Universal has officially opened Universal Horror Unleashed, a permanent, year-round horror attraction that immerses guests in the brand’s most chilling horror properties.
Located within the AREA15 Immersive District, the 110,000-square-foot venue marks Universal’s first standalone horror experience outside of its theme parks; but unlike Halloween Horror Nights, Horror Unleashed is open year-round, allowing horror fans to step into horror at any time.
Universal recently invited Inside Universal for a preview of the new venue on Monday, where we were able to take in a significant amount of the experience.
Guests enter Warehouse 25, a production warehouse full of haunted props, artifacts, and set pieces from Universal’s storied horror legacy. Fun fact: Some of the props are film-used, including a prop from the 1999 film, The Mummy.
The warehouse sits on a “spiritual fault line”. As the story goes, the barrier between the real world and the Shadow World became thin, thus allowing strange things to occur inside the warehouse.
Once inside the warehouse, guests can explore two themed bars, live entertainment, interact with roaming scare actors, and enjoy specialty food and drink – all designed to extend the experience beyond the haunts themselves. Want to learn more about the warehouse? Talk to Marcus Shaw, a representative from the Legendary Truth. Turn the corner, and you enter the Kill Vault, where you may run into a knife-wielding cheerleader maniac.
The main attraction of Horror Unleashed is the four haunted houses: Universal Monsters, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scarecrow: The Reaping, and The Exorcist: Believer. Each haunt blends the elaborate set design and special effects that we’ve all come to expect from Universal, just with a bit more “permanent” feel and a lot more budget involved.
Fans who’ve experienced any of these houses at Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando may see some similar beats in the 4 haunted houses, as most of them are ported over to Vegas. In addition, each house will feature show scenes that enhance the experience – especially as guests will be “pulsed” through the house (aka regulating the flow of guests into the haunt). It’s quite the thrill to enter Castle Dracula and have the main vampire himself unleash his feral brides upon you.
Jack the Clown and Chance return and serve as the quasi-emcees of the experience inside Jack’s Alley. Set in a twisted, dark carnival atmosphere, guests will face Jack’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.
We didn’t try all the food and drinks, but our favorite drink was the Graverobber, which is a guava margarita with a spooky twist. Jack’s Juice tastes very similar to the event standard, Ghoul Juice, except it’s freshly mixed and served. The Texas Chainsaw Flatbread (sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, spicy tomato sauce) was simple, but tasty.
Guests looking to have a relaxing, but creepy food & drink experience can visit the Premiere House, a tapas bar featuring the horrors of Blumhouse and serving a variety of signature cocktails and a selection of delicious shareable bites.
Ticket prices vary throughout the year, starting at $69 for general, one-time access, or at $99 for general “unlimited” access. Starting at $2,750, the “Haunted High Rollers” VIP Experience Package offers a three-hour elevated horror experience, with priority access to Universal Horror Unleashed for up to six guests, unlimited haunted house access via a priority VIP Lane, a personal VIP host, access to a special VIP food and beverage menu, artist meet and greets with private VIP performances, exclusive discounts on merchandise and more.
Horror Unleashed offers something unique to the Vegas scene. Whereas other year-haunts have come and gone in Las Vegas, none of them carried the big punch that Universal’s line-up offers, or the budget behind it.
For Las Vegas visitors seeking a break from the casinos and nightlife, Horror Unleashed offers an entirely different kind of adrenaline rush and may find the experience a refreshing change of pace from the “Sin City” allure that is the Strip. That said, Horror Unleashed is still a calculated gamble. Despite its unique offering, Las Vegas still thrives on those casinos and nightlife. If Universal can keep Horror Unleashed fresh (which creators have teased that the experiences are not “permanent”) and leverage its brand strength, Horror Unleashed could succeed, which would be great considering a 2nd location is already planned for Chicago in 2027.
If you’re a Horror Nights fan but want to have a more theatrical, nightlife vibe to their haunt experience, then Horror Unleashed is worth the trip – especially if you’re already planning a trip to Las Vegas.
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