Universal Horror Unleashed - Las Vegas, NV

[Rideguy70]

Last I heard, you need a ticket even just for the bar. Which is sort of another reason people think this may not do so well

 

[Jerroddragon]

Last I heard, you need a ticket even just for the bar. Which is sort of another reason people think this may not do so well

Yeah

I hope this does well but watching it all....I'm kinda like how is this making money?

Maybe private events will make it work but I just have no idea how you fund all this daily and make profits

Also with everything going on....I was excited they are building a second one of these but man, feels like they should have let this test out first and see how it turns out

I feel like at some point they will need an AP even if you can only do a house once per visit (to help keep lines down) or make it weekday only but anyway I think it looks like something I will enjoy but the money part is what worry's me

 

[SeventyOne]

Yeah

I hope this does well but watching it all....I'm kinda like how is this making money?

Maybe private events will make it work but I just have no idea how you fund all this daily and make profits

Look, I've never been to Vegas, but from what I've heard about -- Cirque shows, magicians, music residencies, countless bars -- is there really a market outside of October for corporate events in a haunt venue? I can't imagine convention-goers getting excited for a party here in April when there's probably a hundred more normie-friendly venues.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

Look, I've never been to Vegas, but from what I've heard about -- Cirque shows, magicians, music residencies, countless bars -- is there really a market outside of October for corporate events in a haunt venue? I can't imagine convention-goers getting excited for a party here in April when there's probably a hundred more normie-friendly venues.

Currently, there doesn’t seem to be a market for any venues in Vegas right now.

 

[rageofthegods]

Currently, there doesn’t seem to be a market for any venues in Vegas right now.

Yeah that's sort of another concern I have re: this location right now.

Tourism drop in Nevada raises economic concerns beyond casinos

The decline in tourism numbers is causing significant concern for Nevada's economy, with impacts reaching beyond the hospitality industry.Jimmy Singh, who runs

news3lv.com

 

[Jerroddragon]

Well I will enjoy it for the....year or two its around.

I hope it works out but in this economy...it feels like something that will be hard to work without some reworks like letting you in for free, an AP type program and so on

 

[Clive]

Pleasure Island had turnstiles for years. Eventually, it became free to access. I could see Horror Unleashed going through a similar transition if the bars don't get enough foot traffic, but I'm guessing they don't want to "give away" the common area performers and shows.

 

[Jake S]

but I'm guessing they don't want to "give away" the common area performers and shows.

that’s what the $25 cocktails are for!

 

[Legacy]

Pleasure Island had turnstiles for years. Eventually, it became free to access. I could see Horror Unleashed going through a similar transition if the bars don't get enough foot traffic, but I'm guessing they don't want to "give away" the common area performers and shows.

That won’t be an issue after they cut the common area performers…

 

[rageofthegods]

That won’t be an issue after they cut the common area performers…

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[pumpkinbot343]

For some reason, looking at the concept art for the exterior of the Chicago location reminds me of DisneyQuest for some reason.

 

[ReelJustice]

Look, I've never been to Vegas

This blows my mind

 

[Tobias]

Currently, there doesn’t seem to be a market for any venues in Vegas right now.

Yeah, this is easily one of the biggest issues at the moment. They can't lean back on locals because in the past locals generally avoided going to the strip unless they work there or if friends/family are in town, but once the resorts started charging for parking, locals have really passed on that.

And with tourism just dropping due to a wombo-combo of reasons, it's putting the city and all the venues in an incredibly awkward position.

 

[Clive]

This blows my mind

I'll be real, it blows mine, too!

 

[UNIrd]

I got to do a soft opening of Horror Unleashed today and it was awesome! I visit Vegas pretty much annually so I absolutely love that I'll be able to tack on a Horror Nights experience every time I visit. I love the 2pm opening because it allows me to spend a few hours in there without sacrificing one of my usual nighttime activities. I did end up spending about 5 hours in there today, which was actually more than I expected.

I was pretty impressed with the area. Having been to Area 15 before but not since they started construction on this, I was surprised that its not connected to the original Area 15/Meow Wolf building at all and it is it's own ginormous standalone building. Uber struggled finding the right entrance to it... just a heads up... but that might be fixed once it opens.

The drinks were great, although a little steep at $20 each. I got Jack's Juice and Harvester of Sorrow. BOTH GREAT but the latter was my favorite... it's actually really similar a drink Antojitos used to have with apple and a cinnamon sugar rim.

