Tag Archives: haunted house

Sinister Summer: Burnt Offerings (1976) Retrospective Review

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A haunting, dreamlike supernatural horror film about a truly hangry house that was ahead of its time. This month’s retrospective review is on Dan Curtis’ only theatrical film,: 1976’s Burnt Offerings. While I have certainly heard and read good things about this film, I had not really made it a priority to watch. A priority in that I would spend the $4 on Amazon to rent it. But the night before writing this, I saw it show up as a featured Shudder offering. With a mediocre IMDb score, I wasn’t convinced to spend my evening watching the two-hour film; however, upon a Google search, I saw that Golden Age screen icon (“fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night”) Bette Davis was in a supporting role, as well as Burgess Meredith. Throw in leads Karen Black and Oliver Reed, and you have one stacked cast. But an opportunity to see those Bette Davis Eyes was what swung the pendulum in favor of selecting this more-or-less obscure 70s horror film.

Ben Rolf (Reed), his wife Marian (Black), and their son Davey (Lee Montgomery) visit a country manor up for rent for the summer. They are welcomed by weird siblings Roz Allardyce and Arnold Allardyce (Meredith) who offer the mansion for $900 for the whole summer. Ben is concerned with the upkeep of such a stately place, and the Allardyces state that the house will take care of itself as long as they show it love. The only condition to the siblings’ generous offer is that the Rolfs feed their mother that lives in a plush, cozy attic apartment three times a day by leaving a tray outside of her room. The Rolf family accepts the too-good-to-be-true offer, and move in right away with Ben’s vivacious, eccentric Aunt Elizabeth (Davis). Not long after moving in, Marian begins to become more and more obsessed with Ms. Allardyce and the house. Meanwhile, unsettling things begin happen to the Rolf family, including violent outbursts, and even an untimely death. Ben feels that something sinister is going on with the house, and urges his family to leave. But leaving the estate is not as easy as it seems.

It’s all too easy to see hues of The Shining, Poltergeist, and even The Haunting and The Skeleton Key in this film, but remember that Burnt Offerings came out four years before The Shining and six years before Poltergeist. So if the plot feels a little predictable at times, it’s not because William F Nolan’s screenplay borrowed heavily from those tentpole heavy-hitters, but because those two iconic films perhaps took a little inspiration from it. Where Curtis may have taken inspiration was from Carnival of Souls because it feels like there is a nod or two to that film. Curtis has pacing down to a science! He demonstrates command of the emotional and psychological journeys of the characters and audience. Those who watch this film without reading up on it will scarcely have the leisure to ask why the Rolf family isn’t more observant and curious about their grand dwelling. At the time this film was released, horror was increasingly concerned and even obsessed with supernatural villains and primal fears take that place in otherwise innocent settings, such as an innocent little girl in The Exorcist or an innocent palatial estate in Burnt Offerings. In the case of the latter, the supernatural monster/entity is the house itself, which manifests its sinister desires in very much the same way a vampire does. It’s romantic, alluring, feeding on and sustaining itself with violence and death. This monster is capable of menace, vengeance, outrage, and even murder.

Instead of a shaky handheld camera, promiscuous teens/college students, and poor pacing that lacks a true windup or never pays off at all, comes a film that was ahead of its time in haunted house storytelling. This film feels far more polished and meticulously executed than most present-day haunted house movies. You won’t find jump scares or haphazard pacing here; this film comes from a time when the slow burn was both the norm and it was strategically utilized to setup a brilliant, shocking payoff that is ultimately among the most effective and memorable horror film endings of all time. In terms of its alluring aesthetic, Burnt Offerings harkens back to the days of Gothic horror in the vein of Edgar Allen Poe and the first and second generation of Universal Pictures Horror. Particularly Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher feels heavily channeled in this otherworldly, unsettling horror film. The film location itself comes completely with a sordid past. The estate in the film is the Dunsmuir Estate in Oakland, CA, which was used in every scene according to Curtis (so sound stages). It was built by coal fortune heir Alexander Dunsmuir in 1899. Dunsmuir intended the house to be a wedding gift for his new bride; but in horror movie fashion, he didn’t get to live in it with her because he fell ill and died while on his honeymoon in New York City. His new bride returned to live in the house but died soon after in 1901. What better haunted house location than a location, which may be truly haunted?!?

Burnt Offerings was one of many horror films in the 1970s and early 1980s that commented on the rising negative societal effects of middle-class life, including viral consumerism and obsession with single-family-house ownership, the family is destroyed by a house they otherwise dreamed of. Furthermore, it also provides an exploration of the perceived breakdown of the nuclear family, following the civil rights and sexual revolution movements. Closely reading the major themes in Burnt Offerings leads me to posit the idea that perhaps the most effective way to critically analyze this film is to interpret it as a supernatural parable on the risks of being controlled by one’s possessions. That said, contrary to how the Biblical proverb is so often misquoted; money is NOT the root of all evil; it’s the LOVE OF money that is at the root of all evil. And here, we can replace money with possessions (more specifically, the obsession with possessions). This is shown through Marian’s obsession with the Allardyces estate and possessions therein, Ben’s sexual obsession with his wife (as an object to possess), and the house’s evil energy possessing and draining the family. Anyone who’s ever owned a car, a house, or any kind of property can relate to what this family is going through. We know it as viral consumerism, or the toxic desire to acquire material objects (in today’s language, we can include experiences), which can begin to dominate one’s life. Furthermore, we’ve all been there, experiencing that feeling that repairs to, taxes on, and upkeep of property (be it cars, houses, or anything really) can become a burden that is figuratively unbearable. Ostensibly, the property and experiences we sought to possess, in an ironic twist of fate, now possess us.

