Monsters Unchained Review: A Thrilling Face-Off with Classic Monsters Falls Just Shy of Greatness at Epic Universe

Universal Epic Universe is set to have its grand opening on May 22nd, but we have attended early preview opportunities to experience Universal’s third theme park ahead of time. To help you decide if a visit to Universal Epic Universe is worth it, we’ll have a series of articles that explore the new theme park and the attractions and experiences within it. We already have an initial review of Epic Universe that explores a lot of what you can expect to find, but with more visits under our belts, it’s time to dive deep into the rides, experiences, restaurants, and more! In this article, we’re going to review the highly-anticipated Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment attraction.

Set inside the formidable Frankenstein Manor within the Dark Universe themed land, Monsters Unchained takes you on a fast-paced ride through Frankenstein catacombs, putting you face-to-face with some of the most famous Universal classic monsters. In this review, we’ll take you through the queue, amazing pre-show(s), and onto a ride that is one of the best at Universal Epic Universe.

One of the things that the queue does really well is offer layers of storytelling for guests who don’t mind doing a bit of reading. Because the official backstory description does such a good job of outlining what to expect, we’ll keep our review moving right along!

Monsters Unchained Queue

Once inside the manor, you’ll see the grand staircase in front of you, but you’ll have to take a detour through a hidden hallway first. This hallway takes you through what we assume are some of the back alleys of the manor. The hallway is only lightly themed, but it does contain a cool black light moment where guests can get a glimpse of something presumably written by one of the monsters who have been wronged by a Frankenstein in the past – “Who’s the true monster?!”.

It’s one of a couple of moments in the queue that do a great job of building suspense and really get your mind wandering, thinking about what you might see next. The other scene further along in the queue that does a great job of building tension and suspense is when you get to watch a film reel playing some encounters with monsters.

While I wouldn’t call Monsters Unchained or even Dark Universe as a whole some year-round Halloween Horror Nights, there are moments that have the DNA of HHN written all over them.

Continuing through the hallway, we make a right turn and head outdoors. When the attraction has a high wait time, there is an outdoor queue that comes into play. Thankfully, we haven’t experienced the outdoor extended queue beyond a short 5-minute wait. As crowds continue to build, I can see us spending more time out here. Thankfully, there looks to be enough shade – a rarity in Epic Universe.

Heading back inside now, we walk down another short hallway before reaching a room with a fireplace and all sorts of boxes, seemingly just delivered to the manor. There’s a lot of storytelling going on here, and it’s a preview of the layers of detail that you can expect to find through the remainder of the queue.

There are some great theming elements at play here such as the seating area and fireplace, and there are some really lazy elements too such as the Photoshop wrap sticker ceiling. Starting with the seating area and fireplace, we can see a still-melting drink, perhaps left by someone or something that just left the room. The fireplace is littered with newspapers from The Visaria Harbinger – a nod to the Universal Pictures classic monster village depicted in multiple films. It’s clear that the message of caution about the return of Victoria Frankenstein to the village has struck a chord with someone.

This type of set design is exactly the type of stuff that I love. My favorite Walt Disney World theme park is Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and it contains layers of detail that invite you to take a closer look or even start to let your imagination run wild. There are moments of brilliance within the Monsters Unchained queue that allow for that feeling of wonder and imagination to take over.

Other wonderful elements include a massive “organs for transport” crate, sitting below the Frankenstein family tree with Victoria at the center. The crate is the only jump scare in the queue, which was a little bit of a letdown for an attraction billed as Universal Creative’s scariest.

The crate also serves as something of a reminder that Universal decided to tone things down a bit throughout Dark Universe to make the land and experiences more accessible to all ages. Yes, the entire area contains scary imagery, but it fails to go the extra mile to create something that is actually scary.

One area where this room falls flat is the ceiling. The entire ceiling appears one-dimensional – like you’d expect to see from a wallpaper or wrap application. Perhaps it’s the lighting and shine, but it just doesn’t look good. At its worst, Epic Universe feels like a movie set – something that looks good from a distance or in pictures, but something that doesn’t pass the smell test once you’re up close.

