Paul Szydelko
The long-awaited Universal Horror Unleashed anchors an ambitious expansion of the Area15 arts and entertainment district in Las Vegas. The year-round attraction contains four haunted house, four themed areas, live production stages, three bars and two restaurants.
I talked to Kim Scott, senior director and general manager of Universal Horror Unleashed, on the eve of the Aug. 14 opening. Scott has plenty of experience in Las Vegas, working in various capacities with Cirque du Soleil and Enchant, among other organizations.
Q: Why did Universal choose this time and place for this attraction?
Kim Scott Photo Credit: Universal Destinations & Experiences
A: It's Las Vegas! Even with all the other cities that compete around the world, Las Vegas is still the Entertainment Capital of the World. … With the expansion of Area15, this was the ideal location. Area15 in itself is becoming a destination.
Q: How does it fit into Las Vegas' entertainment choices?
A:? What's unique is that guests can curate their own experience. Guests can come in for a great dinner at a Premiere House, enjoy some of our craft cocktails at the Boiler Bar or Jack's Alley. But if they want to do more, then they can add on all the houses and the stage shows and make an evening of it. It really fits within your daily planner. You might be coming in to see the Vegas Golden Knights [NHL hockey team] and then you drop in and spend the rest of your evening with us. Universal has positioned this in the market to really cater toward the guests and what time they have available.
Q:? You can find gambling anywhere in the country, but Las Vegas is trying to find the next thing, and creating new forms of entertainment options is part of that, right?
A: Gaming is one thing, but I've been here for over 25 years, and I've seen the pendulum ebb and flow, and it's now going back to the era of Elvis Presley and the headliners. (But) tourists are wanting to be in more control of what they're doing, rather than having to sit down for a show and be placed in a theater for 90 minutes. Guests are wanting to move around. We have become a (sensory overloaded) culture, so we want to control that experience.
Q: What makes you most proud at this attraction?
A: We've taken live entertainment, which is what Vegas is known for, [and] we've paired that with the incredible themed experiences of Universal Creative and Universal Entertainment, and we're giving a unique perspective to those Universal fans, to the Halloween fans and to the horror fans around the world.
Q: In the restaurants, bars and throughout, how do you mix surprise with horror?
A: Nobody really wants to eat things that look like dead fingers! It's a balance there, but with all the research that Universal has under its belt, we have leaned into what is the best practice, what is unique and different and how can we shake things up to keep our guests guessing the minute they walk in the building. It's taking the best of what the parks have done and creating something that's unique and different that we can take around the world for our guests to experience horror at a whole new level.
Q: What scares you the most at Universal Horror Unleashed?
A: Being from Nebraska, growing up on a farm, we raised corn. The Scarecrow: The Reaping (one of the four houses) scares me the most, but that's just from childhood trauma being raised on a farm. Every time I asked our guests through our soft opening [about their favorite house], I got all four different answers. ... It is really anyone's journey in horror, and that's what's exciting about this: You curate your own journey of horror. We're a little silly, we're a little sinister, we're a little sexy, and we're bringing something for everyone, so you can decide what you want that evening or that day to look like. And I will promise we won't disappoint.