Tips from a fan on enjoying Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Williamsburg
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Spooky Season has descended upon us, and for the first time since 2019, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is hosting its annual Howl-O-Scream event.
The faint-hearted should be afraid, very afraid, since the park has had time to step up its game, promising amplified scares, screams and new looks among its roaming hack pack of witches, killer butchers and lost souls.
The park recently placed second on USA Today’s 2021 list of 10 best theme park Halloween events and while it’s bringing back several fan favorites, BGW has added three new houses and two new terror-tories. There are also two new shows with spooky spins on tracks such as Jay-Z and Beyoncé's “Crazy in Love” and Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy.”
Be warned ... starting Friday, guests who arrive to the spooktacular event after 4 p.m. won’t be able to bring bags. Only wristlets and small packs measuring less than 8 x 5 inches are still allowed.
The mayhem begins once the clock strikes 6 p.m. on select days through Oct. 31.
Last year, the park held a Halloween Harvest event that included 15 rollercoasters and rides, contactless trick-or-treating and a pumpkin scavenger hunt.
I am a self-proclaimed glutton for all things dark, witchy and bloody, but COVID kept me sick and shut-in, so I missed last year’s shenanigans. I’m ready for this year, though.
I hope my friends are.
A few years ago, I coaxed a family member to go with me into one of the haunted houses. Demented creatures jumped out at us from all angles. I stepped timidly into each room, using the strangers ahead of me as human shields. I felt my not-so-brave partner wrap her arms around mine like a snake.
“I CAN’T!,” she screamed and burst into tears.
“Cover your eyes,” I told her, but it was no use. She shook, cried, cried some more until I finally asked a nearby non-monster employee to lead us to the emergency exit.
I’m not sure if she’s ready to return.
This year, I’m excited about the new haunted house inspired by 19th-century writer Edgar Allan Poe. Hardcore horror fans might feel that the haunted houses are typically more like funhouses — a few scares here and there, but there’s nothing too eerie and there’s just enough lighting to remind you that it’s all for show.
The costumes are always a sight to see, including the colorful beading in the Garden of the Souls terror-tory, a returning fav this year. Stepping into the area is reminiscent of the 2017 Pixar film “Coco,” inspired by the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead, in which families honor and pray for their late loved ones.
At Busch Gardens, some lost, forgotten souls wander throughout Italy, their faces painted black and white like skeletons. Some are donned in dresses, colorful flowers and beads. Souls creep up behind unsuspecting guests, while others might yell or screech, sending their targets fleeing in fear.
We’ve listed a few things Halloween-lovers should know if they go to Howl-O-Scream. Keep reading to find out more, unless you’re chicken.
Muhaha.
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New Haunted House: Witch of the Woods
Dystopia in Italy returns. Visitors can submit to a New World order or run for their lives. Also returning is Circo Sinistro in Festa Italia, its tents filled with killer clowns looking to recruit spectators as part of their fatal finales.
New this season is Witch of the Woods in Oktoberfest. The house is home to an evil being whose dark magic has held ancient villagers in its grip for centuries. Legend has it the witch can be heard deep within the forest, chanting, crying and tempting those brave enough to pass through to join her cohort of undesirables.
With her long, slender fingers made of black tree roots, her pale skin and long, gray tresses, the witch lunges at passersby.
The legend is that no one whose heart still beats has seen her.
Maybe you’ll be the first.
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New Haunted House: Nevermore
Also in Oktoberfest is the house inspired by poet Poe, who was known for his horror writings such as “The Raven,” “Annabel Lee” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
The house is described as “the gothic nightmare of Propero, last heir to the House of Usher.”
Including a house inspired by Poe is exciting and fitting for locals as the author spent 13 of his 40 years in Virginia. He named Richmond as his hometown, and it was in Richmond that he first began to write. It’s also where he first fell in love.
Like the creatures and characters wandering the halls of the Nevermore house, Poe’s work played on the audience’s senses — a continuous tapping, the heart of a murdered old man beating and the ringing of bells, all enticing readers to delve further into his cerebral madness.
“Don’t be shy,” one woman says at the Nevermore house in a promo reel. “I’m not scary. I promise.”
Proceed with caution.
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New Haunted House: KILLarney Diner
Last on our list of things to check out is the new KILLarney Diner in Ireland, which has an off-putting, small-town restaurant feel — think the New Mexico desert diner that Mickey and Mallory Knox turned into a bloodbath in the 1994 blockbuster “Natural Born Killers.”
While the chef’s serving up typical eats like pizza, burgers and waffles, the diner’s special additions — blood, brains, eyeballs and other organs not suitable for consumption — might scare guests off.
You’re welcome to drop in and grab a bite, or become one.
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New Terror-Tories: Hexed Hollow and Meat Market
In addition to Garden of the Souls in Italy, Ripper Row in England will be returning, deemed favorites among parkgoers, but one newly-added spot is Meat Market in New France Village.
Visitors will have to watch out for killer butchers lugging chainsaws, on the prowl for fresh flesh to feast on.
Another new feature is Hexed Hollow, said to be cursed by ancient, dark magic. Located in Rhinefeld Village in Germany, the area is crawling with ghouls and other cursed creatures as part of the park’s roaming hack pack.
Some of them have new looks, said Matthew Klepeisz, the park’s spokesman.
“The Roaming Hack Pack is a roaming horde of monsters who have one objective: remind the most confident and unsuspecting guests that there is no place to hide at Howl-O-Scream.”
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New Cocktails
Wizards, warlocks and witches 21 and older can try the new drink menu.
Klepeisz gave us the lowdown on returning BOOze bars, including Control Bar in Ireland, Restless Spirits in Italy Gardens and Last Call in Oktoberfest.
There’s also a new one, England’s Back Alley Bar.
Among the new drinks are:
Candy Apple Sucker: Crown Royal Apple, Salted Caramel, Ginger
Screaming Zombie: Sailor Jerry’s Spiced Rum, Passion Fruit, Blood Orange, Pineapple
RUMpkin: Sailor Jerry’s Spiced Rum, Orange Juice, Spiced Pumpkin
Pick your poison.
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COVID guidelines
We’re told all monsters and mayhem happening indoors will be masked.
The park won’t require proof of vaccination but suggests visitors follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and mask up indoors.
Klepeisz didn’t say if monsters, witches and other creatures will keep socially distanced from the guests, but they’ll be scary nonetheless.
“The roaming Hack Pack was quite scary, regardless of distance,” he said. “There’s something terrifying about a chainsaw coming to life right behind you.”
For a Howl-O-Scream map, go to www.tinyurl.com/BGWMap2021.
Saleen Martin, 757-446-2027, saleen.martin@pilotonline.com
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If you go
When: 6 p.m. to close select dates until Oct. 31; hours at www.tinyurl.com/BGWHours
Where: Busch Gardens Williamsburg, 1 Busch Gardens Boulevard, Williamsburg
Tickets: Starting at $44.99 until Sept. 26, then $89.99, www.tinyurl.com/HowlOScream2021
Details: 757-229-4386
