I Finally Went To Universal Horror Unleashed & OMG, The Boiler Bread

Some scary movie fans wait all year for Halloween Horror Nights to return at Universal Studios. But you don’t have to wait till fall for a good jump scare anymore. Universal Horror Unleashed opened last summer at Area15 in Las Vegas, serving up year-round HHN energy with immersive mazes, delicious bites, and a movie prop that might actually be haunted. It’s the absolute dream off-season destination for horror girlies flocking to Sin City.

I am one of those fans who looks forward to Halloween Horror Nights every year. It’s been a tradition of mine since I was 13, and when I’m not at HHN, I’m scouring Reddit threads to see what rumors are swirling for upcoming houses. When I saw that Universal was opening up a permanent Halloween experience I could visit whenever my scary movie-loving heart desired, I knew I had to go.

In May, I was visiting Las Vegas for BTS’ ARIRANG Tour with one of my best friends, and I was invited to check out Universal Horror Unleashed before heading over to the stadium. Below, you’ll find my honest review of the haunted houses, merch, and bites to see if it’s worth adding to your next spooky weekend getaway with your BFF.

The Most Immersive Haunted Houses

Universal Horror Unleashed features four fan-favorite houses that have been featured at Halloween Horror Nights before, including Universal Monsters, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer, and Scarecrow: The Reaping. I’ve walked through these experiences before at either Universal Studios in Orlando or Hollywood, but Las Vegas was hands-down the most interactive version yet.

Instead of going through each house in a conga line with other people, you’re sent through in tiny groups. This made the experience a lot scarier, because at times, it was just my friend and I alone with monsters around every corner.

Since the space is a permanent fixture rather than a temporary park setup, the mazes are also built to be way more immersive. One of my biggest complaints about Universal’s houses in the parks are the non-themed, black curtain hallways that you have to walk through to get from scene to scene. In Vegas, every inch of the maze is fully realized and made me feel like I was actually walking through a movie set.

The Horror-Themed Snacks

As much as I loved walking through the mazes, my favorite thing about Universal Horror Unleashed was the food at Premiere House. Even though the Blumhouse-themed, sit-down restaurant is severely lacking in decor, the menu more than made up for the empty warehouse vibes.

The first thing I tried was the Boiler Bread ($13), which is a warm garlic-herb stuffed pumpernickel roll with a fiery smoked paprika cheese sauce. If you love the brown bread from Cheesecake Factory, this is like the supreme version with cheese galore. For an appetizer, I also ordered the HHN-fave Pizza Skull. The skeleton-shaped pepperoni pizza is much better as a theme park snack, but it’s still very Insta-worthy.

For the main course, I went with one of the chainsaw-shaped flatbreads inspired by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I ordered it because it was recommended on the menu, and it had a really nice spice to it. The flavors were great, but the crust was kind of soft and nothing could beat the Boiler Bread. Still, the Haybale dessert was a close second.

This hay-shaped dish featured a warm pecan kataifi roll with butter pecan ice cream, pecan crumble, and caramel sauce. It was crunchy, delicious, and so fun. If you’re a fan of the viral Dubai chocolate bar or just love the flavors of a blondie, you have to give this a try. I’m already thinking about coming back on my next Las Vegas trip just to enjoy some of these dishes again, while also trying more from the other dining locations — Jack’s Alley, Roughcuts, and The Boiler.

Shop, Snap, & Scream

In addition to the houses and snacks, Universal Horror Unleashed also has a merch store for anyone looking for some horror-themed souvenirs. There were plenty of exclusive items available, along with merch I’ve seen around Universal Studios and Halloween Horror Nights before. If I wasn’t heading to the BTS concert right afterwards, I might have picked up a blood-splattered heat reactive mug ($25) or a poker chip keychain ($15).

If you’d rather have a digital souvenir, there are photo moments throughout Universal Horror Unleashed. You can take pics with the characters roaming around or Horror Nights icon Jack the Clown after his circus show near the bar. Also, at the front is a meet and greet with the Vampire Queen. Above her throne is an actual haunted prop that was used in Universal Studios’ 1925 film The Phantom of the Opera. I had to make sure I saw that as a cinephile and horror girlie.

Is Universal Horror Unleashed Worth It?

I wish I was able to spend more time at Universal Horror Unleashed, but we eventually had to get going to Allegiant Stadium for our BTS show. Luckily, I was able to experience everything in just two hours. We had the $89 Unlimited Access ticket, which lets you go into the houses as many times as you’d like, so I could have spent the rest of my night going back through each maze.

We ended up only going through the Exorcist twice. We tried the Scarecrow maze again, but the line had gotten too long as the night went on. I also wanted to go back through my favorite of the four mazes, Universal Monsters, one last time, but that house kept closing for mini breaks and we didn’t time it correctly.

Overall, if I were to go again — which I want to — I would get the $59 general admission ticket. It’s a fair price for four haunted houses and time to roam around with scare actors. Plus, I need to eat that Boiler Bread and Haybale dessert one more time. There’s not a ton to do at Universal Horror Unleashed compared to Halloween Horror Nights, but it’s just enough to get a taste of the scaries while you wait for the fall season to return. In the end, it’s the perfect thing to do while in Vegas if you have a few hours to kill before your show or want something unique to do near the Strip with your fellow horror-loving bestie.