That said, the scene that the mural depicts is excellent. We’ll see more of this type of vibe where energy and electricity are used to take over and control beings in the grand staircase.

The next room adds another layer of storytelling. We come face-to-face with Frankenstein’s monster, but this time, it’s version 1.0 of the classic creature. A really cool machine is completing a body scan of “Specimen: Precedent V1.0”. The machine notes that the creature is deceased, and the scanner is performing assessments of the various body parts of the monster. This is all taking place in a library/study of sorts. It’s clear that Victoria Frankenstein is looking to make improvements to her great grandfather’s original design. The figure behind the glass looks great, and the scanning effect is really well done.

Other parts of the room include some scientific tools and plenty of diagrams with notes scribbled over top. Something is afoot, and this is our first real indication of the storyline that is about to play out in front of us. The previous room showcased boxes of deliveries, “organs for transport”, and some bad press. This room takes a closer look at the first version of Frankenstein’s monster, with updated notes and medical/scientific tools. Victoria is clearly up to something, and I have a feeling that we’re going to find out soon enough.

The next room is the Frankenstein Manor grand staircase. The pre-opening concept video/visualization of this grand staircase was one of the first things that really got me excited about the scope of the attraction. This scene itself delivers. The staircase is grand, and you feel like you’re really walking through a manor that has lived through the decades.

The only thing that I’m not a huge fan of is the finished look of the mural. Going back to the concept of Photoshop wraps, the impressive mural on either side of the staircase starts to break down as you walk up the stairs. Again, things look quite good from a distance, like a movie set, but start to break down a bit once you see it up close. It looks like the scenic artists did what they could by adding faux brush strokes, but it still just feels like a Photoshop wrap.

Again, the scene that it depicts is stunning – almost biblical. I really like the scene that the murals depict, I just think that the application could be more convincing.

Mural issues aside, the room is really dynamic. You can start to hear some of the crackling electricity as the power surges above you. Actually, one of the things that I love most is that the staircase not only acts as a grand reveal but there is a secondary reveal as you look backward from the top of the staircase. You can see a portrait of Victoria Frankenstein and guests walking by on a balcony opposite the top of the grand staircase. More on that part of the queue once we get there.

At the risk of sounding like I’m only pointing out things that I don’t like, the portrait at the top of the staircase needs to go back to the drawing board. It looks like artists here attempted to apply some of the crackling effect that is so common in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but this just looks atrocious. The concept video showed a torn portrait, which I thought looked way better. The execution of the crackle effect just isn’t it.

Ok, moving on! The room at the top of the stairs isn’t really much to write home about. It’s a dark hallway that contains the elevator for guests who aren’t able to navigate stairs, and it’s also where the Universal Express facial recognition is located. Note that if you utilize Universal Express, you enter the queue at the grand staircase, skipping everything that we’ve described up until this point.

Next up is a room that I’ll call the Halloween Horror Nights room. Don’t worry, there are no scareactors here, nothing is going to jump out at you. Instead, the room reminded me of a classic HHN queue where a sizzle reel of sorts plays, introducing some horror and suspense into your queuing experience. There is a video playing on the left wall as you enter the room, showcasing various monsters that Victoria Frankenstein, and her loyal assistant Ygor (with a ‘Y’), have captured as part of her experiment.

The video is very Blair Witch Project-esque. Just like at Halloween Horror Nights, this isn’t meant to be a proper preshow (and in fact, you simply keep moving through the queue without stopping), but instead just set the vibes. It’s very effective.

Also in this room is a display case, laying some groundwork for weapons that we’ll see utilized in the attraction proper. A mannequin showcases the effects of what appears to be an energy blaster weapon. Other displays in the room showcase an elevation plan for a generator that will be enhanced by a bridge created by Victoria’s creation. A final elevation plan actually gives guests a first glimpse of what to expect from the ride vehicle itself. As you might be able to tell, this is a Kuka arm ride vehicle similar to what you’d find over at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

The next room showcases Victoria’s plans for capturing and controlling Dracula. An entire room dedicated to a single monster hints at how important Dracula is to Victoria and her project. We see more elevations on the wall, this time for a vampire bat. It looks like Victoria is trying to learn more about the bats and how she can capture those to try and learn more about how she’ll be able to capture and control Dracula.