The horror of Burnt Offerings is portrayed as a manifestation of the family’s inner turmoil. We aren’t given much to go on, as far as the family’s backstory, but clearly the facade of a happy couple is merely a thin veneer covering a very unhappy marriage–one that is using this summer get-away as a means to rectify. Although not specified, Ben is likely a teacher or non-tenure track college professor because his family is there for the summer (I infer this because Marian encourages Ben to work on his doctorate, something I intend to do as soon as I land a full-time staff/faculty position at the university where I’ve taught part-time for over five years). The manifestation of the internal conflict is expressed through the atmosphere and external behavior of the characters, much in the same way we witness this in The Shining, but more effectively witnessed in Rosemary’s Baby. The screenplay by Nolan (and Curtis) grafts this familial dysfunction onto the haunted house conventions to create an eerie sense of tension, both supernaturally and psychologically. As we observe how the Rolf family interacts in public (in front of the Allardyces) and in private (in their vehicle in a Shining-like motif), it’s easy to imagine that perhaps the “right people,” the Allardyces seek for the house, are ones living under a pressure cooker of repressed animosity and barely controlled hostilities.

Lastly, but certainly not least are the overall performances! Everyone in Burnt Offerings delivers a stellar performance. Talk about an award-winning, powerhouse ensemble! From the leads to our supporting cast, you will be delighted at the top shelf quality of the actors and their respective characters. What I appreciate most about each performance is just how authentic they were, no matter if the actor was playing a lead or supporting character. Both Reed and Black completely sell audiences on the stages of the relationship between their two characters as they go from happy to toxic couple, and it all feels so incredibly genuine. Montgomery’s performance as their son is par for the course, but effective and believable enough in this story (albeit he sometimes acts a little older than a 12-year-old would act). Burgess Meredith and Eileen Heckart simultaneously convince audiences their characters are jolly, eccentric siblings–yet there is a nuance of something creepy underneath. But the performance you really want to know about is the incomparable Bette Davis as Aunt Elizabeth. You get it all: Davis’ trademark sassy personality, witty quips, independence, and her eyes! Yes, those Bette Davis eyes that are a hallmark of cinema. One of the most beautiful faces the silver screen has ever seen, and yet she was adamant that she look like her character should look. Therefore, you eventually get a haggard, makeup-less, decrepit old woman that is the complete 180º from how we commonly see Davis. She delivers a fantastic performance, and you will be left wondering why she didn’t do more horror films to rescue herself from TV movie hell in the latter part of her career, from the golden age until she passed away in 1989.

If you are a fan of 1970s horror, The Shining, Poltergeist, Rosemary’s Baby, or Amityville Horror, I feel confident that you will enjoy this film. While it’s not a great horror film, it is a solidly good one that fans of the genre will likely appreciate. In retrospect, there is so much to unpack in this dreamlike, haunting gothic horror motion picture. Perhaps audiences at the time it was originally released weren’t ready for this methodical haunted house film.

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Ryan teaches American and World Cinema at the University of Tampa. If you like this article, check out the others and FOLLOW this blog! Interested in Ryan making a guest appearance on your podcast or contributing to your website? Send him a DM on Twitter or email him at RLTerry1@gmail.com! If you’re ever in Tampa or Orlando, feel free to catch a movie with or meet him in the theme parks!

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Scream-A-Geddon 2018

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You’ll want to experience the horror again and again. Scream-A-Geddon, located in Dade City, Florida is definitely worth the drive. No question. If you’ve ever wanted to visit one of those haunted house or Halloween events that you find in all those shows on The CW, then visit the houses and offerings of this “horror theme park.” With five exceptional houses, including a haunted trail, plus zombie paintball, and the fact you can make a homemade s’more over the open camp fires, this is by far a don’t-miss local haunt in Central Florida.

From the moment you enter the haunted grounds of Scream-A-Geddon, you will be faced with terrifying wandering scareactors standing in your way between you and the haunted houses and mazes. After confronting ghostly dolls and sinister clowns, you may have worked up quite the appetite. Good thing there are many food options. Of all the delicious “fair food” options, my personal favorite is the s’more kit. That’s right! Scream-A-Geddon offers many camp fires (not for warmth, it’s Florida haha) but for roasting marshmallows and making that quintessential autumnal treat. I had so much fun! Like, for real. I cannot remember the last time that I had the opportunity to make a real s’more with crispy graham crackers and an official Hershey bar.

After savoring every bite of my freshly made s’more, my friend Michael and I made our way over to the Zombie Paintball entrance! Taking the place of the former haunted hay ride, this is a premium offering requiring an additional nominal charge. But I assure you, it’s well worth it! We were ushered past the fair queue of guests to the bus and were greeted by the paramilitary commander who instructed us to take our seat on the bus. I was particularly excited about this opportunity because I had never shot a gun before. At least one that wasn’t attached to the shooting gallery at Magic Kingdom. Once seated, the bus began to take off. The commander informed us of our directions to kill the zombies before they overtake the town. With a great production design including set pieces from the former Haunted Hayride plus new additions and florescent paintballs, this attraction is highly interactive and immersive. It’s a not-to-be missed attraction at Scream-A-Geddon this year.

After taking-out more than a dozen zombies, we jaunted over to a new house for this year. Demon’s Revenge. Such an incredible haunted maze. Unlike the houses at HHN and HOS, the houses at SAG where you are on a figurative conveyor belt navigating the house, SAG only sends through small groups. This enables you to experience more scares without seeing them up ahead and the opportunity to get lost in the maze. Although it is ultimately difficult to get completely lost in the maze, there are plenty of twists, turns, and dead ends that you may encounter. Fortunately, whilst remaining in character, the scareactors will redirect you if you do stray too far from the path. The overall theme of Demon’s Revenge is an old church building that is now overrun with an evil witch’s coven. The costumes and effects are fantastic! You’ll find dragons, Poltergeist-like giant ghosts, and more in this claustrophobic labyrinth of narrow passageways and everything that goes bump in the night.

