Howloscream 2018 has begun and it is oh so important to tell you the highs and lows on this years event. Overall, I have to admit it is not the strongest offering this year, but …… there are highlights that overshadow previous years that really make this worth seeing as part of your haunt tour. So how shall we start? Of course …. you want to know the haunted houses!!!!!!

Like previous years, Howloscream offers a couple new houses and recycles previous ones. This year they lost one to bring down the total from 7 to 6. That is not a bad thing though, I never really considered Zombie Containment Center a real haunted house, but rather entertainment shooting gallery with a long line. With that in mind, we are still at 6 houses.

BEST HOUSE AWARD OF 2018


Insomnia wins my award for best haunted house of 2018. I was really impressed at how creepy, yet simple it was. There really were not the pop out scares like the other houses, but rather that eeriness as you walk through that makes the scares work much better. This is a definite MUST DO that I believe will be overlooked by many visiting the park.

BEST DESIGNED HOUSE OF 2018


Simon’s Slaughterhouse is by far the best designed. This recommended 17 and over house really plays with the senses. There is a definite journey through this house as if you were cattle being led to the slaughter. The best part of it for me was the smells. To emphasize where you are there are certain smells prevalent as you walk through the house. I believe this adding to the senses helped the realism and the fun of this house, and made the scares work better because you are taking in through the sense when the scare gets you (yes, one got me in here).

Order of the houses from best to worse with their ratings from 5 screams to 1 scream taking in mind theme and actual scares.

Simon’s Slaughterhouse  (5 Screams)

This disagrees with a lot of the other writers, but I really feel this was masterfully made. Is it recommended for 17 and over?   There is a lot more blood and gore, but it is not as intense as I hoped to have that recommendation. It is a great house to see.

Motel Hell  (4 Screams)

Just the sound of Mr. Sandman playing in the background is enough for me to give it 3 screams, but add the element of jump scares and moves up to 4. I have liked this house the past 2 years and the subtle changes has not changed my feelings for year 3.

Insomnia (3.5 screams)

Even though I rated this the best overall house. It is not the scariest house. I can see this as a lasting house for 2-3 more years with room for addition to make it one of the more scariest houses Howloscream has to offer. It is a must see though.

Death Water Bayou (3.5 Screams)

This home of the voodoo queen has been around for many years, and has always had some of the best scares in all of the park. It still does. Only thing is, it has fewer than before to warrant it 4 screams. See it if you want to jump, but the 2-3 times you do will be the highlight of this house.

Unearthed (3 Screams)

Built under the old Gwazi roller coaster is the highlight of this house. I WANT IT, I BEG IT to be one of the best every years. Just does not do it, though. It is great to walk through, but the magic of the house from it’s first year has been lost. This may be the last year of this house because of the 2019 announcement coming up. It will be missed.

The Black Spot (2 Screams)

This pirate themed house really disappoints in scares. Visually, it is a nice walk through, but the scares are just not there for me. I would save this house for last, and NEVER EVER go to the line right after a Fiends show. The line will always be long at that moment.

THE SCARE ZONES

This year the scare zones failed in my visit. At times I was even wondering if certain zones had scare actors in it or if it was just supposed to scare us visually. I am hoping it was a first night jitters and things will improve which I will see on a future visit. If that turns to be the case, of course I will revise this. The nice thing though is that scare actors can be found anywhere and you are never safe.

FIENDS SHOW

NAUGHTY NURSES, jokes, music, dancing, and did I say NAUGHTY NURSES!!!!!  Of course this is a must see. 

Howloscream 2018 has a strong offering this year and I do recommend it highly. I do hope they go back to the themes of years ago with one definite creature it is built around, but I was happy with it this year. I would recommend Howloscream to you and do insure you get your tickets early online, as it is cheaper than at the gate.

The Thrill Freak 

David “Thrills” is an avid enthusiast of thrill parks and entertainment activities in the Tampa Bay Area. Be sure to follow me on twitter @TheThrillfreak for live tweets, Snapchat @thethrillfreak for that special exciting memory, and  instagram @thrillfreak just or email me at tampathrillme@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns. Pictures are the property of David “Thrills”