Halloween is a really big deal in Orlando and comes in all shapes and sizes. There’s family-friendly events like Boo Bash at Disney (in 2021 Disney moved away from Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party) or SeaWorld Spooktacular. Then, there are the more sinister experiences like Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights or the new in 2021 Howl-O-Scream event at SeaWorld. For a truly unique experience, the drive-thru haunted experience Scream n’ Stream adds a different layer to the Halloween fun.

What is Scream n’ Stream?

Scream n’ Stream is touted as Central Florida’s ultimate socially distanced Halloween event. The actual Stream n’ Stream drive-thru portion is designed like a dark ride at a theme park, except you control the vehicle. Plus, this year the event takes place at Oviedo Mall, so District Eat and Play is open for themed food and cocktail options. All the fun happens Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and select Thursdays from September 17 through October 31.

Getting There and Parking

The new home for Scream n’ Stream is the Oviedo Mall with the drive-thru portion of the experience set up in the parking lot. You won’t need to park your car for the event itself (since it’s a drive-thru), but if you want to park and head to the mall or District Eat and Play, you won’t have to pay for anything.

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Scream n’ Stream Drive-Thru Haunt

Your Scream n’ Stream journey begins before you even enter the experience. No, there aren’t any scare actors in line, but there are some interactions that introduce you to the story. Once you make it to the beginning of the experience, there are a few stations where you’re briefed on safety and given the full details of the plot. The major rules are what you would think they are: Don’t get out of your car, don’t do anything to endanger the actors, and turn your lights off. The only major rule change from last year’s event is a specific direction that at no point is the driver allowed to do anything but drive.

Why is it so important to point out that the driver can only drive? It’s because of a brand-new addition to this year’s Scream n’ Stream Drive-Thru: Laser guns! We won’t spoil anything as to why the car gets guns, but know that the driver is the only person who can’t participate.

In another change from last year, you drive through the experience with your windows down and you aren’t required to wear a mask.

How close do the actors come to your car? About as close as they can while still staying outside. There was probably a good six-foot distance between the actor and car last year. This year, the actors came within a foot or less of the window. They’ll never go inside your car, but they’ll certainly come close.

Moving from scene to scene was very easy. There is a green light system in place throughout the journey. Move when the light is green, stop when it’s off — it’s just that simple. We didn’t have anyone jump out at us while we were driving, everything happened while we were stationary.

The scenes were better separated this year as well. The scenes alternate between being completely outside and in an enclosed “room” surrounded by strips of black sheets. These sheets prevent you from seeing what is happening in the scene in front of you really well. They’re either preventing you from seeing inside a “room” or preventing you from seeing outside the “room” you’re in. 

The entire experience lasts around 10-15 minutes and has activity on both sides of the car (so no one is left out). You stay in your car the entire journey.

Pricing

The price for the experience is by car, not per person. Tickets start as low as $47 per car, however, most of the October dates are in the $70-$80 price range. Be sure to purchase your ticket ahead of time. Not only will it make things smoother when you get there, but you can save up to $20. Even though the cost is per car it doesn’t mean you can roll up in a party bus. There’s an eight-passenger limit and everyone in the vehicle must be wearing a seatbelt.

Safety

We felt really safe throughout our whole journey. The green light system is helpful and we never felt like we were missing anything when driving between scenes. The scare actors are amazing at what they do and were close to us, but never crossed the line. The scenes are spaced out enough where we could always see the car in front of us but were never too close.

Something else to keep in mind. The driver must (obviously) have their driver’s license on them and you’ll also need to show proof of insurance for the vehicle before doing the experience.

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How Scary Is It?

Whether or not something is scary is about as subjective as it gets. Because you’re in the car the whole time, the atmosphere isn’t very scary. Due to this lack of atmosphere, Scream n’ Stream relies entirely on jump scares. Whether it’s something making noise and rushing the car, or forcing you to pay attention to one thing, just to have something else pop out at you, it’s more or less jump scare city.

The plot involves both zombies and clowns, so we wouldn’t recommend going if you’re triggered by either of those. We didn’t notice any bad language, and other than some makeup effects there wasn’t much in the way of gore. We are going to err on the side of caution and say it’s not “fun for the whole family”, but older kids and those ok with some scary visuals should be fine

Our Verdict

A case could be made that Halloween is the most important holiday in the Orlando area, and all the craziness surrounding the Coronavirus has really affected things. Scream n’ Stream is a direct result of the 2020 cancellations and it would have been really easy for the event’s creators to say, “You know, this was a good event for the times but now it’s time to move on”. Instead, they said, “What can we do to make it better?”.

A more intricate story, better use of technology, the addition of the laser guns, and even the change in location took what was already a great idea and moved it to the next level. It will never replace the true immersion of a haunted house, but Halloween fans will delight in the scares, production, and fun Scream n’ Stream provides.

Disclaimer: We were invited out as part of a media preview event, but all of our opinions are our own.