Today marks the official public opening date of Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas as the first-ever-year-round horror experience from Universal is now available to visit at the AREA15 District.
From fan favourites to original creations guests can step into four themed haunted houses along with four themed areas with live entertainment, themed food and cocktails.
Page Thompson, President, New Ventures, Universal Destinations and Experiences said:
“Today marks an exciting step in our expansion into new markets as we officially welcome guests to Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas. Horror Unleashed will provideunique character interactions that will thrill fans of both horror and immersive entertainment.”
After seeing footage of the attraction so far it’s very clear which two mazes are the stand-out ones and which two could easily be interchanged over time as part of an attraction that would need to keep adding new experiences to stay fresh and relevant.
The Exorcist maze and the Scarecrow maze both look like the mazes that could be chopped and changed especially the former as The Exorcist Believer was a TERRIBLE movie and it looks like the maze is equally as weak compared to the rest of the line-up.
Universal Monsters and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre maze look absolutely phenomenal and there is a leap in quality and design here that make me feel confident that those two mazes mentioned are going to be replaced in the near future.
As it stands those brave enough to enter will:
- Face the dust storms of the Midwest in Scarecrow: The Reaping, an original story that will take them back in time to a dry, barren 1930s farmland ravaged by farmers and taken over by horrifying inhabitants arising from the land: bloodthirsty scarecrows bent on revenge.
- Take a journey through the 1974 horror masterpiece in the “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” haunted house, placing them in the footsteps of the victims as they face horrifying iconic scenes and characters. Guests will come face-to-face with Leatherface and every member of his deranged family and their victims, as the terrifying sound of chainsaws haunts them at every turn.
- Face cinema’s most feared icons in Universal Monsters, where horror legends have broken free from the silver screen to stalk unwitting victims. From the shadowy halls of Castle Dracula, to the sandy tombs guarded by The Mummy, to the crackling lab where Frankenstein and The Bride still draw breath – this haunted house resurrects the most legendary monsters of all time in one continuous nightmare.
- Descend into demonic possession in Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer, and find themselves deep in the shadowy woods where best friends Katherine and Angela mysteriously vanish – only to be discovered days later with no memory of what happened. From there, the terror builds room by room as the girls’ disturbing transformation unfolds, going from the hospital to the girls’ homes to witnessing the actual exorcism as everyone is surrounded by supernatural chaos.
Along with that there are four themed areas where each immersive area will place guests in the center stage of horror, offering opportunities to interact with characters for a deeply engaging experience:
- Kill Vault – Surrounded by rusty knives and machetes, the eerie characters at Kill Vault – from a strange surgeon to psychotic slashers – are lurking in the shadows attempting to lure their next victim as they interact with everyone in sight.
- Prop Graveyard – Here, the line between inanimate and alive blurs, as guests face a supernatural collection of unsettling dolls, dismembered mannequins and other haunted objects from abandoned film sets that seem to move as guests walk through.
- Dead Storage – Echoing the grandiosity of Universal’s earliest horror productions, Dead Storage will envelop guests in a shadow-filled sanctuary with forgotten set pieces and eerie relics that have been reclaimed by night-dwelling creatures – vampires, a werewolf in mid-transformation, and others that emerge without warning.
- Jack’s Alley– Set in a twisted dark carnival atmosphere, guests will face Jack The Clown’s evil maniacs and a group of malicious jugglers, dancers and fortune tellers as they perform for their lives, during the Jack & Chance: Stay or Slay Show.
Guests can also dine on a variety of themed shareable bites and specialty cocktails in designated areas, including:
- Rough Cuts, where guests can feast on carved small plates as they witness a variety of show moments, electrifying performances and interact with characters to learn more about their haunting backstories. Dishes include Ears (fire roasted yellow corn, citrus aioli, grated cotija cheese, crushed Hot Cheetos, tajin, micro cilantro) and Shoulder (torta al pastor, marinated pork shoulder, fresh pineapple, avocado, lettuce, and pickled onions).
- Premiere House, a tapas bar featuring the horrors of Blumhouse and serving a variety of signature cocktails and a selection of delicious shareable bites set amid an eerie atmosphere filled with movie props and twisted décor representing some of Universal’s most recent Blumhouse horror films. Dishes include Broiler Bread (garlic-herb stuffed pumpernickel roll, fiery smoked paprika cheese sauce), the Texas Chainsaw Flatbread (sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, spicy tomato sauce) and The Crow’s Nest (bourbon BBQ chicken lollipops, fried rice noodle nest, arugula, sesame seeds).
- Boiler Bar, equal parts hellish spectacle and welcome reprieve with a monstrous flaming machine nestled in the heart of the venue, it offers guests a perfect vantage point for those seeking momentary respite while remaining immersed in the action and enjoying craft cocktails.
- Jack’s Alley Bar, serving themed specialty cocktails as guests enjoy acrobatic performances and more in a circus-like hellscape where the deranged Jack the Clown and his impishly evil sidekick Chance reign.
What’s also great about Universal Horror Unleashed is the array of merchandise and Universal certainly know how to do their merch!
Horror fans can shop at the all-new retail location where a variety of scientific and supernatural artifacts and curiosities surround guests including apparel, collectibles, jewelry, accessories and more. Guests can commemorate their visit with merchandise donning the Universal Horror Unleashed logo which includes a spirited Spirit Jersey, a blood-dripping tumbler and Vegas poker chip-inspired souvenirs.
Fans can also grab collectibles like backpacks, beanies, retro tees, jewelry and more from the four sinister haunted houses – Scarecrow: The Reaping, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Universal Monsters, Jack the Clown, Universal Monsters and Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer. In addition, guests can grab iconic merchandise featuring Jack the Clown and Chucky.
Is the Chucky merchandise a wink and nod as to what’s to come? We shall see!
Whilst we love Universal Horror Unleashed we did discuss how we feel a 365 horror attraction would perform but we discuss that in much more detail over on our movie spin-off website Back to the Movies.
You can check out that very article HERE.