When we narrowly escaped the coven, and navigated our way out of the old church building, we walked over to test our wits against the Dead Woods. Unlike the simulated woods that are created at HHN and HOS, this horror attraction takes you through the woods–literally. Within only the stars and a glowstick as your source of light, you make your way down the dark pathways through a village inhabited by a cast of characters that typify hillbilly horror. Not one or two cabins in the woods await you, but several that you must pass through without becoming dinner–uhh, I mean asked to stay for dinner. Dead Woods returns for another year of effective scares! The concept of a haunted woods is something that I feel truly adds to the Halloween experience. Something about it feels like Halloween. It may have still been in the 70s or 80s as we braved the Dead Woods, but everything else about it screamed Halloween!

Another returning house this year is Infected: Ground Zero. But just because it is returning for another year of terror, that does not mean that you can plan for it to be the same. What IS the same, is the returning option for additional interaction with the scareactors. By opting for the glow necklace, you give the attraction permission to get up close and personal with you. This can be anything from a creepy body check to being placed in a body bad or even having your hair buzzed off to check for deadly spores (okay, you’re not really going to lose your hair). Another effective layout! Much like with the other houses, this one too feels like a legitimate maze. Be careful which way you go through this infectious diseases camp. You may find yourself face to melting-off-face with those who have already come in contact with the deadly disease.

Across the midway stands Blackpool Prison. A prison more notorious than Leavenworth, Alcatraz, or Shawshank. This prison is filled with the most vile of criminals, many of which are serving time for violent crimes. Like with Infected, this house is also an interactive one, when wearing the glow necklace. Enter if you dare, because you may not be able to break out of this prison. From the moment you enter the dark, dank prison walls, you will be confronted by ruthless and sinister prisoners. By wearing the necklace, you may also find yourself dragged into cells and forced to crawl through small openings in the walls in order to find the exit. In order to keep things warm at the winter, there is a furnace in which you may be thrown. One cell leads to another, with no end in sight. Terrifying imagery and scares await you around every corner, and where you least expect them. An A-class haunted maze experience.

Lastly, Rage 3D was a new addition for 2017 and return with its killer clowns this year. The 3D classes truly enhance the experience of this house. The production design is fantastically colorful! But the surreal effects do not stop there. By far, this is the best clown horror house I have ever been in, and I’ve been to some great ones at HHN and HOS. Next level scary! Scary because you are a little disoriented the entire time, all the while clowns are jumping out at you. You even have to pass through a mirrored room with both fake and real clowns, and you never know which is which. Walls will fall in on you and you’ll have to walk through a spinning tunnel. The lighting and color effects are what impresses me most about this house. Of course, the clowns are nightmarish themselves!

There you have it! Now that you’ve read about it, you need to experience it for yourself. Visit Scream-A-Geddon‘s website for details and tickets!

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Visit Scream-A-Geddon‘s website for details and tickets!

Howl-O-Scream 2018 Full Review

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Howl-O-Scream is here, and there is #NowhereToHide from the hoards of zombies, killer toys, sociopathic butchers, and more! Opening this past weekend, Busch Gardens’ annual Halloween event kicked off with thunderous applause from all  the fiends that dared face the horrors of the six houses and scare zones. With some new additions to the HOS lineup, this year was screamtastic! From coasters with zombies to great food and drinks, Busch Gardens provides the best value for a large scale haunted event. Enter if you dare, but be warned that there are terrors around every corner and where you least expect them to be, including on Busch Gardens’ heart-heart-pounding coasters! Might just find yourself riding next to a vomit-inducing zombie. In her encore year, HOS also bids the queen of Death Water Bayou a ghoulish farewell. Select night from now until October 27th, you don’t want to miss a single epic moment of Howl-O-Scream 2018 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

The frights begin even before you enter the from gate. Wandering hoards of a variety of all that goes bump in the night will be your personal poltergeist. In order to make sure you make the most of your time at HOS, I highly recommend the front-of-the-line pass. Fortunately, my friend and I had them on opening night, and it allowed us to move about casually about the event. Even if you do not elect to get the front-of-the-line pass, you will most likely make it to all the houses if you begin right at start time. But, the best way to experience HOS is every night of the event with the season pass. With general admission prices well below Halloween Horror Nights, Howl-O-Scream provides park guests with the most band for your buck. I am often asked by my followers on Twitter which event is more fun or to compare the two, and I often reply with the cliche analogy of apples and oranges because both are fruit, yet unique. Whereas HHN has a much higher production quality, HOS has the better scares. At least, that rings true for my friends and me who attend both these events every year. We go to HHN for the familiar IPs and to HOS to get scared. After all these years, it is getting more and more difficult to startle or scare me. So scare factor is important when I attend a theme park or local haunt.

Entering the park from the Nairobi Gate (for the media event), I found myself in the Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) scare zone. The costumes were brilliant! Between the Mexican themed food, music, and the projections on the Moroccan Palace, it was truly an immersive scare zone to kick the opening night festivities off in a superb fashion. After celebrating the Day of the Dead with the inhabitants of that scare zone, my friend Dani and fellow Tweep Off of the Go were on our way to checkin to one of this year’s new houses Insomnia. Insomnia is in the location where Zombie Containment Unit used to be, and it’s a HUGE upgrade. In fact, Insomnia is in the running to be the most popular this year. In the Insomnia house, you are walking through a disturbing psychiatric hospital of the most bizarre nature. While touring this sinister place, you will encounter unimaginable terror around every corner. You’ll not only want to watch out for deadly patients but what lurks in the walls and ceilings. If you can make it out alive, you’ll have more to worry about than Freddy Krueger next time you go to sleep. Maybe it’s best if you never sleep again.

