TAMPA, Fla. — It may only be August, but Busch Gardens is making last-minute preparations for Howl-O-Scream. This marks the 25th anniversary of the event, and one man has been there since the beginning: Loren Bracewell.
From witches to zombies to goblins, if you’ve been to Howl-O-Scream in the past 25 years, then you’ve seen the work of Bracewell. He’s the costume shop supervisor.
“As crazy as it is, it’s a great rush, getting the actors out there, seeing them transform if you will, from what my amazing team has done,” said Bracewell.
Walking around the costume shop, Bracewell likes to channel his inner Vincent Price. He’s always looking to add something new—for instance, Elvis back from the dead.
“It’s pretty gross,” said Bracewell, admiring the blood-covered jumpsuit.
Every year, Bracewell oversees more than 2,000 costume designs.
He said it’s really a year-round job.
“You have to get ahead of the curve, and we have to have ideas of new things early on so we can kind of flush that out, see what we do or don’t have available, what has to be quote on quote designed from the ground up, pencil sketched into actual 3D,” said Bracewell.
Sometimes, he’ll sneak out into the crowd to see firsthand the reaction his creations are receiving.
“I kind of lurk through many areas myself and get a few good scares on my own terms, and it’s incredible to watch to see what you don’t think is scary and see how scary it is,” said Bracewell.
He said the most challenging part of Howl-O-Scream just may be the laundry. “Because you have to keep the people clean and make sure it’s good for them and everybody else,” said Bracewell.
Bracewell said he loves recycling costumes. He takes something sweet that was worn during Christmas and turns it into something sinister for Howl-O-Scream.
“We reexamine it, and then we’ll put it in Halloween, bloody it up, tear it up a bit, and it has a whole new life as a zombie,” said Bracewell.
You could say he’s even become a celebrity on his own team. If you look closely enough, you might see his image in one of the haunted houses.
He said that even after 25 years, the work never gets old.
“I think the fact that it’s never the same thing twice, and it’s always new, and it’s still a job I love,” said Bracewell.
Howl-O-Scream runs from Sept. 6 to Nov. 2.
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