The Further
‘Control Your Fear’ Will Be the “First Ever Interactive Ghost Hunting Experience”
Three Hunters. One Haunted House. Infinite Terrifying Choices. Filmed in Iowa’s Malvern Manor, one of America’s most notoriously haunted locations, the upcoming project Control Your Fear is being billed as a “first-of-its-kind interactive ghost hunting experience” that will allow YOU, yes YOU, to take control of a real-time unscripted ghost hunt from your own home.
Created by Andrew Zeiderman (KPopped, Kisstory, Southern Charm) and Scott C. Silver (The Pyramid, Wheelman, BornStars), the project harnesses Kino Industries’ proprietary, state-of-the-art CtrlMovie technology to let participants not just watch the hunt—but control it from the safety of their own homes on a variety of gaming and mobile devices.
Expected in April 2026, Control Your Fear merges the authenticity of a real paranormal investigation with the dynamic participation of a live interactive game—creating something entirely new: a hybrid of reality, technology, and audience-driven storytelling.
The press release explains how this all works…
The experience follows three real-life personalities—each chosen for their unique backgrounds and belief systems in the paranormal. Jake Bruce, an online ghost hunter and social-media influencer, brings an investigator’s eye; Bri Luna, co-founder of The Hoodwitch and a leading modern mystic, offers a deeply spiritual perspective; and Alexandra Deaver, a ghost-hunting enthusiast and direct descendant of a Salem witch-trial victim, connects the past to the present through her lineage.
Together, they step into the dark—but only the audience will decide how deep they go.
During production at Malvern Manor, every encounter was captured live using a blend of modern and time-honored ghost-hunting methods—alongside various divination techniques. The result is an unfiltered and often chilling investigation that expands the boundaries of the paranormal genre. While others have explored similar concepts, Control Your Fear achieves it with unprecedented authenticity and the added power of real-time audience interactivity. The investigation successfully documented numerous terrifying moments that caused both the cast and crew to question the reality of their beliefs surrounding paranormal activity.
“This is ghost hunting like you’ve never experienced before,” said co-creator Silver. “It takes the familiar genre and turns the dial all the way up, making the audience an active force inside the investigation. This isn’t a game or a show; it’s a completely new kind of experience that blurs the line between spectator and participant.”
Control Your Fear incorporates the decision-based interactivity that gamers love—yet unfolds like a live-action investigation. Audiences will be able to access the experience on a range of compatible devices—including major gaming systems, tablets, and mobile phones—each enabling real-time choice and collective decision-making that directly shapes how events unfold.
The CtrlMovie system enables single- and multi-player decision-making that seamlessly branches the story during play, creating a unique experience and different outcomes each time based on participants’ choices.
A site rich with eerie history, Malvern Manor’s story is one of transformation—from a mid-1800s hotel to a nursing home and later a residential care facility—eventually shutting down in 2005 and leaving behind a legacy of rumored paranormal activity. Located in Malvern, Iowa, and once run by a figure known as “The Captain,” the manor is now a popular destination for ghost hunters and investigators due to tales of disembodied voices, moving objects, and the chilling presence of former residents. One of the most documented spirits is Grace, a woman said to have suffered from multiple personalities, whose room remains a focal point for unexplained phenomena. The building has been kept authentic, amplifying its haunting allure.
A prequel to the television series that came to an end last year on Netflix, the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow is also now coming to an end on Broadway and in London.
Deadline reports, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow will complete its run at London’s Phoenix Theatre on December 27, 2026, and at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre on January 3, 2027.”
“The production, which cost more than an estimated $20 million to stage on Broadway, has not recouped its capitalization,” Deadline notes in their report this afternoon.
“Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer said in a statement, “When the legendary Stephen Daldry first came to us with the idea of making a Stranger Things play, we were stunned — both by the fact that Stephen wanted to do this, and that he believed it could work. And boy, did it work.”
“We remain awed by what Stephen, Kate Trefry, Justin Martin, and all the brilliant behind-the-scenes wizards were able to pull off: cinematic theater unlike anything else out there,” the statement continues. “Their incredible work drew audiences from all over — a majority of whom had never even been to a Broadway show before. We’d also like to give a standing ovation to the incredibly gifted actors who stepped into these roles — including the Tony-nominated Louis McCartney — and to the fans, who made each and every performance so memorable.”
Produced by Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions, Stranger Things: The First Shadow is directed by Stephen Daldry, co-directed by Justin Martin, and written by Kate Trefry.
The stage play explores the origin story of Henry Creel/Vecna. In 1959 Hawkins, Indiana, the Creel family seeks a fresh start, especially their teenage son Henry, who is eager to escape his troubled past. Initially, things go well — he finds friendship and joins the school play.
But when a wave of shocking crimes strikes the town, Henry is forced to confront a terrifying truth: is there something inside him that connects him to the horrors unfolding around him?
As this thrilling mystery races forward, shadows of the past are unleashed, and the town of Hawkins faces the ultimate question: can the power of friendship outshine the darkness within?
The show opened on the West End in 2023 before beginning its Broadway run in April 2025.
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