Unleashing the Horror of Universal Horror Unleashed
The "Horrors Untold" roundtable dives into the possibilities of the Las Vegas experience.
One of the most exciting topics to discuss about Halloween Horror Nights is its future – and that future, as we’ve seen just in the last decade alone, is near-constant expansion.
Just at Universal Orlando itself, the horror has been increasingly creeping out from the confines of Universal Studios Florida to infect nearly ever other corner of the resort, from the restaurants and clubs of CityWalk (the dining/shopping/entertainment district) to the lobbies and bars of the various on-site hotels. Meanwhile, at every other Universal theme park around the world, the Halloween festivities have taken root, whether they use the moniker of “Horror Nights” or not, bringing a slice of the holiday’s modern American traditions (not to mention the event’s cast of iconic characters) far and wide.
And then there’s Las Vegas, the future site of a Universal first: a year-round, permanent attraction, dubbed Horror Unleashed, that’s comprised of four haunted houses (three based off of intellectual properties and one original entry), four “themed live-entertainment areas,” and, of course, exclusive food-and-drink offerings (most, if not all, of which seem at least partially inspired by HHN Orlando’s proceedings). Not only is this a potentially game-changing refinement on the immersive-horror formula that the company has spent the past 34 years developing and reinforcing (game-changing, at least, on the thematic margins, with what could essentially be summarized as Unleashed’s version of scare zones), but it’s also something that Universal has already hinted could be the blueprint for future permanent installations in other parts of the country.
Given Horrors Untold is a book whose focus is squarely on Florida’s Halloween Horror Nights, Horror Unleashed is a topic that only glancingly gets referenced – leaving behind ample room for analysis, prognostication, and, naturally, debate. That’s what these roundtables are for, and that’s why these magnificent members of the HHN community have elected to step into the breach with me:
Nikki Zamorano – host of the Haunt Girls podcast
Seth Kubersky – author of The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando
Maddy Ouellette – co-host of the Rush of Fear podcast
(To catch our previous Horrors Untold roundtable discussion, on the future of IPs at Horror Nights Orlando, jump here.)
Marc N. Kleinhenz, creative lead of Horrors Untold:
I'd like to dive into Universal's Horror Unleashed – what other Halloween Horror Nights Orlando elements can be exported over to it, and which can be imported, and what it might mean for the future of HHN in this country and around the world?
(Personally, I'm most interested in what could probably best be described as the tangential elements, such as the purportedly blended food/entertainment sections that abut each of the four haunted houses.)
Nikki Zamorano, blinky cup fiend:
This is something I believe everyone in the community is interested in.
I think the answer to this could be found in HHN strengths and deficits (I am speaking on the event as a whole). Strength: HHN is evolving and is giving us a new event each year, with a whole new lineup of houses, scare zones, and food items. The event is constantly changing for the better, and you can have a whole new experience each year.
The deficit, though, comes with how long we have HHN each year. We only have a certain amount of time with the event, and I, for one, feel like I cannot have enough time there and find myself dragging myself to the event every night possible, no matter the circumstance, just to try and get my fill of fog.
With all that considered, I believe Universal Horror Unleashed and HHN can give and take from each other. From HHN, Unleashed could learn how to evolve the experience from time to time. With it being a year-round haunted attraction, it could be easy for them in Vegas to just let aspects of the experience stay the same even as times are changing. My hope for Unleashed is for periodic updates to the show aspects in the houses, updates to food and drink menus, and maybe even a complete change in the houses from one property to another. The ability to change and constantly give something new to the attendees is what will make this experience flourish and make it into an attraction worthy of multiple visits, and not just a one-and-done situation.
From Unleashed, HHN could learn some operations tricks that are impossible to learn during the short season. It could be possible for Unleashed to be somewhat of a guinea pig for HHN, where they test things out to possibly bring them to HHN since there is more time for trial and error and there isn’t the pressure of having to get it right immediately. Will Unleashed be operating at the same capacity as HHN? No, it is not an entire theme park to operate, and it's only four houses compared to (previously) ten houses. But there are aspects that Unleashed can test out on a smaller scale for HHN with its year-round operation. I, for one, would love the idea of them testing food items out over in Vegas before bringing them to Orlando and the other parks.
Overall, the opening of Universal Horror Unleashed is a huge benefit to HHNs around the world and to those of us weirdos who would like to be scared 365 days a year. I am so excited to experience it once it opens up.
Seth Kubersky, theme-park journalist extraordinaire:
I'm extraordinaire-ly excited to be among such an illustrious gathering!
I co-authored The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas, so I was thrilled to hear Universal was setting up shop at Area15, which I think is the city's best off-Strip entertainment destination. And although there isn't nearly as much brand awareness in that region as HHN has built up over the decades in Orlando, there's enough crossover with the Los Angeles market that I think the Universal name will still carry some weight out in Sin City.
But while I can't wait to see how the Halloween Horror Nights experience (especially the original content and icons) translates to the Vegas audience, I know for sure some things I'd advise them to leave behind in Florida. For starters, the conga lines. Permanent haunts have been few and far between in Vegas, and some of those that have tried have been lambasted for inefficient operations or overcrowding. On the other hand, the haunt-adjacent attractions that have been successful – like horror-movie escape rooms and haunted tours – provide a more intimate, personal experience. In other words, cramming as many guests through as possible each hour like they do at HHN ain't gonna cut it with Vegas patrons.
