Universal Destinations and Experiences, the division of NBCUniversal responsible for its theme parks in Orlando and California, is pulling back the curtain on its planned year-round horror project in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The venture will be called Universal Horror Unleashed and will contain four haunted houses, based on a well-known intellectual property: that of Blumhouse The Exorcist: Believer, The Texas Chainsaw MassacreUniversal Monsters and Scarecrow: The Reaping.
Horror Unleashed will also feature themed immersive areas outside of homes, featuring horror-themed food and drink, merchandise and seasonal events and attractions.
The attraction represents a major bet by Universal to expand its brand of live experiences beyond theme parks and into new concepts.
Universal Hollywood and Universal Orlando already host Halloween Horror Nights each year, building a series of haunted houses for guests to wander through. It's become big business for the company, with Disney, Six Flags and others all after a slice of the seasonal pie as well.
But Horror Unleashed is a different beast. It's smaller in size and located far from a theme park, but as a anchor tenant in the upcoming expansion of the popular AREA15 entertainment district in tourism-friendly Las Vegas, it also seems like a safe bet. Building haunted houses intended to be visited year-round could also allow for more immersive experiences, compared to seasonal houses built in parks.
“Universal’s rich history in creating the horror genre drove our desire to bring a year-round horror experience to Las Vegas’ incredible entertainment offering,” said Page Thompson, president of new ventures for UDX. “We are thrilled to have our award-winning creative and entertainment teams working tirelessly to bring these terrors to life in 2025.”
Universal also has another new concept opening next year: a smaller, family-friendly theme park called Universal Kids Resort that will be built in the Dallas metro area and will feature attractions based on the company's IP.