If you’ve ever watched a horror movie and thought “Oh, this is what I would do if I was being chased by this homicidal maniac,” or — borrowing a line from Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott character in Wes Craven’s “Scream” — wondered aloud why someone is “always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door,” then the immersive Delusion experience will absolutely put you to the test.
How will you react when a brood of vampire brides are chasing you through a graveyard? What will you do when you’re tasked with leading a group of innocent souls through a damp and creepy cellar or you have to pick the pocket of a dead guy to escape your own demise? Will you rise to the occasion and help save the day? Or will you freak out and just hope the others in your group can save you?
Now in its ninth season, Delusion, which is a horror-themed live theater experience conjured up by writer, director and stuntman Jon Braver, is telling an all-new story, but with some familiar characters and scenes for those that have attended previous installments of the event. This year’s hourlong performance dubbed “Nocturnes & Nightmares” is now open at the historic Phillips Mansion in Pomona and runs select evenings through Nov. 12.
A haunting preshow
While the show itself is all fast-paced action that puts guests in small groups face-to-face with the characters involved in the story, exploring the mansion ahead of and after your designated show time can be done so at your own pace. There are bars to grab cocktails and snacks as you roam from room to room in this dimly lit home with staircases that creek loudly as you head to the second floor and even up the narrow, winding staircase into the spooky attic space.
There are no pop-out scares here, it’s more about immersing yourself into the story and coming into contact with a variety of characters that will sit down and have a cocktail with you and spill gossip about the mansion and its inhabitants.
You’ll run into Esther Phillips, the lady of the house, who may breeze through the Dark Arts Theater area you’re taking in some close-up magic, a burlesque show or an intimate musical performance. Marion The Marionette, a tall, quiet fellow with a big top hat and a wide grin will gladly take your hand for a waltz in Marion’s Chamber Bar and show you his creepy marionettes. If you’re hearing strange voices, it’s probably just Manny Manners. He’s a scary little possessed doll with a big personality that you can actually pick up and carry around with you — and he’ll even learn your name and whisper secrets to you.
Then there’s the attic, where groups of six are allowed to head up to search for a spell book that can summon the dead.
“They’ll find that they can actually speak to the dead and that’s an effect I’ve been trying to do for many years,” Braver said during a recent phone interview. It is creepy-cool and you need to be quick with your questions as these spirits aren’t exactly patient, but they will directly interact with you and divulge information if you’re polite.
All of these activities are on top of the big show, but still very much essential to the overall experience, Braver insists.
“If you come to this for the Halloween season, you’ll have an incredible time in this whole world we’re creating,” he said. “You can spend three hours here and this can be your full evening. Dive into everything we’re offering as much as you possibly can because we’re putting a lot of love into this. There’s nothing in the world like it.”
A familiar story
Since 2011, Braver has written new, terrifying scripts for Delusion each year. For this season, he reflected upon previous shows and thought about the logistical nightmares of this writing process.
“It always drives me crazy,” he said with a laugh. “So I had this idea of getting a bit meta with it and having a metaphorical representation of the struggle of writing this thing and center it around this author who has created all the Delusion stories from the past and it’s kind of driven her mad.”
Die-hard fans of the experience, who are lovingly known as Delusionals, will get to see nods to past stories and a few of the more than 45 previously highlighted characters.
“There was a lot to pull from,” he said. “But I didn’t want to force it into the story, they just had to make sense. People have come to know Delusion, too, for some of its stunt work, but we don’t just put in action for shock value, it has to make sense. It has to be practical and reasonable to the story.”
Braver said that newbies will still very much be able to follow along and enjoy this new tale, too.
It was my first visit to Delusion during a media preview night on Sept. 28 and I didn’t feel lost at all. My guest and longtime friend Ashley has been to several Delusion events and was thrilled to discuss the story and character Easter eggs hidden within the latest show with others in our small group who had also been before. It was way more immersive than I expected and I was happy to have worn sturdy footwear for the show, which had us running through a graveyard, climbing into a cellar and swiftly heading up stairs and away from the undead.
It’s almost choose-your-own-adventure in the way you participate. If you’re feeling brave and bold, step up and lead the pack, jump in to help solve some clues or hang back and watch the action unfold. You won’t be forced to do anything you absolutely don’t want to do. For those really wanting in on the action, there’s the Behind The Veil: VIP Experience where you actually get to dress up in period clothing and take part in a scene within the show and scare other guests.
After Ashely and I got done playing our parts and sent patrons screaming up the stairs, one of the staff said “Some guy peed his pants.” I couldn’t confirm this, but I’d like to believe our acting skills were that good.
A grand production
Delusion has relocated to various venues in Los Angeles County through the years, but is now in its third season at the Phillips Mansion. The show will be forced to move next year, due to the property receiving a grant for much needed upgrades.
“It the greatest location we’ve ever had,” Braver said, adding that they’ll be moving back to a more central Los Angeles locale in 2024.
For the production team lead Drew Dalzell, who is the president and principal designer at Diablo Sound in Valencia, this mansion has been a dream location. Dalzell and his team create immersive experiences year-round, including theater productions and even working with theme parks such as on Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights event.
“It’s kind of one of the greatest things about this,” he said. “We have a real historic mansion and the Currier House in the back is a great piece of it, too. With the group sizes going through we really leverage the particular location and it’s not trying to overlay something that isn’t there, so we’re taking advantage of that in a big way.”
This year, the team is using all of the space in both houses and the grounds surrounding the buildings for the production. While the sets are dressed and filled with props, lighting, sound and the actors all have to hit their marks, Dalzell said the live audience is always the wild card.
“When you’re dealing with the audience, you need to know what they’ll do and whenever you think you know what they’ll do, they’ll find a way to do the exact opposite,” he said with a laugh. “That’s the thing that will drive you the most crazy, but it’s also the thing that makes it the most exciting. When we do dress rehearsals and we put guests in, we joke internally ‘Let’s add the audience and now break it to see what works and what doesn’t.’”
“Adding people in the middle of all of this is an amazing dynamic and also what makes Delusion so different,” he continued. “Every group of people is different and every group has as much of an impact on the story and the experience as the script and the performers and the technology we put in. The people bring the energy into it and one group of 10 people is going to have a totally different reaction than the next group of 10 people and that makes the show.”
Delusion: ‘Nocturnes & Nightmares’
When: Various dates and times through Nov. 12
Where: Phillips Mansion, 2640 Pomona Blvd., Pomona
Tickets: $94.99-$154.99 at enterdelusion.com