As we turn the corner and walk into the main part of the room, we walk between what appear to be some sort of energy portals. I’m not sure what the actual function of these is, but there is a layer of storytelling here that I hope is spelled out at some point.

The first time I walked through this queue and saw the bat captured at the end of the room in front of me, I was convinced that I was looking at the most advanced Audio-Animatronic I had ever seen. Instead, it’s a pretty convincing glasses-less 3D effect that ends up breaking down as you get closer to it. Still, it’s a cool moment that shows that Victoria may be successful with this capturing device.

A final elevation drawing shows the axion ring (dark energy converter) that will be used on Dracula to try and capture and control the vampire.

After passing by the vampire bat, we make it to the balcony that passes over the grand staircase. At this point, we have a better idea of what the energy is for, and we can see it surging into the ceiling and (presumably) to the topmost tower of Frankenstein Manor as seen from the outside of the building. Given some of the imagery on murals that we saw earlier in the queue, I’m not entirely convinced that Victoria’s ambitions of control stop with just a few monsters.

This balcony overlook is one of my favorite spots of the whole queue. I wish the photo below was completely empty, but the doorway on the opposite side of the room is the pre-show, and it was never empty enough in this particular area for the empty shot. We’ve attended our final preview, so here’s to hoping that I get lucky at some point after the park officially opens.

Monsters Unchained Pre-Shows…Yes, Plural

There are two pre-shows for Monsters Unchained. The first is in a room where you get to learn more about the backstory of the ride and get a better idea of what to expect from the ride vehicle. The first pre-show is hosted by Ygor (that’s Ygor with a ‘Y’). If you’ve seen any social media coverage of Dark Universe, there is a high likelihood that you’ve seen some content containing Ygor saying something completely rude and irreverent in the most hilarious way possible. I love Ygor, the feeling isn’t mutual, it’s ok.

One thing that I don’t love, or rather, one thing that I didn’t love about Ygor the first time I saw him in this pre-show is that he’s 100% GCI. I don’t love GCI humans in pre-shows. Get an actor in there and make it feel real. That said, my love for the character has outweighed my distaste for GCI on subsequent views.

What’s really cool about this pre-show is the physical miniature ride vehicle that is on display. Ygor explains that he is in control of the catacombs navigation unit, and as he manipulates the joystick on video, the miniature ride vehicle moves in sync. It’s a fun moment that gives guests a wonderful explanation of what they can expect from the ride ahead. Once Ygor is finished explaining the process, Victoria comes over the intercom to let him know that she’s ready for us.

Doors open on the right side of the room and we funnel into the next room where Victoria is waiting for us. This room is intimate and dark. We see Victoria, in Audio-Animatronic form, perched above us, speaking about her newest creation and her pursuit of controlling monsters to restore the Frankenstein name. What’s interesting here from a technical standpoint is that the Victoria figure features a projection-mapped face. Not a rear-projected face like you’d find on Walt Disney World’s Frozen Ever After attraction. Instead, this is a front-facing projection effect, where projectors from across the room are mapped to her constantly moving face to create a realistic look.

The technology is very impressive, but the effect is just ok. Again, I’d still prefer an all-physical implementation, which would mean a molded face. In fact, we encounter a molded-face Victoria figure on the attraction itself, and it looks perfectly acceptable. Either way, we’ll soon forget about Victoria entirely in the pre-show as her creation is revealed.

The Monster v2.0 is an extremely impressive Audio-Animatronic in size alone. He walks out from behind a curtain, towering over guests as the most imposing figure in Epic Universe. In our initial impression review of Epic Universe, I called this the best pre-show in all of Central Florida, and I’m happy to report that it holds up on multiple views. Of course, there’s nothing like your first time experiencing a ride, but the v2 Monster is just so impressive. In terms of stats, the Monster weighs in at 800lbs and is 9 feet tall!

