Halloween Horror Nights and Howl-o-Scream are now open. These attractions from Universal Studios and Busch Gardens compete every year to get the most attendance. Both are Halloween themed events that have haunted houses and shows to see during and before Halloween.

Busch Gardens has various haunted houses such as The Black Spot, a pirate themed house, and Motel Hell, which is like a deserted motel. The event has a total of seven haunted houses to walk through. Busch Gardens also has six rides open during the event including Cobra’s Curse, Falcon’s Fury, SheiKra, Cheetah Hunt, Kumba, and Montu.

Howl-o-Scream also has a show named the Fiends Show. The show is about Frankenstein and a dance party that went wrong.

Many people in this area may prefer Howl-o-Scream because it is much closer. “I don’t feel like going all the way to Universal,” said freshman Dylan Bauerle.

Universal’s attraction, Halloween Horror Nights, has nine attractions with themes from TV shows or movies such as The Walking Dead and American Horror Story. Halloween Horror Nights also has various scare zones which are areas you walk through to go to haunted houses. There are various characters that jump out at you, such as Lair of the Banshee and Dead Man’s Wharf.

Halloween Horror Nights has two shows to watch in-between visiting houses as well as six rides that will be open including Transformers, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Revenge of the Mummy, Men in Black Alien Attack, The Simpsons, and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.

“Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights is bigger and has more stuff to do,” Dylan Beacer, freshman, said.

The price of Howl-o-Scream is $65.99 for one person and $35.99 for a 4 pack deal. Halloween Horror Nights tickets cost $104.00 for general admission for a single night, and $55.99 for a Florida resident ticket.