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In this SeaWorld Orlando’s Howl-O-Scream 2026 Guide, I will tell you about this year’s haunted houses, scare zones, interactive bars, shows & more.
This Halloween, after-hours event at SeaWorld theme park debuted in 2021, and has been growing ever since. It gained acclaim pretty much right away; it was already voted the #1 Best Theme Park Halloween Event in the United States for 2023.
But SeaWorld keeps adding on every year. This year even features a haunted house based on the popular I Know What You Did Last Summer movies.
But that’s not all.
So now I want to tell you about all the fun things at this event. And then I’ll tell how you can save money here!
When Does Howl-O-Scream Take Place?
Howl-O-Scream takes place at night after the park closes. It takes place on select nights. It begins on September 11, 2026. The last day of the event is October 31, 2026.
Is Howl-O-Scream For Everyone?
Children are allowed in Howl-O-Scream. But please be aware that there is a lot of violence, gore, blood, and just material that may be too intense for a lot of kids. You know your child best. This may not scare your kid and they’ll be fine. But this may be an event you’ll want to skip.
If you are looking for a more kid-friendly Halloween attraction at SeaWorld, consider taking your kid to SeaWorld Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular.
Haunted Houses
There are haunted houses you can walk through that all have different theming and backstories. They are really more like haunted mazes.
If you want to make sure you get to do each maze and have time to do everything else during your night, consider buying a Front Line Fear Pass. There are three different Front Line Fear Passes:
- Front Line Fear:
- Single-use priority access per select haunted houses
- Front Line Fear EXTREME:
- Single-use priority access per select haunted houses
- Single-use priority access per selected thrill rides:
- Pipeline
- Mako
- Ice Breaker
- Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice
- Reserved seating at Howl-O-Scream shows
- Front Line Fear ULTIMATE:
- Unlimited priority access to select haunted houses
- Unlimited priority access to the following thrill rides:
- Pipeline
- Mako
- Ice Breaker
- Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice
- One exclusive priority pass to I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch
- Reserved seating at Howl-O-Scream shows
You can buy your Front Line Fear Pass here. And keep reading to learn about each haunted house!
There will be five haunted houses at the 2026 Howl-O-Scream. We do not know about all of the haunted houses. When we know about the last one, we will tell you more details.
But here are the haunted houses we do know about.
I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch
This is the haunted house I am most excited about. It is based on the popular I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise. I remember watching the original movie when I was in middle school and I started getting interested in horror movies. So I am really excited I Know What You Did Last Summer is coming to SeaWorld Orlando’s Howl-O-Scream this year.
The haunted house transports you to the seaside town of Southport. The horrifying events of that infamous summer have come back to life, and of course the Fisherman is there. Let’s see if you can make it out alive for the sequel!
The Crawl Space
The Crawl Space is also a brand new haunted house! The theming behind this haunted house is that, after a catastrophic containment failure, a network of tunnels beneath the city has been abandoned. Unfortunately, if the goal was to bury the truth, that did not happen. It wasn’t buried so much as it was left to grow into something far larger – and far hungrier – than you would ever wanted to be trapped with. Are you brave enough to try these tunnels?
Everything Must Stay
Everything Must Stay is also brand new this year. The premise here is that is that a suburban house has sat unsold for six years. Sounds fairly typical, right? Well, I don’t know if open houses that end with prospective buyers fleeing are what you could call typical. These buyers all report seeing things they can’t explain. Are you brave enough for this open house?
Scare Zones
Scare zones are outside areas of the park you can walk through and get, well, scared. They often involve actors walking through dressed up in costume, scaring you.
This can be incredibly thrilling and is part of the fun. But maybe you’re like me and while you enjoy horror movies and scary events, actors walking up and scaring you is just a bit too much. You want to avoid it, but sometimes you need to walk through a scare zone to get to another part of the park.
In that case, you can purchase a No Boo Necklace. When the actors see you are wearing it, they should leave you alone. Now, this does not guarantee an absolute scare-free experience. Sometimes, actors do make mistakes and you can still get startled. But for the most part, this does work.
