More Sinister Details Revealed for the 2026 Edition of Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld San Diego

We've learned some more details about this year's Howl-O-Scream Halloween event at SeaWorld San Diego, including new scare zones and shows.

What's Happening:

• SeaWorld San Diego previously revealed the details on the six haunted houses coming to this year's event, including:
  • NEW: Area 64: MOTHERSHIP – An all-new prequel to Area 64: Alien Outbreak, set 30 years prior to the events of the original house.
  • NEW: I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch – Relive the nostalgic tale of the shocking massacre that occurred on a fateful July 4th. After an accident on a winding road, four teens make the mistake of dumping their victim’s body into the sea. But exactly one year later, the dead man returns from his watery grave, and he’s looking for more than an apology.
  • Circus of the Damned 3D (returning)
  • Simon's Slaughterhouse (returning)
  • Deathwater Bayou: Awakening (returning)
  • Nightmare Experiment: Sweet DreamzZz (returning)

• But that's not all that's new, as this year's event will also include upgraded scare zones, pulse-pounding live performances, dark speakeasies and themed bars, and unspeakable horrors lurking around every shadowed corner.
• This year's scare zones include:
  • NEW: Overgrowth – A nightmarish walk through an overrun greenhouse where a botanist’s mutant plant experiments now feed on passersby. This dark, tangled forest leaves little room to run – or breathe.
  • NEW: Terrors of the Deep – At the water’s edge, deadly sea beasts and eldritch horrors emerge from the depths to terrorize the poor fishermen who call the docks home.
  • NEW: Ripper Row – The infamous murderer Jack the Ripper is terrorizing the streets of Ripper Row. Everyone is on edge, distrustful, and more than willing to accost strangers if it means staying alive.
  • Red Moon Revelry – Bloodthirsty cabal of vampires, celebrate the arrival of the blood moon. A feast is upon all who are drawn in by the sounds of a party.
  • All Hallows Harvest – An abandoned farmland where nothing can be protected from the cursed scarecrows intent on harvesting bodies and souls to feed their dark desires.
  • Deadly Toys – Don’t turn off the lights yet, creepy dolls and sinister stuffed animals may be awake from the toy box.
  • The Graveyard – The fog lurks in this cemetery setting with eerie lighting and roaming undead zombies waiting to startle anyone in their space. 
  • Carnival of Chaos – It’s not all fun and games when the disgruntled, deranged carnies lurk around causing disruption.

• Among the haunted houses and scare zones, visitors will encounter Vile Vignettes—mini-staged scenes designed to terrify, and interact, with unsuspecting visitors.
• This year, Howl-O-Scream offers new and returning vignettes, each featuring a leading character and a spine-chilling tale that will haunt long after the night ends:
  • NEW: Card Shark – A new character to the event known as a notorious dockyard smuggler and gambler, has made a fortune by taking risks and always playing his cards right. Offering high-stakes game of wits where the winner walks away with the location of one of his secret hideaways—and the loser may not be so lucky.
  • NEW: Dolly Delightful: RECALLED – The ever-popular Dolly Delightful doll has been recalled from store shelves and is out of the box and looking for revenge. She’s armed with deadly toys and looking for unsuspecting humans to play with. 
• Returning for a year of suspense and horror are:
  • Misfortune, where brave guests enter a fortune teller's tent to hear ominous predictions of woe and anguish
  • Dark Magic, a sadistic magician's twisted untraditional magic show
  • Summon the Spirits, an amateur paranormal investigator who arrives in Ripper Row determined to contact a victim of Jack the Ripper

• Stay tuned for more announcements to come on entertainment, new themed food and bars, hidden speakeasies, and more.
• Howl-O-Scream 2026 will begin on Friday, September 11 and run on select nights through Saturday, October 31 (Halloween) at SeaWorld San Diego.