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Reviews

Reviews

The Willows

The Willows

Just Fix It Productions

  • Haunt
  • Other
THE WILLOWS maniacally scratched every itch I had (for fresh immersive theater concepts) until it bled and bled and bled so beautifully. A maximum of 18 guests are allowed to attend each performance. Think dinner theater (kinda)… but it’s actually a wake being held for a recently departed young man by his rapidly-mentally-deteriorating family wherein you must quickly assume the role of one of the deceased’s friends in order to “yes, and” the whole experience. It escalates… boyyy does it escalate. Maybe a small dollop of Texas Chain Saw Massacre without the saw? One of the many things I loved is that it’s formatted to encourage interaction between yourself and the actors AND your fellow attendees. So because we shared an intense experience with complete strangers over a few hours, we actually made friends at this thing, traded contact info, and I even got to slow dance with my favorite new stranger in ages. It RULED.
Delusion: Nocturnes & Nightmares - [Season 2023]

Delusion: Nocturnes & Nightmares - [Season 2023]

Delusion

  • Haunt
  • Haunted house
This year’s edition of Delusion (an annual immersive theater experience) up in Pomona was called “Nocturnes and Nightmares.” It was considerably less intense, less dark (both in terms of lighting and subject matter), and involved way less physical exertion than last year’s cult theme and design. Something tells me that there must have been problems with audience members (or something along those lines) last year that led to this year getting intentionally tamed so much. Even still, there was a group getting kicked out as we were about to go in because a guy actually tried to punch an actor, the whole group kept taking out their phones to film (you’re explicitly told not to), and they kept disrupting the whole performance for the actors and fellow audience members.
Valley of Hollows [Season 2022]

Valley of Hollows [Season 2022]

Delusion

  • Haunt
  • Haunted house
Delusion: Valley of Hollows. I’m going to be real: cults don’t move the needle or fascinate me whatsoever. Maybe losing battle raps to Charles Manson while he rotted away in Corcoran removed all the sheen (if we’re old friends, you’ve likely heard some of those recordings). However, I do love immersive theater, I love practical effects, I love narratives from 70’s California, I love historical sites becoming modern haunts, and I do love a large degree of physicality with my theater experiences. So this was fun… and a lovely way to celebrate the season. Out of respect for the performers, I didn’t take any pictures during the actual encounter, but it was a solid mix of indoor/outdoor scenes covering a lot of ground that was fairly successful in the immersion aspect. Overall, it more resembled a video game narrative and feel than anything else. The sound design could have been less ham-fisted in that regard, as noise was constant, a bit tinny at times, and I don’t think they trusted attendees with their own theaters of the mind. But moments of silence would have really helped make this thing more dynamic and creepy overall. Finally, the creature designs were fun!! There’s an eight-legged one in particular that I feel they should have leaned into more… Anyway, I’m glad I went. Not recommended if you have any physical impairments, as you will run, crouch, climb, and be stuffed into uncomfortable positioning.