Space may be the final frontier—but in this case, it’s also the final destination. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has announced its fourth haunted house for Howl-O-Scream 2025, and it’s unlike anything we’ve seen so far this season. Say hello to M.A.R.S., a brand-new haunted house that fuses classic sci-fi horror with pulse-pounding, claustrophobic terror.
Running select nights from September 5 through November 2, Howl-O-Scream Tampa is rapidly stacking up one of its most varied and spine-chilling lineups in recent memory. With themes ranging from haunted manors and twisted fairy tales to killer carnivals and now alien horrors, 2025 is shaping up to leave no fear untouched.
New Haunted House Announcement: M.A.R.S.
NEW for 2025
Board the derelict wreckage of Elysium 13, a once-promising space vessel that crash-landed on Mars—and brought something terrible with it.
The crew has vanished. The only clues left behind? Blood-smeared walls, broken tech, and corrupted distress signals that hint at an unspeakable infection. Guests are sent inside on a deadly mission: destroy the ship before its nightmare spreads beyond the red planet. But as you navigate flickering corridors and crumbling bulkheads, mutated alien lifeforms are already stalking their prey. You’re not just in danger—you’re on borrowed time.
M.A.R.S. promises high-concept horror with cinematic detail, a departure from the more supernatural and mythological themes in this year’s lineup. If you’re a fan of sci-fi thrillers like Alien or Event Horizon, this house is bound to deliver the deep-space dread.
Current 2025 Howl-O-Scream Tampa Lineup
Haunted Houses:
- Stranglewood Estate (Returning)
A ghost-ridden mansion haunted by the twisted Madame Stranglewood and her eternally tormented victims. - Shadows of Wonderland (New)
A corrupted Wonderland ruled by a monstrous Queen of Hearts where madness reigns. - D.H. Baggum’s Circus of Fear (Returning)
A nightmare under the big top, filled with freakish performers and a sinister ringmaster. - M.A.R.S. (New)
A sci-fi horror house aboard a crashed spaceship on Mars, where mutated creatures lurk in the dark.
Scare Zones:
- Sawgrass Slaughter: Legend of the Skunk Ape (Returning)
Deep in the Everglades, Florida’s foulest cryptid stalks the living through rotting marshes. - Niflheim (Returning)
A bone-chilling Norse underworld haunted by undead Draugr, abandoned temples, and long-dead warriors.
What to Expect at Howl-O-Scream Tampa 2025
Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa isn’t just a Halloween event—it’s a total park takeover. This year, guests can expect:
- A variety of haunted houses, from classic ghost stories to otherworldly nightmares.
- Scare zones that immerse you in fog-filled, open-air terror.
- Roaming creatures that blur the line between set and reality.
- Sinister stage shows filled with music, dark comedy, and unsettling surprises.
- Nighttime coaster thrills, including Iron Gwazi, Tigris, and SheiKra, with the added fear factor of the dark.
Whether you’re facing alien mutations on Mars or navigating haunted estates and blood-soaked circuses, there’s no escaping the terror this year.
Stay locked in to CoasterMedia’s Halloween Guide for the latest updates on Howl-O-Scream Tampa 2025—including more haunted house reveals, scare zone news, and survival tips for every twisted turn.
Howl-O-Scream Tampa runs select nights from September 5 through November 2, 2025.
Will you make it off the red planet alive? Or will Elysium 13 claim another soul?