Event Review: Delusion: The Blood Rite

Labeling itself as “an interactive horror play,” I imagined Delusion as a standard stage performance, however, and thankfully, that is not the case at all.  In fact, it’s a traditional walk-through haunt.  But there’s nothing traditional about it.  It’s not a maze.  You won’t find animatronic creeps and skeletons leaping out from the dark.  Instead, it’s a guided trip through an old mansion (located near downtown Los Angeles right in the middle of a tenement-filled neighborhood) and you are part of its supernatural  tale.

Like the previous event reports I provided throughout October, I don’t want to give too many specifics about the experience away because there are plenty of surprises in store.  So, here’s the deal:  You go in as a small group.  Nothing too big.  In fact, the group size is just right.  Enough to make the experience intimate and so everyone feels involved.  Everyone within the mansion is an actor.  Like I said, no animatronics or the usual gags you’d face at a haunted maze.  You are given a story set-up, courtesy of your ghoulish guide, moreover, you are given a series of tasks.  Delusion presents objectives to accomplish to push the story forward.  Members of your group – or maybe even yourself – are often asked to find props that are integral to your escape from the mansion.

And often, these tasks involve you breaking off from your group and setting off on a separate story.

For me, there was a moment in which I needed to retrieve a key from an old woman in a bathtub.  What followed was a mini-tale that took place between only myself and the actor who locked me away.  The kick?  She never broke character once.  I ultimately found my group, or I should say they found me – tucked away in a children’s bed with the covers pulled over me (don’t ask) – and the journey into the bowels of the mansion continued.  And by the end, you’ll have experienced a demonic encounter, rooms full of crazy people (on wires, no less!) and so much more.

Delusion is truly something special.  The performances are on the money, the production design is gorgeous and the characters are not afraid to get a bit in your face.  It’s scary stuff and I loved every minute of it.  Best of all – for the adults reading this – there’s a bar situated just outside of the mansion for pre- or post-jaunt drinks, making Delusion not just an experience but a destination where you can spend the evening, hang out with friends and share your stories from this awesome haunt.  Highly, highly recommended.

For more details, visit HauntedPlay.com.


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