Dark Universe: Attractions

 

9 - Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment

E-Ticket

Must be 48 in.

Guests come to see an experiment by Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, but it goes terribly wrong and they must escape the wrath of several monsters. This uses similar technology to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Although I was a bit wary of this ride, especially because videos and promotional things referred to it as or of the scariest rides Universal has ever created. However, I watched a POV for this ride and it didn't seem too scary. A bit intense, yes, but not too terrifying. I say it's just as scary as Jurassic Park or the Mummy.

QUEUE:

In the back of Darkmoor village is the towering Frankenstein Manor, which is bustling with dark energy. Guests then go inside s foyer with creepy wallpaper and skeleton statues. Guests move around the rooms of the manor, looking at Victoria's different experiments and how she learned to control the different monsters. There is even a box containing the original Frankenstein monster, which is no longer alive and is just on display. Guests then go upstairs to see portraits of Henry Frankenstein and Victoria, before going through a room playing videos on how they captured all of the monsters (the scariest part of the queue and whole experience, I'd say.)

Then, guests come into a room with a model of the catacomb navigation system, as well as a screen. On the screen is a masked figure, who claims that he senses fear in the guests and that they should abandon hope. After removing the mask, it is revealed that this man is Victoria's assistant, Ygor, who is a source of comic relief and dark humor throughout the ride. His job is to get the guests through the experience in one piece (even though he doesn't find it very fun.) He demonstrates how the machine works, saying that nothing goes wrong before the device goes out of control. He then receives an alert, and says that the doctor will see them now.

PRE-SHOW:

Guests go into a room where they meet with Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, the great-great granddaughter of Dr. Henry Frankenstein. She is upset that her ancestor is hated and feared for what he had done and wants to fix her family's reputation. She then shows guests a new version of Frankenstein's monster, better than the original. Although he is initially alarmed by the presence of the guests, he calms down when Victoria points out that they are friends. She then explains how she has learned how to control all of the monsters she's captured, and for her final experiment, she will control Count Dracula. Frankenstein panics at the mention of this, but Victoria orders him to settle down before Dracula's face appears behind her, threatening to destroy Victoria and everyone she loves. Ignoring this threat, Victoria sends the guests onward.

Guests go down into the catacombs, where they put their belongings in a locker and then pass more of Victoria's experiments. Then, they head into a chamber where they board their navigation device.

RIDE EXPERIENCE:

Before taking off, Victoria explains that the catacombs beneath Darkmoor go on for miles, and nobody's fully explored them. She then asks Ygor to power up the machines, which he does. He says that the guests will love this before laughing maniacally and sending them on their way. They pass beneath a bell before entering the control room. Here, the Phantom of the Opera is playing the organ. Victoria turns on her machine, sending dark energy through a pipe. Frankenstein then activates the machine by putting both of his hands on electric orbs, shocking him in the process. However, the experiment fails and Dracula escapes the ring holding him, vanishing into a swarm of bats and sending the vehicles back.

Dracula then heads over to metal coffins and frees his vampire brides, ordering them to attack. As they fight with Frankenstein and Victoria, Ygor announces that all of the monsters are out. Victoria then tells the guests not to let anything touch them. They duck down to avoid being spotted by a vampire bride, but they come across the Creature from the Black Lagoon as they do. They then come across the Wolf-Man, who pursues them before howling at the moon. On the other side of a wooden ceiling, he claws at them and spits on them. He then moves to the side and tries to attack, but he is tased by Frankenstein.

As the guests approach a melting sarcophogus with the Mummy inside of it, Dracula ponders who the real monster is: the one in chains or the one who put them on. Seeing this as him trying to turn the guests against her, Victoria tells them not to listen to him before shooting a vampire bride. The Mummy then appears in the wall and reaches for the guests, but they escape. In a last resort to stop Dracula, Victoria orders Ygor to harness daylight. Guests come across Dracula, who tells them to prepare to die. Luckily, Frankenstein turns on the device, killing several vampire brides, including one nearby. As the room collapses, Dracula tries to escape, but Victoria shoots him with sunlight, saying how all monsters will bow to her. Ygor then thanks the guests for coming and asks them to leave a good review before being attacked by bats.

POST-RIDE:

Guests get off their machine and grab their belongings. They then follow a secret passage into the Manor Storehouse, which sells ride photos and Universal Monsters merchandise.

10 - Curse of the Werewolf

D-Ticket

Must be 40 in.

In this spinning coaster, guests go out into the forest on a full moon and must flee from a pack of werewolves. This ride is a more family-friendly attraction than its neighbor, but it still delivers its shares of thrill, although it is a little short.

QUEUE:

Guests venture through the camp of mystics, where they are hoping to see Maleva, the leader of them. As they pass through a tent, they see an animatronic Maleva, who tells them that they bear the curse of the Werewolf. They are then sent into a wooden pavilion where they board "transformation carts." What's even more concerning is that there's a full moon tonight, meaning that the guests might become werewolves.

RIDE EXPERIENCE:

The coaster moves out of the pavilion and through the forest, moving past wolves as they go. They go over a pathway before going around and heading through a barn, where a werewolf can be seen overhead. However, the coaster doesn't make it up the hill, and so it goes back through the barn. Then, as snarling fills the carts, guests launch through the barn and go up the hill, spinning as they head down through the forest. This is supposed to make them feel like they've turned into werewolves. They then pass by a poster telling them to beware the full moon before returning to the pavilion.