Exclusives
[Los Angeles] “The Tension Experience” Gets All Hyped Up in This New Trailer
Now that the cat is out of the bag, Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II-IV, Repo!, Abattoir) is presenting “The Tension Experience: Ascension“, a 24-room, 45,000-square-foot interactive “immersive theater” performance in Los Angeles where participants (that means you) are thrown into a harrowing journey that lasts anywhere from two to three hours.
Now open to the public, Bloody Disgusting has an exclusive new “hype” trailer that shows all of the major press who attended and loved the event.
As previously reported, the basic concept is that you enter a reception area and are asked to fill out paperwork where you will “join a cult”, which labels itself the O.O.A. Institute. If you think you’ll figure out what that stands for, think again. From there, everything collapses into an experience that is meant to haunt and shake you to your very core.
But what sets this apart from other immersive theater options in the Los Angeles area? In a recent article, Bousman explained that each guest gets a unique experience that is tailored to their own fears.
“Let’s say I know you’re scared of being alone and abandoned. You would begin to be contacted by a character who would talk about her being alone and abandoned. They make personal connections with people based on the answers [you] were giving us,” he tells LA Times.
Furthermore, Bousman recognizes that traditional mazes and similar events can lose their effectiveness simply because too many people are doing it at once. “I don’t want to herd people though like cattle. Every year I go to Universal Studios Horror Nights — those aren’t scary to me because I can see two people in front of me being scared. It doesn’t feel individual to me. I did not want that here. I want it to feel that it’s for you, that you walked into your own film and you are the lead actor.”
Guests should be warned that the show contains nudity and participants are required to sign a liability waiver. Furthermore, you will be forced, “…to be active…to be present,” Bousman states.
Clint Sears is the co-writer with “Tension” being produced by Gordon Bijelonic.
More information can be found at the official website. Glory be ascension.
Exclusives
New Documentaries Explore the Cult Legacies of ‘The Keep’ and ‘Wolfen’; Watch the Trailers Now [Exclusive]
Undersung werewolf gem Wolfen and Michael Mann’s The Keep get the spotlight in a pair of feature documentaries acquired by Antenna Releasing.
A World War II Fairy Tale, which covers the infamous production of and reception to The Keep, will receive a limited theatrical release in October, followed by a TVOD release on Apple/Amazon. The Keep will also screen as a double feature for some showings.
For Uncovering Wolfen, Antenna eyes a limited theatrical release for 2027. Both films are currently available for booking via Antenna prior to their theatrical and digital releases.
Both documentaries are directed by Stewart Buck, who co-helms with Stéphane Piter on A World War II Fairy Tale.
“We at Antenna are obsessed with film history,” said Chief Acquisitions Officer Billy Ray Brewton. “Stewart has done such a remarkable job of really diving into the deepest recesses of how these films were made and, in doing so, has created the definitive histories of both projects.”
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Antenna Releasing!” said director Buck. “It’s refreshing to see a filmmaker-friendly approach to distribution with people who know what it’s like to be in the trenches with independent projects that struggle to find a home in the crowded marketplace.”
Check out our exclusive trailer and poster reveal of both documentaries below.
Released in 1983, Michael Mann’s The Keep was a notorious box office bomb, critically lambasted and all but forgotten for years, save for the fascination with Tangerine Dream’s iconic score. In recent years, the film has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence and is widely considered a cult classic, though director Michael Mann and many cast members refuse to acknowledge it.
Wolfen, on the other hand, was critical success but was overshadowed heavily by its flashier 1981 siblings An American Werewolf in London and The Howling. It’s also a trailblazer for socio-political horror, and the doc will explore that via the craftspeople who made it.
Look for them both in theaters soon. Stay tuned for more as it arrives.
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