Universal reveals gender-flipped Frankenstein, revives Dark Universe classic monsters as park experience

Epic Universe's new land will feature a terrifying ride starring Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Wolf Man, and Dracula and his brides.

Legendary beasts and classic monsters will soon return to their iconic studio home, as the Universal Orlando Resort has unveiled a revival of its Dark Universe creatures in a splashy preview of its new theme park land.

Universal revealed Thursday that Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, Frankenstein's Monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon are all set to appear inside Dark Universe, the destination's heavily themed new land that's set to open in 2025 at its Epic Universe theme park within the Florida resort.

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Among the attractions slated to debut at Dark Universe — which shares a name with the canceled movie franchise of the same name that was meant to include films based on classic Universal monsters — is a new ride titled Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment.

Billed as an intense indoor adventure, Monsters Unchained stars the gender-flipped Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, marking a departure from the character's original iteration as a man in both Mary Shelley's 1818 Frankenstein novel and Universal's 1931 movie starring Colin Clive.

Riders will travel deep into the catacombs of Frankenstein Manor, where Victoria "conducts twisted experiments" and offers to show them off to guests — including a plan that goes awry, as the ride begins when her attempt to control Dracula catastrophically fails, unleashing the aforementioned monsters in pursuit of park guests.

Also drawing inspiration from Frankenstein works of the past, Epic Universe's Dark Universe will open the Burning Blade Tavern, a restaurant featuring a giant windmill that will smolder with real flames (also a nod to a scene from the 1931 film) as well as De Lacey's Cottage, a snack shop that gets its title from an elderly character in Shelley's book.

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Elsewhere inside the land, guests can get dolled up to looked like their favorite monsters in the Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience, ride through a werewolf-infested forest on the Curse of the Werewolf roller coaster, dine at Das Stakehaus (a dining hall run by vampires that feast on patrons), and take photos with Dr. Victoria Frankenstein's creations in a meet-and-greet location.

Dark Universe was initially intended to be the title of Universal's new movie series packed with titles inspired by characters in the studio's backlog of monster movies, which kicked off — and ultimately ended — with Tom Cruise's The Mummy in 2017, which underperformed at the box office.

The new park, however, will host additional lands based on the successful How to Train Your Dragon film series, Super Nintendo video games (with a wild-looking Donkey Kong-themed roller coaster), and the Florida property's third themed land adapted from the world of Harry Potter.

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Epic Universe marks the fourth overall park inside the Universal Orlando Resort, joining the original Universal Studios park, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay. It is scheduled to open in mid-2025.

See the stunning concept art for Epic Universe's Dark Universe land above and below.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.