Sony Pictures is bringing scares to Busch Gardens, SeaWorld
United Parks is bringing two popular horror IPs aboard as it looks to boost its Howl-O-Scream events at Busch Gardens and SeaWorld.
The company announced today that it has partnered Sony Pictures Entertainment to bring houses based on Anaconda to Busch Gardens Tampa and Busch Gardens Williamsburg. In addition, houses based on I Know What You Did Last Summer will come this year to SeaWorld in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio.
At the SeaWorld parks, keeping with their theme, "I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch" will recreate scenes from the 1997 slasher film as guests come face-to-face with the Fisherman and relive the Southport massacre.
"We're always looking for new ways to raise the bar on immersive entertainment, and bringing 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' to our Howl-O-Scream events is an exciting milestone for all three SeaWorld parks," United Parks CEO Marc Swanson said. "This thrilling franchise has captivated horror fans for years with its suspense and terror. Now our guests will step into that world, facing some of the same heart-pounding moments that made the film come alive. As one thrilling part of a lineup of haunted houses, scare zones, live entertainment and immersive experiences, we are excited to deliver what we believe is our most ambitious Howl-O-Scream yet."
Meanwhile, the Busch Gardens parks will embrace their animal theme, or is it the other way around? Anaconda: Fear Has No Escape will scare fans in Tampa, while Anaconda: Dead on Arrival will await visitors at the Williamsburg, Virginia park.
The Howl-O-Scream Halloween event starts September 11 at the five theme parks.
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Replies (3)
Also glad to see other parks getting into the Halloween events with IP as well.
Six Flags Mexico did a fantastic The Conjuring house when we visited in 2024.
We had VIP/Express which was basically skip to the front and did the Conjuring house like 20+ times. Very well done, close to HHN standards honestly.
By the end, the scareactors in the house were straight breaking character and waving to us, clearly tickled we liked it so much. (We were also clearly international tourists and stood out).
Here's hoping Sea World & Busch Gardens is similarly well themed and well acted.
I find this really interesting, and while IPs will definitely drive more interest by casual fans, it feels like a cop out. BGT (and BGW to a lesser extent) built their Howl-O-Scream events solely through original concepts, and while Universal has driven Halloween events to new heights with the use of IPs, including those beyond Universal's internal purview, those can often act like a crutch or a way to better utilize creative resources when it gets difficult to compose original concepts/stories.
Also, IP creates expectations that will require BG/SW to up their execution to properly treat franchises that will have their own expectations for how their stories and characters are presented. Not that I don't think the teams at Howl-O-Scream cannot do this, but my concern is that management thinks that paying to a license an IP means they don't have to invest in a proper treatment, which is probably the opposite, especially in parks that have never presented IP houses before. It's a blessing and a curse at the same time, and I certainly hope United Parks knows what they're getting into with this.
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Between Six Flags and United, it is encouraging to see other chains try and get into the IP game. Of course, execution is everything and obviously these houses won’t have the same polish you’ll find at HHN. But hopefully it’s a start to get people to visit more smaller haunts.