Epic Universe’s Best Ride Might Just Come From the Dark Universe

The portal into a whole world of gods and monsters has been opened at Epic Universe, Orlando, Florida’s newest theme park. The Universal Monsters reign supreme at the Dark Universe, where you explore the world of Darkmoor that just so happens to be the place where so many of Universal Studios’ classic horror films intersect. io9 was thrilled to be among the first to ride its main attraction: Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment.

At the center of the action is the Frankenstein Manor, where Victoria Frankenstein resides and continues the mad work of her ancestor Victor. She’s built a new monster prototype and aims to capture the horrors of the icons of fright. Under her watch she’s got the Phantom of the Opera, the Creature From the Black Lagoon, and more with the help of her Frankenstein she aims to dominate Dracula.

What transpires is an awesome and action-packed thrill ride into the monster mash of your dreams if you’re a horror fan. You see Victoria, a badass leather-donning scientist, and her monster attempt to harness Drac’s power—but it might be more than they can keep their grip on because: BAT! Dracula can burst into smaller creatures of the night and aims to escape domestication for some sort of Monsters Avengers team-up. Yes, really.

The ride itself uses a similar mechanism to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, where you are moved around practical and video scenes to witness the story. Along the way you bear witness to exciting monster squad squabble up moments with state of the art animatronics. To me, it’s my favorite ride and I love how passionate the lore crafted around it seemed to be. If the ride were to breakdown, I’d say “Well, I guess I live here now”—that’s how amazing the showrooms are.

For thrill ride fans, Epic Universe also features Curse of the Werewolf, a spinning coaster inspired by the Wolf-Man that also features incredible animatronic work.

While you might not be able to live there, Darkmoor feels the most lived-in, in the best way. The wandering interactions with Igor, the Invisible Man, the Monster, and the Bride of Frankenstein weave a new classic story you’re a part of. The Bride even calls this new Frank her friend as the body of her Frankenstein rests in the queue of Frankenstein Manor.

They’re existing in a timeline where monsters are celebrated and feared by the villagers. They even have a Burning Blade Tavern, which homages the studio’s original horror film universe and incorporates the lore into the ambiance and even the menu items. I love myself a character-shaped pretzel and you’ll find a Frankenstein one here to suit your snacking needs.

And one of the most killer facts? The score of the land is composed by none other than “Dead Man’s Party” legend Danny Elfman (Beetlejuice). There’s even a part-exclusive vinyl you can buy of his work, pressed for a limited special release only in the theme park land.

The Dark Universe also offers the chance to not only walk among the creatures of the night but be one too, thanks to the Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience. It’s the most important spooky, scary appointment you need to make if you go. Mad scientists, er, makeup artists transform you and help you look like you walk among the shadows beneath the scorching Florida sun. It’s worth it and there’s even cosplay lite fashion gear to feel like you belong. For the first time in my life, I finally found a theme park land where I felt the most at home and in my true form.

Epic Universe opens this Friday at Universal Studios Orlando. Travel and accommodations as well as the monster make-up demo were provided for the purposes of this review.

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