The food we got to try at Premiere House was great. A lone Pizza Skull will set you back $12 but they have this Broiler Bread that was so cheesy and really good for sharing. Tacos were A+ too.

Okay, now the HOUSES. They're fine. They are not that different than what you experience at any Horror Nights and the differences that a permanent installation could allow for are minor. There were some cool moments that have been spoiled already if you watched the videos but the biggest difference is going to be pulsing. Having only your party go into the house is a huge difference from anything we know regularly at HHN.

I am falling asleep but happy to answer any questions you may have!

 

[SeventyOne]

This blows my mind

I'll be real, it blows mine, too!

Shocks me too, to be honest.

All I can say is there's this weird bias of northeast corridor people against going west. I still remember one of my college professors (small NJ liberal arts school) had us do a show of hands, more of us had been to Europe than west of the Mississippi. He basically yelled at us and told us to go see the Rockies. Also, once I arrived in Florida I was introduced to cruising--and it's mostly the same draws with the convenience of driving instead of flying. Anyway, FWIW my wife is pushing me to go (and she barely even knows about Unleashed, she just loves Vegas). But back on topic ...

 

[queenmetroid]

Do you know if they are soft opening every day this week and if you can purchase unlimited?

I was actually thinking of aborting my trip to the premiere due to the chatter here.

 

[Rideguy70]

There were some cool moments that have been spoiled already if you watched the videos but the biggest difference is going to be pulsing. Having only your party go into the house is a huge difference from anything we know regularly at HHN.

I've been saying this for a while. Even a so-so haunt can be really elevated if you're the only people in there. We actually had a pretty great time at Haunted Hayride last year, and not necessarily because the mazes were particularly amazing... but because we usually would go early in the evening, and often be the only people in the mazes.

Do they allow single visitors? I'll likely be visiting with my husband the first time we go, but many of my other visits to Vegas are solo. It'd be fun to go inside the mazes alone, if they allow it.

 

[UNIrd]

Do you know if they are soft opening every day this week and if you can purchase unlimited?

I was actually thinking of aborting my trip to the premiere due to the chatter here.

Yesterday was an event for industry and I haven't heard any other mentions of Soft Opening opportunities. Hoping that changes and they announce something to give them more reps at ops.

I've been saying this for a while. Even a so-so haunt can be really elevated if you're the only people in there. We actually had a pretty great time at Haunted Hayride last year, and not necessarily because the mazes were particularly amazing... but because we usually would go early in the evening, and often be the only people in the mazes.

Do they allow single visitors? I'll likely be visiting with my husband the first time we go, but many of my other visits to Vegas are solo. It'd be fun to go inside the mazes alone, if they allow it.

Yup. There was a single in front of us at Exorcist that went in solo. It looks like the TMs at the entrance to the house (after the queue/waiting area) have timers/stopwatches in their hands and they were practicing checking the time in between parties before they let you go and also engaging you with questions like if you're scared, if you're done any of the other houses, who your favorite Universal Monster is, etc. They did a great job with that.

 

[hunnylvr]

I think the overall commentary here is a little prematurely fatalistic. I love Vegas and usually go a couple times per year. We go for various reasons - concerts (if you haven't been to a show at The Sphere yet, your life is NOT complete) and other shows.. plus, the gambling. When I first saw they were building this in Vegas - I thought, well, just another excuse for me to go! We are scheduled to go the second week of January. After all the travel for HHN, we needed push it out a bit, but I was hoping by then, the actors will have a rhythm and all the kinks will be worked out.

If you read any article on the economics of Halloween and horror, you will see that every year, Halloween gets closer and closer to being a more profitable holiday than Christmas. Each year, the stores start putting out Halloween decorations, costumes and merch earlier and earlier. Now, it's become expected you can find Halloween something after July 4. All this bodes well for a year round haunt. Plus, it's something very different to do in Vegas, and it's in a prime area. I really don't think they will have a problem making money with this nor do I believe it will ony last "a couple years". The ability to change up what houses are there and keep it fresh is the key. I'm sure they will learn as they go and continue to improve it over time.

FYI - we have a few haunts in the Chicago area that fully own their space, and many of them will do "holiday haunts" - transforming their haunt for Christmas, St. Paddy's Day, Easter and Valentine's day. We just did a "summer screams" one a couple of weeks ago, and it was a blast! We go to these a lot, and they are always packed. People want this type of entertainment more than just in October.

I don't see the point of all the excessive negativity for an attraction that isn't even open yet.