Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream 2018: New Haunted House and Terror-tory Reveals

Photo: Busch Gardens

New haunted houses, escape rooms and Terror-torys are being announced for the 20th anniversary season of Howl-O-Scream. Each month, on the 20th, Busch Gardens will announce new frights in store for its victims … er … guests. Park-goers can expect to see past characters as the park ushers in an Era of Terror.

June 2018 Howl-O-Scream Reveals

Demented Dimensions
Photo: Busch Gardens

New Haunted House:  Demented Dimensions

Aliens, monsters and ancient evils are waiting at Sterling Manor. This massive mansion is home to much more than meets the eye. The energies of a dimensional vortex have opened portals to dreadful reams with unearthly creatures. And humans are at the bottom of the food chain. With each new portal, guests are taken deeper into the terror.

Demented Dimensions is located inside of NewKastle in Oktoberfest Village, next to FrostBite.

Illuminated cobbled street with light reflections on cobblestones in old historical city by night. Dark blurred silhouette of person evokes Jack the Ripper.

New Terror-tory:  Fools’ Court

The new king at the Royal Palace is a real joker. Chaos is the name of the game in this court. The joke is always on you as Motley Fools hit the streets. The jesters live for the chance to scare you to death at this very twisted celebration. Fool’s Court is located in France.

July 2018 Howl-O-Scream Reveals

Photo: Busch Gardens

New Haunted House:  The Vault: XX

Take a walk down memory lane with favorite creatures from previous Howl-O-Scream events. They’re all locked up in one location in The Vault: XX™. Classic characters include the Executioner from Dark Tower, Mummy from Curse of Pompeii, Pirate Captain Ghost from Sea Dog Cemetery, Little Dead Riding Hood from Deadtime Stories, and Werewolf from Hunted, as well as a horde of others. They’ve all been waiting a lifetime to frighten you again.

The Vault: XX is located behind Das Festhause, near the Black Forest picnic area. This seems in line with being in the previous location of Bitten from a few years back. Also, XX is the Roman numeral for 20. Just in case you were wondering. I had to look it up.

Photo: Busch Gardens

New Terror-tory:  Garden of the Souls

Funeral Gardens is the setting for Garden of the Souls™. While guests are visiting the graves of the deceased, they just might discover that this garden has a dark secret. The dead roam free, and they’re all ready to show park guests what waits in the afterlife.

Photo: Howl-O-Scream, Sept. 28, 2008. ©

New Escape Room:  Jack’s Nightmare Room

Jack, the original Busch Gardens trickster, is back for this anniversary event. He’s back in the all-new No Escape: Jack’s Nightmare Room. He’s had decades of time to sit in the dark and come up with new ways to surprise and startle fans. Explore the terrors that keep Jack, and probably you, up at night.

New scares for Howl-O-Scream 2018 include:

  • Three new haunted houses (seven total)
  • Three bars (five total)
  • Two Terror-tories (six total)
  • Two party zones
  • One escape room experience (two total)
  • Even more frightening fun

On August 20, a third haunted house, party zones, bars and other frightening features will be revealed. Stay tuned!

Photo: Busch Gardens

Howl-O-Scream 2018 Haunted Houses:

  • Circo Sinistro – located in Festa Italia
  • Cornered – located outside in Germany
  • FrostBite – located inside NewKastle (the former Curse of DarKastle ride)
  • LumberHack – located outside behind Das Festhaus, near the Black Forest picnic area
  • Demented Dimensions NEW – located inside of NewKastle beside FrostBite
  • The Vault: XX NEW – located behind Das Festhaus near the Black Forest picnic area
  • TBA August 20

Ripper Row
Photo: Busch Gardens

Howl-O-Scream 2018 Terror-tories

  • Axe Alley – located in New France
  • Ripper Row – located in England
  • Sideshow Square – located in Festa Italia
  • Vampire Point – located in Germany
  • Fools’ Court NEW – located in France
  • Garden of the Souls NEW – located in Italy

Fiends

Howl-O-Scream 2018 Shows

  • Fiends
  • Monster Stomp on Ripper Row
  • Night Beats: Revamped

Haunted Hotel Escape Room

Howl-O-Scream 2018 Escape Rooms

  • Case of the Haunted Hotel – updated with new tricks and riddles
  • Jack’s Nightmare Room NEW

Howl-O-Scream opens on September 15, 2018 and runs on select dates through October 28. Operating hours may vary. Be sure to visit howloscream.com/va for schedules and additional information.

Note: If you’ve never attended Howl-O-Scream, please be aware that is not intended for young children. The park becomes seriously scary after 6:00 p.m. Before that, it’s perfectly fine. You can ride rides, watch shows and enjoy the fall décor with no problem. Please consider your child’s fright factor when deciding whether to bring them to Howl-O-Scream.

Check out Howl-O-Scream 2017 for a peek into what to expect.