Halloween Scare Park Awards
The haunt season of 2021 has ended and it is time to hand out the awards. These categories are awarded for various aspects of what the haunts offer. Sadly, this year, there were no small home haunts participating that I was able to see. That means we will stick with the main awards.
BEST OVERALL ATTRACTION
SCREAM-A-GEDDON Scream-A-Geddon follows up once again in winning the best overall attraction as a scare park in The Tampa Bay and Orlando area. The ability to shoot zombies, as well as the interactiveness of the haunted houses, makes Scream-A-Geddon a must to visit each year, and this year is no different. There are many that I know that comes to this park every year after trying it from my advice, and later telling me “Wow, how did I not know of this?” Be ready for 2022 when Scream-A-Geddon comes back
BEST OVER ALL HAUNTED HOUSE / MAZE
BLOODWATER BAYOU @ SCREAMAGEDDON A totally redesigned and new maze at Scream-A-Geddon. Sometimes I do not like new when I think old works. I really enjoyed the outdoor maze that Scream-A-Geddon had here in the past. For 2022, adding the indoor maze while keeping elements of the outdoor really impressed me. The scares were there also (maybe it was the snakes?) Bloodwater Bayou really hit the mark in scares and ingenious design.
BEST OVERALL THEME TO A SCARE PARK
SIR HENRY’S HAUNTED TRAIL This was a tough category as there were a couple of worthy contenders. Sir Henry’s went back to the drawing board in redesigning their houses, while keeping the flavor of what has worked in the past. The result … 3 very good haunted trails that also kept to the theme of the park they are in. The one thing that made this park a winner though, was a book. Releasing a book that features a backdrop and history of what you will see in the park was ingenious. It made me desire to read the book (review coming soon) and visit the park to envelop personally the vibe of what I read. Authors Amanda Rosenblatt and Brad Acevado brought Zach Glaros’s creations to life and to see and read. Available at Amazon now.
BEST SCARE ZONE
THE JUNKYARD Busch Gardens Howloscream makes the list this year with this scare zone. Scare zones really do not do anything for me, but the trip through the junkyard was also a trip down memory lane of Howloscreams past. This I really enjoyed as everyone was scaring away.
BEST NEW SCARE PARK
HOWLOSCREAM SEA WORLD There were not many new parks in a pandemic filled year, but one decided to jump in the game. Sea World Orlando brought Howloscream to Orlando. The park was themed well and probably had some of the best scare zones of any of the parks. It was obvious they are new to the game, but the potential was there to make it much much more. I look forward to see how it evolves within Sea World and look to see them to be a major player within a few years.
BEST SET DESIGN IN A HAUNTED HOUSE/TRAIL
THE WICKED GROWTH REALM OF THE PUMPKIN Universal Studios usually wins this category as they have the money and licensing to do things in a set design others cannot. This original idea was ingenious and worked. I really loved this trail and it had a few surprises inside I did not expect.
BEST INDIVIDUAL SCARE IN A PARK
HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (at the very end) I go to these parks knowing it takes a lot to scare me, and the rankings I give are usually weighed as to what I observe versus my individual self. There were two instances That I shall never forget. Snakes being one, and the other was at Halloween Horror Nights. Haunting of Hill House was a great maze to begin with. I really soaked it up, never have seeing the show on Netflix. At the end, AFTER I left the darkness thinking it was over, I turned to say something to the woman I was with and this huge 10 foot tall scareactor walked out behind a curtain and really got me good. Almost soiling my pants good (luckily I did not, or she may have made me find my own way home).
BEST SCAREACTOR
THE ZOMBIE AT THE END OF FROZEN TERROR Sea World may be new in the scare game, but they found a scare actor that they better not lose. At the end of this scare zone there is a zombie that stands tall, has weird shaded eyes, and makes the noises that just makes you curdle. He also mastered the jerking moments of his character. I would go to any scare park to see this actor in action. If you all went to Sea World, you do know whom I mean.
As you can see from this list there is a some diversity this year. One park did not take all of the cake. From just coming out of a pandemic, it was a relief to get to these scare parks and experience them. Do you agree with my awards? Let me know!!! What were your favorites? I will see you all in 2022.
David “Thrills” is an avid enthusiast of thrill parks and entertainment activities in the Tampa Bay Area. Be sure to follow me on instagram or twitter for live updates or email me at tampathrillme@gmail.com for any questions or concerns.
