Looking for a good scare? If you are
older than 10, Busch Gardens’ Howl-
O-Scream might not be the place for
you.
Howl-O-Scream’s main draw, Jack,
who is featured in almost all the amusement
park’s ads cackling as menacingly
as possible, is back. But he’s not running
wildly through the park, decapitating
patrons and laughing with glee – no, Jack
is bustin’ a move to ABBA’s “Dancing
Queen,” among other disco songs that
have horrifyingly not died with disco.
Standing on a balcony in the Ireland
village, Jack is basically a guy dancing
with a fake lantern on his head. The real
crowd pleasers during Jack’s big show,
though, are friendly, non-scary dancers
on stilts dressed in scarecrow garb who
jive their way through the crowd of
onlookers. Although, if you think about
it, scarecrows dancing on stilts to “Super
Freak” is pretty scary after all.
However, this is only the night’s big,
final show. Other draws to the park
include mists that swirl eerily through
its villages – Ireland, Britain, France,
Germany and Italy – and glowing jacko-
lanterns scattered along pathways.
The decorations are commendable and
effectively work with the park’s European
theme.
Evil clown corpses, werewolves and
scarecrows standing in corners alternate
between fake decoys and cleverly posed
employees, who animate suddenly and
walk among crowds. Often, the screams
of a terrified infant tell you a mile away
if a werewolf has successfully managed
to surprise a group.
But the most effective of this bunch
are the “bush people,” as I like to call
them. This group literally pretends to be
bushes, as they are covered in a leaf-like
material from head to toe.
Now, watch out for the bush people
– they are sneaky and inventive. Not
only do they jump out at people from
walkways surrounded by trees and real
bushes, but they also use bottles and
other objects to create weird, rattling
noises.
By the end of the night, I could not
stop staring at those darn bushes, trying
to figure out which ones were real and
which ones were not. I’ll never look at
a bush the same way again.
The most beautiful costumed character,
mingling with the masses in
Germany, is a man on stilts, standing
10-feet-tall who wears a long gown of
intricate leaves and a beautifully frightful
mask. The mask has a pale complexion,
pointy nose and intensely light eyes.
With four stilts instead of two, he
moves like an animal and leans low
toward the ground to stare children in
the eye and let them touch his costume
in awe.
The park does offer some attractions
that aim to be truly frightening. Among
them is the Wicked Woods, a walk
through a series of tunnels and paths that
employs easy scares, such as employees
dressed in sheets holding butcher knives
who lurch at patrons when they round
a corner.
The other adult-themed attraction
is the NeverAfter, a Grimm’s Fairytalethemed
walk, which, according to a
park press release, is so scary a new
six-pumpkin-scare rating had to be
created to adequately convey just how
terrifying it is to patrons.
Unfortunately, the lines for NeverAfter
might be a touch more terrifying than the
ride itself. After learning it would take
more than 45 minutes just to get to the
front of the line, which would then be
followed by another 20-minute walk, I
added the NeverAfter was added to the
list of attractions I’ll never try.
Overall, the park is well worth its
buck for someone like me, someone
who wants to get in the Halloween spirit
rather than watching a headless butcher
run through the park spewing blood.
For the truly hardcore, though, Kings
Dominion’s Halloween Haunt might be
the better option.
Oh, and if you do go to Busch Gardens,
watch out for the bush people.