Scare Up Some Halloween Drinks at Universal’s Revenge of the Dead Coconut Club

If you’re headed down to Universal Studios in Florida for Halloween Horror Nights this month, make sure to stop by the Revenge of the Dead Coconut Club in 3D. This kitschy horror-themed pop-up bar has taken over the Red Coconut Club at CityWalk, and will be serving unique cocktails and jokes about campy ‘50s horror movies through Nov. 4. And with a 1 a.m. closing time most evenings, it’s the perfect way to polish off a night of Halloween horror.

This is the second straight year Universal has hosted the Dead Coconut Club, hence the sequel-styled Revenge name. Last year’s debut focused on the classic Universal monsters hanging out at a tiki bar (yes, the werewolf’s hair was perfect), while the new theme tackles the space-mad alien craze that took over sci-fi and horror movies in the ‘50s and early ‘60s. The bar’s hosting a party for the grand opening of the latest Monstergram Pictures drive-through classic, the 3D alien invasion flick Target Planet Coconut; expect to see goofy life-size alien figures throughout the venue, along with props and special effects from other made-up Monstergram B-movies. On the second floor there’s even a short row of theater seats in front of a screen showing a loop of movie trailers, if you want to really feel like you’re watching an old creature feature while downing your special cocktails and mocktails.

Monstergram Pictures, of course, isn’t real. According to its logo, it was founded in 1931—the same year Dracula came out and really kick-started Universal’s series of iconic monster movies. Within the story the monsters themselves actually run the studio, cranking out the kind of low-budget but high-entertainment horror movies that Universal itself was known for. Likewise Target Planet Coconut is a goof and a lark made up specifically for this bar, while other movies advertised in the bar, like Revenge of the Red Planet, reference previous Universal themed spaces, such as this summer’s Monstergram takeover of Islands of Adventure’s Halloween store. Halloween Horror Nights has a long, convoluted backstory that Universal’s designers have been building up in haunted houses and scare zones for decades, and with Monstergram and experiences like the Dead Coconut Club they’ve found another outlet for their creativity.

When you walk into Revenge of the Dead Coconut Club you’ll immediately see that Monstergram logo along with busts of Frankenstein and Dracula wearing 3D glasses. (I’m guessing they’re the Louis Mayer and Irving Thalberg of this operation—and yes I realize they were at MGM and not Universal.) Photos from actual Universal monster movies adorn a nearby wall, alongside some supposedly shot “behind the scenes” on Monstergram productions. Old film equipment sits alongside props from Monstergram films. It’s all a celebration of not just horror movies but classic Hollywood and the filmmaking process as a whole.

The main dance floor is flanked by human-sized alien statues that absolutely look like creatures that would’ve popped up in some half-forgotten ‘50s movie. They even look a little like the critters from Mars Attack, although taller and not as overtly comic. On the night I was there a DJ was blasting a mix of recent club and hip-hop hits, with the occasional classic Halloween song occasionally tossed in, at a volume that made me feel every bit the middle-aged non-clubgoer than I am. A bar just off the dancefloor sells drinks like the Asteroid Attack and Red Planet Punch—the first one a bourbon cocktail with lemon juice, agave, and a floater of Malbec mixed with blackberry and mint syrup, and the latter a mix of tequila, Gran Gala, pineapple, passionfruit, and lime juice with edible glitter. It’s $12.50 a drink, or, if you want a souvenir cup, it’s $16.50, with refills costing $12.50. 

I headed upstairs after a quick walkthrough of the dancefloor. That’s where the movie screen is set up amid some other props, and there’s a second bar that was marginally quieter and slightly less busy than the one downstairs. Behind that bar is my single favorite design element of the whole spot: a light-up theater snack bar sign that parodies the old “let’s all go to the lobby” film trailers with a procession of increasingly horrific anthropomorphic pineapples. If you’ve ever wanted to see a voodoo pineapple person filled to the brim with a tiki drink, or a zombie pineapple with 3D glasses and something oozing out of his cracked pineapple shell, you should visit the upstairs at Revenge of the Dead Coconut Club.

I’ve got a weakness for tiki bars and their drinks, so of course I ordered the Plasma Punch. This combo of light rum, lime juice, dragonfruit and pear syrup, and Bitter Truth Violet liqueur is the most tiki-inspired drink on the menu. It was no Mai Tai or Zombie (which, c’mon, should’ve a no-brainer for a horror bar), but it was a fine cocktail with the sweetness you expect from a tiki drink but less of the alcoholic edge. (The final of four specialty cocktails, The Ooze, is a gin and tonic with lime juice, vanilla bean, and kiwi and honeydew syrup.)

I missed the original Dead Coconut Club last year, not realizing it even existed until after I returned home from Halloween Horror Nights. Based on the photos, reviews, and first-hand chatter from other theme park journalists, it sounded like a pretty amazing bar—something that was as much of a tiki bar as it was a tribute to Universal’s monstrous legacy.

If you’re hoping for a tiki vibe, Revenge of the Dead Coconut Club might leave you disappointed. The design work is fun and well-done, and is all in-service to the ‘50s B-movie theme. It doesn’t look or feel like a classic tiki bar at all, but it also doesn’t promote itself as such, so that shouldn’t be a surprise. As a guy who prefers the relaxed, peaceful feeling of a darkened bar trying to recreate a (potentially misguided but extremely fun) mid-century aesthetic to the high volume and non-stop beats of a dance club, one drink at Revenge of the Dead Coconut Club was enough for me. It gave me just enough time to check out all of its corners and peculiarities and appreciate the thought and design work that went into it, and when I was done I hopped in a car and went to a bar that was more my style. 

If you’re a regular at the club—whatever club is your club—you’ll fit right in at Revenge of the Dead Coconut Club. Even if you aren’t, if you’re a fan of themed spaces and Universal’s original Halloween Horror Nights concepts, you should definitely pop in to take a look at everything and snap some photos. And although the one drink I had was only fine, the bartender was a solid guy who actually worked at a few bars I used to go to in college in Georgia. So yeah, I’ve got to recommend the place. Just know before you go that it’s as much about dancing as drinking, and isn’t the tiki-centric experience that last year’s was purported to be. If you head in with those expectations, you should have a great time at Revenge of the Dead Coconut Club. 

Senior editor Garrett Martin writes about videogames, comedy, travel, theme parks, wrestling, and anything else that gets in his way. He’s on Twitter @grmartin.