Angel of Light: An Aesthetic Experience

“Cigars… Cigarettes….” The concession girl’s voice wafts through the violet air, carried by a heavy fog. I move past her, into the Angel of Light’s expansive ballroom, lit like a dream. Deep blues and purples flood the space, as men and women in black tie regalia float past me. I make my way towards the bar, wanting something strong and stiff—but I feel someone watching me. A man dressed in all black standing motionless in a phone booth. I meet his gaze. But he doesn’t move. Even as I approach him, he doesn’t move. Will he attack? Or is he even real? I never find out because the phone in an alcove next to him rings—and I answer. The voice is raspy and whispered. “He’s coming for you.”

Angel of Light, produced by ODEON and Fever, is a first-year immersive haunted house that is two parts walkthrough haunted maze, one part vibey cocktail bar, and one part theatrical stage show. With a run-time of an hour, the experience focuses heavily on atmosphere, oozing aesthetic in every aspect. The stellar lighting, costumes, and location all create a perfect backdrop to what is ultimately an elevated and stylish haunted house with a climax on a theater stage. Guests enter in a large group that can range from a few to over a few dozen (depending on your timeslot) and switches between a single-file walkthrough experience and some free-roam sections allowing you to explore multiple areas.

Don’t approach this expecting an immersive horror experience—this isn’t Delusion or The Willows—but much closer to the experiences of Alone (but you’re in a group). There is a backstory if you wish to read up on it prior to entering Angel of Light, but if you don’t, the experience still stands strongly on its own, focusing more on the aesthetic of the experience. The actors aren’t present with complete backstories or armed with intricate lore; rather, they perfectly embody the souls of a 1930’s theater trapped forever.

An Ancient Curse & A Sonic Possession

The narrative begins in 1935, the era of Old Hollywood and the rise of a new star: Rota K. Preston. It’s her debut vocal performance. But for those who’ve done their homework, they’ll know that Preston is her married name, and she was once Rota Krisha, a young hexed girl whose possession plagued a small rural village in Europe. Father Nicolai used spiritual sound healing to help cure her—but instead, summoned the Angel of Light. Has she been cured or is an exorcism still needed?

The Angel of Light experience serves as a prequel to Chris Anastas’s “Hex”, an upcoming 2025 horror film from Parma Pictures. Anastas, the co-founder of SoundFi, has teamed up with Mark Binder, found of IMN Creative and master sound designer, to bring this sonic exorcism to life. These two have created characters and a world that is only a taste—and serves as a perfect appetizer to an uncoming unholy anthology around Rota and the Angel of Light.

The Structure of An Immersive Haunted House

The experience can roughly be decomposed into an entry and exit scene, two walkthrough haunted houses, a respite in a bar, and a theater stage climax. But even I read that from other reviews before attending and it sounded like multiple “attractions” under the same roof. All of the above elements flow together wonderfully—and it feels like a cohesive whole. While inside, I never saw it as separate “parts”, but rather one whole that had me exploring the rarely walked sections of the Los Angeles Theater.

Audiences line up prior to their timeslot (get there early so you can be in the front!!) on Broadway, and then are directed into the experience. Guests first encounter the trapped souls of Rota Preston’s debut performance as the night begins—but as the unconscious is given form, Rota’s past and present collide as we begin to explore her journey.

We are forced to navigate the tight European catacombs of her first exorcism, encountering Orthodox priests, Catholic nuns, and creatures barely visible under the flicker of the dim candlelight. We meet her husband in a quaint Hollywood apartment, and then are given a short moment to explore a dreamlike bar.

Here, the experiences feels the most immersive, offering numerous rooms to explore and objects to interact with, but it’s still limited in its engagement. The characters are trapped in repeating a few phrases. The phone further explores the backstory, but don’t provide any missions or tasks to engage in. And the level of engagement here feels themed, but not truly interactive.

The actors will make it clear when its time to move on, and the experience sends participants through the upper flows of the theater, now transformed into a nightmarish version of what once was. Like The Shining, small glimpses into the dressing rooms offer unsettling scenes of a vintage clown, a crying fetus, and what looked to be circus performers. Here, I think it’s more what you don’t see that elevates the experience. The sounds coming from the rooms, the small taste of what’s going on behind closed doors—it’s done to perfection. I left wanting more.

The experience ends in the theater—and wow, I was in complete awe stepping into this location. Tables are set up on the periphery, with shadowy visages seated at them to watch the experience. Creatures born of darkness fill all the open seats, moving around to engage with all audiences before the show begins. And then Rota takes the stage. I won’t spoil the surprise, but there’s a tonal shift and the climax was extremely satisfying.

An Angel of Sound

From the eerie soundscape that permeates every room to the obscured voice of a man pleading for help from within the drains of the bathroom, sound is an integral aspect of the experience. And this is to no surprise with Anastas and Binder at the helm. Afterall, Binder’s IMN Creative has worked on such horror classics as Paranormal Activity, Channel Zero, and Unfriended.

