Year-round haunts in Vegas? You bet
Universal announces house themes for Horror Unleashed
It seems Universal can’t go more than a couple of weeks without releasing new, tantalizing info about the many projects it has under development. The company is on a tear, investing heavily in new parks such as Universal Kids Resort coming to Frisco, Texas and the hugely anticipated Epic Universe in Orlando as well as expansions of its existing parks. But it is also busy developing what it describes as “new products to new audiences in new markets,” including Universal Horror Unleashed.
Universal announced in 2023 that the year-round haunt, modeled after the wildly successful Halloween Horror Nights seasonal events it has been offering at its parks for years, would be coming to the AREA15 entertainment district in Las Vegas. Now, the company has revealed additional details, including an opening date in 2025 and a rundown of the houses that will be featured at the standalone attraction.
Universal Horror Unleashed will offer four haunted houses, one of which will invite guests into the realm of the classic Universal Monsters. Dating back to 1923 with the silent film, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” the Hollywood movie studio has been cranking out creature features showcasing the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Mummy, The Wolfman, and a host of other celluloid scarers that are enmeshed in popular culture. They established the company as horror pioneers. Where Disney is best known for its animated characters, the monsters are an integral part of Universal’s legacy.
Fittingly, the monsters have long played important roles at Halloween Horror Nights. In 2022, for example the seasonal event presented Universal Monsters: Legends Collide, which brought Count Dracula, The Mummy, and The Wolfman together for a battle to see who reigns supreme. At this year’s HHN, gal ghouls Dracula’s Daughter, She-Wolf of London, and the electrifying Bride of Frankenstein shared the spotlight. As a demonstration of the continued relevance and appeal of the Universal Monsters, Dark Universe, one of the five lands that will debut next year at Epic Universe, will pay homage to them.
So, it’s no surprise the monsters will get their own house at Universal Horror Unleashed. The company didn’t reveal which monsters would take up residence in Vegas or any other details about the maze. Likewise, it’s unclear what exactly might lurk in the dark at the attraction’s other three houses, although they will all be based on ones that have been presented at previous Halloween Horror Nights. Scarecrow: The Reaping, for example, was one of the original houses at the 2022 HHN and featured an old-timey farm with lanky, living scarecrows that terrorized guests. The two other houses will be reference “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and Blumhouse’s “The Exorcist: Believer.” Leatherface has brought his trusty power tool to a number of HHNs through the years, including the one that just wrapped up at Universal Studios Hollywood. The Blumhouse version of The Exorcist was a featured house at the Orlando and Hollywood events in 2023. Will the Scarecrow and Exorcist houses duplicate or borrow heavily from their HHN predecessors? We will have to wait and see.
In addition to the houses, Universal Horror Unleashed will include “four sinisterly themed and immersive areas, featuring unique live entertainment experiences” according to a press release. That sounds suspiciously like scare zones, but it’s odd that the horrormeisters didn’t identify them as such if that’s the case. Themed food and beverages will also be available. The company promises that the attraction won’t remain static and will be updated with seasonal events.
Universal is hyping the Vegas undertaking as “the company’s first-ever year-round horror experience.” That’s not quite right. First of all, Universal Studios Florida has long offered the wonderful hybrid dark ride/coaster, Revenge of the Mummy (which was on the midway at the Hollywood park as well for a time), along with the presentation, the Horror Make-Up Show. (If you haven’t seen the show, make it a point to check it out; it’s filled with fascinating behind-the-scenes info about the art and science of making horror films, but it is also hilarious and entertaining .) More significantly, from 2016 to 2020 Universal Studios Hollywood featured a year-round, Halloween Horror Night-style maze based on “The Walking Dead.” And of course, Dark Universe, which will also open next year, will present horror no matter the season.
Universal Horror Unleashed will be yet another Vegas attraction that makes Sin City like a giant, un-gated theme park. Sure, gambling is still the engine that drives the town, but even folks that never drop a nickel into a slot machine can find more things to do there than at a major park.
Might Universal Horror Unleashed motivate you to head to Vegas next year? Do you think a year-round haunt will be successful?
I would visit this attraction if I find myself back in Las Vegas again. I was just there last week for a training conference. But, I don't travel to Las Vegas for vacation. I did have some time to stop at the Pinball Museum and had a blast.