Epic Universe: Universal Orlando unveils new details on Dark Universe

ORLANDO, Fla. - Throughout all of Orlando’s theme parks, we've got fairies and princesses, sci-fi and superheroes, and animals from land, air, and sea, but soon, central Florida will have its first park totally dedicated to monsters, black magic, and villains. Welcome to Universal Orlando’s Dark Universe, where it’s good to be bad.

Vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein’s monster, and more will haunt your nightmares after a visit to Epic Universe’s Dark Universe. "Including the main ride that they said is the scariest ride Universal Creative has ever done, just going on this single attraction, it's going to be a badge of honor to have said you went on this," said theme park expert Tharin White.

White said this one could get a PG-13 rating unlike Orlando's other parks. "One of the rides is called Curse of the Werewolf, it's going to be a spinning family-friendly roller coaster where you'll be attacked by a werewolf. The main ride, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, will have every single Universal classic monster that they have ever had inside of one attraction."

Dark Universe takes visitors into the village of Darkmoor, a place where classic Hollywood monsters are very real. Universal's creative team said they were especially proud to welcome visitors to this exciting new world. "Getting to go into the Dark Universe, and getting to be in a world where those monsters are real, is something I've been looking forward to since I started with Epic Universe," said Patrick Braillard, who works at Universal Creative.

Along with the rides, Dark Universe features themed restaurants, monster meet-ups, and a chance to get made up into a monster yourself. Gregory Hall, with Universal Creative, said visitors would be immersed in the stories and lore of Darkmoor and the creatures that called it home. "We made a place for the monster lovers, a place for the thrill seekers. In a way, this project, I've been waiting for it my whole life."

Dark Universe is one of five themed worlds within Epic Universe, which is set to open next year. White said Universal was pushing the envelope with Dark Universe, and he was excited for how it would turn out. "The idea that they're willing to gamble and do something that is scary and not exactly aimed toward family-friendly, I cannot wait."