Here's How Universal's Horror Unleashed Compares To Halloween Horror Nights

Universal Studios' annual Halloween Horror Nights is the premier seasonal destination for horror fans from around the world, attracting countless genre aficionados to the company's Orlando and Hollywood theme parks each year as part of a grand, spooky pilgrimage. And now, the new Universal Horror Unleashed complex in Las Vegas asks a very big question: What if all of that, but also year-round?

/Film was invited to attend the "Blood Red Carpet" event celebrating the grand opening of Horror Unleashed. While my time spent at this collection of four haunted mazes and various gruesome themed experiences can't definitively answer if Universal's big gamble on horror fans will pay off in the long run, what I did see was certainly promising and exciting and yes, frequently scary (and gory and spooky and icky and funny, too). However, the very nature of Horror Unleashed means it's a different beast than Halloween Horror Nights, offering vibes that often align with Universal's marquee event while also differing in key ways.

It's these similarities and differences that give Horror Unleashed its own unique flavor, and perhaps suggest its key to longevity. Because while there is plenty of Halloween Horror Nights DNA on display here, fans expecting something identical may be surprised.

While Halloween Horror Nights is a collection of one-off and temporary haunted mazes spread across an entire theme park, Horror Unleashed is housed entirely in a giant indoor space in Las Vegas' Area 15 entertainment complex. And like with any Vegas designation worth its salt, the presentation is killer: What looks like an aging warehouse on the outside houses a mysterious installation that contains all kinds of cursed objects and creatures, which seemingly transport visitors into a number of nightmarish realms. Like with Horror Nights, the mazes are a mixture of familiar franchises ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," Universal Monsters, "The Exorcist: Believer") and original concepts (Scarecrow: The Reaping). And like with Horror Nights, the production values are high, with sets, effects, monsters, and performers offering plenty of bang for your buck. A Horror Nights veteran will feel right at home in any of Horror Unleashed's mazes.

However, it's outside the mazes where things feel more different. More relaxed, even. While Halloween Horror Nights is defined by the time spent hustling between a large selection of houses, braving lines and hoping to find time to pause for a snack or a drink, Horror Unleashed offers a more relaxed atmosphere. A stroll from one maze entrance to another will take you past an elaborate bar dominated by a chilling boiler, a throne where a vampire queen oversees her court, a hallway of terrifying dolls, a dining area themed to Horror Nights legend Jack the Clown (he has a stage for a live performance nearby), and more. The wandering actors and Instagram-friendly tableaus make every stretch of the interior worth a pause, and the plentiful seating means you can actually sit down and relax with a drink in peace, should you need a break.

Horror Unleashed is built to be a place where you take your time and take it all in. Compared to the strategic chaos of Horror Nights, it's downright chill. The mazes themselves take the scale of experience into account too — unlike the "conga line" approach at Horror Nights, where a constant stream of guests is the only way to manage the crowds, the more focused Horror Unleashed allows smaller groups to tour the mazes, with a sizable buffer between groups. Quite simply: this is a horror event that requires less planning, less cardio, and benefits from its lack of sprawl. The walls may be literally decorated with blood and guts, but it's quite cozy. It's a nice place to just be. 

However, Horror Unleashed likely won't supplant Halloween Horror Nights in the eyes of fans, even if it does serve as a compelling companion piece. The reduced scope means you can finish the entire experience in a fairly brief amount of time, but that also means you never quite achieve the feeling of genuine accomplishment that comes from conquering Horror Nights. And while the mazes themselves are impressive — and none of them are outright duds — the best of them don't feel quite as ambitious, wild, or immersive as the horror experiences Universal creates in their theme parks. Perhaps Horror Unleashed is the victim of needing to be permanent, and can't swing for the fences on the same scale as its sister event.

Plus, you can probably imagine that Universal is counting the days until they can replace the "Exorcist: Believer" maze with something that isn't based on a sequel that made no money and that no one actually likes.

Unlike Halloween Horror Nights, which is a major driving motivation to actually visit Los Angeles or Orlando, I'm not sure Horror Unleashed is a reason in of itself to make the journey to Las Vegas. However, I do recommend Horror Unleashed to any scary movie fan (or haunted house fan or horror nerd) who is already visiting the city, especially those who are able to take their sweet time experiencing the space between mazes and make the most of the overall experience. But I imagine Universal knows that the appeal is regional and built to cater to folks already in the city for a larger vacation — another Horror Unleashed is already planned for Chicago, another city full of tourists looking for fun ways to fill their days.

Universal Horror Unleashed gets my recommendation, and any movie fan in Las Vegas for work or pleasure should keep it on their radar. At the very least, it's a reminder that Universal has spent a long time mastering the art of the haunted experience and they want to make sure you don't forget it, even when it's nowhere near Halloween.