Universal Horror Unleashed: An Honest Review

Intro

I was in the middle of my Los Angeles – Las Vegas – Chicago trip, and I had just spent a night at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights 2025. Literally having slept just a few hours after landing in Vegas, and paying for Early Check In at the hotel, I was now finally on my way to another Universal experience: Universal Horror Unleashed.

Universal Horror Unleashed is a permanent, year-round immersive horror experience created by Universal Destinations & Experiences (the team behind the famous Halloween Horror Nights) rather than a temporary seasonal event. It’s located in the AREA15 entertainment district in Las Vegas.

Let’s explore on my experience at this event, and my perspective as it unfolds on this Sunday afternoon, merely months after it opened to the public.

Getting to Universal Horror Unleashed

I paid almost $100 for Unlimited Access to the Haunted Houses. It could be more expensive than a regular Halloween Horror Nights ticket in either of the coasts, and with only 4 Haunted Houses, compared to the 8 at Hollywood and 10 in Orlando, besides all the other inclusions like attractions, scare zones and immersion, that this experience in Vegas does not have.

Now, I wanted to stay positive, and excited since this was a new experiment from Universal, and I loveee HHN clearly.

I took an Uber from the hotel, after waking up from my nap, and getting ready again. Sure enough, I was at the right spot. I could see the big warehouse where UHU is located.

I really liked the sign by the entrance, and it didn’t seem like a lot of people were getting in. For reference, my ticket was set form 4 PM.

But getting in became the nightmare of experience. After they scanned my ticket, they made me go through security and told me that I had to put my water bottle and bad in a locker. I was so confused, because this has never happened to me in any Universal park, and I had been to ALL of them in the world.

They kept indicating me where to go, and moving me from the locker area to the security access like they did not know what to do. Then, I finally get to the lockers and I find out I have to pay for them. I asked why I have to pay for the locker if they are making me use it, and all they say is that I should have read the terms and conditions. I mean, who reads those? Mind you, the locker was more expensive than the water bottle I purchased somewhere in Asia a year ago, and it was empty, like it’s not like I brought a drink from outside. I felt very frustrated, but after being looked down by the security guard, like I am some kind of stupid person (giving me instructions for the locker like I was a child), I gave up and did as said, and went inside the venue.

Once Inside

I was mad, so I kind of missed a couple of scares in the hallway that connects to the main area, and then started to calm down was I went inside. The horrible way I was treated at the entrance was not going to let me not enjoy this event.

I got to The Boiler bar which works as kind of the center of the entire venue, and started to get finally interested in this event.

The Haunted Houses

Haunted Houses: Four major haunted-house experiences, each with a distinct horror theme. These include:

• The Exorcist: Believer – based on the Blumhouse film.
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre – a version of the classic horror.
• Universal Monsters – the classic monsters of the Universal catalogue (Dracula, Frankenstein, etc).
• Scarecrow: The Reaping – an original horror story set on 1930s farmland.

I got ready for this event by watching The Exorcist Believer, and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Both were ok, I was not the biggest fan, but I did remember The Exorcist house back in Halloween Horror Nights a couple of years ago, and there was a Scarecrow house that I had just seen last night at the HHN in Hollywood. Universal Monsters is never a miss anywhere, and I love their land in Epic Universe.

When getting into the venue, I was given this piece of carboard with the hours for each house. 4 in total seemed like an easy and quick task. So I went for food, as you will see later in this post, and then came to the houses at their respective time.

• Universal Monsters:

Experience the terrifying worlds of Universal Monsters where you’ll follow in the footsteps of famed monster-hunter Van Helsing and enter the realm of the most iconic monsters in Universal’s storied movie history.

My first house was Universal Monsters, because of course. Immediately you can tell the difference between these houses and the HHN ones. The production value was way higher here. I mean, these houses are destined to last longer.

At this time of the afternoon, the wait was short, but there is no indication on how long I would wait. They should definitely add the Wait Time in front of each attraction.

They do something called pulsing here, instead of the typical conga line from any of the HHNs. This allow groups to go by themselves and don’t miss any of the scares. I gotta admit that I started loving this system, especially since I was by myself, and walking around these mazes alone felt terrifying.

I love the production value of the Universal Monsters maze, and I got a couple of scares. I noticed something and it was that the scare actors were not trying to be too scary if that makes sense (?), compared to Orlando where they are trying their best, or Hollywood where they would do the most to scare you. I do not know if it’s because it’s new, but I felt like many were not fully in their character.

