Universal Horror Unleashed - Las Vegas, NV

[PerceptiveCoot]

I really wonder how intense these houses are going to be. Color me surprised there’s no CHUCKY, someone I think would be a smash hit for the Vegas clientele. Still very interested in going to this!

With only four houses, Chucky might be just as valuable as a meet-n-greet character than as a house. I'm certain he'll be there eventually.

 

[viking_wizard_eyes]

This is the aspect I'm most curious about. I can't decide if it's an amazing idea or a dumb one. I also really wanna see the food and drink menu.

EDIT: Oops, misread this. I thought it was referring to having actors in the bar area. I think the easter eggs are great.

I imagine literally the entire point of this is to get random Vegas tourists to say "hey, this was really cool. Maybe we'll go to the real thing next year!"

Bingo. This is true of so many things in Vegas these days.

 

[mccgavin]

I'm pretty certain they'll be selling Chucky merchandise regardless of if he has any presence at the venue.

 

[jarmor]

One thing I have to remember is this is NOT for a diehard-ish HHN fan like me. This is for visitors/tourist/locals of vegas. Most of the visitors may have never been to HHN, be it Orlando or Hollywood. ALL of this will be new to them. I feel the line up is solid. Scarecrows are universally recognized as being scary/spooky and if the house is anything like Orlando's, then it will be a hit. I have never seen Believer so I couldn't care less how much the movie bombed, however, I did go through the house in Orlando and Hollywood and I really enjoyed both (minus all the black walls in Hollywood lol). I have never been through a bad rendition of TCM! They are always ghastly beautiful and well done. They have to include the clothes line scene from when it was featured in the Disaster queue in Orlando. Lastly, Universal never fails with the Universal monsters. These houses will have the luxury of being more elaborate and over the top being in a semi-permanent state. ido wonder, after seeing the animatronics, I wonder if they will employ some of for the mazes in unleashed? I am sure the makeup/mask will be better as they will have to last longer.

I heard 4 themed areas right? It also looked like Jack will be the "icon" and there will be clowns/circus performers as well? I can't wait to experience this project when it opens.

 

[Rideguy70]

I'm also unpleasantly surprised at Exorcist: Believer. I get all have said: this is not necessarily for haunt fans, but Vegas tourists (and locals). All the other properties have some sort of wide reach... I honestly think they're hoping the average tourist will just see the words "The Exorcist" and not really notice the "Believer" part of it.

That said, based on some of the Orlando comments here, Exorcist: Believer may have been a different experience there than in Hollywood, where it was mid at best.

This may have been covered earlier, but who is in charge of this project? Is Murdy helping? Orlando designers? Or an entirely different set of designers exclusive to this attraction?

For the devoted haunt fans, though, I think the biggest appeal for this will be the fact that you can finally do a HHN quality maze without (hopefully) a conga line... you could really have it to yourself. Which is an incredible rarity on either coast.

 

[rageofthegods]

Chucky bar with an animatronic with a cocktail shaker and a mini insult-emporium experience every now and then. Bam, lower maintenance costs than a house and it gets the Chuckster in.

 

[jarmor]

For the devoted haunt fans, though, I think the biggest appeal for this will be the fact that you can finally do a HHN quality maze without (hopefully) a conga line... you could really have it to yourself. Which is an incredible rarity on either coast.

This is what really makes or break a maze. I attended the premium night at Orlando and I swear every single maze was much more scarier going through it alone vs a conga line. Also what is an appeal to me, a veteran fan, is the theme areas that would be the bar/place to eat/shop. We have seen what they can do with the tribute store now lets see them take it up a notch and create spaces to hang and eat/drink.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

That said, based on some of the Orlando comments here, Exorcist: Believer may have been a different experience there than in Hollywood, where it was mid at best.

The one in Orlando was mid too, don't let everyone fool you lol

 

[UniversalRBLX]

This is what really makes or break a maze. I attended the premium night at Orlando and I swear every single maze was much more scarier going through it alone vs a conga line. Also what is an appeal to me, a veteran fan, is the theme areas that would be the bar/place to eat/shop. We have seen what they can do with the tribute store now lets see them take it up a notch and create spaces to hang and eat/drink.

I'm hoping those themed bars come to HHN next year as well.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Halloween has its own smattering of licensing challenges (more so than Nightmare) which always made that rumor feel somewhat unlikely. Chucky is marketable, but there are likely maintenance expense concerns with an animatronics-heavy house running year-round. Friday the 13th, while absolutely marketable and synergistic with Crystal Lake, is in a weird limbo because of that synergy. It also has, admittedly, the most limited environment of the Titans.

TCM, arguably not in the top three, fills the slasher (and gore and chainsaw) house role. Legacy also demonstrated how expansive Universal’s permissions for IP are, even if they don’t focus on the movie. That movie, also, is celebrating its 50th.

