Halloween Horror Nights isn't the only ghoul in town: 4 local haunts to try this spooky season

Ominous Descent Credit: Seth Kubersky

Halloween Horror Nights might be Orlando’s biggest brand name for haunted houses, but Universal’s event is far from the only ghoulish game in town. There are still three weekends left to go in spooky season, so here are my takes on other area haunts that might lack HHN’s expensive IP, but compensate with lower prices and more manageable crowds.

SeaWorld Howl-O-Scream

Since SeaWorld Orlando imported Howl-O-Scream from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, I’ve promoted its potential to provide a genuine alternative to Universal. But for an event that’s now celebrating its fifth installment, HOS is still suffering growing pains that it should have outgrown by now. As a result, my experience as a media guest on HOS opening night can basically be broken down into the good, the bad and the Coyote Ugly.

On the positive side, SeaWorld’s creative team continues to up their game artistically, introducing a new skull-faced icon character named Havoc, whose influence is felt from the opening ceremony through the scarezones and shows. Speaking of which, I was thrilled to see more live entertainment than ever, with sideshow acts and pyrotechnic motorcycle stunts joining the returning “Monster Stomp” dance show. Of the three brand-new haunted mazes, I was more immersed by the webtastic Widow’s Nest and neon-soaked Raveyard than the hyped Collector’s Curse; my favorite remains the eerily realistic Water’s Edge Welcome Center, which was revived along with the schlocky sci-fi Farm51. Crucially, all of the HOS houses benefit from pulsed queues (instead of conga lines) and expressive scareactors who aren’t just slavishly performing to prerecorded effects (unlike their counterparts at HHN).

Unfortunately, as hard as HOS creatives may work to elevate the event, their work is undermined by chronic miscommunication between SeaWorld’s security, operations, and food and beverage departments. Basic questions about when things open and close, how to redeem dining packages, and even where the entrances to mazes were resulted in contradictory answers, confused shrugs and stumbles through what seemed to be backstage areas. The new shows are staged in awkward locations where only those standing in the very front can see anything, and their schedules make it challenging to attend all four. And the attractions running at night include Mako, but not the new Penguin Trek or Expedition Odyssey rides.

SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream “Monster Stomp” Credit: Seth Kubersky

As for that Coyote Ugly element, SeaWorld has apparently decided that if they can’t outscare Universal, they’ll out-raunch them by pushing boundaries with provocative costumes and explicit choreography. R-rated tricks and treats include gag-inducing games played at the Butcher’s Block Tavern, as well as uncomfortably interactive scarezones where I was accosted by stereotyped trailer park residents, propositioned by undead prostitutes, and twice told by mirror-maze inhabitants to “look at the mistake your mother made.” (howloscreamorlando.com)

Ominous Descent

It takes about an hour to drive from downtown Orlando to Winter Haven Moose Lodge, where the acclaimed independent haunt Ominous Descent has once again risen. But that’s still less time than you might wait for a single house during a busy night at Universal, while OD’s “Resident Misery” is about three times the length of an average HHN maze.

The indoor/outdoor tour of the Harris Lake House (which is populated by a sadistic doctor and a demented family — elaborate backstories are posted online) has received some scenic updates since last year, most notably an expanded swamp of laser-lit fog that’s my single favorite scene in any 2025 haunt. But it’s the unique menagerie of original monsters, who aggressively stalk each isolated group through their decrepit domain, that makes Ominous Descent a must-do for hardcore haunters. An optional five-minute escape room provides a couple more jump-scares amid some moderately challenging puzzles, and a food truck is present on site. (ominousdescent.com)

A Petrified Forest

If you haven’t visited A Petrified Forest for several years, now is the time to return, because this long-running Altamonte Springs tradition has evolved from a modest community-focused event into a significant seasonal attraction. The three outdoor haunted trails — all themed around stores within a strip mall that’s ruled by a demonic landlord — impress with their expansive scope and sinister sense of humor.

Two new unique add-on experiences really make APF stand out this year: the interactive Escape Ride through previously unused wilderness aboard an open-air truck (think Disney’s Kilimanjaro Safaris meets The Great Movie Ride), and the intimate Immersive Theater Experience where live actors will (optionally) touch you, taunt you and toss you in a cage. I commend both for extending Orlando’s idea of what a haunted attraction can be, and doing so without high-tech special effects or outrageous upcharge fees. (apetrifiedforest.com)

Gatorland’s Skunk Ape Credit: Seth Kubersky

Gatorland’s Gators Ghosts & Goblins

Last but not least, Gatorland’s seventh annual Gators, Ghosts and Goblins celebration hits far above its weight class, considering it’s a weekend-only daytime event that’s included with park admission. This year, cuddly Creepybaras and giant bugs have joined the Skunk Ape and Yeti within the slightly spooky treat-or-treat zones, and you can once again spot cryptids creeping alongside the train ride.

However, I was happily unprepared for the ambitious illusions and performer-driven theatricality of “Swamp Ghost’s Monster Movie Museum.” Cyrus the Gravedigger (creative director Dan Carro) gives small groups of guests an informative history of lost fright films — including Edison’s Frankenstein and London After Midnight — then ushers them through the silver screen and right into those monochrome nightmares.

I give Gatorland’s lone maze two Siskel & Ebert thumbs up as the most edutaining haunt of the season. Just be sure to get in line before 3:30 p.m., because the scariest thing about this experience can be the queue. (gatorland.com)

Halloween Horror Nights isn’t the only ghoul in town: 4 local haunts to try this spooky season

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