I'm not certain if the solution to that problem is limiting capacity (which equals a steeper admission price), implementing a timed entry scheme (presumably with expediting options for an upcharge), or just providing enough live entertainment, eating options, and atmosphere to absorb attendees away from the mazes (my personal preference). Speaking of mazes, I'm also hoping the creators import their always-stunning scenic-design skill and technical tricks but evolve beyond treating scareactors as living animatronics, and give them a little more leeway to be performers.
Mostly, I'm cautiously optimistic that Horror Unleashed will serve as a "gateway drug" for Vegas visitors who have never considered going to HHN before, much as Meow Wolf's Omega Mart helped that art collective penetrate the mainstream consciousness. Just as long as all those new fans don't then come to a future HHN in Orlando and fill the queue ahead of me!
Maddy Ouellette, HHN yapper:
I think I have an odd perspective on Horror Unleashed simply because (1) I’ve never been to Las Vegas, and (2) I am still fairly new to the HHN community in the sense that my first year was 2017… so I only know modern and post-covid HHN; I wasn't fortunate enough to experience the growth of the event over the 34 years it’s been around. My podcast, however, has been doing HHN history deep-dive episodes every so often, so I at least get to read and research the older years for those.
Horror Unleashed, I believe, is going to be a one-of-a-kind experience unlike anything we have seen before from Universal Destinations & Experiences and Halloween Horror Nights. I think it is going to combine other experiences that have previously existed, like the Walking Dead permeant haunt at Universal Studios Hollywood, with the accessibility of The Repository from HHN Orlando and the Great Movie Escape in CityWalk Orlando.
As far as exported Florida elements, we already know that the icons will be sent over as a main feature of the experience, which I think was their best idea! Characters that are already so well-loved and -known are going to be a huge draw for HHN fans across the globe! Thinking of Horror Unleashed as a permanent mini-form HHN is the easiest way for me to wrap my head around what a cool experience this is going to be. Opening it in Las Vegas to start off with, I think, was a great idea, as well. Vegas is a huge mecca for global travel and entertainment, so you are going to have professional performers making the experience top-notch, along with built-in advertising for the actual HHN events in Hollywood and Orlando right there for new fans to fall in love with (and then travel to and experience after they’re done with Horror Unleashed). I also think this is going to be a great place for HHN Creative to test new food and entertainment offerings that could be exported to the events in Orlando and Hollywood after they do well in Vegas.
Overall, I believe that Horror Unleashed is going to be amazing, and we will see the effects of it being open and loved at HHN for years to come with a whole new brand of fan and new and more creative and wacky food and entertainment offerings that tested well in Vegas. I can’t wait for us all to go and geek out over all the Easter eggs that you know Universal will throw in for the dedicated fans!
Marc N. Kleinhenz, creative lead of Horrors Untold:
Seth, of course you helped write the Unofficial Guide to Vegas.
Do we think that any of the "off-site" HHN experiences at Universal Orlando – that is to say, all the options, offerings, and experiences outside of Universal Studios Florida – will either be exported to Horror Unleashed or, perhaps, be influenced by what Universal discovers out there? For some strange reason, one of the aspects of Horror Nights that has interested me the most over the past several years are these outside-the-(themed)-box experiences, like the photo ops at Cabana Bay Beach Resort or the various scavenger hunts at Islands of Adventure and/or CityWalk – I not only think they help reinforce the primacy of the event, but they also provide even more opportunities for guests to get swept up in the themed atmosphere, whether those individuals are already HHN devotees or newbies who have never even thought of venturing into USF during fall nights. I suppose this is one of the main reasons why I'm so intrigued by Unleashed, and why I can't wait to see whether it proves to be as lucrative as all the other Halloween experiences Universal has around the world (yes, even the one in Beijing, which, technically, doesn't fall under the Halloween Horror Nights umbrella [even though it really does]).
Nikki, your note about the rotating nature of Vegas's haunts is an important one, and it may, indeed, prove to be one of the biggest secrets to the attraction's success – especially if all they're doing is taking pre-existent concepts/layouts from Orlando (and, possibly, Hollywood) and importing them in. Does anyone want to wager a guess as to how much of Horror Unleashed's audience will be first-timers versus returning visitors? I suspect that will go a long way to informing Universal's thinking on this matter.
Seth Kubersky, theme-park journalist extraordinaire:
My guess is that they will have to retheme one of the haunts every 12-18 months on a rolling basis. Vegas gets a mix of drive-in visitors who come a couple times a year or more, plus conventioneers who come on a two-to-four year cycle. So while they don’t need to change it all up annually like at HHN, they will need to keep things fresh. I’m guessing The Exorcist: Believer will be the first to exit…
As far as off-campus elements, HHN has never done a fully-fleshed-out themed indoor bar inside the park (as appears to be a major element of HU), so I’d look to the Dead Coconut Club and some of the hotel activations as a model for that. And I’d love to see an optional interactive game similar to the Boop cards you can use inside Omega Mart to uncover more lore. It would be the perfect way to resurrect Legendary Truth!
For even more on the expansion and evolution of Halloween Horror Nights Orlando, be sure to check out Horrors Untold, the HHN guidebook/immersive horror mystery. You can read samples and buy your copy here.