One of my favorite parts of Howl-O-Scream every year is the annual Fiends show!! Consistently irreverent and hilariously funny, this show is the highlight of my experience each year. I was especially excited for it this year because Universal canceled the Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure show. As much as I enjoy the macabre nature of the houses and scare zones, Fiends provides park guests an opportunity to laugh! This laughter is both immensely entertaining and it cleanses the pallet for continued enjoyment of the horrifying attractions. Join Dr. Freakenstein, Igor, their sexy pink nurses and all the rest of the fiends as they celebrate Dr. Freakenstein’s birthday number 666. The jokes are funnier, lewder, racier than ever—it’s the honor comedy show not to be missed. Fiends consistently delivers an incredible show that will hold your attention and cause you to possibly engage in uncontrollable laughter the entire time. Whoever writes the show, must have an amazingly fun time doing so! Dr. Freakenstein and Igor are equal opportunity offenders. No one is safe from their riffs and banter. Especially a certain orange-skinned individual with a terrible combover. So much eye candy at the show. Whether you’re looking for sexy pink female nurses, mesmerizingly beautiful vampires, hot shirtless male dancers, or totally rad mummies that can breakdance like no one’s business, you will find them in Dr. Freakenstein’s Castle.

Next door to Fiends is The Black Spot pirate themed haunted maze. Likely in its final year, this is a house returning from the last few years  that invites park guests to enter into a treacherous land of pirates, sea creatures, treasure, and curses. One of my favorite things about this house is entering in through a pirate ship and encountering a massive rock skull. It may not be one of my favorite houses this year, but I do enjoy the themed design. The scares could use a little work, but the production design is solid. Personally, I prefer Dead Fall, which was in this location prior to Black Spot. Once we disembarked the pirate ship, we needed to head for our hotel—motel, rather. The journey would not be as simple as hailing a taxi or requesting an Uber. We had to make the journey on foot through the Deadly Toys scare zone. There is little more terrifying and creepy than that which is otherwise innocent, being twisted into something truly sinister. Chainsaw wielding teddy bears, possessed dolls, killer clowns, and more. Even the toy boxes are enough to strike fear in your mind. Once we escaped the clutches of the dolls, bears, and clowns, we arrived at our destination

Motel Hell is still my favorite house at HOS. Of all the houses, it is the most detailed and elaborate. If there was any one house at HOS that was of an HHN original house quality, it is Motel Hell. I feel that it is the strongest house for effective and consistent theming that works to transport you from a theme park to a rundown motel from the 1950s. Every room in this motel has something terrifying to offer the residents. And yes, it’s complete with that 1940s scratchy high pitched record music too. Something straight out of Insidious. Even though each room is unique, there is still a great deal of coherency in the design. You never feel that you have been taken out of the story. Underneath beds, in bath tubs, in dark corners, and behind the walls, it will feel that there is no way out of this hell. Just when you think it’s over, that’s when the scar actors will get you. In addition to being the best in design, it’s also the most fun house. Lots of horror tropes here!

Located across from Motel Hell is Busch Gardens’ first area to be recommended for 17 years of age and up. With no one checking IDs, I am not sure how this is monitored but I imagine that if someone under the age of 17 wonders in, they have been warned that this is a disturbing area. After all, you are in a meat market. Animals and humans too. There are elements of this scare zone that are not for the faint of heart. If you’re looking to get a great HOS photo, then the photo opportunities in Meat Market are for you. With several to choose from, there is a setting for every fiend. Simon’s Slaughterhouse is a new house for HOS this year that is recommended for those who are 17 years of age and older because of the disturbing and intense material. In this house, you may be separated from your group at the front entrance, which alone can increase the terror level. As you navigate this claustrophobic maze through a sinister slaughterhouse, you will encounter the sounds of meat being harvested, and I am not just talking animals.

If you emerge mostly unscathed from Simon’s Slaughterhouse, you’ll want to make your way to visit the excavation at Unearthed. Returning this year, Unearthed’s maze is modified and additional props are used. Instead of entering the house from the Gwazi platform and walking past that amazing animatronic tree that I’ve always found impressive, you enter in from the basement, so to speak. In order to find your way through the maze, you are given a flashlight. A nice touch! My friend Dani carried the flashlight for us so I could take pictures. Speaking of which, unless you have a lens with a wide-open aperture, photos in side the houses are actually difficult to take. Other than the entrance, the house is largely unchanged. Like Motel Hell, I find that this one has a solid production design, full of details. One of the things that I feel is missing from this house, that cold improve it, is a coherent story. When it was first revealed a few years ago, it has more of a story than it does now. Bringing that back, can assist in the over all experience of this house.

Standing between you and the park’s exit is the Hell on Wheels scare zone. I hope you’re not hungry or thirsty when approaching this scare zone. You see, a notorious gang has staked claim to the food and water supplies after an apocalyptic event. You cannot outrun these bad ass motorcycle gang members, and with #NowhereToHide, you are going to be on the run of your life. Lots of sliders in this area, and those sliders’ scares are always effective. Although we found ourselves in the front of the park, we still wanted to visit the Camp DOA scare zone in the back of the park. Dani and I also had a few scareactors that we wanted to find! We were also craving a pretzel dog from Pantopia. Dani has a friend who’s one of the scareactors in the Maniac Midway, and we missed her earlier when we rode Falcon’s Fury.

Since we arrived in Pantopia before her friend came out, we took a moment to grab our pretzel dogs from that dope quick service location near Falcon’s Fury. I greatly appreciate Busch Garden’s for doing their best to include so many local horror enthusiast and actors who just want to have fun scaring and creeping out HOS guests. No matter if someone may not have the range of physical abilities as others. If you show an enthusiasm for a desire to scare the HOS guests, then Busch Gardens will do their best to accommodate and include you. After spending a moment getting scared by Dani’s friend who was hiding in the shadows in order to startle those who venture into the midway overrun by maniac clowns. Next we made our way over to Sheikra to catch one of my new friends I’ve met on Twitter (MisfitsUnmanaged) who is playing a cider smoking chain-saw wielding clown. But before we can get to Sheikra, we must pass through the Camp DOA scare zone. Located where the Wasteland scare zone used to be, this scare zone is a great interpretation of summer camp slasher horror movies. I love this quick story because it just goes to show how social media can provide an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals! Fortunately, the timing worked so that MisfitsUnmanaged was going to be coming out as Dani and I were in the Sheikra area. Lastly, I needed to see another friend of mine that I figure skate with who was playing a ghost-like zombie in the front of the park. Timing was perfect, we got to get our picture together!

