[Haunts] Two New Mazes, Three New Scare Zones to be Unleashed at Howl-O-Scream Tampa

Part three of this week's coverage of all things Howl-O-Scream across the country, and last but not least, Howl-O-Scream Tampa! Easily the flagship of the events from what I've gathered over the years, and they've always got something going to rattle the coffins each year. 2017 is no exception as they have it going in a big way.

Not only are there two new mazes, but also three all new scare zones. What? That's just insane, but what we've all come to expect from Busch Gardens Tampa and the team. Not everything has worked in the past, but I give 'em all the credit in the world for doing their damnedest to reinvent things so much every year.

We've got a lot cover here, so I'm not gonna mince words too much. On with the show and first up the new mazes coming to this year's event.

First up, Demented Dimensions

"Get lost in infinite dimensions inside an abandoned manor

Unwanted worlds come together at Demented Dimensions.

Constructed above a vortex of otherworldly energies, the abandoned Sterling Manor houses every door to unwanted worlds, creating a series of portals in Demented Dimensions. Every room and hallway holds a door to a different universe where rules of your world do not apply and escape is nearly impossible."

Well then, that sounds interesting. Almost seems to be playing with the whole Unearthed: Scarlett's Revenge mythology somewhat, but not quite. I think maybe there's a sort of missed opportunity with that, but hey, not going to nitpick. The idea of a total headtrip works and if that's what you're setting out to do, can be really awesome.

I'm actually kinda sad I'm not going to get a chance to see this one first hand, I love chaotic experiences and  when done right, well, yeah...pretty amazing stuff.

Anyway, onto the next new maze, Undead Arena: Live

"Step into the arena & fight to stay alive

In a post-apocalyptic world, the Undead Arena: Live is home to a gruesome event starring The Unworthy.

In a post-apocalyptic world, survivors of the Great Conflict have been divided into The Worthy and The Unworthy. Now for sport, you are The Unworthy and the stars of a gruesome event at the Undead Arena: Live. Infested with Brain Eaters, this gauntlet is an almost impossible feat without guarantee that your group will stay together."

Zombies, the flavor of the decade, and with how they keep coming back from the dead into cultural prominence? It seems almost fitting in a way. The idea some kind of class warfare going on after an apocalypse is always interesting and there's likely some social commentary going on with just that, the fact that the creative team has turned this into some kind of reality TV event? All the better, and I'm finding myself highly amused at the whole idea.

Right then, now that we've got the mazes out of the way, time to shift gears and go to one of the stickier points that any theme park has to deal with; scare zones.

First up on the hit list; Class Deceased.

I always love school themed stuff, maybe that makes a bit twisted, but this girl has a soft spot for the hell that school can be and making it even worse.

There's just so many tropes to play with, and it almost never gets old no matter how I see it. Which is weird, but again it's likely the variety of things that can be done with the entire concept and theme. However, before I get too far ahead of myself, let's take a peek at the official description before getting too excited...

"See what happens when savage school kids punish their cruel headmaster in this abandoned schoolhouse-inspired scare zone. Our Facebook fans voted to name this scare zone and now you can experience the terror first hand."

Not a lot go off of here, sadly. That said, there is a few clues to things and gotta love when the kids are turning the tables on authority. I have a feeling whatever is lurking in here is going to have a ton of fun tormenting any, and all, adults that happen to wander into their domain. Wish I had some more to go off of, but hey, I'll still take it.

Next, time for Carnie Camp

I gotta admit, the circus/carnie themed thing is tired but I'm still expecting a lot of it at places with IT coming out this year and all. When done, they are amazing. Sadly, most people don't do them well enough and fall back on tired tropes and archetypes.

That said, the best ones I've seen in theme parks? Always those are in the scare zone variety of things, so here's to hoping, right? I mean one thinks of a carnival and they think of outdoors, not inside.

Here's the official breakdown:

"The backstage area of an old carnival breathes new life with its lingering dirty inhabitants. Eerie music fills the air as spine-chilling fairground performers prowl for new test subjects to be featured in the next spectacle of this horrid attraction."

Okay, so this one seems to make sense on the surface. Let's just hope they can pull it together in a well thought out a manner rather than just "Carnies on the loose" as it were, eh?

Last, but not least, Meat Market.

Okay guys, this one is a really generic name. Though, outdoor meat markets do tend to kind of bring a bit of horrifying thoughts to some folks out there, so maybe you're onto something.

A spin on the ever present Slaughter House theme, but a little more localized maybe? I dunno, but usually these are always fun, even if a bit tired in the grand scheme of things.

Let's see if we can't get anything from the event description:

"Watch a band of sinister and cannibalistic creatures feast on the weak. With chainsaws and sheer disregard, they might just smell your fear and add you to their monstrous menu."

Mmmm, I do love chainsaws and if you can justify their use, I'm with it. Something about the smell of two stroke exhaust just gets me this time of year. I'm a girl of weird tastes, what can I say? Sadly though, the concept really isn't fleshed out here and seems to just be putting a couple random things together that, while in the end make sense, just seems a little lazy. This one is going to be all on the actors to sell, and I hope they can!

So, there ya have it. Everything new coming to this year's Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa. While not everything has me psyched for this year's event, there's still plenty here that is making my little withered heart rejoice, so I'm gonna have to say that at least on the surface, things are looking as good as always for the park during Halloween.

Only 2 more days until Howl-O-Scream kicks off, so if you want to check it out for yourself, make sure you get over to their official website for tickets, hours, more info on the other awesome mazes, shows, and more.

Until next time,

Sweet Screams and Pleasant Nightmares!