{"id":457433,"date":"2026-09-08T19:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T19:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/457433\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T19:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T19:08:15","slug":"seaworld-takes-on-universal-and-six-flags-in-halloween-showdown-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/457433\/","title":{"rendered":"SeaWorld takes on Universal and Six Flags in Halloween showdown \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

SeaWorld San Diego is upping the ante in its growing Halloween showdown with Universal Studios Hollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain as the marine park continues to build upon its Howl-O-Scream lineup with its first haunted maze based on a blockbuster horror franchise.<\/p>\n

The new I Know What You Did Last Summer haunted maze will headline Howl-O-Scream when the annual haunted event runs on select nights from Friday, Sept. 11 through Oct. 31 at SeaWorld San Diego.<\/p>\n

ALSO SEE: Universal\u2019s Horror Nights 2026: All 8 mazes ranked from best to worst<\/a><\/p>\n

The Howl-O-Scream 2026 lineup will feature two new haunted houses along with four returning mazes, eight scare zones, seven live shows and six themed bars.<\/p>\n

Expanded rivalry<\/p>\n

The 2026 season marks the sixth year for SeaWorld\u2019s Howl-O-Scream and the first time during that run the San Diego park has turned to a blockbuster horror franchise as a theme for a haunted maze.<\/p>\n

Universal Studios Hollywood has deployed that horror blockbuster strategy for decades with new Halloween Horror Nights<\/a> mazes in 2026 based on the Hellraiser<\/a>, Evil Dead<\/a> and Stranger Things<\/a>\u00a0franchises.<\/p>\n

ALSO SEE: Final Destination maze coming to Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain<\/a><\/p>\n

Six Flags Magic Mountain has adopted the same horror blockbuster strategy in recent years with a Fright Fest 2026<\/a> lineup that includes haunted mazes themed to the Final Destination, Conjuring and Trick \u2018r Treat franchises.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look at everything that\u2019s on tap for Howl-O-Scream 2026 at SeaWorld San Diego.<\/p>\n

\"Howl-O-ScreamHowl-O-Scream at SeaWorld San Diego. (Courtesy of SeaWorld)
\nHaunted houses<\/p>\n

I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch \u2014 The SeaWorld maze updates the story of the 1997 horror film where a hook-wielding fisherman seeks revenge on four teenagers who hit a pedestrian with their car and dumped the body in the ocean. The Final Catch finds the dead man dumped into the sea returning from his watery grave looking for those responsible for his death. (New for Howl-O-Scream 2026)<\/p>\n

Area 64: Mothership \u2014 Climb abroad the wreckage of an 80-foot-long alien spaceship as secret negotiations between a government task force and extraterrestrial invaders spiral into chaos. The new Mothership maze serves as a prequel to the Area 64: Alien Outbreak. (New for Howl-O-Scream 2026)<\/p>\n

Death Water Bayou: Awakening \u2014 New Orleans Mardi Gras takes a dark turn when revelers are bewitched and dragged into a cursed Mississippi bayou where witches summon an ancient, ravenous deity that brings the swamp to life.<\/p>\n

Nightmare Experiment: Sweet Dreamzzz \u2014 Check into a sleep clinic where a mysterious pharmaceutical company is testing sleep aids with horrifying side effects that trigger hallucinations and uncontrollable rage among the patients.<\/p>\n

Circus of the Damned \u2014 An evil ringmaster tries to restore his cursed carnival with a new cast of clowns. You\u2019ll need 3D glasses to see the distorted and surreal special effects and escape the big top before you\u2019re forced to join the crew.<\/p>\n

Simon\u2019s Slaughterhouse \u2014 Step inside a meat processing plant that has been taken over by Simon the Butcher and his murderous crew. The bloody corridors are filled with screeching buzzsaws, slashing knives and earlier victims hanging on meat hooks.<\/p>\n

