Happy Halloween, everyone!
As Halloween Horror Nights comes to a close at its Orlando and Hollywood locations, something new is brewing in the Nevada desert. Las Vegas, a place known for its heavy tourism, extravagant shows, and other heavily-themed entertainment venues, is set to be the newest home of Halloween Horror Nights, with Universal’s Horror Unleashed, originally announced in January of 2023, being a year-round haunt event set in the famous art district of Area 15.
Although we’ve known for almost two years about the creation of this new location, Universal has kept details under lock and key, until now.
While Universal still has not released an opening date for this attraction – aside from that it is expected to be open some time in 2025 – it did offer exciting and insightful new details in a teaser that was dropped specifically to celebrate the big day, October 31st, 2024.
What we do know that that this complex will have at least four year-round houses, which aim to bring back some of the biggest and best hits from Halloween Horror Nights history, so that fans can face their fears all year round
Four houses were announced on Halloween as part of the opening lineup planned for Horror Unleashed in 2025. In a series of social media posts on Halloween, Universal revealed that the four returning houses to open this haunt would be the original Universal Monsters house, Exorcist: Believer, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Scarecrow: The Reaping
Universal Monsters: “They’re on the hunt. You’re on the Run. Frankenstein. Dracula. The Wolfman. The world’s most terrifying monsters have come together to tear you apart.“
The original Universal Monsters house debuted in 2019 at HHN 29, and featured some of Universal’s most famous classic monsters in a fast-paced and highly atmospheric house that saw guests desperate to escape Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory, the catacombs of Dracula’s castle, and the dark and restless cathedral of Notre Dame to face off against creatures like The Wolfman, The Mummy, Frankenstein, Dracula’s Brides, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. A true greatest-hits of classic monsters, this house was the first in the Orlando series of Classic Universal Monsters houses that have been present at the event every year since.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: “Experience every scene, every kill, every bone-chilling rev of the chain saw from the original masterpiece.“
While it’s unclear which version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre this house will take after – as Universal Orlando had two in recent years, with one in 2016 and a second that combined the original movie and its sequel in 2021 – the slasher genre has always been a staple in the Halloween Horror Nights lineup. With three Texas Chainsaw Massacre houses in total over Orlando’s tenure (including the 2007 house, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Fleshwounds), it’s easy to understand why this house was chosen as one of the original houses in the Horror Unleashed Lineup.
Dark, intense, and overwhelming, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre promises to be a scary good time no matter which version of the house is represented here.
The Exorcist: Believer; “Two missing girls have been found with no memory of what happened to them. But wherever they went, the ultimate evil has returned with them. Witness a chilling chain of events as you enter the most terrifying scenes from the new Blumhouse film.“
Returning after just one year of absence, The Exorcist: Believer was a house that premiered in Orlando in 2023, based on the newest movie in the Exorcist franchise. This house was dark and intense, and a fan-favorite during its run, and with an IP from recent years to hook guests into more modern horror films – and an oldie but a goodie with the original Exorcist franchise’s style and reputation – this house is going to be just as incredible an addition to the Horror Unleashed lineup as it was to the Orlando lineup in its debut year.
Don’t be fooled, though! If you want to do your homework, you’re going to need to watch Exorcist: Believer (after you watch the original, of course) as this film has a whole new cast of characters that are sure to frighten and unsettle!
Scarecrow: The Reaping; “At a long-abandoned Depression-era farm, vengeance takes root, and the only harvest that will be reaped is you.“
This house was a fan-favorite when it debuted in 2017, and even won house of the year in Orlando for its intense scenes and heightened scares.
Bringing guests through an abandoned farm where living scarecrows prowl, the house featured corn grown specially for the set, but was ultimately worth the superstition as Scarecrow: The Reaping turned out to be undoubtedly one of the best houses of that season, and was popular enough of a house to return in 2022 as Scarecrow: Cursed Soil, the Central Park Scarezone that saw guests wandering into the fog and through an abandoned barn infested with the living scarecrows that were all too eager for the harvest.
In addition to these four houses, Universal has announced that the houses will be surrounded by four heavily-themed locations that seek to immerse guests in the horrors with every step through the new Area 15 facility, as well as live entertainment, themed food and beverage, and a themed shopping area with exclusive merchandise.
While there is obviously more to come in terms of details for this exciting new Las Vegas property – and believe me, we’re all chomping at the bit to learn as much as possible about this new haunt! – the release of these first four houses is undoubtedly a monumental announcement that has definitely made today a Happy Halloween.
Theme Park Shark will continue to report on new details as Universal releases more information about Horror Unleashed. In the meantime, we can all be sure that this new Las Vegas attraction will be a unique showcase of Universal’s best, and a chilling chance to relive our worst nightmares over and over – who wouldn’t be excited?
