Approaching its final weekend, you do not want to miss out on the zombie-infested, most horrifying Howl-O-Scream yet in “The Dark Side of the Gardens.” This year, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is overgrown with NEW haunted houses, thrilling live shows and the opportunity to experience Florida’s first triple launch coaster, Cheetah Hunt, in the dark.
The final installment of HOS Behind-the-Screams examines the works of a mad reconstructive surgeon in the gruesome haunted house, Deconstruction. HOS Creative Director, Scott Swenson, exposes the disturbing reality of reconstructive surgery gone wrong.
1. What is the storyline behind Deconstruction?
Dr. Edger Von Angst is an underground surgeon who has the reputation of putting people back together with anything he can find in the urban alley near his office. This year, he is truly out of control and is “deconstructing” his previous creations.
2. What was your inspiration behind this house?
I wanted to do a really bloody house with disturbing and somewhat sick images. Reconstructive surgery creeps me out as well – not the idea of it per se, but the horrors of what could go wrong. This house is all about those things gone wrong.
3. What room should fans beware of?
My favorite is the operating room. The detail in this room is almost too much to take in. The room is intentionally very dark – the detail creates an un-nerving texture to the room. I also like the freezer where the doctor’s stash of body parts is kept in cold storage until they are needed.
4. What is a fun fact about Deconstruction?
Before the house opened last year, I went through and added some tribal looking finger-painting on the walls. I had a small jar of “blood” paint, some body parts and a screw gun. You may notice I didn’t have a brush to apply the “blood” paint, so I did what any crazy person would do, I finger painted. This means that my finger print is literally on the walls of this house… please don’t steal my identity!
5. Next year marks HOS’s 13th birthday. What can Howl-O-Scream fans expect to see in the future?
13 is a very superstitious number. We are planning to draw from our past while pushing forward to the future. I am hoping to include more “hidden” content than we have in the past – stuff that the majority of people may not notice, but if you see it (or hear it, or smell it), it will creep you out. Keep in mind that Busch Gardens is pretty large, and we’ve only scratched the surface of what lives in “The Dark Side of the Gardens.”
6. In 140 characters or less, why should someone visit Deconstruction?
…blood…Blood…and BLOOD! Gross, but fun!
Hope you enjoyed this year’s Howl-O-Scream Behind-the-Screams blog series. If you haven't set foot into "The Dark Side of the Gardens” yet, this weekend is your last chance… so come out… if you dare – the event runs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. For additional information, visit TheDarkSideOfTheGardens.com.
For all of you zombie-riffic HOS fans out there who missed the previous installments of HOS Behind-the-Screams, click on the following houses you would like a behind-the-screams look into: Death Row Vengeance, Nightshade Toys, Nevermore, Vampire Casino, and Zombie Mortuary. Until next year...