Well, there you have it! A comprehensive review of Howl-O-Scream 2018 at Busch Gardens!  Although opening weekend has come and gone, you still have many more weekends to enjoy this event! With tickets starting at $39, it’s a fantastic value that gives you the most bank for your buck. I need to return to ride Cheetah Hunt and Skeikra with scareactors, but that just gives me even more reason to get the season pass so I can go back time and time again.

 

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Support Local! Exploring Central Florida’s Community Haunts

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Written by Ryan L. Terry & Derek Rosenberg

While Universal parks have Halloween Horror Nights, Busch Gardens parks host Howl-O-Scream, Knott’s Berry Farm celebrates Halloween with Knott’s Scary Farm as well as many other theme parks’ Halloween events, don’t forget that your area may also offer some great local haunts to terrify you during this festive season made up of what haunts you in your nightmares. Whether you are searching for a local haunt that has that quintessential small town Halloween feel or you seek a haunt that takes you where no theme park can without getting sued, there is likely a haunted house or trail located within driving distance of your house that beckons for you to brave the horrors that lie within.

I must confess, I have not supported my local Central Florida area haunts in the past–and that’s always bothered me. Always spent my time at the Universal, Disney, Busch Gardens, and SeaWorld events. So this year, I made it a point to make it to at least one, if not more, in order to support local Halloween enthusiasts who enjoy crafting something enjoyably terrifying for the community to enjoy during the Halloween season. And you know what I found? Local haunts are great! They can do things that theme parks aren’t able to do for reasons of liability. They can also do little things that enhance the experience by giving the haunt a more intimate feel. I am certainly not disappointed with my experience; and friends of mine that have supported local haunts this year as well, have commented that the haunted trails and houses offered uniquely fun experiences.

Our first stop is Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail! Located between Tampa and Orlando in Plant City, famous for the annual Strawberry Festival, Sir Henry’s offers two trails and a house. The house was an addition to the annual trails because it was located in Bartow, FL where it suffered major damage from Hurricane Irma. The folks at Sir Henry offered to include the house in order for the owners to recuperate the money it takes to build and support a haunted house AND for additional exposure from people who wouldn’t ordinarily drive the hour from Orlando or Tampa for a local house. Talk about an excellent example of a community uniting after a disaster! I gathered from that story that the owners, designers, and builders of local haunted attractions must be a close-knit community that steps in to help one another out, all while maintaining friendly competition amongst each other.

Parking was free! That was a great start to Sir Henry. You can purchase admission individually for the trails and house (three total attractions), or you can buy a combo ticket. My two friends and I purchased the combo ticket for $30 (saved $6). Individually, the attractions sell for $12/ea. From the moment we walked in, we knew that it would be fun. There were fire pits roaring, people roasting marshmallows, local vendors selling souvenirs and Halloween decorations, and kids whose parents obviously dropped them off for a night of nightmarish experiences. It felt like I stepped into a Halloween event held in one of those towns found in shows on The CW–you know the ones I’m talking about. I was thoroughly impressed by the craftsmanship and simple but effective technologies used in bringing these houses to life. A big difference between the theme park events and these local haunts is the group size. At Sir Henry, groups are broken up into smaller groups of three or four. Furthermore, guests are sent through the trails and house in intervals. This is instrumental in a desire for each guest to experience a scare without seeing it up ahead with other group. The trails and house were definitely maze-like in the design, because we took a few wrong turns and had to backtrack–only to find our pathway blocked by scareactors.

One of my favorite effects that I saw at Sir Henry’s was the fog and green laser that made it look like a swamp. Come to find out, that effect is achieved by cooling the fog to a temperature that causes it to remain condensed and about 3-4 feet above the ground. The addition of the green laser effect actually made it feel like I was wading through a swamp as my friends and I were navigating the maze. Being out in a field was a lot of fun and much different than being in a theme park setting. I really had no idea where scares were going to be; and therefore, I was always processing from turn to turn with heightened senses. It was a great feeling! Demented colonists, abandoned subdivisions, deadly butchers, chainsaw wielding sociopaths, you’ll find them all at Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail in Plant City, Florida.

Let’s head over to Winter Haven, located between Orlando and Lakeland.

The Shallow Grave has been a staple haunted attraction in Winter Haven, Florida for the last 5 years. I have always heard great things about this haunt and had never taken the time to experience it, but couldn’t pass it up this year, after hearing it will be their last year due to low attendance numbers. Built in a 13,000 square foot warehouse, Shallow Grave offers two haunted mazes giving you two very different experiences. Parking is $5 in the field across the street and as soon as we arrived the atmosphere was electric. They have several different ticket options including General Admission for $25 (includes both houses, one admission per house), Quick Death for $40 (allows you to skip the lines, one admission per house), Feargasm Pass for $35 (unlimited access to both houses), Season Pass for $150 (admission to each house for all 14 nights they are open), and the Combo Pass with Chamber of Terror for $55. They also sell Shallow Grave t-shirts to really support your local haunt. There are a few animatronic figures or statues outside the houses that add to the creepy atmosphere and allow for some great photo ops. Standing in line was where we got our first taste of how this is different than your typical theme park haunt. Scareactors are milling about outside the houses, pushing through the lines and popping up to scare guests before they even make it inside. They then tend to be happy to pose for a photo to show off their costumes and makeup.

