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What to expect from Universal's new year-round horror experience in Vegas
AI-assisted summary
Unlike Halloween Horror Nights, Horror Unleashed offers a permanent, immersive horror experience with four haunted houses and interactive scare zones.
Haunted houses include Universal Monsters, The Exorcist: Believer, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Scarecrow: The Reaping.
The experience is designed for all types of horror fans, with varying levels of engagement and is not recommended for children under 13.
Nate Stevenson remembers it being a big deal to rent movies as a kid and his dad bringing home a stack of VHS tapes on weekends.
'Three or four were obviously for my mom,' Stevenson recalled. 'But then he would always go, 'And then I got one creepy old movie' ... and then me and my dad would just sit and watch the horror films.'
TJ Mannarino shared similar memories with his dad.
'That was a bonding thing,' Mannarino said. 'We used to sit around and watch the black-and-white Universal monster movies, and it got me excited about those strange characters.'
Mannarino and Stevenson still get giddy about horror. Now, they're creating a new way for fellow fans to connect with it, as two of the masterminds behind Universal's first year-round horror experience in Las Vegas.
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In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, they shared more about what guests can expect when Universal Horror Unleashed opens in August.
How is Horror Unleashed different from Halloween Horror Nights?
Universal Horror Unleashed won't just be a longer version of Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights.
'You're a little bit locked in at the parks,' said Stevenson, show director for Universal's Creative Development Group. Both he and Mannarino have worked on Horror Nights for years. 'You know what works and you go for it, and the turnaround is so fast for the next year that you're just on to the next year ... But this really gave us a chance to kind of innovate and think outside the box and say, 'How can we take this amazing thing that we've got and take it to the next level?'"
With Universal Horror Unleashed, they had a chance to build a permanent home for horror, from the ground up, in a newly expanded area of the Area15 entertainment district off the Las Vegas Strip.
'To be on the side of creating it and envisioning it is a dream come true, or a nightmare,' said Mannarino, vice president of Entertainment Art and Design for Universal Orlando Resort.
The story begins even before guests enter the building, which is set as a production warehouse where horror film props were stored, a nod to Universal's century-long legacy of horror films.
"The overarching story, just for Horror Unleashed in general, is that there's kind of a parallel world that lives beside ours, and in that world – we call it the shadow world – all your nightmares are actually realities,' Stevenson said.
He explained that in some areas, like Sin City and this production warehouse in particular, the veil between the worlds is thinner.
'They stuck so many spiritually charged things in this warehouse that it erupted and it broke that veil between the shadow world and our world, so when you're in the warehouse, some of those creatures and those monsters and those things have spilled out from the shadow world,' he said.
How many haunted houses are there?
There are four haunted houses at Universal Horror Unleashed, with a mix of intellectual property and original content, like Horror Nights.
Universal Monsters: 'Guests will pass through the crumbling mausoleum of famed monster hunter Van Helsing and into the cursed domains of creatures that defined the genre,' Universal shared in a press release. '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.'
The Exorcist: Believer: Based on the latest film in the Exorcist franchise, guests will follow the journey of two girls who've been possessed, all the way to their exorcism, which includes disappearing wall special effect that reveals a hidden hellscape, according to a promo video for the house.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Guests will enter the farmhouse from the franchise's first film and, following that film closely, come face to face with Leatherface as well as parts of his world that weren't on screen.
Scarecrow: The Reaping: Based on a fan-favorite, original Universal Halloween Horror Nights house, 'It's set in the Dust Bowl era, when the farmers ravaged the land, but in our story, the land has come back to life to wreak its revenge on you,' Stevenson said in a promo video.
Beyond the haunted houses, there will be four immersive areas with their own themes.
'One is kind of more classic, which is where the monsters come in – the classic Universal monsters – and then one is more kind of like a slasher 80s sort of feel, and another is more of kind of like a poltergeist sort of feel, and then another is more traditional and circusy, where Jack shows up,' Stevenson said, referring to Jack the Clown, a Halloween Horror Nights icon.
Getting into character
Each space will also feature various characters with fully fleshed, interconnected stories that guests can engage with.
'In the parks, you have all these incredible characters out in the streets and they're running and they're scaring you, but it's kind of like a moment in time. They scare you and then they go,' Stevenson said. 'But with these characters, you can actually walk up to them and chat with them ... get a couple of fun anecdotes about their life and move on – if that's the level of immersion you want – or you can sit there and talk to them for 15 minutes and learn all about the warehouse and all about the story.'
There will also be uniquely themed areas for food and drinks.
'I could see people buying a ticket and just going out there and hanging out for the night because it's such a cool environment,' Stevenson said. 'I just want a drink at the Boiler Bar that turns into a monster and becomes this really cool show moment ... and watch people get scared and have drinks with my friends and then walk over to Jack's (Alley) Bar and watch his show.'
These are all opening attractions, but from the beginning, Universal has said the venue will feature continuously updated horror experiences.
'It has to evolve. It has to change. How does that change and what that cadence is, I think that's still for us to tell you, as we learn also,' Mannarino said.
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Room for everyone
For now, guests can expect something different each visit, depending on how they engage.
'Spend as much time, come back as many times as they want, but feel like this place also has a life and it grows and it changes, and so every time you come back, you do see the world differently,' Mannarino said.
Experiences will also change depending on who guests go with.
'In your group, you might have the die hard who's always going to be the first person to line, but you always have the other person who's like, 'No, no. I'm going to be in the back, and I'm going to be hiding behind four other people,''' he said.
Universal Horror Unleashed is meant for all types of horror fans, from casual thrillseekers to lore-loving super fans.
'We see ourselves in you, because that's who we are,' Mannarino said.
Is there an age restriction for Universal Horror Unleashed?
The destination's website warns that like Horror Nights, the 'experience may be too intense for young children and is not recommended for children under the age of 13.'
How much are Universal Horror Unleashed tickets?
Universal Horror Unleashed opens August 14.
Tickets are already on sale and start at $69 for one-time entry to each house ($59 for Nevada residents) and $99 for unlimited access to houses.
