It’s about to get DARK. Really, really dark. We’re talking cursed monsters. Experiments gone wrong. Fire. Evil laughter. Scary stuff! Can you handle it? Good, because we need a friend. We’re going to Dark Universe, the spooky new land in Epic Universe at Universal Orlando. Prepare for jaw-dropping, heart-pounding, scream-inducing moments all over the place.

You might be thinking, “How did you get in there? Epic Universe isn’t open yet!” and you’d be correct. Universal Orlando Resort’s Epic Universe Park officially opens on May 22nd, 2025, but we got a special invite to preview the park before it opens to the public. We went through every land and every attraction, and now we’ve made it to Dark Universe. Do you hear that? Someone’s giving us a warning. “It’s alive! It’s alive!” Well, with that, let’s head through the portal…

Dark Universe is inspired by Universal’s rich history with horror. The land is known as Darkmoor, and here, you’ll find classic Universal monsters, including Dracula, the Invisible Man (his name is Jack), the Bride of Frankenstein, and more. Picture a spooky village straight out of a storybook, complete with a flaming windmill, a Gothic castle, and a haunting woodsy atmosphere. Darkmoor is home to two attractions: Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and Curse of the Werewolf. 

No more stalling. Let’s head inside. Right as you enter through the dark and ominous portal, you’ll be greeted by the phrase, “It’s alive! It’s alive!“ a la Frankenstein’s monster. Immediate SHIVERS.

Dark Universe… here we come 😈🧛‍♂️ @UniversalORL #epicuniverse #Hosted pic.twitter.com/e1SqA3JIUr

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 5, 2025

We couldn’t wait to step inside Dark Universe! It didn’t disappoint with first impressions. While it did feel a bit out of place walking through Darkmoor in the middle of the day with sunny skies (a dark, stormy night seems like the most fitting setting for this town), we were immediately impressed with all the details and secrets. Everything you hear inside of Darkmoor from the characters is characterized as a rumor, and you have to decide whether to believe it or not.

When we first walked in, we could hear what sounded like Ygor harvesting body parts in Frankenstein’s crypt. Gross, but also so cool at the same time. We felt like we had stepped right into another world! In addition to Ygor harvesting body parts, we also saw a graveyard where our tour guide pointed out a statue of a little girl.

We just rode Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and those animatronics are absolutely WILD 😱 — like, “wait… was that real?!” wild.@UniversalORL #epicuniverse #hosted pic.twitter.com/BcIBcBcPPG

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 5, 2025

The statue is an ode to the incident with the little girl in the Frankenstein story. The story goes that the little girl was throwing flower petals into the water and Frankenstein’s monster saw her, started throwing petals in too and when he realized she was enjoying it and wasn’t afraid of him, Frankenstein’s monster playfully threw her in too. Unfortunately, she did not float like the flower petals and her body was discovered by villagers.

We also stopped by and saw a violinist storyteller out on the Burgomaster’s porch. The storyteller comes out and tells stories about the classic Universal monsters and plays interludes on the violin. It was a perfect combination, and we think we could have listened to the storyteller for hours.

One of the biggest, most anticipated new rides in ALL of Epic Universe is Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. OK, where to start? This ride is UN.BE.LIE.VA.BLE. There are TONS of animatronics — and REALLY GOOD ones at that. There are mind-blowing special effects. There are things we’ve NEVER seen before in a theme park attraction. It’s incredible.

We just rode Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and those animatronics are absolutely WILD 😱 — like, “wait… was that real?!” wild.@UniversalORL #epicuniverse #hosted pic.twitter.com/BcIBcBcPPG

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 5, 2025

The height requirement is 48”. Oh, and good news — this attraction does offer rider switch! One thing to note is that during early previews, this ride has been a little finicky. That’s code for “be prepared for this ride to close unexpectedly.” SPOILERS AHEAD!

OK, so here’s the gist of the story. The ride experience starts with two pre-show rooms. When you enter the second room, you are met with a (very lifelike !!!!) Dr. Victoria Frakenstein animatronic. She tells you about the “friends” you are about to encounter and sets up the story.

Then, when it is time to board, you will get into a ride vehicle which rotates and is on a conveyor belt. As expected, the animatronics are INSANE. You will encounter monsters like Phantom, Creature, Gilman, Dracula, and Jack the Clown. Pay CLOSE attention — there is a very cool effect where the Mummy melts away right in front of you!

As you’re in the middle of the action, the story gets a little jumbled. Basically, it’s just monsters and chaos. Not that we’re complaining — we love monsters and chaos. The tech of this ride is fabulous and there is SO much to see. It is a total spectacle of a ride, and we loved every minute of it.

Phew! What a rush! But we can’t relax yet — there’s one more ride to visit. Darkmoor’s second attraction is a spinning family coaster inspired by The Wolf Man. It’s called Curse of the Werewolf, and if we were you, we’d steer clear of the angry Werewolf.

The ride vehicle is pretty interesting. Even though this is a coaster, the vehicle reminded us of the two-sided Toy Story Mania vehicles that can spin 360 degrees. The coaster itself is somewhat slow-moving, but you’re being rocked and spun all over the place, so it still feels quite dynamic. It was on the shorter side, which was a bit disappointing. Compared to Monsters Unchained, it is not as immersive. 

We were so scared we almost forgot to grab some food — now THAT is a frightening thought. Luckily, Dark Universe has plenty of places to eat, like Das Stakehaus (a quick-service restaurant)…

…The Burning Blade Tavern (another quick-service restaurant) with a BURNING WINDMILL…

…and De Lacey’s Cottage (serves ice cream, cinnamon bread, twisted taters, and more).

Remember how we said there are monsters in this land? Well, they aren’t just on the rides. You can MEET them, too! You can meet the Invisible Man, Frankenstein’s Monster and his Bride, Ygor, and more. 

You never know who you’ll see… or NOT see… in Dark Universe 👀 @UniversalORL #epicuniverse #hosted pic.twitter.com/bQCylVWyRT

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 5, 2025

Even the smallest details — like the bathrooms — have a dark, twisted feel. After all that time in Darkmoor, you might start feeling like you are part of the story. Well, you’re in luck! You can check out the Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience, where artists will transform you into a werewolf, vampire, mummy, and more. Each team member wears a lab coat-like costume, just like Dr. Frankenstein would wear.

Wow! We MADE it! We survived Dark Universe and lived to tell the tale. There is SO MUCH more to say about this land, so stay tuned for more tips, tricks, and secrets.

We’ll be updating you as we explore more of Epic Universe throughout the day, so make sure you check back for the latest news!

What are YOU most excited to see at Epic Universe? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Universal to attend their media preview of Epic Universe. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