Universal Creative and Framestore have shared rare design insights into Dark Universe at Epic Universe, revealing how storytelling, guest psychology and media technology shaped the Darkmoor experience.
The creative teams behind Dark Universe at Epic Universe have gone on record about how one of the most ambitious themed lands in recent memory was built. Greg Hall, assistant director of creative design at Universal Creative, and Max Guy McNair MacEwen, head of strategic partnerships in immersive at Framestore, discussed the project in detail on the Skip the Queue podcast. Their conversation covers the design of Darkmoor, the shadowy village at the heart of the land within Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park. For attractions professionals, the level of creative transparency is rare and worth close attention.
Hall addressed the psychology of horror-themed design directly. ‘You can’t scare people more than they scare themselves,’ he said. ‘The queue can actually be more intimidating than the ride itself, so that by the time guests finish the attraction they feel like they’ve overcome something.’ That insight points to how Dark Universe uses anticipation and emotional pacing as deliberate design tools. The fear begins well before guests board.
The conversation also addressed the challenge of multi-disciplinary collaboration. Hall said: ‘Everyone involved speaks a slightly different creative language. But everything has to work together. The moment one element falls out of sync, the audience feels it and the illusion breaks.’ MacEwen’s role at Framestore centred on integrating visual effects and media technology within the physical environment. The two teams worked across storytelling, engineering, prop-making and operations to reach a coherent result.
One unexpected outcome of the land’s opening has been guest response to Egor, Victoria Frankenstein’s assistant. The character has rapidly become a fan favourite. It is the kind of organic audience connection that no design brief can fully predict. For operators and creative directors, it serves as a reminder that guest behaviour consistently outpaces expectation.
The episode was hosted by Andy Povey, chief executive of ticketing specialist Merac. Skip the Queue focuses on the visitor attractions and themed entertainment sector.
Image: Universal Creative
