SeaWorld San Diego Transforms into Howl-O-Scream this Halloween Season

SeaWorld San Diego launches Howl-O-Scream for 2021 / Courtesy of SeaWorld San Diego

SeaWorld San Diego theme park — known for mixing up-close sea life encounters with high-thrill coasters — adds an interesting new element this fall: monsters.

Howl-O-Scream, the theme park’s entry into Halloween themed entertainment, has everything you’d expect from a haunted attraction — haunted houses, scare zones, interactive bars and nighttime rides. Of course, unlike other haunted attractions, this event is set amid penguins, sharks, bat rays and other sea life residing in the park. 

During the day, the family-friendly Halloween Spooktacular will continue to take place. But once darkness sets, the horrors of Howl-O-Scream will rise for mature audiences.

“We are putting our own unique spin on classic haunt themes so there are unexpected surprises around every corner at Howl-O-Scream,” said Vice President of Entertainment Randolph Borden in a statement. “All our haunted attractions are designed by leading experts in the Halloween production industry and have helped us create the most terrifying houses, scares and experiences for our guests.” 

Howl-O-Scream offers three haunted houses, including Nightmare Experiment, Simon’s Slaughterhouse and Death Water Bayou. Nightmare Experiment features a government medical experiment at a sleep clinic that has gone terribly wrong. Guests will find themselves at a local meat processing plant that has fallen into the hands of the demented Simon the Butcher and his crew in Simon’s Slaughterhouse. And in Death Water Bayou, visitors will experience gravestones, voodoo dolls and spirits who couldn’t escape the Bayou Witch’s house of cursed horrors.

Howl-O-Scream also sets up the vibe across the park with six different scare zones. Each zone is themed around a classic horror subgenre, including killer clowns and snakes at First Fright zone, creepy dolls at the Deadly Toys zone, undead evils at the Graveyard zone, a deadly legend at La Llorona zone, terrifying callings at The Sirens zone and sinister forest monsters in The Hauntings zone.

In addition to the scare zones, Howl-O-Scream also conjures up four roaming hordes of zombies, creatures and terrifying characters that will scare unfettered throughout the park. 

Some high-speed rides will also stay open for those looking for nighttime coasters (Electric Eel, Manta and Journey to Atlantis). Guests can also visit The Underground, a steam-punk-themed dance club where they can dance the night away.

SeaWorld San Diego launches Howl-O-Scream for 2021 / Courtesy of SeaWorld San Diego

Meanwhile, The Vampire Circus Show will keep the party going with acrobatics set in a twisted fantasy universe. Guests can experience a spirited journey through an abandoned cemetery where an extraordinary circus comes back to life. The performance offers multiple showtimes.  

“The expectations are extremely high for our first year and we are ecstatic to welcome our fellow Halloween and horror fans to what will surely become a yearly, must-experience event,” said Borden. 

The Gory Details
Howl-O-Scream
SeaWorld San Diego
Sept. 17-Oct. 31 on select evenings
Tickets: Starting at $39.99 (prices increase Sept. 17)
howloscream.com/CA
Safety Info: seaworld.com/san-diego/park-info/park-safety

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