Las Vegas has a new sinister side. Not only is it the unfortunate home to a couple of cooped-up girls badly in need of an exorcism, but it comes with creepy killer clowns and the sound of buzzing chainsaws.
The nightmare-inducing Universal Horror Unleashed has arrived, and unlike the city’s annual Halloween celebrations, this horror experience runs year-round (tickets start at $69). Now open at AREA15 in Las Vegas, the Sin City venue builds on the success of the company’s Halloween Horror Nights at both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood with four thrilling haunted houses, an evil clown stage show and some wicked dance performances that pop up in and around the space’s restaurants and bars.
What Universal Horror Unleashed does exceptionally well with its haunted houses is drop you directly into the scene. The environment, the smells and the props are equivalent to those found on a film set. In fact, two of the houses—Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer and Texas Chainsaw Massacre—follow their respective films’ storylines from start to finish, translated here into a walk-through.
For Chainsaw Massacre, you’re plopped near the green van in front of the We Slaughter Barbecue restaurant—a set made to resemble the Texas gas station from the 1974 film. Then, naturally, after entering you’re chased by chainsaw–wielding lunatics.
The Exorcist, which retells the story of the 2023 entry in the horror franchise, starts innocently enough in the woods after the disappearance of two girls with police shining flashlights and calling out their names. Then it gets rather disturbing as the possessed girls wiggle and scream, their eyes rolling back and bodies twisting in unnatural ways before we witness the exorcism itself.
As for the others: Universal Monsters is more cinematic and polished with iconic characters and actors carrying scenes that are certainly worth pausing for, while Scarecrow: The Reaping is a frightening farmhouse and corn maze that might just keep you up at night.
Here’s a peek of what you can expect to experience at Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Although I can’t pinpoint why (I’m sure I just erased it from memory), my fear of chainsaws dates to childhood. So being in a horror house chased by Leatherface from room to room is terrifying. The whirling sound of chainsaws and those crazed beady eyes tend to make me a bit uneasy. He’s around every corner, even rattling the metal grates outside until you finally escape. There is one hallway that’s particularly horrifying: The buzz of a chainsaw starts as a low hum behind you, then builds louder and louder until… well, you’ll find out for yourself. It’s a house that brings the story of the original film to life, and in order to not be Leatherface’s next victim, you’ll need to run.
Scare Factor: Blood-curdling
Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer
Perhaps the most well-executed of all the houses, this one recreates The Exorcist: Believer down to all the fine details. You’re basically walking through the most important scenes of the film and witnessing snippets the actors bring to life in mindblowing and absolutely hair-raising fashion. This takes an unsettling deep dive into the demon world, starting in a market at the time of an earthquake before moving into the woods where best friends Katherine and Angela went missing. Once the girls are found, the real horror begins. What makes The Exorcist different is the terror builds and gets more disturbing as you move on. It’s not jumpscares. It’s supernatural in the fact that you seem to be witnessing someone possessed and then see the actual exorcism.
Scare Factor: Horrifying
Scarecrow: The Reaping
A corn maze seems tranquil enough… until it isn’t. In an effort just to see what’s in front of you, you’ll need to push the hanging corn stalks, vines and burlap strips away from your face only to peer into someone else’s eerily staring eyes. A fan favorite for Halloween Horror Nights, you can expect the same scares and thrills here. The set is a barren, Dust Bowl-era farmland ruled over by bloodthirsty scarecrows. You’ll start in the middle of a windstorm and then enter an abandoned house in search of shelter and comfort. (You won’t experience the latter at all.) The faces of kingcrows, pig scarecrows and all their creepy friends pop out of nowhere as you navigate winding, tight corners. Don’t let your guard down for a second.
Scare Factor: Terrifying
Universal Monsters
Monsters is a fun flashback to when Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy were horrifying. This house has you winding though a series of rooms each dedicated to a Hollywood monster. As you pass through these nostalgic spaces (props like ropes from the Hunchback’s bell tower block your way) be sure to stop long enough to appreciate the designed sets and scripted scenes, especially when you encounter Dracula or come face-to-face with Frankenstein when his doctor brings him to life.
Scare Factor: Spine-Chilling
The Space
The themed areas outside of the haunted houses are more eye candy and obviously less intense. But it is what you make of it. Characters roam spaces with names such as Kill Vault, Prop Graveyard and Dead Storage. They’re all story-driven, so interacting with them will enhance the experience. Pop-up performances and artistic dance happen at an instant (be sure to catch Megan as she comes alive and wildly moves) and don’t miss the 15-minute “Stay or Slay” game show at the Jack’s Alley Bar stage. You’ll see evil clowns and some killer dance and hula hoop performances.
The Bars and Restaurants
Jack’s Alley Bar and Boiler Bar are places to saddle up for a beer or a themed cocktail. On the food side, Rough Cuts is a gimmicky spot with dishes like Parts of Pieces (a spicy sausage sandwich), Ears (hot Cheeto elote) and Shoulder (a marinated pork sandwich with pineapple and avocado). There’s also a sit-down tapas bar called Premiere House serving items like Texas Chainsaw Flatbread (a meat lovers pizza) and the Crow’s Nest (BBQ chicken lollipops).