Review: Get Ready to Play Your Part in DELUSION: His Crimson Queen, an Interactive Horror Experience

After a hiatus year in 2015, Los Angeles' premiere interactive theater company DELUSION has returned for a brand new season. Helmed by visionary creator Jon Braver, this year's fifth season show, titled "His Crimson Queen," returns to the West Adams district of downtown Los Angeles in a beautiful villa that has seen better days. But all that adds to the horror of the story in which audience members portray the children of Selene and Berke Sullivan as they are called upon by their father to navigate their way through 1930s prohibition era on a dark and dangerous journey to uncover their mother's twisted past with the supernatural.

DELUSION is the premiere first-person horror experience where audiences are an essential part of the storyline. In order for the Sullivan children to make good on their quest, they must interact with their environment by unearthing clues, engaging with the strange and surreal characters of the villa - all the while doing our best to survive and not stumble on precariously dark staircases while dealing with many surprise characters who pop out of the most unexpected places. But the experience is more than just vampires popping out. YOU are part of the action and can wield incredible personal power to hold off danger, especially when the entire audience of 12 works together. You really will feel you are part of the unfolding story.

Delusion: His Crimson Queen is set in 1933 Upstate New York in a rundown mansion where each room visited is spookier than the last. The audience is weaved into a dreadful tale of love, loss and the supernatural as we sought out our missing parents, Berke and Selene Sullivan: one, a distant father and the other, a once thought deceased mother. But we learn in the introductory prologue that after many years, the children (the audience) have received a letter from Berke in which his steadfast belief that Selene, his greatest love, is actually alive has brought the family to a horrific villa. But it seems someone has taken and hidden Selene, and as we search for her, the haunted families that live in the mansion will not give up their greatest prize without a fight.

Make sure to put your concerns aside and rise to the occasion and interact with any of the actors when you are requested to do so. Listen carefully to the introductory story as certain facts will be necessary as you are guided through the rooms. And while it is up to you to decide whether or not to listen when a half-dead person asks for help, do your best to answer their questions and get them what they want or need to survive. And be sure to watch your back if you are pressed near any door as you never know who may jump out and frighten you - or even grab and haul you off away from the group. (Don't worry - you will be returned!)

Neil Patrick Harris (an Executive Producer on past seasons) says "DELUSION re-imagines and redefines the horror experience with an innovative blend of theatrics and action in a live performance that has never been done before. There are no seats, no comfort of the fourth wall and audience members really have to engage and participate to move the story forward." And while it is often a frightening tale told in many dark locations throughout the multi-level mansion, be ready to play your part even when called upon to hide in small rooms or crawl through holes in walls in the attempt to find your mother Selene, the Crimson Queen.

DELUSION remains one of the most popular interactive events of the Halloween season with an absolute commitment to quality thanks to creator Jon Braver, who has worked on A-list films such as The Dark Knight Rises, Star Trek, Iron Man, and Indiana Jones of the Crystal Skull. In DELUSION, he employs professional actors, innovative special effects, imaginative theatrics, and an original score to create an interactive experience unlike any other. You really will be part of the story and try to figure out how to give many haunted characters exactly what they want in order to get what they want or move you through the rooms to restore your freedom.

All characters are double or triple cast so you will never know which actor you will see portraying the various characters at each performance on any given night. But that hardly matters since it's the characters that make the story come to life no matter which actor is playing the part. Many have participated in the DELUSION events for several years and are committed to making the experience as realistic and frightening as possible. And trust me, be open-minded and prepared to move and react quickly when you are pulled into the story.

DELUSION: His Crimson Queen runs from September 29 through November 13th and all initially scheduled performances at 2200 S. Harvard Blvd. in Los Angeles, CA 90018 are currently SOLD OUT, If an extension is scheduled, tickets will be available via Flavorus: http://wl.flavorus.com/delusion. Twitter: (#playyourpart) Do your best to be there!

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