilus Theater.

• Entrance to Howl-O-Scream is on the southern end of the SeaWorld parking lot, not the usual gate. Once inside, you travel through a tunnel that drops you off underneath Bayside Stadium seating. (Warning: Scares start early.) Go left for Pipeline and its CarnEvil Pier as well as Blood Beckoning. Go right for the others.

• Some of the houses’ exits dump into unexpected areas of the park. Wow, SeaWorld is dark after dark.

• We saw more kids (with adults) than expected, but it’s still an intense experience. That could explain the number of comfort animals?

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. My Threads account is @dbevil. You can subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.