Universal Monsters: Unmasked at Halloween Horror Nights 32 is the latest in a series of classic monster movie-themed houses. Following the trend of the last few years, this house features an intertwined cast of Universal Studios’ Classic Monsters in pseudo-sequels to their films.

Universal Monsters: Unmasked

Descend into the Paris Catacombs, where you and your squad will face a new horde of Monsters: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Phantom of the Opera, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Invisible Man.

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, along with the Invisible Man, are in hiding in Paris. They meet up with The Phantom of the Opera and the Hunchback of Notre Dame in the Catacombs. Guests travel through the Catacombs, the city, and an opera house.

This house truly transports guests to Paris, where they encounter the already-present Phantom of the Opera and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. A few other monsters also happen to be in the French capital, as Dr. Jekyll’s medicine show is traveling there and the Invisible Man is present as he runs from the law.

(Some spoilers ahead)

The story is cohesive and the effects are well done. It’s an exceptionally well-designed house, as the sets throughout are intricate and beautiful. There are several effective practical and projection scares throughout — there’s a spine-ripping gag, a bungee scare featuring the Hunchback of Notre Dame falling from his cathedral, and a mirror scare featuring the Invisible Man that’s a callback to the Room of Many Michaels scare with Michael Myers from Halloween Horror Nights 24 and 31.

There are a few creative takes on well-known characters in this house; the Phantom, for example, does not wear his iconic mask — he instead cuts the faces off of people and dons them as masks (though his white mask is visible at the beginning). The house ends with all of the monsters coming together, and there are even a few callbacks to last year’s monsters-themed house.

We weren’t particularly scared on our first walk-through, which is why we were surprised to be terrified on our second go-around. We knew what to expect, yet we still found ourselves frightened. There are countless memorable and terrifying moments throughout this house. If you’re planning on attending Halloween Horror Nights 32, you should definitely pencil Universal Monsters: Unmasked onto your to-do list.

Backstory

The Universal Classic Monsters have been around since the very beginning of Halloween Horror Nights, which is only fitting for the studio that practically invented the genre. Unmasked is the latest in a series of houses highlighting the Monsters and expanding their stories. In 2019, a house featuring most of the monsters started the latest trend, and since 2021, the new Monsters houses have been serving as sort-of sequels.

2021 saw The Bride of Frankenstein take center stage for the event’s 30th anniversary. HHN31 featured Universal Monsters: Legends Collide, in which Dracula, the Wolfman, and the Mummy fought, with each night featuring a different winner.

While some have explored lesser-known iterations of the Monsters (2022’s Mummy was Kharis rather than Imhotep), the traditional characters are featured this year.

Location

Universal Monsters: Unmasked is located at J on the map below, with the entrance back near the former KidZone.

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