Now we get into the houses. Updated for 2017 we first have Betrayal. You find yourselves on the haunted property of Thaddeus Van Buren during a rise of the undead. Shambling zombies and chainsaw wielding hillbillies stalk this maze which includes a rundown house and graveyard. This felt like a pairing of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre with a zombie flick, which are two of my favorite genres. The returning house this year is Pavor Nocturnus (latin for night terror) which delves into the realm of phobias and those subconscious fears you might not realize you have. This house covers spiders, caves, snakes, swamps, voodoo, prison, hospitals, and asylums in all the best and worst ways possible. With sets and props that match Busch Garden’s Howl-O-Scream quality, scareactors grisly costumes and makeup, and not your average animatronics and puppets, you haven’t been through a maze quite like these before. These are the scariest houses I’ve ever been through, which comes from several reasons. They only let groups of 6 through the house at a time and there isn’t always a clear indication of which way you are supposed to go, so it does truly feel like you’re having to find your way through this maze of horrors. The scareactors are also able to touch you and although it’s typically only a light squeeze of your arm, it’s a whole different experience once that barrier of “safety” is shattered. Having been going to haunted events at theme parks for the last 12 years, I can say that this is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. It’s a real shame that this is their last year and I’ve only gone once. I’m hoping they find a new home or financial backer so we can see The Shallow Grave return in the future.

Now, we head to Downtown Tampa for quite the unique experience!

When buying tickets we went with the Combo Pass so that we could also check out the Chamber of Terror in Tampa, Florida. This haunt is built on the SS American Victory, a WWII-era cargo shipped docked behind the Florida Aquarium in Channelside. Parking is available at the Channelside Parking Garage across the street from the aquarium. Ticket options include General Admission for $25, Immediate Demise for $40 (skip the line pass), and the Combo Pass with The Shallow Grave for $55 (skip the lines pass for both locations). From the moment you walk up to this haunt it feels different than any other because you’re walking up to an actual ship. Walking down the darkened alley to the water for the reveal of a huge ship is pretty spectacular. Scareactors amble around outside ready to scare you in line as a taste of what’s to come. Soon you will find yourself deep in the hold of this haunted ship, inhabited by Captain Berwick and his undead crew, lashing out to terrorize you and hoping to add some new bodies to their hoard.

Our combo pass allowed us to skip the line so we almost immediately were sent up the gangplank onto the deck of the ship. The steel door swings open and a group of 6 are beckoned through by an undead shipmate who leads you to the elevator. Here you are shut into a box where the only light is being shown in your face by a scareactor holding a flashlight and shouting while lowering us down into the depths of the ship. What follows is a twisting, turning maze of narrow corridors and staircases that take you through many different sections of the ship including the main deck, which gives you a nice view of the water. This haunt is interesting because each section of the ship plays out like an interactive scene that plays for your group before being reset for the group following well behind you. The costuming and props are great and the scareactors have no problem invading your personal space, especially in the crew quarters. The different levels of the ship disorient you into not knowing where the next scare is coming from and where the terror will take you next. While I didn’t find this haunt as scary as Shallow Grave, it was still a lot of fun and a different experience than I’ve had before. I definitely plan to check out the Chamber of Terror in the years to come to see what changes are made and for more nautical haunt fun.

The final stop on our tour of Central Florida’s local haunts was Scream-A-Geddon in Dade City. Having only been around for a few years, it’s the newest local haunt in greater Orlampa (Orlando/Tampa). We had such a great time! A fantastic variety of haunts including three houses, one trail, and a hayride! That’s right. A Hayride in Florida! From the moment we entered, we could tell that we were in for a spooktacular time. The theme of the event revolves around a classic carnival setup. The ticket windows, entrances, and midway resemble a classic carnival or traveling circus. The scareactors are not confined to the houses, but there are roaming sociopaths and ghastly hillbillies throughout the midway. In addition to the official haunts, Scream-A-Geddon also offers a gift shop, carnival food, and even games. If you’re feeling a big cold, there are two giant fire pits as well. With the night being unseasonably cold for Florida, the climate added to the experience because it felt like how Halloween is supposed to feel in the air.

Blackpool Prison is where the worst of the worst criminals are sent and during a blackout the inmates take control. This was our first house of the night and it was probably the best place to start. Here we were introduced to an element that makes Scream-A-Geddon different than most other haunts, the interactive glow stick necklace. Before you go inside the house, those who are 18 or older are given the option to either go in as a spectator or to where a glow stick necklace to become part of the horror, which allows the scareactors to interact with you. We’re sent into the prison in a group of 6, with 2 in our party wearing necklaces, and I took point. I was almost immediately grabbed by an inmate, taken into a cell, and shoved up against a wall where the inmate screamed in my face that I was going to die in this prison. I was then sent back out of the cell and, having been separated from my group, had to walk alone through the house for a while. Our friend Dani was also grabbed several times and between us we were yelled at, shoved against walls, locked into jail cells, threatened with bodily harm, and in Dani’s case with having her teeth pulled out. The house was very dark and smoky to simulate a rioting prison during a blackout, with threatening inmates and the few prison guards still left alive begging for our help. The set pieces weren’t as spectacular as other haunts, but the atmosphere coupled with walking through sections of this house alone makes that forgivable. This was a great introduction of the best parts of Scream-A-Geddon and got us ready for what was to come in our second house.

We then headed over to check out Infected: Ground Zero, the new house for 2017. Following a meteorite crashing near a rural campsite, a viral infection rapidly spreads, leading to a military quarantine of the area. Before heading out into the chaos we are again asked if we wanted to spectate or take part, Dani and I opted in again and were sent in as a group of 6. Dani was almost immediately grabbed and pulled away from our group and we didn’t see her again until we made it out of the house. This haunt is a maze through quarantine tents, dilapidated cars, and a house of cannibalistic horror. I was eventually grabbed and stuck in an X-ray room where I was hit with a bright light and blast of air and toward the end of the haunt I was pulled into a tent off the main path where the scareactor began shaving my hair to help stave off the infection. The end section was a squared off maze of lit tents, a central tower that spewed fire out the top every 60 seconds or so, and a chainsaw wielding madman chasing you through to the exit. After we made it out we were reunited with Dani where she told us of her experiences inside, which included: being zipped in a body bag and left alone for a few minutes, being forced onto a table where a buzz saw was ran across her forehead, and nearly being grabbed by another scareactor to be given a shot with the antidote. The frantic nature of this haunt was incredible and never knowing what the next section might hold made it the best experience Scream-A-Geddon has to offer and an experience that should not be missed.