Following the pre-show, the next room is the locker storage area. Just like other lockers at Epic Universe, the lockers in Monsters Unchained employ a facial recognition system. It’s pretty easy and we haven’t encountered any issues on six visits to the park. In terms of size, the lockers are pretty good size. I would say that they are very similar in dimension to the lockers at TRON Lightcycle Run in Magic Kingdom. When I visit the theme parks fully loaded with gear, I use a Peak Design 20L backpack with dimensions of 13″ wide, 18″ tall, and 8.3″ deep. It might be bursting at the seams a bit, but it is a VERY snug fit in the Epic Universe lockers.

Officially, Universal Orlando Resort says that the single-use attraction lockers at Epic Universe are 11.8″ x 11″ x 13″, which seems smaller than what I was able to reliably squeeze into the lockers.

In terms of what you need to put in the lockers, you’d be best off putting everything in the locker. I’m not sure what the official rules are, but with no metal detectors, you’re ok taking things that can fit safely in your pocket. Of course, just like most Universal Epic Universe rides, photography and video recording are strictly prohibited with expulsion from the park possible for guests who break the rules. To that end, we won’t be recording any on-ride video or taking photos, as much as we’d love to.

Before we make it to the load area, there is one final scene as you make your way through some 10-15 minutes of post-locker queue space. The final large scene is that of an empty coffin. This is the final foreboding bit of storytelling that shows that Dracula has broken free from his constraints.

Monsters Unchained Ride Review

Ok, it’s time to load onto the ride. The load area is a large, circular room. The ride system is constantly moving, which means you have to walk onto a moving floor as it spins in sync with the ride vehicles circling the room – sort of like Spaceship Earth.

As previously described, the ride vehicle is a Kuka arm system, which means that you’ll encounter over-the-head restraints in a bucket seat. You can expect the range of motion of the ride vehicle to be extreme. Team Members are illustrating the motion of the ride vehicle to guests by holding their arms vertically, and twisting their wrists in all directions to show what you may experience.

The range of motion of the ride vehicle is the same as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, although Monsters Unchained fixes many of the “sins” of Forbidden Journey. Namely, guests who have experienced motion sickness with Forbidden Journey are reporting much lower levels of motion sickness, or even no motion sickness at all, with Unchained. This can likely be attributed to a much lower reliance on screens for Unchained.

Like Forbidden Journey, the seating is 4 per vehicle, side-by-side across. Another “sin” that Monsters Unchained fixed is removing the box that the ride vehicle sits in. The views are far more open as guests can poke their heads past the over-the-shoulder restraint and see much more of any given scene thanks to a more unencumbered view.

Ok, now that we’re seated, it’s off to the Frankenstein catacombs located deep below the manor. As you ride vehicle lifts from the loading platform, you’ll spin around to not only get your first glimpse of the “catacombs”, but you’ll also get a very clear view of the ride vehicles in front of you. One of the things that I love that Universal did here is making the ride vehicles part of the story. In the first pre-show (and even in a schematic in the queue), Ygor shows off the ride vehicle and establishes it as a mode of transportation that you’ll see other guests traveling in. From there on, I was ok with that story conceit – especially given how dynamic and thrilling a Kuka arm attraction can be.

The first scene of the ride even builds on the fact that the ride vehicles are part of the show. Ygor can be seen, in Audio-Animatronic form, in the same control booth that we saw him in during the first pre-show. With a jolt of the joystick Ygor establishes the fact that he’s steering, and all you have to do is hold on for dear life.

As we turn away from Ygor, we face a wall of skulls and hear a heavy bell tolling. Our vehicle tilts up to reveal that the bell is right above us and the Hunchback is located within the swinging bell.