Universal Monsters was a 7.5/10 surprisingly.

• Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer

Step inside Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer, where terror takes hold and never lets go. Follow the living story of two girls overtaken by an ancient evil, their screams echoing through a maze of twisted torment. Try to escape before the ancient entity claims you as its own.

I gave this house a 9/10 back in 2023, but this is the permanent version of this house. I liked the entrance and the queue before the pulsing started. I was by myself again, walking the entire maze, when I was confusingly asked to stand somewhere to see a little act by the scare actors. I was like ok, do you do this for every person that walks in? No wonder the long line haha. I still liked the house, and think it was better than the Monsters one. 8/10.

• Scarecrow: The Reaping

This isn’t just a haunted house, it’s a cursed harvest. As you make your way through fog-choked cornfields, the air grows heavy and still. But you’re not alone. Twisted scarecrows lurk in the shadows, emerging from the mist-covered cornrows—silent, soulless and always watching. Every rustle in the stalks could be your last warning.

OMG. This is it. This one was the scariest of them all. 10/10. The production value is amazing. I was very immersed here. I was paired with a group of 3 guys and we all came together, so I was not alone anymore. But seeing them screaming made me enjoy this house even more. The effects were amazing. There was darkness, flashing lights, blinding fog, corn fields. The one in Hollywood should be ashamed of co-exist with this one for real. 10/10.

• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Journey through a rotting farmhouse, its walls stained with terror and echoing with the screams of past victims. Hidden deep in the remote heart of Texas, something unspeakable awaits.

As the day progressed, the lines were getting longer, but the pulsing really helped these houses. This one, I did not care too much. It had many elements from the movie, but I think it was the most forgetful one of the 4. I remember walking it a bit scared tho: 7/10.

After doing all the things I mention down in this post, I returned to do one more house, since I had Unlimited Pass. Which by the way, you can stay in the venue as long as you want. This time the lines were incredibly long, and I had The Wizard of Oz at 8:00 PM. I finally was able to go in, not without being interviewed at the entrance by the Team Member managing the line. He could not quite understand that I had done this house earlier that same day lol. But the crowds were present. I would recommend to come early in the day with an Unlimited Access pass and do the houses with shorter lines.

Entertainment

• Greet the Vampire Queen

The meet and greet with the Vampire Queen is by the entrance and it is definitely one of those things you can do if you have time. There are some character interactions in the entire venue.

• Escape from Demented Killers

Just like some sort of Scare Zone, you can have scare actors following you and try to “stab” you or scare you. This happens mostly on the way to the back, where Jack’s Alley is located.

• See Megan at the Premiere House

We’ll explore this dining venue more in depth later, but yeah, this was one of the entertainment offered while drinking or eating in UHU.

• Join Jack’s Demented Circus

The times for Jack the clown show were not posted anywhere, but after asking the cast members, I was told that the closest one was cancelled, so the next one was going to be at 7:00 PM. Too close to when I was supposed to leave.

But after doing Scarecrow for a second time, I came back and the show started., first by the Jack’s Alley restaurant/bar.

Then it moved to the main platform, and it was a little bit too slow for me. Like nothing was happening.

Jack finally came out, but I had to leave. Dorothy, Glinda and Elphaba were waiting for me a couple of miles from there at Sphere. 3 hours were definitely not enough for this event, but I will discuss that later more in detail.

Dining

• The Boiler

Clanking and glowing, The Boiler serves as the central core of the malevolence pervading the warehouse. Flames bellow behind grates at the forefront which resemble the eyes and mouth of a formidable beast. Below, bartenders skillfully mix craft cocktails from a bar affixed to the underside of the colossal, monstrous machine.

This was one of the first things I saw coming in, and it serves as the core area for the 4 houses, which are basically around it. I did not get a drink for here but it seemed cool.

• Premiere House

Step through large metal roll doors into the Premiere House restaurant and full-service bar. You can enjoy cocktails, shareables and specialty drinks amid props and décor from Universal’s horror films. This themed restaurant and bar also boasts an outdoor patio area and space available for special events through private booking.

When I saw YouTube videos about this new venue, it was highly recommend to do reservations for this dining space. Afraid I would not be able to get in, I did a reservation for the same time I was coming in, so was basically the first thing I did in UHU. This whole area (very big by the way) has a Blumhouse theme, including clips from the movies, and the occasional Megan dancing all around.

Again, this place is huge, and it has a lot of props from different movies, but to be honest, and I think I saw this recommended also by other people. They should use this space to build a fifth house.

