Universal - Universal has launched the soft opening of Universal Horror Unleashed, its first permanent horror attraction, located at AREA15 in Las Vegas. The official opening is set for August 14, 2025, but guests are already getting a first look at what the year-round experience has to offer.
A New Standard in Screams
Inspired by Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, the venue features four elaborately themed haunted houses. Each one is designed to assault the senses, combining visuals, sound, and even smell to pull guests into a living horror film.
In The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the scent of sweet rot fills the air as Leatherface revs his chainsaw, and guests walk through a bone-littered dinner scene they may not walk out of. Scarecrow: The Reaping plunges visitors into a rural dust storm filled with glowing red eyes and rattling corn stalks, while The Exorcist: Believer unleashes projectile vomit, levitating girls, and ghastly possessions in a visceral, demonic fever dream. Universal Monsters ties it all together with a gothic horror journey featuring Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Wolf Man—introduced from the tomb of Van Helsing himself.
Each haunted house begins with a cinematic introduction in a story-driven holding area, after which guests progress through around ten show scenes per house. Actors perform chilling moments of horror along the way, and in a new twist, certain parts of the walkthrough pause briefly to immerse visitors in scripted scenes that deepen the narrative.
Beyond the Haunted Houses
But the fear doesn’t stop at the exit. Universal Horror Unleashed is designed as a 360-degree horror world, with themed scare zones, roaming characters, and even a twisted nightlife vibe.
At Jack’s Alley Bar, guests encounter iconic horror hosts like Jack the Clown and Chance, who lead a raucous, blood-splattered cabaret. Dancers perform to pounding metal music under flickering lights, while nearby, a bug-like creature stalks the shadows, a vampire queen lounges on a throne, and a flying witch swings over the crowd.
Dining and drinks continue the theme. The Premiere House restaurant, inspired by Blumhouse Productions, serves grotesque-yet-playful dishes like chainsaw-blade-shaped pizza bread and The Antidote Salad, delivered with dressing in a syringe. For dessert, Death by Chocolate arrives adorned with cracked doll heads. Even the menus and decor are in character, blurring the line between dinner and performance.
The entire complex is built around a single narrative thread. Every character roaming the space adds a piece to the unfolding story, and visitors are encouraged to interact and piece it all together. The design philosophy is clear: this isn’t just a haunted house attraction, it’s a fully realized horror universe, where even the downtime becomes part of the show.
Pricing and Accessibility
General admission includes one visit to each haunted house, with single-entry tickets priced between $69 and $99, and all-access day passes ranging from $99 to $149. Nevada residents benefit from special discounts.
A Year-Round Nightmare, and a New City
Unlike traditional haunted attractions, Universal Horror Unleashed is open year-round. No matter the month, be it October or April, guests can expect a full-scale horror experience. Universal sees horror as a genre that now thrives far beyond Halloween season, with audiences eager for scares in every month of the year.
That vision is expanding. A second location in Chicago is set to open in 2027, housed in a 114,000-square-foot former industrial building at 700 W. Chicago Avenue, just across from the future Bally’s Casino. This venue will mirror the Las Vegas experience with haunted houses, scare zones, bars, themed dining, and retail, all integrated into a continuous narrative environment. The Chicago project is expected to create hundreds of jobs and generate significant economic growth for the area.
With Universal Horror Unleashed, Universal is no longer just leading Halloween, it’s redefining horror as an all-year attraction.
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