The next room that we enter is a big room, with a board showing that Victoria has multiple monsters under her control, including the Mummy, Gillman, Phantom, Wolfman, and Bride #2. The only monster still evading Victoria is Dracula.

As we enter the room, we can hear a menacing organ playing, and flashes of light that are soon to be revealed as actual blasts of fire coming from the organ. In fact, the Phantom of the Opera is set at the organ as 3-foot-tall flames come out of three or four pipes. The Phantom lunges towards you from his seated position as your vehicle turns away.

The next person we see is Victoria, ready to showcase what she has been working on. She says “brace yourself and witness my masterpiece: Dracula under my control!” With the flip of a switch, blue energy comes pouring through clear pipes and we chase it to find that it leads us to Victoria’s monster, ready to activate the machine that she’s been working on. The monster, ever loyal to Victoria, places his hand on either side of large coils and screams as the energy surges through him.

Something goes wrong, and we’re face-to-face with a “floating” Audio-Animatronic Dracula. Floating is in quotes here because the lighting and staging of the scene is so bad that we can see a giant arm going right into Dracula’s back to create the floating effect. Mirrors on the (presumably) steel arm do nothing to hide the effect. The concept art below shows the ideas for the scene, with the execution simply not up to par. In another part of the ride, Dracula is seen floating as well, and the effect is MUCH better the second time. The range of motion is smaller in the second scene, but I feel like there should’ve been more effort to create a better effect here. Unfortunately, there are more than a few scenes that completely take you out of the immersion, and this is an early example.

As Dracula escapes containment, our ride vehicle turns and faces another horribly staged “scene”. Here, a few chains hang in front of a black warehouse wall. We can see an evacuation platform and safety railings that we mistook for metal chairs the first few times we rode. If you have guests looking at black warehouse walls, theater curtains, and questioning whether or not they’re looking at metal chairs deep in the catacombs underneath Frankenstein Manor, you should go back to the drawing board.

With Dracula on the loose, he turns to his many brides and sets them free. Obviously, this is not going the way that Victoria Frankenstein had hoped, and we’re caught in the middle of an epic battle between monsters. As steel coffins swing open, some brides are represented in physical form, and others are screens.

Speaking of screens, the use of them in this attraction really hits the Goldilocks mark. I guess using the phrase Goldilocks would suggest that you can have too few screens, and that’s certainly not the case for all rides. That said, with a ride as dynamic as Monsters Unchained, I think you’ll have to use some screens, and the execution of the screens here is really good. The best screens in the park are still at Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, but Universal did a really good job of using screens for Unchained.

As Dracula unleashes his brides, he instructs them to feast, and we turn the corner to find one of the brides on the back of Victoria’s Monster, attacking him – all represented in Audio-Animatronic form. Another bride not-so-convincingly floats above you as Victoria makes a reappearance with a cross-bow trained on the bride.

As we escape the scene with the bride and Victoria locked in battle, we turn and are thrown forward to see The Creature from the Black Lagoon beneath us. Unfortunately, this is another example of poor staging as we see the Creature simply standing on the concrete floor of the warehouse. Some fog and a laser would likely go a long way in making it seem like the creature is in a lagoon, but perhaps there are other challenges that we’re unaware of.

The end result is that you are, once again, taken out of the immersion of a thrilling and amazing ride experience, and reminded that you’re just in a warehouse.

The pace of the attraction never slows down, and would certainly be described as relentless. The next scene is that of the Wolfman standing above you, perhaps feasting on something or someone. In our recent ride experiences, there has been a water effect here resembling either blood splatter or, perhaps, saliva from the hungry Wolfman. Lighting in this area has improved somewhat since our early previews, but you can still see a theater curtain behind the Wolfman. I would’ve loved to have seen Universal build out a bit of a scene behind him instead of seeing a black curtain.

The Wolfman sequence is a lengthy one, and one of the best on the ride. While the first Wolfman that you see in Audio-Animatronic form, he then (digitally) chases you to make you his next meal. You find yourself on your back, staring up at the Wolfman howling at the moon on a well-blended screen. As you pass under him, you no sooner think that you’ve escaped than you see an Audio-Animatronic version return to take a swipe at you, functioning Expedition Everest yeti style. It’s a pretty cool scene only slightly broken by the fact that you can see some of the supporting infrastructure.

