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Get Away

Freaky, disgusting - and fun

Two X-Team members from the St. Petersburg Times' kids' page check out Howl-O-Scream. The bottom line: You'll have fun, but you definitely don't want to go alone.

By SHERRY ROBINSON
Published October 5, 2006

Best House: The Hunted. This house is set up as a burning hunting lodge. As you travel from room to room, there is more destruction and distressed lodgers telling you to "get out while you still can!" The noise and energy in this house were great, and the sound effects enhanced the idea that the lodge was actually burning. The crowd really seemed to be into it!

Best Scare: Hands down it was After Hours: Club Muse. Everywhere you turned vampire clubgoers were jumping out at you, and the scariness of the house was amplified because it was a club scene, which you'd normally associate with having a good time.

Lamest Scare: The scare zone Pharaoh's Revenge. This scare zone didn't make me jump or scream at all; the mummies just didn't do it for me.

Least Terrifying Moment: The Third Dementia. Everyone receives a pair of 3-D glasses at the entrance of this house. The walls are covered in 3-D paint and people are well hidden in the shadows because it's so dark, which makes it much more startling when they jump out at you. It's more entertaining than it is scary.

WhoM would you take?: Take a group of friends your age. Howl-O-Scream is all about your state of mind, so the group you're with definitely influences your reactions and your experience. Plus when you get into the scarier houses or scare zones, it's a good idea to be with enough people so you can hide in the middle of your group if you get too spooked.

Grossest Moment: Almost everywhere you turn at Howl-O-Scream there are severed body parts or dead people. In After Hours you go through a room with hanging body parts, and dodging those is pretty gross. Real or not, the idea of bumping into a hanging arm or head is a bit disgusting.

Do again?: Definitely! The admission price is very reasonable considering how many options you have once you enter the park. There are six haunted houses, five scare zones and three shows, and the park is open until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. depending on which day you attend. It's worth the trip.

Overall Grade: I'd give it an A! I've been in years past and I think this year was the most impressive. The houses are great, the scare zones throughout the park are awesome intermediaries between houses, and the shows are very entertaining when you need to sit down and take a break from walking the park.

Alexa Asendorf, 16, is in 11th grade in the Hillsborough High School IB program.

Best House: After Hours: Club Muse. Mannequins sitting at tables had slit throats and a live bartender with what seemed like fangs stared vacantly into space as his head moved up and down to the beat. It was difficult to see after we passed that part; the strobe lights flashed and half the time I was relying on the screams of the people in front of me to tell me where to go.

Best Scare: Inside the Hunted haunted house. In the line, we were greeted by a young woman who had laughed at one of my mother's jokes and had accompanied us into the lodge. I turned to see if everyone was behind me shortly after entering, and all of a sudden, I saw the young lady pulled into the wall by a mysterious force, and I heard a yell. No one else saw it. That was scary.

Lamest House: The Third Dementia. Nothing was really scary; the workers were well dressed and were camouflaged, but they tried to scare you too much by banging on scattered metal barrels.

Least Terrifying Moment: The pop-out snake in Pharaoh's Revenge.

WhoM I Would Take: Close friend or older relative.

Grossest Moment: Severed head in Zombie Junction.

Do again?: As long as I avoided Third Dementia, Pharaoh's Revenge, and Bonegrinders, DEFINITELY. But be aware that most of the shows contain jokes with crude humor or sexual allusions, and should not be viewed by younger children.

Overall Grade: B.

Chase Shiflet, 13, is in eighth grade at Rampello Downtown Partnership School in Tampa.

[Last modified October 4, 2006, 12:46:15]