Update, August 3: the Killarney Diner: Condemned house mentioned below will not run this year after all. Its building is being converted for Return to Corkscrew Hill, the 2027 ride revival Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced today.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Busch Gardens Williamsburg each open an Anaconda haunted house on September 11, and the two are not the same show. Tampa gets Anaconda: Fear Has No Escape. Williamsburg gets Anaconda: Dead on Arrival. United Parks says it is the first time Sony Pictures has licensed the film for a Halloween event.
Two Parks, Two Different Stories
Both houses share a setup. Per United Parks, guests are “sent deep into the Amazon to search for a missing film crew, quickly turning into a fight for survival.” That is the 1997 film’s premise. From there the parks split. The company describes them as “two unique tales while honoring the legend of an iconic film.”
Splitting one license into two distinct builds is unusual. When a chain licenses a property it usually runs the same house at every park that gets it, which is what United Parks did the same day with I Know What You Did Last Summer across its three SeaWorld parks. Anaconda is the opposite approach at the two Busch Gardens properties, and it means a guest who does both parks is not repeating a house.
“One of the Nation’s Top Halloween Events”
Marc Swanson, CEO of United Parks and Resorts, tied the license to the chain’s broader Halloween push.
“Our fans are always looking for new and immersive scares and bringing Anaconda to our Howl-O-Scream event elevates the experience at both Busch Gardens parks,” Swanson said. “The addition of Anaconda, combined with all-new haunts and entertainment will solidify Howl-O-Scream’s spot as one of the nation’s top Halloween events.”
Anaconda is the second Sony license United Parks announced on July 31. The other, I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch, opens the same night at SeaWorld Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio. Between them the two announcements put licensed Sony horror into all five Howl-O-Scream parks on a single date, at a brand that built its reputation on houses its own teams wrote.
What Else Is Announced at Each Park
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay runs 27 select nights from September 11 through October 31, 7 p.m. to park close with park access from 5 p.m., separately ticketed. Fear Has No Escape is its fourth named house, joining Stranglewood Estate: RePossessed and Circus of Fear: Killer Encore, both carrying new storylines, and Raven’s Mill: Lambs to the Slaughter, which returns. Tampa has not named any scare zones or shows for 2026. Full details in our Howl-O-Scream all-parks guide.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg runs 25 select nights from September 11 through November 1, 6 p.m. to park close, and the event is included with park admission rather than separately ticketed. Dead on Arrival is its sixth named house, joining all-new Werewolves: The Wolf’s Revenge and Bloodshot, revamped Death Water Bayou: Morte and KILLarney DInEr: Condemned, and returning favorite Clown Town. Its terror-tories and shows have not been announced. Full details in our Busch Gardens Williamsburg Howl-O-Scream 2026 guide.
Tickets
Tampa is separately ticketed and Williamsburg is included with park admission. Tampa’s Killer Summer Sale prices, verified July 31, run a four-ticket any-night bundle at $38.99 each, the Unlimited Scream Pass at $112.99, a Thursday, Friday and Sunday only Unlimited pass at $102.99, and a two-park Unlimited Scream Pass covering Tampa and SeaWorld Orlando at $164.99. Busch Gardens has not published 2026 Howl-O-Scream upgrade pricing for Williamsburg.
