>*The HMS Friday set sail in January of 1913.  It was one day found mysteriously adrift in the Atlantic Ocean with not a soul on board.  Now parked and slowly decaying in the harbor, passengers and crew of this ship from long ago have returned and are hungry for company.  Will you see land again, or will you become a passenger?*

Ahoy mateys!  Apologies for the gap since the last house spotlight, I was on my first cruise and didn't bring my computer.  So what better house to spotlight than 2003's *Ship of Screams*?

*Ship of Screams* was the second and final house built in the *Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges* queue, with the nautical theme fitting the location more than 2002's *Scary Tales II*.  Considering the linear nature of Islands of Adventure, it was designed to be either the first or last house attendees would do.  *Ship of Screams* was considered a spiritual successor to the *Frightanic* houses that HHN did in the prior decade.

It's ironic since the Director was the icon for the year, but HHN 2003 is probably the least-documented HHN of the 2000s, and *Ship of Screams* is probably the least-documented house that year.  As such, very few pictures exist of *Ship of Screams* (and as you can see, most of them are very low quality).  There are also few details available about the inside of the house—this is what I was able to gather:

* Upon entering, guests would immediately walk up some stairs, which had portholes on either side containing scareactors which would stare at guests
* One of the locations was the control room, where the captain manning the steering wheel would yell "you're going to die in here"
* Air and water effects were used quite heavily.  Some have claimed that *Ship of Screams* is one of the wettest houses HHN has ever done, with some scare actors being submerged in water and wearing wetsuits under their costumes
* There was a flamethrower used towards the end of the house
* The finale contained swinging luggage on the ceiling as the ship collapses

The house seems to be quite clearly inspired by the film *Ghost Ship*, which came out in October 2002—right around the time production on the house would have had to begin.

*Ship of Screams* was allegedly Universal higher-ups' favorite house of the 2003 event, but guests didn't think it lived up to other houses that year such as *All Nite Die-In* and *Psycho Scareapy*.  [One online reviewer](https://limegreen-loris-912771.hostingersite.com/a-visit-to-universal-orlandos-halloween-horror-nights-13/) gave the house a **B-**, remarking that the house "isn't a debacle, but it suffers from the limitations imposed by the location... the front half of the house is a little slow, but there are a couple of great tableaus towards the end."  [Another reviewer](https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/halloween-horror-nights-13-years-in-the-making.27702/page-2#post-465885) gave it a **3/5** and said "the HMS Friday definitely carries a very ominous tone about itself... a good addition to Horror Nights but I doubt it will be a fan favorite."

Considering *Ship of Screams* is so forgotten and so few details exist, I would be thrilled if anyone in the comments has any memories of doing this house!

\*\*\*\*

Previous Orlando spotlights: [*Reflections of Fear*](https://www.reddit.com/r/HHN/comments/1p1lnzs/house_spotlight_reflections_of_fear_2008/) • [*25 Years of Monsters & Mayhem*](https://www.reddit.com/r/HHN/comments/1ovky3q/house_spotlight_jack_presents_25_years_of/) *•* [*Ghost Town: Curse of Lightning Gulch*](https://www.reddit.com/r/HHN/comments/1p51exb/house_spotlight_ghost_town_the_curse_of_lightning/) *•* [*Revenge of the Tooth Fairy*](https://www.reddit.com/r/HHN/comments/1p8hiry/house_spotlight_revenge_of_the_tooth_fairy_202021/) *•* [*Dead Man's Pier*](https://www.reddit.com/r/HHN/comments/1os6b3g/house_spotlight_dead_mans_pier_winters_wake_2022/) • [*Dr. Oddfellow's Twisted Origins*](https://www.reddit.com/r/HHN/comments/1oy6dzn/house_spotlight_dr_oddfellows_twisted_origins_2023/)

house spotlight – Ship of Screams (2003)