But enough ranting about this space. I was hungry, after landing in Las Vegas and taking a nap. I had to eat something, so I got the Black Lagoon Bites. I wanted something Asian-inspired, and this Pork and shrimp siu mai, sweet soy chili oil, and seaweed, did the trick. Very very good. Even for something I ate at the bar.

Not a fan of Black Phone but it was nice seeing these props.

After doing the 4 houses, I came back for a drink, this time a mocktail: Take a Chance, Ritual Zero Proof Tequila Alternative, Cherry, Cranberry, Raspberry, Lemon, Grenadine, and Club Soda. It was actually good. I would have ordered it again.

And for dessert, I got the Death by Chocolate: Devil’s food cake, chocolate pastry cream, feuilletine crunch, raspberry sorbet, raspberry sauce, and white chocolate cracked dolls’ heads.

• Jack’s Alley

Under the watchful glare of the evil Jack the Clown and his wise-cracking sidekick Chance, visitors can enjoy specialty drinks and take in the nearby live entertainment at Jack’s Alley, a table service bar. From dancers to acrobats to sideshow acts, it’s a three-ring circus of mayhem.

Like I mentioned before, this was part entertainment, part dining/drinking. It is odd that there was no place in this whole venue where you could just escape for a bit without having to care about stuff happening around you, especially if you are eating/drinking.

Conclusion – My honest opinion

Universal Horror Unleashed is an interesting and ambitious concept — a year-round horror experience by Universal that brings the essence of Halloween Horror Nights into a permanent venue. But after visiting, I couldn’t help comparing it to the main HHNs in Hollywood and Orlando, and wondering if it truly lives up to the name.

The production value of the haunted houses is clearly higher than in the seasonal events. You can tell these mazes are built to last, with more elaborate sets and details that would be hard to maintain for just two months a year. Scarecrow: The Reaping was easily the highlight for me, and even better than the version in Hollywood. However, the energy from the scare actors didn’t always match what you’d expect from HHN — some performances felt toned down, especially compared to Orlando, where every actor seems fully committed to making you scream.

The biggest difference, though, is scope. Four haunted houses, one or two bars, and a few live entertainment options simply don’t compare to the massive scale of Halloween Horror Nights. There are no scare zones, no rides, no park atmosphere — just a single themed warehouse. For nearly $100, it’s actually more expensive than a night at HHN, but offers much less overall. Still, the pulsing system (going through the houses in small groups) was a fantastic improvement, and I hope Universal considers adding that to the main events.

So, is it worth it? If you’re already in Las Vegas, absolutely. It’s a unique, fun, and well-designed experience that will definitely satisfy horror fans looking for something different to do in the city. But if you’re thinking of flying to Vegas just for Universal Horror Unleashed, I’d say no — not yet. It’s not on the same level of excitement or variety as HHN in Hollywood or Orlando. Maybe in the future, if they expand with more houses and refine the operations, it’ll be a must-see attraction. For now, it’s a great add-on to a Vegas trip, not a reason to make one.

Leaving AREA 15

I had planned to come explore more of this whole AREA 15, and even made reservations, but I could not make myself skip more sleep. I napped earlier, and now I had to jump on an Uber for a 8:00 PM showing of The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, that you can see now here.

After leaving The Wizard of Oz, I walked to The Venetian, which is connected by a bridge with Sphere, and enjoyed these beautiful views of Italy lol. I actually like it for real.

Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen

I have the goal of visiting every Gordon Ramsay restaurant in Las Vegas, and today, I was visiting the 2nd one so far: Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen, located in Caesars Palace.

With no reservation, I got in and was seated in the bar. I liked the atmosphere of the place.

I HAD to try the 2 most iconic dishes he has at least in this restaurant. One was the Beef Wellington, which was incredibly amazing. It melted in your mouth.

And the second one was a dessert, the Sticky Toffee Pudding. I think it was good, until it wasn’t. I had a sugar crash while eating this, and could not finish it. It is very filling. Funnily enough, a couple sitting next to me was telling the server that it was amazing, but they also could not finish it.

Saying goodbye to Las Vegas and The LINQ

I ended the night walking back to my hotel, and seeing the High Roller from afar. One day I will be getting on it.

I always find these Carlo’s Bake Shop ATMs fascinating lol.

The next morning, before heading to the airport I had to stop by the pool just to get a sense of what I had missed out. With suitcase in hand, I then checked out and made my way to the airport, where the plane to Chicago was now waiting for me. Can’t wait for the debut of this big city in my blog, stay tuned!