Just when we think that we might actually become Wolfman’s next meal, the scene changes to digital once again to find Victoria’s Monster disposing of the enemy.

The next scene introduces us to the Mummy. A coffin magically peels open in front of us to reveal a mummy inside. A sort of projection-mapped magical effect blends into a flashlight effect revealing hundreds of snakes above us.

Victoria appears to tell us she knows a way out, taking us past a massive Mummy Audio-Animatronic who lunges toward us from the ceiling. I love this scene – it’s reminiscent of the dementor scene in Forbidden Journey, just at a quicker clip.

From off in the distance, we hear Victoria tell Ygor that they need to fire up the daylight-generating machine that we saw schematics for in the queue. A digital segment shows Ygor preparing the machine as bats squeak and fly overhead.

We, once again, find ourselves in front of Dracula. This is the second floating scene that I mentioned, and it is wonderfully executed. A physical Dracula Audio-Animatronic floats in front of a screen that shows his brides and thousands of bats scrambling behind him.

We turn away from Dracula and find a large Audio-Anotronic of Victoria’s Monster with a giant mirror in his hands. He struggles with it before successfully bouncing ht beam of light into an Audio-Animtronic bride floating nearby. She gets blasted by the light, as does another bride nearby (when the effect is working), showcasing the effectiveness of the light-generating machine.

As we spin to another scene, light bleed from nearby scenes once again reveals theater curtains and a large warehouse. We’re close to having a best-in-class attraction with Monsters Unchained, but it only goes about 80% of the way when it comes to taking care of the little things to keep you immersed in the ride.

Dracula appears again, this time in digital form as he’s chased by the beam of light. He appears to successfully dodge it before we see him swing over the vehicle toward us to deliver the final blow when a beam of light hits him in the chest and (presumably) kills him.

Our vehicle turns to reveal Victoria Frankenstein at the controls of the light-generating machine as she exclaims “Enough! All monsters will bow to the name Frankenstein”. I know I’m sounding a bit like a broken record here, but we again have a giant black theater curtain behind Victoria in a way that makes the scene feel unfinished.

We then turn to the final scene, where Ygor is represented digitally. In a moment of damage control when Victoria shows her true colors, Ygor tries to smooth things over by saying “what the doctor means is ‘Thank you for coming’”. Ygor then asks for “only good reviews, yeah?” before he’s attacked by bats and the ride vehicles return to the load/unload room.

Where Unchained wins is the sheer number of Audio-Animatronics. Everywhere you look, there are Audio-Animatronic monsters looking to even the score with Victoria Frankenstein. For all of its shortcomings, Monsters Unchained does an exemplary job of balancing screens with physical sets. In fact, I would say that screens play a secondary role in the attraction – a rarity for a Universal headliner. The pace of the attraction is (mostly) relentless, much like I’d assume being pursued by actual monsters would be. The monsters all look great, even if I have some issues with staging.

The staging is where the ride starts to break down for fans of immersive experiences. A mechanism coming out of the back of Dracula early in the ride really breaks the immersion that portions of the ride and pre-show experience work really hard to establish. From exposed catwalks to theater drop curtains, light bleed to lazily staged scenes, it’s just too much for Monsters Unchained to overcome and become a great attraction. Don’t get me wrong, Monsters Unchained is a ton of fun and Universal deserves all the praise in the world for their work on Audio-Animatronics, but they just fall short of reaching greatness in my book.

One other thing that I haven’t really talked about in-depth just yet is the scariness factor of Monsters Unchained. I wouldn’t say that the ride was necessarily scary, which is odd given that the ride revolves around monsters. The scariest scene for me was the Wolfman scene. Being introduced to a brutal (compliment) Wolfman Audio-Animatronic that then “chases” you digitally, both in view and only auditory, creates some suspense. Watching the Wolfman cry at the moon (digitally) above you before jumping out and swiping at you in the next scene creates a wonderful sequence. That said, the ride just isn’t scary to me – perhaps because there is just so much going on.

