Valley of Hollows [Season 2022]

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.