Final chance for ‘Delusion: Nocturnes & Nightmares’ as it continues to thrill beyond the Halloween season
The immersive and interactive horror experience “Delusion: Nocturnes & Nightmares” has been thrilling audiences since September. The Delusion series has become well-known in Southern California for its unique way of letting you step inside of a horror “movie.” Although it’s mostly recognized during the Halloween season, it’s worth noting that “Delusion: Nocturnes & Nightmares” is still running through November 19th. This is your last chance to check out this unique way of storytelling, and I highly recommend it.
The Delusion series made its debut in 2011 when it rocked Southern California with its impressively detailed and stunt-filled horror production. Each future production continued to build the world of Delusion with new stories. But this year’s tale brings it all to a culmination.
With “Delusion: Nocturnes & Nightmares,” we learn there is more to the Delusion saga than meets the eye. A mysterious figure known only as The Author has apparently penned every Delusion story since its inception. Bringing words to life. Ink to reality. More a curse than a gift as The Author plays with fire.
With that said, this year’s production has guests step inside various stories of Delusion’s past. I’ve experienced nearly every Delusion since 2011, so it was a real thrill seeing the return of various characters and monsters. Having said that, I spoke with several guests who were experiencing Delusion for the first time, and they had no trouble following the story. It’s a well-crafted tale with some nice throwbacks for returning fans, but with a complete story that new Delusionals can follow.
As an extremely site specific experience, it’s been rare for Delusion to repeat the use of the same location. But this is the third year Delusion has been staged at the Phillips Mansion in Pomona, California. What is so impressive is the way three different stories were told in this same space while making the location feel new each time.
“Immersive theatre, it’s a hard business,” says Delusion creator Jon Braver. “Everybody wants intimacy, but you still have to make money to put them on.”
Delusion is certainly an intimate experience. With groups of approximately ten guests entering the story every ten minutes, it’s logistically impressive how it all works with multiple groups in the story at the same time. Guests play their part as they all become part of the adventure interacting with Delusion characters. You may even be separated to complete a task on your own.
Although Delusion can be a scary experience, I would like to note that it’s not extreme. It’s like living inside of a horror movie, but you’re not going to be forced to eat bugs, get locked up, or do anything too crazy. It is a very active experience, so you’re highly encouraged to wear comfortable clothes and shoes. You will be climbing up and down stairs, often while being chased.
If you simply don’t get enough of playing your part in the Delusion experience, you can become part of the show for another audience going through as part of the VIP experience. VIP guests have the opportunity to play dead and become zombies. I’ve had the opportunity to do this twice, and it simply made me feel like a kid playing make believe. I could feel my heart begin to race faster as we could hear the next group inching closer.
It was fun being a Delusion “actor” for a moment, but the real credit goes to the cast repeating their roles over and over, all night long. “The actors are some of the best actors out there. They’re incredible people. Delusion’s not an easy gig and they’re just bad-ass actors,” says Braver.
Jon Braver, who has written and directed each production, has made it known that he’s ready to move on to new things. Although he plans on having a hand in the future of Delusion, he would like to take a break from writing and directing. The current plan is to go back to the past and have one of his longtime partners direct the show.
Keen eyed Delusion guests might notice a page of a book at the end of this year’s production. It reads “The Blood Rite.” This is in reference to the 2012 Delusion production. The plan is to return to that show’s location and begin telling the story all over again.
I love this idea as many new guests have discovered Delusion since its original inception. That is the gift and the curse of live entertainment. It’s extremely fragile and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Although you can never exactly repeat a past production, you can certainly revisit and reimagine it. We shall see whether or not this plan comes to life.
“Delusion: Nocturnes & Nightmares” will be closing on November 19th. This will be your last chance to experience Delusion at this epic location. Get your tickets today and be sure to arrive early as there’s a lot to explore before your showtime. Don’t forget to head up to the attic.
Jeff DePaoli is a producer and voiceover artist living in Los Angeles. He is the producer and host of “That Halloween Podcast” and works throughout the year with Halloween events including Midsummer Scream and Creep It Real OC. He can be heard as the voice of Disney Trivia on Alexa as well as the host of “Dizney Coast to Coast” podcast. Learn more and claim free gifts at DePodcastNetwork.com. DePaoli’s opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent Attractions Magazine.
