It’s that time of the year again. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is now transforming its African-safari-themed attractions by day to blood-curdling-décor by night. Since 2000, the park has hosted Howl-O-Scream, a Halloween experience full of haunted houses, shows, scare zones, and more. This year, starting Sept. 23 and ending Oct. 30, the theme “Evil Encore” is sure to have you giving a round of applause and begging for more.

     1. Two new haunted houses will make their debut:

Have no fear, many fan favorites have made their return (Unearthed, Circus of Superstition, Zombie Containment Unit, Death Water Bayou, and Zombie Mortuary). This year, The Black Spot and Motel Hell will be joining them. The Black Spot revolves around Saw Tooth Silas, a pirate who enjoys marking people for death and sending them to their demise in the “black spot”. Motel Hell is a deserted hotel which may not be completely vacant considering the presence of everyone’s worst nightmares and fears.

     2. The makeup team is no joke: 

Although there are roughly 750 actors working at the event, no one gets left behind when it comes to special effects makeup. Each special effects makeup artist starts working about two to three hours before the event opens and transforms roughly thirty to forty actors each. Creativity is a huge factor in the process and many makeup artists will even use cereal to add textures to the creatures they create. During the event, makeup artists give touch-ups and quick makeup fixes to the actors in order to keep the scare element alive.

      3. The creative planning process is year-long:

This event is only available in the fall, but the Howl-O-Scream creative team is planning year-round. This planning ranges from figuring out the new arrangement of returning haunted houses to brainstorming ideas for terrifying new houses. Those working behind the scenes stay busy perfecting the perfect Howl-O-Scream experience throughout the year. In fact, they are already planning Howl-O-Scream 2017.

     4. Each haunted house contains a story-line:

Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream is especially unique in the fact that its haunted houses each have different original story-lines, which are not pulled from movies or T.V. shows. While those entering the houses may get distracted by pop-outs and flashing lights, the creative team made sure to include some kind of precursor or intensified audio to make sure each story-line is apparent. This immerses each victim of horror into the different stories each haunted house creates.

     5. Roller coasters will be operating during Howl-O-Scream hours:

Intensify the thrill of roller coasters by riding them in the dark! If you need a break from the zombies or pirates, Busch Gardens’ roller coasters will be operating during Howl-O-Scream hours. If you start to feel tired during the night, riding Cobra’s Curse or Falcon’s Fury will be sure to recharge you.

   6. There are few places to escape the horror:

Aside from the roller coasters, bathrooms, and gift shops, there are little places to hide from scare actors or spine-chilling props. There are usually large crowds attending the event and lines to enter haunted houses may be long, but there will still be scares while waiting to enter each house. Howl-O-Scream also includes a variety of “scare zones”, areas throughout the park where actors free-roam and scare whoever is in sight.

     7.  The Inescapable Roaming Hordes will be making their way throughout the entire park:

New to this year’s Howl-O-Scream, the Inescapable Roaming Hordes is a highly requested “scare group” which will be traveling throughout the park, recruiting the dead to join them. No one is safe.

     8. This event is not for the weak: 

While every aspect of this event is extremely unnerving, Stage Manager Jay Krause believes that the Circus of Superstition haunted house is the most scary. However, Krause could not pick a haunted house that wasn’t as scary as the rest. The Howl-O-Scream stage manager suggests ZooBoo for those who are not up for the challenge.

     9. This year’s theme is one that everyone is dying to see:

“Evil Encore” is inspired by doll-maker Mr.Karver who locked himself in his shop and burned it to the ground after authorities threatened to close his business down.  While his shop was left to the ashes, the dolls came back for an “evil encore” that no audience ever expected.

   10. You have 21 nights to experience one of the best Halloween events of the year:

Tickets are starting at $65.99. This year, if you go in a group of four, a 4-Pack Ticket Deal costs only $35.99 per person. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. and ends and 1:00 a.m. If you have never attended Howl-O-Scream, it is definitely an event everyone in the Halloween spirit should experience. For Howl-O-Scream veterans, this year’s new houses will have you both scared to death and thrilled with excitement.