Universal is sharing more details today about its upcoming horror attraction in Las Vegas.
Universal Horror Unleashed opens August 14 at the expanded Area15 District in Las Vegas. Universal Destinations & Experiences previously announced the themes for the four haunted houses that it will feature at the attraction. Today, it released more details about one of them - Scarecrow: The Reaping.
Here is Universal's description of the house:
Inspired by the historic Dust Bowl era when severe dust storms devastated the Midwest, this original story will take guests back in time to a dry, barren 1930s farmland ravaged by farmers and taken over by horrifying inhabitants arising from the land: bloodthirsty scarecrows bent on revenge. As guests start their journey in the middle of a windstorm before entering an abandoned farmhouse, they'll encounter the monstrous and gigantic creatures made of remnants of dried human flesh and bones of beasts, merged with burlap, root and vine, with only one mission at hand – obtain vengeance for their ravaged land.
Next to Scarecrow: The Reaping will be one of the themed bars at Universal Horror Unleashed - Jack's Alley Bar. Yup, it's Jack from Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando, holding court here with Chance, as well. Universal is promising "themed specialty cocktails, acrobatic performances and more in a circus-like hellscape."
Other houses at Universal Horror Unleashed will include Universal Monsters, The Exorcist: Believer, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 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.
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I hope I have a chance to see this before they stop it. I doubt will be back to Vegas within the next few years so I hope its successful.
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This still doesn't really move the needle for me. I think a reckoning is coming soon for the increasingly overpriced high-end experience market (includes theme parks, touring and permanent exhibitions, for-profit museums, concerts, and sporting events). There have been a number of reports recently suggesting that even big spenders are looking to pull back their spending in light of current and forecast economic conditions including inflation, and that the travel/experience industry is one of the easiest places for people to cut back. You're already seeing Disney hint at some changes in their approach driven not only by the competition posed by Epic Universe, but by the general economic outlook.
We're traveling to Vegas in less than 2 weeks, and in researching this upcoming trip, our first to Sin City since 2017, I'm seeing a lot of pushback from recent guests about the increasing costs of vacationing in Las Vegas. Since the week we're going also happens to be Wrestlemania week, I've also been reading about the financial fatigue being felt by many wrestling fans, who surprisingly have a lot in common with theme park fans in their passion and willingness to pay whatever it takes to have a special experience. These folks (and many other frequent Vegas visitors) are being financially stressed to the max to the point where even those with the YOLO gene are having a hard time parting with the amount of money needed to buy some of these experiences.
That's what concerns me about this HHN experience, because while the overall Vegas economy is reasonably strong right now, there are some serious undercurrents of frustration and anger brewing at the city as a whole. In fact, there was a recent report that showed that overall gambling revenue in Las Vegas was down dramatically from 2024, much of which was contributed to discontent with the industry's desire to woo bigger spenders/whales and reduce comps and perks for minnows. The story sounds very similar to what we are seeing in the theme park market, and would absolutely impact an HHN experience that wants to charge guest a minimum of $69 for a handful of 5-minute haunted houses.
Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of a full-time location where guests can have an HHN-level experience, but I seriously worry that this concept is coming at a bad time in a city that is already oversaturated with one-off experiences and a market that is financially fatigued and disgruntled. All of this with the economic winds pushing us towards a possible recession. I wish Universal the best, but I think they're seriously overreaching on their price point here, and will need to work their tails off to make sure this place is full on a regular basis.