Even with nearly 75 actors across the entirety of the space, the sound design (and the creepy mannequins throughout) only elevate the feeling that there’s always something darker and more sinister just waiting in the dark. There are so many scenes where I’d just walking down a long hallway, only to hear a baby crying from within a dark room—or the raspy whispers of a voice down a pitch-black hallway. I wanted to explore everything, but I was also more frightened than I’d be in a traditional haunted house. The history of the theater provided a weight that no plywood and paneled haunt could ever recreate.

A 1913 Theater

The Los Angeles theater is one of those gorgeous gems hidden within the downtown LA streets. The insides are massive, with the theater alone providing 2,000 seats and a French Baroque style architecture that will impress anyone. While normal guests of the theater will only see the lobby and the theater—Angel of Light audiences will be given unprecedented access to explore all levels of this theater. This alone is worth the price of admission in my opinion.

The theater also helps elevate the experience. Any site-specific immersive experience will have an air of authenticity that no other built experience can replicate. The architecture and the history all serve to elevate this experience into a stylish affair. Even the upstairs dressing rooms and the opulent bar area just reinforce the feeling of a dream turned nightmare.

The Actors of the Unconscious

The memories of Rota’s life are played out for audiences as they move through the Los Angeles Theater. The premier night of her performance, “Songs of the Morning Star,” is engrained in her memory—and thus, a majority of the characters you meet are the audiences, concessions girl, shoe shine, and ushers for the theater. Black tears pour down their ghastly white faces as they smile uncharacteristically wide, repeating the same lines for eternity. It’s unsettling for sure.

While some of the actors are friendly—creepy, but friendly—there are others who are less amiable. These nightmare denizens are easily recognizable by their burlap sack masks, as they move around the space. These beings are less rigid than the memories; they can follow you from room to room, using their physicality to frighten and scare. These scare actors will drop to the floor, crawling on all floors as they follow you. They’ll also bend in unrealistic ways, legs above heads, as they contort and twist like a devilish serpent.

Further, this experience is very well staffed. As the location is massive, there are actors everywhere, preventing you from ever getting lost or making a wrong turn. This adds to an eerie sense of always being watched. I also never really knew who was going to scare me or not—and tensions were raised, allowing for some very effective screams to be heard.

Finally, the actors made fantastic use of lighting and sound. One of my favorite scenes played out where I was in pitch black with the only light coming from an open door across the room. I approached, but a creature stepped out from the darkness into the light of the door. I paused, preparing myself for a jump-scare—but instead, it dropped down onto all fours right as the door slammed shut and all I could hear was the sound of it scurrying towards me in the darkness.

The Details Matter

I am a detail-oriented person, and Angel of Light was one where audiences could go through multiple times and catch different things each time. There are numerous mannequins throughout the entire experience—and most of them have projection mapping on their face, giving them each a unique face and a voice to yell out to the crowd. Stand in the wrong place, and you may miss these details. During the final performance in the theater, there are eyeballs projection mapped onto the details of the ceiling. I wouldn’t have looked up, except this was pointed out to me during the show. There were rooms during the bar-scene that had character interactions that I would have missed if I would have stayed for a drink. But since I explored those rooms, I missed the drinks. And there’s so many references to Satan, from the Angel of Light title to Rota’s “Songs of the Morning Star.”

There’s only so much you can experience and see in one time through. Angel of Light is one that would reward repeat customers with details that only enrich and expand the world that Anastas is building.

Wait Times

Audience size can be so important to experiences. I was lucky to attend on a Wednesday at 9:50pm, meaning that our party size was light. We also arrived close to 9:15, ensuring that we were first in line and at the front of the line as we entered the catacombs. While not everyone wants to be at the helm of a haunted house, for those that do, try to attend on a weekday and arrive early. That way, there’s minimal waits and the experience is given the intimate feels that makes it only that much more special.

Final Thoughts

Angel of Light is an exceptional immersive haunted house that is the perfect blend of old Hollywood glamor, European Catholicism, and demonic nightmares, all wrapped up in the fog of a dream. The sound design is impressive, the actors are passionate and strong, and the haunted houses are actually scary. The location provides a historic gravity that only elevates the experience. Don’t expect strong interactivity or engagement; the story is an appetizer for the future. This experience excels best in its aesthetic and its atmosphere. It oozes a specific opulent horror lined with religious trauma that I haven’t seen another experience capture with the same style.

Angel of Light resonated strongly with me, creating a mood that I wanted to sit longer with. I did not want to leave. Or maybe I didn’t—and I’m writing this review from my front row seat, as Rota steps onto that stage, and a giant eye continues to watch me from above.

For more information about Angel of Light, check out their Instagram, and website. For information about similar events, check out our Event Calendar.

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