So, you may recall back in 2017 – oh, how different a world it was then – Universal’s planned Dark Universe was steaming ahead with Tom Cruise’s The Mummy kicking it off and a slew of great actors and other movies planned under Chris Morgan and Alex Kurtzman’s watchful eye, which would bring us a new cinematic universe full of classic monsters such as Dracula, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and many more.
You might also recall it crashed and burned painfully after Cruise’s Mummy movie failed to deliver at the box office – honestly, it’s not that bad a movie and has a lot of fun universe building in it but tonally, it’s a mess – and the Dark Universe was no more.
What you might not know is the Universal took the ideas they had for the movies and instead got to work on a new ride at Universal Studios which would signal the return of Universal’s classic line-up of monsters and now, with Monster Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ride, we have our first taste of the monsters and what lies ahead… for those who can afford to go, that it.
The monsters in the new ride, Dracula, Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon and Frankenstein’s Monster, are “some of the most visceral, powerful, and fast-moving animated figures ever created” and, if you watch the video below, they do look pretty impressive. They will be part of a line-up of 14 animatronic figures in the Dark Universe section of Universal Studios in Orlando.
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Inspired by classic Universal monster movies of the past, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment takes guests on a thrilling journey through the catacombs of Frankenstein Manor, where Dr. Victoria Frankenstein — the great-great-granddaughter of the infamous Henry Frankenstein — has conducted several secret, twisted experiments. In a misguided attempt to display her genius for riders, Dr. Victoria Frankenstein invites guests to witness her powers in controlling the monsters she’s contained, until her plans go haywire and she inadvertently unleashes the sinister creatures.
The creatures will be part of the ride and over-all story but some of them will also be seen roaming around at various points while in the queue for the ride. There will also be eateries, shops, characters in costume for phot-ops and all the good stuff you’d expect from such a venture.
Could this make Disney sweat? We can but hope…
Universal Epic Universe opens May 22, 2025.
Watch the monsters promo here:
Source: EW
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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