The hype around Universal Orlando Resort’s third gate, Epic Universe which is slated to open in 2025 is immense. We are closely following the construction progress and will continue to update you with all the new developments as we head through the coming months and witness each individual land in Epic Universe really coming to life.
In a new video update posted to YouTube by Theme Park Stop we get to hear further ride details for the rumored Universal Classic Monsters land which is expected to be called “Dark Universe” based on trademark applications. We also get to see an update on the latest construction which has taken place at the park.
Please note, a lot of the information is rumored and is still not confirmed by Universal.
Each land at Epic Universe will have an entrance portal. The entrance portal to Dark Universe is beginning to come alive with twisted roots as they wind around an electrical tower which will be topped with a beacon.
Name of Village and dining locations
Guests will enter the fictitious village of “Darkmoor” where real monsters are believed to live. There is expected to be two dining locations including one based on the Windmill from Frankenstein and from permits this will likely include flame effects to show it is on fire.
The atmosphere of the land
The general atmosphere of the land is expected to be dark and gloomy all year round and is expected to have an original soundtrack composed by Danny Elfman. From plans for the gothic manor which will dominate this Dark Universe land, there is a Fog Room labeled. This is expected to produce fog for the Village adding to its eerie atmosphere.
Attractions – Main Dark Ride
The main attraction will be a large dark ride set inside a huge gothic manor which is rumored from a recent trademark application as being called “Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment”. The expectation has been for some time that this main attraction will include all classic Universal monsters which have been released following an experiment by Dr Frankenstein.
Construction on the gothic manor is progressing well and beneath the scaffolding arched elements and decorative features are slowly emerging. It appears that the queue area could be themed to an old delipidated garden with the walls separating different sections of the queue.
There are rumors that there could be an old dried up moat with a bridge over it where guests will walk to the main entrance of the gothic manor.
New permit information has given us insight into the potential names for the different queue areas in the manor; “grand staircase” thought to have two sets of circular steps, “Study”, “Library”, “Great Dining Room” and “Corridor”.
The attraction is expected to include double-sided lockers, similar to VelociCoaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, near to the attraction load station meaning guests will only need to leave their personal belonging just prior to the ride experience. All items will need to be stored as this main attraction will include a Kuka ride system similar to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
It is expected that the load and unload area will be be circular rather than in a straight line and will be themed to Dr Frankenstein’s laboratory with the ride vehicles appearing as medical tables with the guests being experimented on.
The track will be a pinch track manufactured by Petersen Incorporated where guests will travel through a number of scenes attached to the moving kuka robotic arm.
In the video we get to see the graphic from the Orange County permitting site showing the ride layout which includes the queue area inside the gothic manor, the extended queue area in what is thought to be the delipidated garden and then the two-story interior queue where the double-sided lockers will be housed before heading to the circular load area at the beginning of the attraction.
It appears that divider walls will separate the ride path in the actual attraction. It has been confirmed that “Frankenstein Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment” will not utilise projection screen carousels as seen in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Universal’s Islands of Adventure but from new rumors it is expected to feature a number of large LED screen displays which are said to create brighter lighting.
According to the video, one of these large LED screens could be used at the middle point of the ride where there looks to be a circular section. With Universal patenting technology for a curved LED screen this seems like a likely option but has not been confirmed as of yet.
It continues to be rumored that the attraction will contain physical sets and animatronics and it has been confirmed that the animatronic monsters are being manufactured by Roush Industries. It is rumored that we are destined to meet all the classics including, The Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster, Creature From The Black Lagoon, The Wolfman and Hunchback.
No ride would be complete without an exit gift shop which is clearly marked on the layout plan. An on-ride photo pick up area is also displayed which confirms that there will be an on-ride photo option on this attraction.
Next up is more information regarding the upcoming second attraction…
We’ve explored the new rumors and information for the main attraction so now let’s turn our attention to the second attraction which is coming to Dark Universe land at Epic Universe.
Attractions – Spinning Coaster
The second attraction is expected to be a Mack Rides, launched spinning family roller coaster which will be located behind the retail locations. It is expected to have back-to-back facing seats and is not believed to contain any inversions meaning it should be less intense than Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
This spinning roller coaster is rumored to be called “Curse Of The Werewolf” from trademark applications and the exterior queue could be themed as a traveling Village of tents including Vargo style wagons.
The plot of the attraction is rumored to include Maleva the fortune teller from the original Wolfman film and will include a swing launch in the barn like structure.
A substantial number of trees have been planted to side of this spinning roller coaster which when matured will separate the land from the central hub. There has also been a fenced section added.
A reach envelope tester is being used on the spinning coaster to check the section of track near the brake run to ensure there are no elements reachable to riders. There looks like there will be a covered area for part of the queue line next to the station.
We are very excited to see the continued progress being made to the Dark Universe Land and beyond in Epic Universe and will continue to update you on the developments on what is set to be a fantastic addition to the Universal Orlando Resort line up in 2025.
Which land are you most interested in visiting? Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.
