If you’re a fan of both theme parks and horror, then you’re likely already a regular visitor of Halloween Horror Nights. Universal Destinations and Experiences' flagship event around the world brings real scares to Universal Studios Hollywood and Florida, and it’s about to raise the bar with Universal Horror Unleashed.
The year-round Horror experience in Las Vegas, set to open this August, will have four haunted houses that improve on the HHN formula in some incredible ways. However, what really caught my attention when I had the chance to speak with Universal Entertainment’s Nate Stevenson and T.J. Manarino was that the story of Horror Unleashed will extend beyond the houses into the rest of the building, including the restaurant and bars. Stevenson said:
But there's also people that you can walk up to, creatures and characters that inhabit this warehouse that have full stories, and they can tell you all about the warehouse and everything and how it all fits in.
As a fan of not simply theme parks but themed entertainment, I'm incredibly excited by this. I love a good themed bar or restaurant. I love it when live performers take a themed space to a new level by becoming part of the story. Chatting with a bartender, not about the weather or sports, but about the terrors coming through a hole in reality, is exactly my idea of a good time.
The story of Universal Horror Unleased isn’t four stories crammed together. It’s actually a single story of terror. As soon as you walk into the building, you’ll find yourself in a space where the barrier between reality and nightmares is particularly thin. That’s what allows the world of Exorcist: Believer, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Universal Monsters, and Scarecrow: The Reaping to exist together.
And just like Horror Unleashed doesn’t begin with the houses, it doesn’t end there, either. Leaving the attractions will bring you to Jack’s Alley, the signature bar, where you can interact with HHN favorites Jack and Chance and their “Clowns of Chaos.” And best of all, there’s no limit to how much time you can spend there. Manarino explained:
And then after you've exited, even the attraction in the area around our major attractions, our entertainment-themed areas that have, you know, bar locations like Jack's Alley, in this environment that you come in contact with Jack, our twisted clown of chaos. And you can spend as much time as you want in that environment with Jack, the crazy clowns of chaos, and in his world. And so that's something that you don't get in our parks, that we were able to provide to our guests for the first time ever in this year-round experience, is that you can choose to live in horror as long as you want.
It honestly reminds me of Disney World's failed Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. When I got to visit the location, my favorite part was interacting with the Cast Members who were performing the characters. They gave the space life that made you feel like you were really someplace else. If this can do the same, it will be an experience that improves on the parks in a big way.
Experiencing a themed attraction the way designers wanted you to is one thing, but by being able to interact with characters in your own way, you can define your own experience. I’m as excited as anybody to check out Universal Horror Unleashed when it opens on August 15 in Las Vegas. If you’re looking for me, I’ll probably be in the bar.
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