Finally!  I know I’m an impatient bastard, but damn…the news on all of my favorite Halloween events seems to be coming very slowly this year.  Usually there’s more build up, more anticipation … but everything has been coming out in little droplets, rather than spurts.  While the full details of Tampa’s Howl-O-Scream event have yet to be revealed, Busch Gardens Williamsburg (in VA) has announced the details on their event, which looks to include 6 houses, 7 scare zones, and 5 shows!  But you know what it won’t include? An opportunity to ride the Big Bad Wolf … sigh :-(.  Anyhow, here are the details on the houses, from the official site:

• Bitten: Eastern Europe in the late 1800s was a time of suspicion, darkness and mind-numbing fear. This is where our story begins. The “Bitten” house has always been full of legends and lore about vampires and the undead who prey on the innocent. The manor sits by the road upon which all travelers must pass … and never return.
• Catacombs: Through a ruined cemetery filled with statues lies a tunnel that leads to a city below the ground. Its history is more terrifying than that of France’s worst revolutions. Deep within these tunnels lie miles upon miles of bones – the final resting place for those who are buried here. But all is not as quiet as it appears. As you venture forth into the dank, dripping corridors of rat infested remains, the voices of the dead begin to speak, and some … have taken shape.
• Cavern of Darkness: At the dawn of time, it is said that magical beings held dominion over the earth. That is, until the advent of man and their “great cities”, as they called them. Forced to abandon their earthen homes and flee below the surface, these magical beings have lived in exile on the Underside, waiting for the day when they could return to their beloved Above. Now man has invaded their home, once again opening a doorway into their “Cavern of Darkness” with the explorations of the earth’s crust. And the creatures of the Underside will lie still no more. Having already lost what is above, they will not lose what is below. They didn’t choose to live in the Underside, but it is their home – and those that venture below, will never again see the light of day.
• Cursed: Between the borders of legend and reality lie the cursed, and those whose fate is determined by the witches of the woods will forever be changed. Into a depthless abyss, through a cracked cave wall where the veil of consciousness is at its thinnest lies the world of the witch. On All Hallows Eve, their blazing beacon beckons and you are unable to resist.
• The Hunted: In 17th-century Germany lies a hunter’s cabin in the darkest part of the forested valley. Home to a family of werewolf hunters, this cabin has long been hidden to the world. Now it lies in shambles and only the bloody clues will tell the truth of what has happened.
• Revenge of Pompeii: The ruins of Pompeii – an old expedition camp lies abandoned. All those working have gone missing. It is said that a storm of ash descended upon the camp, like that of the eruption. But it was not your everyday ash storm, it was something more sinister. The beings of those frozen in time are walking – their ashy corpses reanimating and wreaking havoc. And as the new team arrives to continue the exploration, the beings that still haunt Pompeii will have their revenge.

Having been the last two years, almost all of these seem like new houses to me (except Revenge of Pompeii, which has been there every year since they started this event I think).  I will say, I’ll miss their Never After section of the park, which involved dark fairy tales, but I’m all for something new!

Check out all the info on the Scarezones and shows at the official site.  What has me particularly interested is the Movies of the Macabre show:

View some classic black-and-white movies on a big screen in the Italy pavilion. Served up in a film-festival motif with a hanging screen, guests will enjoy these classic horror movies while dining. It’s a fun experience for the whole family that evokes a mood of frightening fun.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Howl-O-Scream runs Fri, Sat, and Sun from September 25th-November 1st!

What say you guys?  Anybody up for an IoM night at Howl-O-Scream with goodie giveaways?