In 1816, five friends decided to try writing horror stories for something fun to do in the summer. These were not random friends whose names have been lost to time. They included some of the most famous writers in English literature, including Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. But it was Shelley’s bride-to-be, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, who wrote what would be become the most famous work from that holiday challenge.
“Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus”
With that work, first published in 1818, Mary Shelley laid the foundation upon which science fiction – and, later, a movie studio – would be built. More than a century later, in 1931, Carl Laemmle Jr. – the son of the co-founder of Universal Pictures – produced “Frankenstein.” That movie, along with “Dracula,” released the same year, created a popular new identity for the studio.
And now, nearly a century later, Universal Studios has transformers its Monsters franchise into a theme park land for the first time. Welcome to Darkmoor. Welcome to Dark Universe.
Set in a village long ruled by vampires, Dark Universe tells the story of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, the great-great-granddaughter of the infamous Dr. Henry Frankenstein, the doctor from Universal’s 1931 film. The name also nods at Mark Shelley’s Dr. Frankenstein, who was named Victor.
This Dr. Victoria is not happy with the state of Darkmoor. Strong egos seem to run in the Frankenstein family. Humble people do not attempt to bring the dead back to life, after all. So Dr. Victoria is looking to put the Frankenstein family back in charge, through an audacious plan to capture all of Darkmoor’s monsters. The final trophy in her collection is to be the most infamous vampire of all, Count Dracula.
This is the story of Monsters Unchained – The Frankenstein Experiment, the Kuka robot-arm dark ride at the heart of Dark Universe.
But the narrative of Frankenstein vs. the vampires extends throughout Dark Universe, starting in the catacombs entrance that greets visitors when they walk through the portal into Darkmoor.
Universal Studios milked its monsters for decades after their first appearances in theaters, filming multiple films that pitted various monsters against others, eventually throwing comedians Abbott and Costello into the mix for laughs. So a battle royale among monsters is on brand for Universal.
Also on brand, for the Frankenstein IP, is putting a woman back at the center of the franchise. Creating the character of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein is not some woke act of token representation. This is a woman-created IP, for heaven’s sake. Damn right that a woman ought to be back in charge of it.
Full disclosure: I am far from the biggest horror fan on the Internet. But I think the Frankenstein story does resonate a bit more deeply with writers than it does with the average consumer. When most people imagine “Frankenstein,” they think not of the doctor, but of his creation. Isn’t that the fate of a writer? Your name becomes a descriptor for your body of work. The person you are, or were, fades behind the byline. Dr. Victoria is trying to fight that inevitability with that plan to take back Darkmoor and bring these monsters under her control. But, as is her narcissistic family’s fate, it all gets terribly messy in the end.
And, as is Universal’s business plan, you enjoy watching all go south so much that you want to run right back around and go again.
Monsters Unchained brings you into Frankenstein Manor, snaking you through its hallways for its queue. Along the way, you learn a bit about the family, uh, business, eventually climbing the staircase where, above the grand foyer, you will see a portrait of Henry Frankenstein on one side, facing a portrait of his great-great-granddaughter Victoria on the other.
From there, you step into the preshow, where Ygor explains how he will navigate you through Darkmoor’s catacombs to see the final act in Dr. Victoria’s grand plan. That leads into a second preshow, with impressive animatronics of Dr. Victoria and her latest creation of Frankenstein’s monster.
The ride system here is the same as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, but the show experience is almost completely different. There are no claustrophobic video domes here. That alone helps combat some of the motion sickness that some feel on the Potter ride. On Monsters, the action plays out in practical space, with media playing within the context of practical sets.
But the stars here are the ride’s animatronics, which seem to defy gravity at times. From the Phantom of the Opera playing a pipe organ while surrounded by flames to a flying Dracula, the animated characters here show that Universal has learned its lesson about relying too much on filmed media and screens in dark rides.
There is still plenty of media here - and on Monsters’ Epic rival, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. Yet having that media play amid practical characters and sets, in the distance, allows riders to escape screen fatigue.
The story is that Frankenstein’s attempt to capture Dracula literally backfires, freeing the vampire and setting a chain reaction that allows Darkmoor’s other monsters to escape. The battle royale is on, ending only when Frankenstein’s monster, under Dr. Victoria’s command, uses a giant mirror to redirect sunlight to destroy the vampires (or not?), allowing Frankenstein to escape.
But poor Ygor is not so lucky. Ah, the disposable fate of a Hollywood sidekick. Yet we manage to escape the tumult, twisting throughout the battle around us. I thought the motion here seemed more restrained than on Potter, flowing well to follow the action of the battle, without deploying extra movement simply for thrill’s sake.
Monsters Unchained – The Frankenstein Experiment is the clear highlight of Dark Universe, which is the smallest land in Epic Universe. It’s also a strong candidate to crack the top 10 in our year-end reader poll of the world’s top attractions. Imagine a Halloween Horror Nights attraction with an unlimited budget, and you’ve got Monsters Unchained.
As for the rest of the land, I did not ride the Mack Rides spinning coaster Curse of the Werewolf again. That one was a one-and-done for me after Epic’s initial press preview last month. Nor did I avail myself of the $45-169 Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience. (Monster makeup and Orlando humidity are not a winning combination for me.) But I invite you to follow me around on a walking tour of the land, which also features The Burning Blade bar and Das Stakehaus restaurant.
Let's continue our tour of Epic Universe with my reviews of its other lands:
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Great article, Robert. Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorite books from any genre. I'm glad Universal creative gave Victoria some depth to her character by not just making her one-dimensional. She's both the hero of the story and the one who creates the chaos and has to take responsibility to bring it back under control. That's similar to the plot line for Victor in the book. I really hope Universal does more with Victoria in the land (future meet-and-greet character?) and possibly incorporate her into a future Dark Universe movie or a TV series.
Monsters Unchained was an excellent ride with an immersive queue. I also found the roaming characters to be so much fun, Especially Ygor! I didn't get to experience Curse of the Wolfman, as it was down for about a week. This land was awesome, but it left me wanting more. I hope we get an expansion to this area someday soon.
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This is the section I'm looking forward to as a longtime fan of the Universal monsters. Can't wait to see it.