Halloween is getting bigger and better ALL the time, and we’re not just talking about Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in Disney World or Halloween Horror Nights in Universal Orlando.

Halloween is getting better EVERYWHERE, including in Las Vegas, where a new permanent attraction, Universal Horror Unleashed, will make it feel like Halloween year-round. Well, we got a chance to check out Horror Unleashed for ourselves, and we’re bringing you along for the (very, very scary; no weenies allowed) ride.

Horror Unleashed has officially opened its doors, so we’re checking it out for ourselves, and yes, we’re preparing to be scared. The blood red carpet was rolled out for the media event, and we’ll be honest: we were already shaking in our shoes a bit before we even went inside.

The attraction is unlike any other Universal experience, including encounters with “unimaginable monstrous creatures lurking around every corner” as you make your way through themed immersive areas. So, let’s take a deep breath and go inside!

Area15

Horror Unleashed is located at Area15, and let’s just say that as soon as you arrive, the mood is already set. It feels like another planet. There are huge statues, massive murals, and seriously dramatic lighting effects that’s part art installation and part warning.

It feels less like walking into a haunted house and more like you’re heading into a rave or art show. We’re talking warehouse vibe, which is already pretty much what the attraction is housed in.

Once inside, we saw cloaked women flying above our heads, a masked man with a knife mingling in the crowd, and that horror movie staple, an axe-wielding psycho. Seriously, you can’t have a horror attraction without a dude with an axe, am I right? The horror starts here with roaming characters, including ones that will tail you until you break.

But we’re just getting started because we’ve got some haunted houses to visit.

Haunted Houses

Horror Unleashed has four haunted houses, each with its own theme. We did them in the order we were told was from the least scary to the scariest, basically working our way up. Hey, we need time to get used to this level of terror, OKAY?

Universal Monsters

We started with Universal Monsters, where you can “experience the terrifying worlds of Universal Monsters where you’ll follow in the footsteps of famed monster-hunter Van Helsing and enter the realm of the most iconic monsters in Universal’s storied movie history.” This house was more beautiful than terrifying. There are oversized busts of the legendary monsters that set the tone.

Meanwhile, Van Helsing’s granddaughter is in the queue area asking us to get her Wolfman’s head (sure, we’ll get right on that, ma’am). Wolfman was far more grotesque than how he appears at Epic Universe.

The same goes for Quasimodo and the Phantom — they’re both pretty scary, but because we’re Disney Adults, we still feel kinda bad for Quasimodo and quietly sang “Out There” under our shaky breath. Dracula also puts in an appearance, along with his Brides, in a very theatrical way before the Bride of Frankenstein delivers a very cool finale.

This house is more about atmosphere and storytelling than jump scares.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Relive The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie by journeying through a rotting farmhouse in a remote part of Texas, “its walls stained with terror and echoing with the screams of past victims.” We’ll just warn you now…this one is scary…and you will scream…a LOT. It starts in a 1970s diner, and the immersion is IMMEDIATE. You’ve just landed in the world of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie.

The movie literally starts happening around you. Leatherface is EVERYWHERE, lurking around every corner. You’ve got these super realistic sets with that whole retro ’70s vibe, and you’re just there…in the movie. Of course, the roar of the chainsaw is terrifying, then there are these claustrophobic hallways, and the pace of getting through the haunted house is RELENTLESS.

If you don’t scream until you lose your voice in this one, you are way braver than we are. We felt like we were time-traveling…and it wasn’t nearly as fun as it seems to be on Doctor Who.

Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer

In this house, you’ll find the story of two girls overtaken by an ancient evil, “their screams echoing through a maze of twisted torment.” You’ll have to try to escape before this evil takes you over, as well. At this point, we’re already exhausted from the previous house, but we must prevail. Of course, this is horror straight out of The Exorcist, and again, it takes you through the movie. You start in a storefront in another country (like the Haiti prologue in the movie). There’s a souvenir shop that’s been ripped apart by evil.

