Over the past few months, Theme Park Shark has covered all of the announcements coming out of Universal’s newest venture in Las Vegas – a year-round horror experience designed by the Halloween Horror Nights team responsible for all of our favorite shrieks and screams here in Orlando, Florida. Universal has previously announced details about its four premier scare mazes that will be part of the inaugural lineup at Horror Unleashed, including Scarecrow: The Reaping, which won the House of the Year award in Orlando in 2017, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which has a long and illustrious history at Halloween Horror Nights. Now, Universal has released further details about the third house in this terrifying lineup, Exorcist: Believer.
This house – a relatively recent house that guests were able to experience at Halloween Horror Nights 32 in 2024 – is the most terrifying recent installment of the classic Exorcist franchise, which started with the original Exorcist film in 1973, to horror and acclaim. Loosely based on a true story, the original book written by William Peter Blatty was based on a 1949 case in which 14-year-old Roland Doe, who allegedly experienced a series of paranormal events and was exorcised by one Father William Bowdern in a series of sanctioned, professional exorcisms that led to the inspiration behind this now-famed horror franchise.
Exorcisms are not a wholly fictional practice, either – though many depictions of exorcisms are sensationalized, they are still utilized today by trained clergymen. However, it is a rare practice, and almost always a last resort. Rigorous investigation is necessary before most church officials will deem an exorcism necessary.
In The Exorcist: Believer, two young girls are the target of demonic possession. Having dabbled in magic they didn’t understand, the girls ended up summoning something more evil than they can comprehend, returning from the woods with no memory of what had happened at their ill-advised ritual. In 2023, Halloween Horror Nights walked guests through the strange and disturbing events that followed the girls’ possessions – from the hospital to the exorcism itself, supernatural chaos will unfold, and Universal’s Horror Unleashed is putting you right in the middle of it.
In addition to the details o f this thrilling supernatural house, Universal has also dropped new details about some of the themed areas that guests will be able to explore within this unique horror complex. Previously, Universal disclosed information about Jack’s Alley Bar, a dining and entertainment complex within Horror Unleashed, where guests will be able to watch Jack, Chance, and their assortment of freaks perform in a chaotic circus show while enjoying drinks and bites from the adjoining bar.
In addition to Jack’s Alley Bar, guests will also be able to explore two newly announced areas: The Prop Graveyard, where guests will find themselves unable to distinguish between ‘inanimate’ and ‘alive.’ This supernatural collection of unsettling dolls, mutilated mannequins, and an assortment of seemingly haunted objects from various film sets over Universal’s long history of horror will allow guests to experience these haunted objects in a way no film director ever intended.
And if guests live through the Prop Graveyard, they might find themselves at Premiere House – a tapas bar themed to the many films, monsters, and horrors of Blumhouse. Serving up a variety of cocktails and a selection of signature dishes, guests can stop in at Premiere house and try their best to unwind amid the terrors that this powerhouse horror film studio has produced over the years – from Insidious to The Purge and all the nightmares in between, Blumhouse’s long-standing partnership with Universal and Halloween Horror nights has produced the perfect storm of scares at Premiere House.
Universal Horror Unleashed is planned to open August 14th in the Area15 District, the famed 40-acre immersive art and entertainment district and events destination that has found its home just off the Las Vegas strip. Tickets are now on sale, and can be purchased [here].
Check back soon, as Theme Park Shark will continue to bring you information about the Exorcist: Believer house and all things Horror Unleashed! In the meantime, check out Theme Park Shark on your favorite social media platform, like Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and expect to see plenty of footage from Theme Park Shark as we explore all the horrors that Universal has in store, as well as theme park news from Disney, Universal, and theme parks from all across the world!
