Universal Destinations & Experiences has announced prices and an opening date for its new year-round horror experience in Las Vegas.
Tickets are on sale now for Universal Horror Unleashed, which will open August 14 at the expanded Area15 District in Las Vegas. Ticket prices vary by date and run from $69-99 for a pass that includes one entry to each of the experience's four haunted houses. An unlimited access pass to the houses ranges from $99-149 a day. Here is the link.
Discounts are available for Nevada residents, and the attraction is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except for October, when it will close only on Tuesdays.
The four haunted houses at Universal Horror Unleashed will be:
Here is Universal's latest hype video for the experience.
To keep up to date with more Universal and themed entertainment news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekly newsletter.
I’ll give them credit on the hype video though, it’s a very effective piece.
I wouldn't compare this to most of the other AREA15 attractions as they are not comparable attractions. As a Vegas local this is about the price point I was expecting for this, especially if it includes live entertainment outside of the 4 mazes as they have said it will. I don't think price is an issue here, just as prices for everything in the parks vary between the coasts. Will this be successful as a year-round haunt experience? Who knows but I wouldn't be calling it(or comparing to) a "fly-by-night" experience. And as a dedicated haunt/horror fan, I want as few people around me going through this as possible, things are creepier when you're by yourself and alone so I hope for some pulsing through the mazes unlike the theme parks where its far too busy to do such things.
Some horror-like things have stuck in Vegas and some haven't. Hopefully this is one that is around for a long time so fans can get a little fix between spooky seasons :)
To give a point of comparison, it costs $25 for one ride on the Big Apple Coaster and $60 for a ride wristband at the Adventuredome. In that context, the prices Universal is asking for this are pretty fair as the experience will likely last a few hours for most visitors. A typical haunt maze is under 15,000 sq. ft., so at least half of this attraction should be free roaming scare zones that guests can stay in as long as they like. I don't think this should really be thought of as comparable to a theme park haunt event but instead more like a very large stand-alone haunt attraction, and thus it probably isn't really going after quite the same audience as an event like HHN.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
Those prices seem very aggressive, even for the Las Vegas market. The AREA15 attractions are typically priced in the $50-70 range (with a multitude of discounts and combo tickets available), so this is a step above that and will command a level of quality and immersion that is going to be tough for Universal to deliver on a year-round basis.
We were looking into going to AREA15 during an upcoming trip in April, so it's a bit of a shame we'll miss this by a few months, but I'm not too disappointed given how much Universal wants to charge for this. If this experience can't top HHN, Universal is going to have to lower the price, especially outside of peak Halloween season, or this will meet the same fate as so many other fly-by-night attractions in Vegas.
Also, I don't know about others, but for me, part of the fun/joy of going to a Halloween or other horror-based event is to watch other people. Because of the price of this experience, I worry that it just won't draw the needed crowds to make the atmosphere exciting and engaging. When you walk through a haunted attraction, you can't possibly get every scare/effect, so it's absolutely essential to have large groups of people to walk through with so you can see others interact with the scenes and effects that you miss because of pure luck/timing (especially if you have to pay even more if you want to repeat a maze). If this place only has a couple dozen people mulling around at a time, and guests are walking through the mazes by themselves or in small groups (8-10), it will take away the soul and shared experience that is essential to a haunted attraction.
I'm sure Universal has data to suggest this price point is sustainable, and perhaps with a mid-August launch date followed by the "core" Halloween season shortly thereafter, they will be able to generate enough word-of-mouth to maintain those prices (with perhaps intermittent discounting) through the rest of the year. I just think that it's best to make an attraction as accessible as possible when it opens, so you can get the most number of eyeballs on it at launch and then adjust the price afterwards based on demand. Universal is setting a really high bar here, and I'm concerned that people will turn their nose up at the initial high price and then undervalue the attraction when Universal has to discount it to meet attendance goals. Universal has an excellent reputation in this space, but it does feel like they're a little bit full of themselves wanting to charge almost $100 to go through 4 mazes when you could experience the entirety of HHN in Orlando last fall (10 mazes plus scare zones, rides, and shows) for $80-85 (even on Halloween night).