Going back to the queue, it’s mostly good, with moments of brilliance when it invites you to explore the story deeper. That said, the queue also has some serious shortcomings with how finishing touches were applied. Photoshopped ceilings and walls stand out like a sore thumb, and are weaker than other theming executions set by the high bar of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The second pre-show with Victoria and her Monster is so good that it joins a short list of attractions that I really wish I could experience for the first time over and over again. Universal deserves huge praise for their work with Audio-Animatronics at Epic Universe, and putting their most imposing figure in the park towering just feet away from you was a wonderful decision. Victoria’s Monster looks amazing, but it’s how small he makes you feel that is the real achievement.

Overall, Monsters Unchained is the one ride that I want to ride over and over again at Epic Universe. The ride system is dynamic and thrilling, and a buffet of Audio-Animatronics creates a visceral feel throughout the ride that works really hard to immerse you. Unfortunately, the set finishes and unfinished warehouse areas just leave so much to be desired. I gave Battle at the Ministry the top spot in my Epic Universe ride rankings simply because they took care to cross their t’s and dot the i’s throughout the experience. Monsters Unchained is a thrilling face-off with classic monsters that deserves a ton of praise, but it falls just shy of greatness.

Monsters Unchained FAQ

What kind of ride is Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment?
Monsters Unchained is a thrill ride that utilizes a Kuka arm system for the ride vehicle. That means that you can expect your vehicle will twist and turn in a range of motion similar to what your wrist can do.

Does Monsters Unchained go upside down?
While the ride doesn’t go upside down like a traditional roller coaster experience might, you do end up on your back a number of times throughout the experience. The motion can be fast and thrilling – sometimes jarring.

Does Monsters Unchained have drops?
No, Monsters Unchained does not have a traditional drop. Instead, your ride vehicle is constantly pitching forward, backward, and side to side. We didn’t feel that “drop feeling” in our stomachs at any point during the ride.

Will Monsters Unchained cause motion sickness?
I don’t typically experience motion sickness, but others in my traveling party do. Monsters Unchained was described as much easier for them to handle than Forbidden Journey, which does cause them motion sickness. To be on the safe side, you may want to consider taking whatever motion sickness prevention intervention that you feel comfortable with.

Is Monsters Unchained scary?
There are monsters everywhere in the Monsters Unchained ride. Elements of the ride can be considered scary, but it does not come close to rising to the level of scary that guests would experience during Halloween Horror Nights.

Is Monsters Unchained too scary for children?
You know your children better than anyone. While Monsters Unchained is thrilling and is loaded with monsters, I would say that it is no more scary than Forbidden Journey – with some of the dementor scenes in Forbidden Journey ranking as far more scary than anything in Unchained. I would say that even the DINOSAUR ride at Walt Disney World is more scary than Monsters Unchained.

Is Monsters Unchained intense?
Yes, the Monsters Unchained experience is intense and thrilling. The ride vehicle moves you around, sometimes jolting you forward, backward, or side to side.

Does Monsters Unchained have single rider or Universal Express?
The answer to both is: yes! Well, Single Rider is always subject to availability, but the attraction does have a dedicated Single Rider line for guests either traveling alone, or willing to spilt up their party to experience the ride faster. The Single Rider experience skips both pre-shows and just about the entire queue.

Does Monsters Unchained have a height restriction?
Yes, Monsters Unchained has a 48” (122 cm) height restriction. Guests not measuring up can’t ride the attraction.

Does Monsters Unchained use a virtual queue?
Monsters Unchained has not used a virtual queue during the preview period, and there are no announced plans to use one once Epic Universe officially opens on May 22nd. A traditional standby queue and Universal Express lanes are available.

How long is the Monsters Unchained attraction?
The attraction clocks in at just under 4 minutes from leaving the load station to passing the final scene.

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