Dark Universe continues Universal's attempts to bring the classic Universal Monsters into the modern day, and is easily their most successful endeavor yet. Dark Universe is set in the small town of Darkmoor, the favorite haunting spot of all the classic Universal Monsters. Upon approaching the Darkmoor portal, you are greeted by Danny Elfman's original score composed specifically for this land/universe and all the attractions and shops within it.
Like every portal in Epic Universe, a large screen covers the top inner portion of the portal. For Dark Universe, crackling lightning and electricity are projected onto the screen. The portal gives way to a crumbling, wooden structure and then you exit the wooden structure into a decrepit graveyard covered in a fine fog and a chained entrance to an undercroft. If you linger at the undercroft, you can hear disturbing rattling and commotion coming from deep inside.
As you make your way through the graveyard, you come across two open coffins for photos/selfies, and the iconic Grim Reaper statue from the original Frankenstein film. Now, you arrive at the entrance to Darkmoor village. Hanging in a gibbet/iron cage across from the Darkmoor village sign is a deceased creature which is definitely not human in origin. In the center of the village is a large fountain which is connected to the undercroft and catacombs, and constantly emits large billowing clouds of fog.
Dark Universe isn't as large as one might imagine. I'd estimate it's around the size of Hogsmeade in IOA, maybe a little bigger. Luckily, the theming here is absolutely top-tier. It really does feel like you have stepped foot inside a classic Universal Monsters film.
The cool little details and easter eggs littered throughout the land only make it that much more cool and satisfying. Atop the entrance to Pretorious' shop, there's a crumbling balcony littered with arrows. Inside Dr. Pretorius' shop you can find a portrait of Pretorius. It bears the likeness of Dr. Pretorius from The Bride of Frankenstein. The portrait sits above a coffin, who rests within?
The multiple walk around characters were all performed to perfection, and I had the luck of getting to meet each one. The violinist actually plays in Das Stakehaus to entice guests to join her outside for a tale (more of Das Stakehaus later). Dr. Griffin/The Invisible Man was actually not rude to me and gladly welcomed a picture. I got to shake the hands of The Bride of Frankenstein and Victoria Frankenstein's Monster (or as I call him, Franky), as well as give Franky a hug.
Franky and his bride were both confused and unsure what to make of this. He turned to me and asked: "Why hug?" And I told him because he is "so good", and the Bride said "He's very good", I said "The best". I told Franky he has "big heart, strong heart", then I placed him hands on top of mine and I kind of moved my arms up and down and repeated "Friend, friend". This made both of them happy.
I also got to have a delightful interaction with Igor, who seems to be a fan favorite and tends to have the best improv and interactions with guests. I even had the luck of brushing past a monster hunter! If you are having trouble meeting your monster or character of choice, don't feel afraid to ask a team member when they would be meeting next and they'll steer you in the right direction. You definitely want to try to meet each character here.
There are also cool mini-shows for Frankenstein's Manor and The Burning Blade Tavern. I believe they both happen every fifteen minutes or so, and are accompanied by lighting and sound effects before the big reveal. The Burning Blade is supposed to be the old mill that was set afire with Frankenstein's Monster inside. Before it bursts into flame, a church bell rings and various vegetation lights up to simulate the torches of the villagers along with audio of an angry mob. The Burning Blade erupts into flame and stays on fire for a good minute or two before another explosion extinguishes the flames for good. RIP Franky.
For The Manor, you will notice various strobe/lighting effects around the village, along with the audible buzz of electricity as Victoria drains power from Darkmoor to fuel her experiments. All this, before a loud explosion of electricity is heard with dazzling lightning/electricity effect that pulses around and atop the manor. After you pass Frankenstein's Manor, you find yourself traveling through a more heavily forested area. You quickly find yourself amongst a guild of mystics (Universal's update/refresh of Gypsies since the word Gypsy was historically used as a racial slur against people of Eastern European descent).
CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF
The queue for this is pretty cute but uninvolving, the theme being that you are traveling through the forests from The Wolf Man film where the Guild of Mystics have set up camp. You are making your way to Maleva the fortune teller to see if you are cursed or not. Unbeknownst to you, Maleva fully intends to send you into the jaws of the werewolves that prowl the forests the Mystics call home. This ride is fairly short, likely running less than two minutes in length, but it packs more of a punch or wallop than I was expecting it to. The coaster cars each spin a full three hundred sixty degrees as you careen around the track.
I'd say the best part is everything after your back-and-forth through the cabin, which is when the spinning really kicks into full gear. This baby has some serious thrills, which is why it's disappointing it's so short. Werewolf is another ride that has atrociously low capacity. Each car only seats four guests. This means (much like Mine-Cart Madness) the wait times tend to be very lengthy.
Express is usually a safe bet, but whatever you do, practice some self-love and stay FAR AWAY from Single Riders. Even when the Single Riders line looks very short, it can take upwards of an hour to secure a seat. If you are opting for the regular line, I'd say an hour's wait is manageable, but anything over that I would skip it. It's also interesting that this reinterpretation of the Maleva character is a full-on villain and total dick. She seems to take enjoyment in sending hapless tourists off to be mauled. It's quite a radical departure from the Maleva in the original film, who was tragic in nature.
DAS STAKEHAUS RESTAURANT
Easily the most impressive restaurant I've ever eaten at in a theme park. The interior is themed to the old hang out of vampires and their familiars. The vampires have been staked and run out of town, and their familiars now run the place. Beware though, there are rumors that deep within Das Stakehaus the vampires have set up camp once again.
Stepping foot inside Das Stakehaus, you will believe you are not in a theme park anymore. The interiors are large, spacious, and very creepy. There are multiple staked corpses of vampires adorning the place, it's dimly lit, and the entire place is awash in red lights on occasion. I could see kids being genuinely too afraid to stay in here for long.
I wound up ordering the Crimson Glazed Pork. It's char siu-style roasted pork belly with bloody roast pork dipping sauce, charred green onion mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, and acorn squash, crispy maitake mushrooms. It was a very satisfying and tasted similar to the Banh Mi sandwich from The Confisco Grill at Islands of Adventure. The sauce is poured over the pork and is pretty tart. It's not a great sauce, but I didn't hate it.
The specialty soda is called Screaming Berry and it tastes like a blueberry soda. The specialty mocktail is called the Monocane, and themed to the invisibility potion that Dr. Griffin/The Invisible Man created. It's lime green in color and comes in an apothecary glass with a wood stopper and test tube straw. It tastes like a very fizzy green apple soda. It's not bad, and is worth a try for the curious, but I wouldn't order it every time.