SeaWorld Wants to Make You Horny
SeaWorld Orlando has opened a new haunted house attraction called "Just One More Chapter" as part of its annual Howl-O-Scream Halloween event, inspired by BookTok's "romantasy" trend—a genre blending fantasy with explicit romance. The scare zone features attractive masked actors dressed as dark romance antiheroes, offering roses and creating a supernatural romantic atmosphere rather than traditional scares, representing a notable shift in entertainment marketing to capitalise on a rapidly growing fan community.
The romantasy genre, exemplified by bestselling series such as Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses and Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing, generated an estimated $610 million in sales during 2024 alone. Art director Jessie Kinsey conceived the scare zone after observing romantasy books go viral on TikTok, creating a narrative set in a crumbling Gothic cathedral ruled by a family called the Blackthorns. The attraction has generated mixed reactions online, with some criticising the dark romance aesthetic whilst others praised the experience, though the venue's association with SeaWorld—best known from the documentary Blackfish about orca captivity—has contributed to perceptions of the concept as incongruous.
- SeaWorld opens BookTok-inspired scare zone featuring dark romance antiheroes and romantic atmosphere.
- Romantasy genre worth $610 million in 2024; drives new marketing to younger audiences.
- Mixed public reaction to romanticised "bad boys" aesthetic in haunted house setting.