Sea World San Diego Howl-O-Scream Improves In Year Two

San Diego SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream has returned, running select nights now through October 31. Dodging a sophomore slump, the creative team overdue shrewdly learned from last year’s inaugural effort to bring an overall improved event that is leaner, increasingly polished, and plain fun. Howl-O-Scream has a increasingly meaty footprint this year and offers increasingly scares per square inch with two “ScAreas”, six Scare Zones, one show, and five haunted houses.

Scare Zones

The six scare zones imbricate the gambit of Halloween staples from clowns to graveyards withal with a few clever surprises.

Clown Gauntlet

At the archway to Howl-O-Scream we have a clown scare zone. It seems now that if you don’t have an evil clown at your haunt, it’s not Halloween. There were the familiar inflatable cobra and clown with a maurauding hairdo of grinning monsters lurking.  This is moreover where the trappy light tunnel is.  Make sure to pass thorugh here.

Deadly Toys

The scare zone that impressed us the most this year was Deadly Toys.  From the talent to the inventive set pieces this zone was working with frights. In particular the two-face playing the doll in the hoop skirt was particulalry constructive as she glided here and there attempting to lure guests to there doom. There was moreover an impressive doll house exhibit that we took some time to study. Super creepy stuff. Very well done.

The Hauntings

This scare zone was fine as we passed through, with the actors working nonflexible to terrify, but I was honestly a little foggy on what was going on here. Regardless, these people were working to build a vibe of dread and they did it well.

Scares by Jerome Robbins. You theatre geeks will get the joke.

La Llorona

Based on the wonderfully macabre legend, the La Llorona scare zone features strong talent. I am still puzzled by the use of strollers and babies here though as the weft is supposed to be looking for her children that she drwoned. Rich on talent and undercurrent regardless of whether or not it makes sense.

The Graveyard

Ah, the Graveyard. Passing by Electric Eel, we come wideness a hill littered in tombstones, topfull in undecorous light. Reapers roam with their scythes as fog drifts in the air. Meanwhile we pass through a mausoleum, and the undead sprint and lunge virtually us. Good work here.

Sea of Souls

Sea of Souls is flipside unconfined scare zone. This is hands some of the weightier talent at the event, with their engaging satiricalness andswashbuckling charms.

ScAreAs

This year Howl-O-Scream features two places that are stuff reffered to as “ScAreAs”. We aren’t entirely sure what the difference is between this and a scare zone, but it really doesn’t matter as these were both a lot of fun!

Carnival of Chaos

This sprawling, high-energy spot in the park was a lot of fun. Less SCARY and increasingly of a party, Carnival of Chaos featured some wondrous actors that relentlessly interacted with the crowds in this rented section at the front of the park. There is a bar here serving drinks and a stage where a littany of acts perform on the stage.

Make sure to reservation the sunny Mudd the Magnificent. He was a hoot and a unconfined wing to the event.

Vampire Underground

The next ScAreA is Vampire Underground. Here vampires parade well-nigh attempting to convinces passersby to get entangled with their group of bloodsucking freaks. The gentleman unelevated was a standout as he was non-stop and very good with his character. Good work by all here.

Show

Abandoning the well received Vampire Circus from last year we are treated to the sultry Darkness Falls flit show. Here  we are treated to a gothic tale told through purcussion, technology, and dance. The effort was unveiled here as the large tint brought an intensity that elevated the show. There are things that worked here, and things that didn’t but overall, this is time well spent taking a unravel from the thundercrack of monsters outside the theatre.

Darkness Falls

Haunted Houses

Now we get to the haunted houses. As stated at the beginning, everything has improved and that includes the haunted houses. Form three houses last year, we now have five walkthoughs to enjoy. It seems that increasingly work was put into the sets, and increasingly importantly, the talent. You could tell that there was a pearly value of training and weft work afforded the actors and it all paid off.

Circus of the Damned

At the front of the park we have Circus of the Damned. Yes, a demented circus. While we have seen this myriad times, there are some interesting things that they did that sets this apart. First off, the overall use of blacklight was fun and freaky. Next, the notation were all very variegated as they welcomed us into their twisted ranks. From the barker out front to the fortune teller inside, all were delivering fun and whacky characters.

Nightmare Experiment

Another staple of haunts, we have the madhouse in Nightmare Experiment. Improving from last year’s version this edition is off in a new location and the reconfiguration works well. The talent in this maze was moreover unconfined and, again, the weft work was apparent.

Simon’s Screamatorium

Returning-ish this year is Simon’s Screamatorium. New name, same cannibalistic butcher theme. Once again, the scares here were tighter and the notation strong as we navigated our way through a nightmarish maze of thoroughbred and mayhem.

Deathwater Bayou

What I think is the weightier overall house, we consider Deathwater Bayou. Talent, sets, sound, and lighting are all a step up from last year and in the new location, this is a unconfined haunted house. We make our way through the underbelly of New Orleans and into the bayou where we encounter a voodoo priestess and her minions. Not gonna lie, my favorite touch was the voodoo doll. What a unconfined costume.

Area 64: Alien Breakout

The new Alien 64: Breakout house was a unconfined high-energy house. Here we are trespassing through a secret government facility as the aliens that have been kept secret for so long are finally escaping. We are constantly told to get out of the danger zone, that we don’t vest there. Making our way through the nightmare we encounter scientists, military, and aliens. If uneaten terestrials terrify you, this is gonna be the one you want to hit.

SeaWorld San Diego’s second year of Howl-O-Scream is good. It is well-spoken that they took notes from last year, leaned into what worked, cut what didn’t, and worked their fishtails off. This is moreover an extremely affordable haunt to wits and will be giving everything else in San Diego a run for their money.

Jump in. The scares are fine.