The next two haunts on our tour placed us in the middle of the woods–Dead Woods to be precise. At this offering, you are sent on a deathly journey through the woods surrounding a nearly abandoned settlement with only a few cabins remaining. Lurking within the walls of these cabins in the woods, are deadly settlers who refused to leave when the rest of the village took to the city. While the haunts of this attraction were spread a little too thin for my taste–lots of “dead” space–the design of the cabins was great! Derek, Dani, and I really enjoyed the concept and layout. In the future, Scream-A-Geddon may want to consider making each cabin a different theme or including a greater variety of scares. This was also the longest wait, and over all woods did not justify the wait time. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun. But I think this attraction could use a little more “haunt” to compensate for the longer than average wait. Having to use a light stick to find our way was a lot of fun and added to the experience of being lost in the woods. Although using a faceod of a cabin would have sufficed for some haunts, this offering boasted five full cabins that we walked through and encountered the locals who were not happy that we were uninvited house guests. Probably because we witnessed all the sinister things they were up to. Walking through the haunted woods on our self-guided tour, was a great experience!

From walking through haunted woods to riding on a tractor-drawn hay wagon, we headed over to Cursed Hayride. This was my favorite experience at the carnival of terrors because it offers a unique experience. Unique for this part of Florida because hay isn’t something that you see in numerous quantities around the area, especially if you live in an urban core. I hadn’t been on a hayride in more than a decade. Although the ride load, unload and guest circulation could be improved a little, the wait wasn’t terrible. And certainly worth the experience. The theme was two part haunted farm and one part Old Western ghost town. The ride was filled with several pyro effects and scareactors to terrify you on your journey. A small group of girls on our hay wagon were particularly terrified and were all over the wagon. Along your ride, you will encounter farm equipment the has a mind of its own and will try to bail you will the hay. Watch out for a giant man-eating gator too. My favorite part was going through the ghost town. Reminded me a lot of the Western scene in the late Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In fact, I remarked “what is this, Joisey???” An homage to the gangster on GMR. The tour through the ghost town was complete with a bank robbery, shoot out between the law and outlaws, and a terrifying priest. Such a unique experience that ranks highly for me this season.

Our last experience of the night was Bedlam 3D, which is a trip through a carnival madhouse gone mad. No interactive glow stick necklaces here, everyone gets the same experience. Taking some cues from Circus of Superstition 3D that ran at Busch Garden’s Howl-O-Scream for many years, we are sent through a glow in the dark, neon colored, clown invested, insane asylum. The 3D used here is similar to what you’ll see at other haunted theme park attractions, but is different than what you see in the theater. ChromaDepth 3D relies on the color spectrum where red appears to pop out at you, and blue appears to recede, with differing levels of depth effect for colors that fall in between. This was not the scariest house, but it was incredibly fun. The 3D effects, paint, and laser lights made the house very disorienting. The whole house is lit by black lights, so everything glowed, and it gave a really unsettling effect on the clowns’ makeup and costumes. Some good uses of drop doors, moving props, and a bungie scare really gave this house a zany feel and the scareactors were having a great time confusing guests on which way they needed to go through the maze. This was honestly one of the best 3D haunts I’ve ever been through and a really fun way to end our night.

Well, there you have folks! We’ve explored some excellent haunts outside the world of the theme parks, and hope we have encouraged you to support your local haunts (those that are open on Halloween and the remainder of the week). It really is so important to support your local haunted attractions because they have some great ideas and love to scare you! Whether the local haunt is someone’s sole livelihood or a glorified hobby, they should be encouraged to keep going and developing ideas because this is a way to support your local artistic community. As much fun as you have being scared, those who direct, act in, or build these community offerings love to see you having fun. And in order for these haunts remain around for you to enjoy, it’s important to spend the time and money at them so they can keep growing! This Halloween, remember to support local!

Full Review of Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa

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“Enjoy it while YOU last!” Howl-O-Scream (HOS) opened at Busch Gardens Tampa this past weekend! With two new houses, new scare zones, and the Fiends show’s new venue, it’s definitely an exciting event to attend this Halloween season, and one you don’t want to miss. More apparent than in years’ past, HOS is definitely growing in production value as it continues to draw upon the same visitors and locals in central Florida as HHN does. I’m often asked which event is better. And there is no one answer or even a simple answer, at that, with which to respond. The truth is, both events are equally enjoyable; but, it’s important to note that they are really two different experiences. What I appreciate year after year at HOS is the scare-factor. I’m consistently more scared at HOS than at HHN. Since Busch Gardens knows that they cannot compete with Universal on familiar TV and movie IPs that Universal can license, they choose to focus on the element of the jump scare–and it’s successful. If you’re like me, you’ll find yourself jumping more at HOS than you will at HHN. On the topic of IPs and by extension, production value, HOS has delivered some excellent houses that are on the verge of being on par with the HHN original IPs. Once Busch Gardens is able to license a familiar horror/suspense/thriller television show or motion picture, it will be quite the rival for HHN. Another area that HOS has capitalized on moreso than HHN is the availability of full bars. HHN does not offer full bars at the event (instead they have specialty drinks and beer). HOS offers several full liquor bars during the event, so you can get basic cocktails and such to enjoy while you scream your lungs off. With the addition of Reoccurring Nightmare tickets, HOS now offers the equivalent to the Rush of and Frequent Fear passes at HHN.