But for those of you who like being scared, it’s time to get excited reading about each scare zone. Because like the haunted houses, they all have different theming.
There will be six different scare zones this year at Howl-O-Scream. We will tell you about the three scare zones that have been announced and will give you more detail about the rest of them once we know more information.
Extermination Order
This is a brand new scare zone. Exterminators have been called in after an infestation of everything from skittering insects to swarming horrors.
And you might think the exterminators’ presence there would be a good thing. The only problem? They want to exterminate you.
Nekrosis
Nekrosis is another brand new scare zone. This one takes on the premise of what if the party had ended forever when the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2000 the way worried it would? Only, in the case, it is the whole world that ended, just a once-thriving seaside town. Now it is frozen in time, and there are reminders everywhere that the greatest decade never truly ended. Which sounds great for a 90s kid like myself. Except, oh, did I mention the monsters here? I probably should have mentioned that.
Just One More Chapter
Do you love books full of twisted love stories, toxic obsessions, and masked men? Then you will love this brand new scare zone! It takes place in an enchanted garden filled with gothic beauty and, of course, cursed romance.
Trailer Park Tragedy
Something sinister has taken over at a trailer park in a backwoods community. The place is in ruins but residents have turned territorial to a frightening degree. They don’t want visitors, and they’ve got the tools (and the beasts) in place to stop you.
Woodrot Hollow
Woodrot Hollow is a returning scare zone set in a swamp where, legend has it, a creature made of moss, mud, moss & rage has emerged.
Shows
In addition to the haunted houses and scare zones, Howl-O-Scream has a show that is not only entertaining but fit the Halloween atmosphere!
Monster Stomp
Have you ever seen a musical starring Jack the Ripper? No? Well, then, don’t you think now is the time? Enjoy percussion, singing, and dancing in this modern rock and rhythm spectacular. It is back this year by popular demand!
Throttle
This show takes place somewhere where hell didn’t stay below and the dead never rested.
Themed Bar Experiences
After all these scares, you’re going to want to grab a drink. And you can – at one of the themed bar experiences at the event! These are pop-up bar experiences that add to the mood of the evening.
There are five interactive bars this year. We only know about one so far, but I am really excited about it as a 90s kid. It is called The Rewind, and it is themed to the 90s. You can grab a themed cocktail and be surrounded with images of the 90s (like a stack of VHS tapes) and the sounds of the 90s (like the screech of dial-up).
Rides
A fun thing about visiting Howl-O-Scream is that you get to do roller coasters at night. This makes riding your favorite roller coasters a totally different experience.
There are four rides available:
- Pipeline
- Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice
- Mako
- Ice Breaker
Additional Information
Please note that costumes are not allowed for the event.
There is a separate Howl-O-Scream entrance for this event. It’s going to be located to the right of the main entrance. If you were already in SeaWorld before Howl-O-Scream, you’ll be able to enter through a specific part of the park. There will be an area, too, where you can wait while the park is transformed into Howl-O-Scream.
Bags measuring larger than 8” x 5”, including purses and backpacks, are not permitted through the dedicated Howl-O-Scream entrance. Normal bag policies apply for guests already inside the park who are also attending Howl-O-Scream. The reason for this is to help make sure the line doesn’t get too long for Howl-O-Scream given bag checks.
There are exceptions to this policy for medically necessary items after proper inspection. If you have any medically necessary item, then you should carry them in a clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bag that’s not any larger than 12” x 6” x 12”.
Similarly, diapers can be carried in clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bags. These bags just can’t be larger than 12” x 6” x 12”.
Flash photography is not permitted at Howl-O-Scream.
Discounted Tickets
Unlike other SeaWorld holiday events (like their Christmas celebration or Mardi Gras event), Howl-O-Scream is a separate ticket event. Luckily, there are multiple ticket options – and even better, a lot of these tickets are currently on sale!
We tell you how to get these discounted Howl-O-Scream tickets here.