TAMPA, Fla. — It’s more than haunted houses and stilt walkers with dripping pumpkin heads.


What You Need To Know

  • 25th anniversary of Busch Gardens' Howl-O-Scream 

  • 5 haunted houses, 8 scare zones, 2 shows and scary karaoke

  • Haunted cuisine includes "Slaughtered Pork" and "Eyeball Cupcakes"

  • The event runs on select dates through Nov. 2

It’s Howl-O-Scream’s 25th anniversary at Busch Gardens.

It’s an entire world of fear and horror — for fun!

There are haunted houses, scare zones, creepy shows and food — and don’t forget the chainsaw-wielding zombies.

The latest haunted house at Busch Garden’s Howl-O-Scream is Shadows of Wonderland.

It’s the story of Alice returning to Wonderland — but everyone has gone “mad” waiting for her return as the Queen of Hearts has destroyed everyone’s lives. (Beware the room of mirrors)

It’s one of five haunted houses in the Tampa theme park.

There are eight scare zones, and funny food offerings like “slaughtered pork” and “eyeball cupcakes.”

To further enforce the scariness, the park sends reporters and influencers through the house alone.

But this year, Spectrum Bay News 9 Digital Producer DeJanae Phillips joined the fun with On The Town’s Virginia Johnson.

There was much screaming. The red queen, the crazy bunnies and the smiling cat wait for maximum scares. The creepy dragon creature is particularly frightening.

Beware.

The Howl-O-Scream event runs on select dates through Nov. 2.