Halfway to Halloween 2025: Universal Studios Dark Universe and Universal Monsters merch

It's Halfway to Halloween and we're giving our thoughts on Universal Studios' Dark Universe land, plus pick up some Universal Monster merch!

We've spent hours watching as excited parkgoers descended upon the new Universal Epic Universe park over the past few weeks. Though technically not yet open to the public, the park has been accessible to friends and family of Universal employees, social influencers, and special pass holders.

Those who enter the Universal Monsters-themed land, Dark Universe, find themselves immersed in the European village of Darkmoor, home to Frankenstein Manor. Once the residence of the late Dr. Henry Frankenstein, the manor is now operated by his great-great-granddaughter, Victoria. "Operated" is the right word—she has continued Henry’s experiments, including creating a new monster with the ultimate goal of controlling all the Universal Monsters.

The village is steeped in Universal Monsters lore. Dr. Pretorius’ lab offers visitors a chance to get their own monster makeover, and a vampire-run steakhouse provides a sinister dining experience. The centerpiece is the iconic windmill, where Dr. Frankenstein and his monster had their final stand—it literally catches fire. Below it, the appropriately named Burning Blade Tavern serves as a haven for monster hunters (and parkgoers alike).

One ride takes visitors deep inside Frankenstein Manor in an immersive experience that begins in an intricately themed queue. The line winds through a complex story interwoven with Universal Monster history before culminating in an animatronic intro featuring Victoria and her monster. Spoiler: we learn Karloff’s monster was just version 1.0. The ride itself showcases all the Universal Monsters as Victoria struggles to contain Dracula, a challenge that proves far more difficult than she had anticipated.

The second ride, an outdoor rollercoaster-like excursion, is based on The Wolf Man.

I could go on, but the point is this: the creators of Dark Universe nailed it. It’s the perfect continuation and modernization of the classic Universal Monsters. Each of the core monsters is represented—some more prominently than others—and the land is rich with lore and Easter eggs. Yet, while this experience gets everything right, those in charge of the Universal Monsters’ cinematic ventures just can’t seem to figure it out. Is it really that hard?

But this post isn’t about that—it’s about Dark Universe! And what better way to wrap things up than the way most parkgoers will? By heading to the gift shop, of course!

The Universal Studios Orlando gift shop—while not unexpectedly expensive—offers a growing selection of monster merch, including collectibles from Epic Universe and the shops in Darkmoor. Here’s what we’ve picked up so far… This is a beach towel featuring the Dark Universe characters. I was really surprised how heavy this feels. I don't know if I'll use it as a towel, but it feels like it's pretty well-made.

When I started seeing these figures of the Frankenstein monster and Victoria Frankenstein in YouTube videos, I knew I had to have them. At $84 they aren't cheap, but for a bare-chested Frankenstein I wasn't going to pass this one up.

Action figure box art.

And the figures themselves.

We love the monster plushies and these new Dark Universe Bitty Monsters were pretty unique. Each monster has his own buddy. We went with Frankenstein, Dracula and Wolf Man, but they also offer the Creature, the Bride and the Mummy. These are $27. They're 8" tall and bigger than I expected.

This Wolf Man is 14" tall and not necessarily from the Dark Universe collection. We previously picked up the Frankenstein monster. These go for $32 each.

And finally, we picked up the Dark Universe poster (same as the towel art) and this Bitty Monster shirt (ours is still in the package, so here's the stock art from Universal).

I don't know if I'll ever get to Epic Universe, but between YouTube videos and the merch store, I can see Universal has a winner on their hands. I don't have any interest in the Nintendo, Harry Potter or How to Train a Dragon lands, but Dark Universe may be some of the best theme park entertainment for horror fans since Halloween Horror Nights.

Early in the 20th century, Carl Laemmle Jr. took a gamble on movies in the unproven genre of horror. Nearly a century later, those movies and the literary works they were based on defined Universal with high production values and quality stories leading to the legendary and iconic Universal Monsters that we know today. Now we see that legacy in everything from theme parks to comic books to Halloween decorations.

But I do have one question: Why can't I get an Invisible Man plushie?