But really, I think a big reason they went with TCM is… simply… Texas. Vegas is very popular for Texans. It’s easy marketing to a big market.

Exorcist Believer is a sunk cost.

I think this analysis is largely solid, with the exception that any significant group of Texans is going to be drawn in by TCM. There’s not some vast well of affection for the IP in that state - it won’t move the needle.

And honestly, my biggest problem with this lineup is the lack of a dark humor house.

 

[SeventyOne]

IU Forum meetup next year? Lol

I fully expect a record number of Orlandoians in Vegas the weekend this opens. Like, I'll know half the plane on the flight over.

 

[jarmor]

And honestly, my biggest problem with this lineup is the lack of a dark humor house.

We heard you the first time lol. I mean, this year there was no "dark humor" (to me, Sweets was more camp than dark humor) houses on each coast and the event survived.

 

[DTH]

Chucky bar with an animatronic with a cocktail shaker and a mini insult-emporium experience every now and then. Bam, lower maintenance costs than a house and it gets the Chuckster in.

This is my line of thinking as well. A maze like Ultimate Kill Count might be very hard to upkeep year-round. However, an insult emporium with likely a Chucky puppet just SCREAMS Vegas. Drunk guests will eat it up and honestly might be more packed than the mazes themselves. If they could fit in a meet & greet, they very well could call it something dumb like Chucky's Playground, throw up a giant Biff Tannen sign of him outside, and it would probably do just as well, if not better. The mazes would just be an add-on.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Chucky is marketable, but there are likely maintenance expense concerns with an animatronics-heavy house running year-round.

Aren't these house designs coming from Orlando and Hollywood? Maybe they would have chosen Chucky if it rated better?

IU Forum meetup next year? Lol

I kinda love this idea lol

 

[Casper Gutman]

We heard you the first time lol. I mean, this year there was no "dark humor" (to me, Sweets was more camp than dark humor) houses on each coast and the event survived.

40% of the 2024 houses in Orlando were humor-oriented (GB, Sinema, Goblin, Sweets), more than usual. These also happened to be, along with the non-humor Insidious, the best reviewed houses this year. That’s pretty common - humor houses tend to be some of the strongest Uni produces.

 

[Lucky Planet]

This is … not an inspiring lineup to me. TCM is the least appealing of the major slashers and I can’t imagine it moves merchandise the way Chucky or Halloween does. It seems like the least “socially acceptable” major slasher outside a horror-specific environment, which matters for merch.

Exorcist: Believer wasn’t just a failure, it was a historic bomb - one step down from Ishtar and its ilk. Sticking it in here seems like a really transparent corporate mandate to try and put a positive light on Uni’s massive overpay for the IP and not something driven by creative considerations in any way. I also felt the house, while fine, was MASSIVELY overrated, and unlike this year’s Ghostbusters really did suffer from being attached to a bad film. And again, I can’t imagine even the original Exorcist is a merchandise juggernaut.

I know Scarecrows is beloved, but my understanding is that its reputation rests largely on cast intensity, not something that can be reliably reproduced. I’d think it would be wiser to go with an “impressive sets” all timer like Pier.

Most importantly to me, there doesn’t seem to be a hint of dark humor in any of these houses. That’s a HUGE and defining part of the HHN brand.

I’d have a hard time thinking of a more uninspiring lineup. It’s really dimmed my enthusiasm for the project. I feel like you could have picked any four random houses from the last decade in Orlando and gotten a better mix.

scarecrows were amazing visually and the sets were incredible.
the costumes alone are great

Yeah, I don't think it's unreasonable to be disappointed by Believer. The house, imo, was really good, but boy was that movie boring.

That having been said... again, Waterworld was one of the biggest bombs ever. Ideally, you want an attraction based off of something good, but if it's not, we have proof that something can transcend its origins.

Hopefully the house is great. Or, failing that, hopefully they can swap it out with the Flanagan movie as soon as they can.

that's a great point. but exorcist believer as a house was pretty repetitive. it was scary and intense, but it repeated itself. so I don't know.

That might speak to popularity. More likely it speaks to rights issues, which we know are a big mess for Freddy and Jason. It doesn’t really speak to “social acceptability.” I think it’s a lot more likely someone would wear a Chucky or Myers shirt to the office Halloween party than a Leatherface shirt - there’s that whole “wearing human flesh” thing, for one. But “social acceptability” aside, Chucky and Myers gear seems MUCH more ubiquitous then anything related to Texas. And doesn’t Universal fully control the Chucky IP?

the cannibalism is also controversial lol.
but I much much rather have Texas chainsaw and Leatherface than anything from blumhouse.