ALSO SEE: Knott\u2019s Scary Farm unveils new haunted mazes and shows for Halloween season<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Howl-O-ScreamHowl-O-Scream at SeaWorld San Diego. (Courtesy of SeaWorld)
\nScare Zones<\/p>\n

Overgrowth \u2014 A disturbed botanist\u2019s mutant plant experiments feed on visitors in an overrun greenhouse.<\/p>\n

Terrors of the Deep \u2014 Deadly sea beasts terrorize the fishermen along the docks.<\/p>\n

Ripper Row \u2014 Jack the Ripper roams the streets in search of his next victim.<\/p>\n

Red Moon Revelry \u2014 Bloodthirsty vampires celebrate a blood moon deep in the woods.<\/p>\n

All Hallows Harvest \u2014 Cursed scarecrows harvest souls at an abandoned farm.<\/p>\n

Deadly Toys \u2014 Watch out for creepy dolls hell-bent on murder.<\/p>\n

Graveyard \u2014 Undead zombies roam through a haunted cemetery.<\/p>\n

Carnival of Chaos \u2014 Deranged carnies and sideshow clowns haunt the midway.<\/p>\n

ALSO SEE: First look at Ozzy Osbourne maze at Universal\u2019s Halloween Horror Nights<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Howl-O-ScreamHowl-O-Scream at SeaWorld San Diego. (Courtesy of SeaWorld)
\nLive shows<\/p>\n

Opening Scare-emony \u2014 Each evening kicks off with a reimagined show hosted by a master of ceremonies who summons his creatures of the night.<\/p>\n

Monster Stomp \u2014 Jack the Ripper hosts a live musical show set in Victorian-era London with singing, dancing, drummers and a rock n\u2019 roll soundtrack in the Nautilus Amphitheater.<\/p>\n

\"Howl-O-ScreamHowl-O-Scream at SeaWorld San Diego. (Courtesy of SeaWorld)
\nVile Vignettes<\/p>\n

SeaWorld\u2019s Vile Vignettes are staged scenes with a central character and a haunted backstory that are a cross between a scare zone and a mini show. A few of the vignettes are tied to scare zones.<\/p>\n

Card Shark \u2014 A gambler invites you to a high-stakes card game where the losers aren\u2019t so lucky. (New for Howl-O-Scream 2026)<\/p>\n

Growth Opportunity \u2014 A botanist attempts to tame wild plants that keep dragging visitors into empty graves. (New for Howl-O-Scream 2026)<\/p>\n

Dolly Delightful \u2014 An eerily perfect porcelain doll with a fierce temper breaks free from her box and tries to dismember anyone who gets too close.<\/p>\n

Summon the Spirits \u2014 A paranormal investigator conducts a seance on Ripper Row in hopes of contacting the spirits of Jack the Ripper\u2019s victims to learn the killer\u2019s true identity.<\/p>\n

Misfortune \u2014 Enter a fortune teller\u2019s tent to hear ominous predictions of your future.<\/p>\n

ALSO SEE: First look at Sinners maze at Universal\u2019s Halloween Horror Nights<\/a><\/p>\n

Cocktail bars<\/p>\n

The Big Top Drinks, Toy Box, Coffin 1380, Fright House and Inferno themed bars return to Howl-O-Scream along with the new Rusted Dagger.<\/p>\n

\"Howl-O-ScreamHowl-O-Scream at SeaWorld San Diego. (Courtesy of SeaWorld)
\nRides in the dark<\/p>\n

SeaWorld runs the Emperor, Arctic Rescue and Electric Eel roller coasters in the dark during Howl-O-Scream.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SeaWorld San Diego is upping the ante in its growing Halloween showdown with Universal Studios Hollywood and Six…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":457434,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[2223,7,585,74,84,76,75,16192,420],"class_list":["post-457433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-amusement-parks","tag-california","tag-halloween","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-county","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-seaworld-san-diego","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=457433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/457434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=457433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=457433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=457433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}