Yes, it’s on. This one leans more on psychological horror and really messes with your head — in the most terrifying way possible. The scenes are meant to get to you on a mental level, and they do. There are hospital corridors, the family homes destroyed by possessed people, and it all just leads into a chaotic finale.

It’s incredible how cinematic the entire experience is. The design is beautiful in the way everything is designed, and real artistry went into putting it all together.

Scarecrow: The Reaping

The terror starts outside this haunted house, that’s not a haunted house, so much as a cursed harvest. Outside, you’ll find a warped carnival, a “nightmare come to life.” Then you’ll make your way through foggy cornfields, realizing that you’re not alone. “Twisted scarecrows lurk in the shadows, emerging from the mist-covered cornrows—silent, soulless and always watching. Every rustle in the stalks could be your last warning.” Yeah, we were worried — we won’t lie! This is supposed to be the scariest house, after all!

Our first thought was just how gorgeous the set is. You’ve got the barren farmlands, the Depression-era look and feel, and that whole aesthetic. But then the scarecrows came…and they never stopped coming. They were at every turn, catching us unaware, even though we KNEW they were out there. There were…just so many scarecrows, y’all.

So, yes, we knew at this point that this was the scariest haunted house of the four. This one is so intense that we had to take a moment, and we honestly thought we’d have to use the chicken out exit (and it seems like this is an option). But we took a deep breath and ventured further in. It’s just such a relentless assault on the senses, just one jump scare after another, that it can be a bit too much. This one is not for the faint of heart. We won’t lie…we were grateful to make it out of there alive.

Food and Drinks

Within parts of the four entertainment areas, you’ll find themed food and drinks along the way. You’ll want to stay fueled up for the terrors that await you, after all. There were four dining spots in all, including Premiere House, Rough Cuts, Jack’s Alley, and The Boiler. 

We did get a look at a few of the drinks, including the Graverobber Cocktail for $19, made with Cuervo Tradicional Reposado Tequila, Chambord, Guava, and Lime. You can pick this up at Jack’s Alley Bar and The Boiler.

It’s a gorgeous drink, right? Like the haunted houses, it’s very well-thought-out.

Merchandise

We were very impressed with the merchandise shop. This isn’t just some slap-on gift shop. This is a beautifully designed high-end retail experience with quality merchandise. We spoke with someone from Universal’s global marketing team and were told that the idea was to go in a different direction with the merchandise here as opposed to what you might see at Halloween Horror Nights. Anyway, color us impressed (you know, after we got our color back after that last haunted house).

One fun detail is that the clothing had coroner-style body tags on them instead of regular price labels. Y’all, we love those kinds of details.

The merchandise itself was also pretty nice. We loved the Texas Chainsaw Massacre leather jacket we saw for $95.

The Horror Unleashed Tumbler was SO cool, too, and just $30. It was filled with “dripping blood” inside a double-pane plastic cup. SO cool.

Everything in that shop felt collectible, intentional, and immersive. We’re guessing they’re going to rake in some serious $$$.

Tickets

Tickets for Horror Unleashed are as follows:

• $59 for general admission one-time access (enter each haunted house once) — available only to Nevada residents
• $69 for general admission one-time access (enter each haunted house once)
• $99 for general admission unlimited access (enter each haunted house as often as you’d like)

Groups can also book a VIP Experience Package for $2,950 that includes priority entry, unlimited haunted house access, a VIP dining experience, and some exclusive perks.

The Rest

One thing we have to note is that the houses shut down for 15 minutes every 45 minutes to give the scare actors a break. During that time, the lines don’t move, so your wait will be 15 minutes longer. If you manage to get in line at the wrong time, your wait time is going to go up. We recommend prioritizing the haunted houses first before grabbing food and merchandise.

Phew! What an experience. This is for all you (slightly insane) brave souls who love a jumpscare. The good news is that you do NOT have to wait for the Halloween season — this is a year-round experience. Plus, you can pop over to California and go to Disneyland to make a whole trip of it!

Stay tuned to DFB for more.

EVERYTHING You Need to Know About Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando in 2025

Will you be visiting Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Universal to attend their media preview of Universal Horror Unleashed. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