Editorials
[Report] Bloody Disgusting Entered “Into The Further 4D Experience”
Article By: JAY HAWKINSON
As C2E2 (Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo) kicks off in the Windy City, Focus Features brings their INSIDIOUS: INTO THE FURTHER 4D EXPERIENCE to the convention to promote the June 5th release of Insidious: Chapter 3, the third movie in the popular horror film franchise. INSIDIOUS: INTO THE FURTHER 4D EXPERIENCE is an exciting new foray that takes fans into the Insidious world and immerses them in the paranormal environment introduced in the first movie released in 2011 for a terrifying adventure. An interactive haunted house on wheels is the best way to describe it, masterfully crafted by Focus Features that is unlike any previous promotional event.
The original Insidious film was developed by veterans of the SAW franchise, Leigh Whannell and James Wan, for a new spin on a family haunted by unseen evil forces in their new home. A successful sequel followed in 2013. Now the franchise intends to take the story back to its roots with a prequel to those films with the latest installment, Insidious: Chapter 3, starring Dermot Mulroney and Stefanie Scott with Leigh Whannell taking over as director. The INSIDIOUS: INTO THE FURTHER 4D EXPERIENCE promotional tour is travelling across the United States leading up to the film’s release.
To fully appreciate INSIDIOUS: INTO THE FURTHER 4D EXPERIENCE, some background on the franchise helps but isn’t entirely necessary as the scares will work just as well on the newcomers. Those that enjoy the frights that any good haunted house attraction provides will likely get off on this experience and, like me, will probably want more or get in line to experience it again. The entire adventure lasts approximately seven minutes but works in plenty of thrills to get pulses pounding for an ultimate scare by the time it’s over.
As attendees enter the side door to the “house” they are greeted by a menagerie of creepy artifacts and props that crowd the already narrow corridor leading to the red door. As the line queues terrifying noises and vibrations can be heard from within the mini-maze of horror as each new victim enters. It’s enough to get your heart rate working overtime as the terror takes over. Even I was beginning to regret the decision to go inside as the noises gradually got louder; the screams and racing footsteps almost had me turning around to exit. The wait alone is worth it for fear aficionados.
Once the red door opens instructions are given on the next door to enter followed by a very ominous “Good Luck!” from the attendant working the panel. Reaching the next stop requires walking down a darkened hallway filled with clanging and banging across the walls as wind blows from different directions. Navigating to the next “room” is a full-on adrenalin rush. I use the word “room” loosely as it’s more like a closet; a closet filled with Halloween accoutrements you would expect in a horror attraction: more skulls, broken mirrors and a flat panel video screen with the next set of instructions. Waiting in the sheer darkness of this confined space may only be a minute or so but feels like a week with the unknown still threatening. Also not a good place for those with claustrophobia.
Finally the wait is over as a pale woman dressed in white ushers me towards a simple living room chair and places the Oculus Rift headset on my head. Now the virtual experience begins by inserting me into the movie. It’s effective. I’m afraid and curious at the same time fearful of what’s to come next. I will not spoil what happens during this segment, which is the centerpiece of this experience, but suffice it to say, I jumped in my seat. More than once. When that is complete it’s back out into the foggy hallway for a scary walk (or run) to the final exit as the wind refuses to surrender.
Big sigh of relief upon leaving but also the rush that comes from surviving a cool haunted house attraction. Focus Features has created a wickedly immersive experience that sells the scares of the Insidious: Chapter 3 movie. This was a hit at its first two stops on the tour and is sure to go over well with the C2E2 crowd at McCormick Place in Chicago. Also, like many theme park attractions, photos are taken of the participants as they traverse the halls that can be instantly shared on all major social media platforms. This is nice touch to spread the word. Whether you’re a fan of the Insidious movies or horror attractions in general, INSIDIOUS: INTO THE FURTHER 4D EXPERIENCE is highly recommended and will definitely have you craving more.
Visit http://www.intothefurther.me/ for more info.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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