Like with HHN, there is no better night to experience HOS than opening night! The scare-actors are at full energy, the houses are at full nightmare status, and you get to experience the horrors with others who comprise the fan base of theme park Halloween events. Since Busch Gardens does not replace all the houses each year, I usually like to start with the new ones. This year, Busch Gardens Howl-O-Sceam debuted Demented Dimensions and Undead Arena LIVE. Both are excellent! The first house my friends and I visited was Demented Dimensions. Since Demented Dimensions is located in the Pantopia area of the park, we had to brave the streets of a deadly old folks home and a sinister circus. We got the biggest kick out of seeing actual senior members of our community put on bloody garbs and scary masks and haunt our steps through their scare zone. Good for them! This is a sign that BG HOS seeks to involve anyone who wants to spend the evening scaring park guests. Following a daring escape from the dentureless jaws of the hoard of old folks, we proceeded to brave the insidiously fun Carnie Camp. Quite the freak show, this circus will have you narrowly escaping the sinister carnies as you make your way through the three rings. Lastly, we had to pass through Wasteland (a scare zone reprise from last year) that looks like something out of a nightmarish Mad Max world). Following our emergence from Wasteland, we crossed over into another dimension–a demented dimension. Demented Dimensions, taking the place of Zombie Mortuary, is filled with a sensory overload of twists, turns, and physics-defying spectacles as you walk though this homage to that which only exists in your nightmares. Having arrived before the majority of the crowd, my friends and I had the house to ourselves. The best part about that is being the target of every scare-actor in the house. The theme of the house was quite fluid and continually immersed me within the multi-dimensional experience.

From Demented Dimensions to the treacherous high seas, the next house on our agenda was Black Spot, the pirate themed house from last year. Largely unchanged, this house is still a top notch one and has a near-Universal quality about it. Feels like what you would experience if Magic Kingdom’s Pirates of the Caribbean ever became haunted. Such an enjoyable thrill! I enjoyed it as much this year as I did last year. Like with Demented Dimensions, we had this one to ourselves too, so the scare-actors were out in full force to frighten us as we navigated the dark seas. After making it safely back to shore, we decided to take in the first showing of Fiends now located in the Stanleyville Theatre in the round stage. Even before the show started, I was nearly convinced that this experience was going to be even better than last year because of having a more traditional house layout as opposed to the dining hall feel of Dragon Fire Grill. Prior to the show and between the trivia on screen, the audience is reminded that if you are easily offended by anything that you may want to sit out of Fiends. And that is quite valid. I’ve often thought that Fiends would benefit from taking the adult humor up a notch and taking that envelope and pushing it even further. That is exactly what you get with this year’s show. Having been a part of HOS for all 19 years, each year is a riff on pup culture much in the same vein as the Bill and Ted show at HHN. Fiends returns from the dead funnier than ever! With excellent writing, a hilarious cast, and strategic riffs on pop culture, you have got to make time to see this show when you go to HOS.

After laughing to death at Fiends, we had to face the haunted circus once again. On our way to Death Water Bayou we spotted a motel off the main drag on a side street. Looked quite lonely, sitting on the side of the road with its exterior that seemed frozen in the 1950s. The Motel Shellburn is home to Motel Hell, a house that debuted last year at HOS, and still my favorite house this year. What sets this house apart from the rest of the lineup is the attention to detail and storytelling. From the entrance to the exit, this house IS definitely of an HHN quality. Unless I am mistaken, the exit for this year is different from last year. When you exit the motel, you’ll find yourself in a memorial garden of sorts. And watch out, because you’ll encounter terrifying scare-actors in the cemetery too. Located not far from Motel Hell is the merky depths of Death Water Bayou. If you read my review of this year’s HHN, you’ll remember that I commented on how Universal essentially copied this house for their Dead Waters. Getting to compare the houses back to back, I am convinced that the HOS version of this concept is definitely scarier and just more enjoyable. However, Dead Waters is a little longer than Death Water Bayou. Like with some of the other houses, this one stands out to me because of, like with Motel Hell, the theming outside of the house. I like how it looks like we are walking though a bayou and into a shanty in the back waters of Louisiana. The story of the house begins to immerse you even before entering in through the shadowy front door.

One great aspect to Busch Gardens’ Halloween event is coasters in the dark! All the coasters are open this year at HOS–even newly refurbished Kumba. While a lot of the park guests are there for just the haunted houses, that leaves many of the queues sparsely populated, which means walking right onto the coasters! After leaving Louisiana, we flew to Egypt for Cobra’s Curse and my personal favorite Montu! Nothing beats riding a coast at night! At HHN, for traditional roller coasters, other then Revenge of the Mummy, you have to go from Universal Studios Florida over to Islands of Adventure. Fortunately, Busch Gardens has your coaster need taken care of with all six thrill rides open! That includes Montu, Cobra’s Curse, Kumba, Shiekra, Cheetah Hunt, and Falcon’s Fury. If you arrive early enough to HOS, you will definitely have time for the houses AND the rides! We certainly did. Well, we went to all the houses except Zombie Containment Unit. Wasn’t a big fan of it last year nor the year before, so didn’t want to wait for it this year. The Playground scare zone returns for another disturbingly frightening year, and you’ll have to pass through it’s haunts when you walk from the Moroccan area back towards Pantopia.

From coasters alive with excitement, to one that is a ghost of its former self, we returned to unearth something evil. Unearthed is now in its third year but still just as thrilling as it was when it debuted in 2015. The animatronic tree you pass before entering into the excavation chambers is still so incredibly impressive! Unearthed is another house that encroaches upon HHN quality. Although the house is not new this year, I am pretty sure that there were some extra scares in it this year as opposed to years past. The last house on our agenda was another new one. Just like with the Ringling Bros. circus, Circus of Superstition also closed after last year. But, Gwazi field is still bustling with live undead entertainment at Undead Arena LIVE. In the vein of the circus, this house takes a classic approach to haunts in that it really does feel like a traditional fun house, completely with dead ends, mirrors, and getting split up from your group. If you are more than a group of two, then the carnie barker will split you up into two separate groups as you make your way through the maze. There are scares round every corner as you desperately attempt to find your way out of the mind bending labyrinth of undead terrors.

Well, there you have it! A comprehensive review of Howl-O-Scream 2017. I hope you decide to face your fears at Busch Gardens’ annual event. HOS is going on now through October 29th (last Sunday of October). Tickets are reasonably priced but vary depending on when you choose to go. Consider upgrading to the Reoccurring Nightmare ticket to enjoy all nights of the event.