Meanwhile, all the goths and freaks (that’s me) get to hang out in Dark Universe, AKA the cursed village of Darkmoor, the theme park land dedicated to Universal’s classic monsters, like Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s monster. There’s a gruesome restaurant run by vampires (make sure you check out the paintings), and a tavern run by altruistic monster hunters (if you’re lucky, they’ll saddle up next to you at the bar). The Invisible Man wanders the streets, exchanging barbs as you ask for a selfie. Every team member working the gift shops and eateries tells you “good luck” instead of “have a nice day.” It’s a vibe and a half even before you get on a ride, and it’s dripping with pure love and affection for the iconography of classic horror cinema. It’s the best land in Epic Universe.
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The fog-covered streets of Darkmoor lead to the Frankenstein estate, and the workplace of Dr.Victoria Frankenstein, descendant of Victor Frankenstein, who has dedicated her life to building a new creature and successfully capturing and imprisoning a menagerie of monsters. That’s the “What Could Possible Go Wrong” premise of Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, which begins as a stroll through Victoria’s laboratory (yet another queue that needs to be seen to be believed) before you venture into the catacombs on a tour of her monster collection. Things go wrong with the speed you’d expect when Count Dracula decides he’s no one’s prisoner and unleashes every creature, all of whom want to tear you asunder.
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Theme park fans will recognize the KUKA Arm ride system from Universal’s own Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, but it’s been perfected here, sending riders on a frenzied and disorienting trip that feels like The Haunted Mansion gone apocalyptic. The stars are the monsters themselves (plus Victoria, who makes one heck of an impression), depicted via a blend of seamless screens and over a dozen animatronics. Few things tickle the pleasure senses quite like a theme park robot, especially one that’s very scary and coming straight at you.
If the Ministry of Magic attraction is Universal building a new tool, Monsters Unchained is the company showing a genuine mastery of an old one. There’s a brazen confidence here, a willingness to push what a dark ride can be to its limit: more robots, more movement, more characters, more story. It’s the kind of ride that will benefit from several trips just to see every detail and nuance. It’s the best ride at Epic Universe.
Right next door, The Curse of the Werewolf is a very fun spinning launch coaster themed around a Romani caravan, and a certain lycanthrope who may be lurking nearby. It’s a good time, and provides a surprising kick despite its small size, but it’s easy to miss the actual werewolf if you don’t know where to look (my ride companion didn’t see it at all!), so your mileage may vary. It’s an enjoyable attraction (and one worth taking if the spinning won’t make you lose your lunch), but it does suffer just a wee-bit from being a few minutes down the street from Monsters Unchained.
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