There are many adjectives to describe the brand new Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ride that has opened at Universal’s Epic Universe, words such as groundbreaking, incredible, jaw-dropping, phenomenal all come to mind but whilst incredible even at this level, we’ve been assured there’s more to come!
Themed around Classic Universal Monster movies Monsters Unchained utilises a robotic arm system (manufactured by KUKA) that guides guests around the lair of Victoria Frankenstein who following in her father’s legacy has captured a whole variety of Universal Monsters with the sole aim of controlling the strongest individual of them all, Dracula.
Things don’t quite go to plan however and we are taken along for a 4-minute ride of horror monster madness in this artistic and near-perfect dark ride.
No Blank Spaces – A Thematic Masterpiece
Steeped in Gothic horror the Dark Universe land is such a fine creation and the Frankenstein Manor is one of the most beautiful ride facades I think I’ve ever seen in my life.
The queue line is equal to that of the exterior as you walk through rich detailed environments of the manor that look identical to the concept art that Universal released when this brand new theme park was first announced.
From offices to experimental areas and even a fancy lounge with a medical coffin lying within it you really are in the world of Frankenstein and then you meet the monster himself in one of two pre-shows.
After being introduced to Egor and seeing the ride system for the first time in model format (such a clever idea) you are greeted with the first two animatronics which include Victoria herself and Frankenstein’s monster.
Victoria’s animatronic almost has a face-mapped face which from certain angles doesn’t look as good as it could do but once Frankenstein’s monster enters the room all eyes are on him and nothing else matters, this animatronic is absolutely huge and the transitioning between pre-show and loading areas are seamless, you are fully immersed and the queue-line is almost like a ride in itself.
But there was hesitation. Battle at the Ministry had a jaw-dropping queue-line yet the ride was terrible, would this be the same?
Ride System and Experience
Using a similar ride to the one used in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey this system has had major refinements and feels like a much more well-rounded version. I found the seats to be very comfortable and the motion of the arm felt more controlled and fluid but it did have its set-backs.
The second the ride begins you are immersed in the world Universal are creating but instantly you see the track below you and the group in-front of you as their arm navigates the layout, surely with some programmed movements you could have twisted the arm in such a way to hide this and to make it feel like you’re the only person on the ride. Seeing others in front of you detaches you from that isolated feeling you should be getting onboard a horror ride and arm calibration is an issue that I had twice during Monsters Unchained.
Later in the ride there’s an arm movement that points the arm towards an empty space, a staff / evacuation walk-way and there’s absolutely no need for it. Above you is theming, to the left of you is theming and below you is theming yet the arm points you towards this black empty un-themed corridor, why?
In the grand scheme of things this is a problem that can easily be fixed and those two issues are so minuscule in comparison. Those were the only two negatives I had about the entire ride which speaks volumes about the quality of this dark ride experience.
Animatronics are absolutely everywhere in Monsters Unchained, your sense are being bombarded with wind effects, fire effects, insane arm movements and immersion as Dracula is unleashed and sets his brides free upon us all.
From seeing Hunchback of Notre Dam swinging inside a bell to seeing the Phantom of the Opera playing a flame shooting Organ it’s just incredible, every horror fans dream come true in one beautifully themed space.
Screens are few and far between and only serve to progress the craziness of what is happening but they’re blended so beautifully within these physical sets that it all just works perfectly in harmony with one another.
The pacing is relentless but at the same time this is where the story absolutely disappears as by the time the ride comes to an abrupt conclusion there’s no real storytelling arc, it just ends and we’re none the wiser about what’s actually happened aside from a little outro by Egor which hints at what has happened but still we’re none the wiser as we disembark the ride vehicle.
Ride Effects
During our preview run we were speaking to certain key members of the team behind the ride who said there were still more effects to be added and we could certainly see the changes between the preview day and opening day as more effects had already been activated.
An Igor animatronic was on show at the start of the ride on opening day whilst he had been behind a curtain throughout the preview days we had visited.
Dracula’s brides weren’t flying when we visited during the previews but they were all over the place on opening day and after a few discussions there’s many more effects yet to be added including a much brighter light (used to attack Dracula) and a few other effects that weren’t working on opening day (Dracula refused to fly at us on opening day) but you’d be none the wiser, there is so much going on that you’ll not notice these effects missing unless you were specifically looking for them.
I absolutely loved how practical effects and animatronics were used over screens and this includes the queue-line and is exactly why for me Monsters Unchained is head and shoulders above Battle at the Ministry with only the clock-work scene and the animatronic creature being of note for impressive physical scenes with no screens in-sight.
Here it was beautifully designed carnage that whilst the ending is a lot to be desired from a storytelling aspect the visuals more than make up for it!
Is Monsters Unchained Suitable for Children?
I wouldn’t say that Monsters Unchained is particularly scary but it’s certainly overwhelming and overstimulating as there is so much going on.
It’s certainly guided towards teens and adults but the tone is certainly more action packed than gory in any way shape or form aside from a little water effect when you see the Werewolf.
It certainly adopts a more all-ages approach but some younger children will definitely find it scary (there are Monsters within it after all).
Monsters Unchained Merchandise
As you exit the ride there’s a whole plethora of Monsters Unchained merchandise but most of it is Universal Horror Monsters themed as opposed to ride specific merchandise.
There was a vinyl of the Dark Universe soundtrack (composed by Danny Elfman) that was certainly a popular addition to scoop up on opening day but it wasn’t a limited release (I believe) so I imagine you’ll be able to get them almost immediately despite resale value of triple the price on Ebay for them currently!
Whilst there wasn’t much ride specific merchandise outside of a few pin-badges and maybe a T-Shirt there was a little wooden construction kit where you could build your very own Kuka Monsters Unchained ride vehicle.
This was cool!
Other than that, I feel as though Universal sell an incredible range of IP merchandise but really need to niche down into more ride specific merchandise especially within a land like Dark Universe, think of all the cool things you could create to sell within that space, the mind boggles!
Final Thoughts
Monsters Unchained is a testament to how dark rides should be built, I am so critical of every ride that I experience and if I can only criticise an arm movement and a blank catwalk out of an entire 4-minute experience it’s safe to say this ride is near perfect.
With word that there are additional things to be added within the ride and even more to come in the Dark Universe future expansion (crossing my fingers for a Creature from the Black Lagoon boat ride) Monsters Unchained is the world’s best horror-themed dark ride and it’s not even close.
Monsters Unchained looks so good that it makes the Curse of the Werewolf roller coaster next to it look like a big bag of monster dung (After riding it, I can confirm, it is indeed a big bag of monster dung).
This is the future of dark rides where physical sets and animatronics whisk us away into worlds unknown, utilising screens to a minimal and allowing physical artistry to deliver the ride experience, Monsters Unchained is the perfect example of a dark ride done correctly and I cannot wait to see what else is planned for this horror-themed area in the near future!
