Clausen Inauguration | Bl4km4ss

BL4KM4SS’ Clausen: Inauguration Is a Fun Sorority Massacre with a Twist

Strong arms wrap around the women’s waist, and she is thrown like a ragdoll onto the couch. Her arms instinctively grab at anything – and they find my shirt, pulling me closer. Her lips part, as if to speak – but the large man puts his hand around her throat, stopping the words from escaping her lips. “Look close,” the words are mine, Clausen’s, “you might learn something.” My partner, Baker, squeezes tighter as he instructs: “The breath can trick you – but you’ll know she’s dead because of her eyes.” I look into her eyes, frantically darting from side to side, searching for a way out – and then nothing. Her pupils dilate, and her eyes unfocus. Baker laughs, “Now that’s power.” clausen

 

Clausen Inauguration | Bl4km4ss

 

BL4KM4SSClausen: Inauguration is a 30-minute immersive horror experience in which guests embody the titular character, Clausen, to live out one of his first jobs. Hired by the mother of a sorority girl who died in a hazing accident, participants team up with Baker to exact revenge on the four girls living in the sorority house. While guests don’t have the agency or opportunity to murder any of the girls, they will provide rope, gags, and motivation for Baker as he violently murders each and every living soul there. It’s as cathartic as it is disturbing, and it makes for a wonderfully enjoyable side quest in the M-series.

 

Clausen Inauguration | Bl4km4ss

 

Clausen: Inauguration explores the juxtaposition between Baker’s power and a group of girls’ obliviousness. Taking place in the sorority house, each girl is so preoccupied with her own make-up, drama, and love life that they can’t be expected to show the commonest of decency to any of the others in the house. And Baker uses this to his advantage; arrogantly displaying his victims’ blood like a trophy and placing their bodies in plain sight, assured that the other girls won’t even notice. This is not the work of a meticulous killer – but rather an animalistic, boastful one, proud of his power, and more than happy to take advantage of a house of girls who show zero courtesy to each other. Baker is powerful in size and physicality, and the girls don’t even notice – until it’s too late.

 

Clausen Inauguration | Bl4km4ss

 

Baker’s candid language and disregard for a clean kill set the tone of this experience as more fun than fearful. Having Baker on your side removes some of the anxiety from previous experiences in the M-series; he feels like an all-powerful and unkillable force to these girls, but not to Clausen. The writing further helps instill a campy tone that takes precedent over the dark actions that are actually occurring. The girls are written as traditional sorority girls, each caught up in her own drama, and you are never given an opportunity to root for any of them. It’s far more like Sorority House Massacre than Leon: The Professional.

 

Clausen Inauguration | Bl4km4ss

 

The actresses who take on the characters of these girls are incredible in playing their parts. The first kill, Summer, evokes the perfect amount of defiance, tears, and terror that instills just enough humanity into her that I almost feel bad as Baker kills her. Candace, his third kill, is perfect in her role; she’s a bit too curious for her own good, inquiring about Summer’s new “boyfriend” who’s come up to introduce himself. Sadly, she doesn’t have the foresight and common sense to realize that the man covered in blood and wearing a medical mask probably isn’t Summer’s boyfriend. The fight scene between the two is an absolute highlight and showcases a powerful death scene from Candace. Finally, in the last scene, a girl is hoisted into the air so effortlessly by Baker that she is able to kick and scream in a kill that is bloody in the best way possible.

 

Clausen Inauguration | Bl4km4ss

 

These kills are only elevated by the special effects added to these scenes. Whether it’s sound effects as Baker hits Summer’s friend with a hammer, the blood that oozes from another girl’s skull as he hits her with a  wrench, or the deafening bang of a gun as it kills the final girl, each room is filled with movie-level kills. In the final scene, one last sorority girl, fueled by rage, leaps upon you, stabbing you repeatedly, as blood gushes all over your brand new, white BL4KM4SS-branded shirt (that comes with the show). It’s the perfect way to end: heart pounding and covered in blood.

 

Clausen Inauguration | Bl4km4ss

 

Finally, it wouldn’t be Clausen: Inauguration without Clausen. While we are playing Clausen, the real Clausen (Michael Lundstrom) provides an inner monologue track that provides the perfect, thoughtful juxtaposition to Baker’s animalistic brutality. One of my absolute favorite scenes is one in which Baker is murdering Summer within a room, and you are left outside the door to watch for any of the other girls. The girls scream for Summer to shut up from upstairs, only their shadows displayed against the staircase wall – looking more like monsters than humans. But over all the noise, screams, moans, and whimpers is Clausen’s voice – speaking calmly of courtesy. I don’t see him, but I hear him, clear as day, telling me that all it would take to save them is for one girl to check on her friend – show some humanity.

 

Clausen Inauguration | Bl4km4ss

 

Despite the strengths of the show, there are some drawbacks to the experience. The main criticism is the price-point; at $125 dollars, the experience is short, clocking in at thirty minutes (which includes a short car ride to and from the pick-up location). Second, having audience members assume the role of Clausen is innovative – but he does not play a truly active role in the show; most of the interactivity is focused on the participant handing Baker rope or a picture. If BL4KM4SS could include guests further in the kills, such as having them use the hammer on a fake head, having them tie up the actresses, or even having them hold a girl down while Baker chokes her, it would make them complicit in the kills and further enhance the emotional impact. Finally, in my show, the actress who was completing this final act of revenge missed the mattress she was supposed to pull me onto, slamming my head into the concrete below. As with any extreme haunt, bruises are expected, but a little more rehearsal or a larger mattress may help prevent injuries like this from occurring in the future.

 

Clausen Inauguration | Bl4km4ss

 

Clausen: Inauguration is BL4KM4SS’ best show to date, and helps elevate the M-series as a whole by providing more context for Clausen and Baker’s work and motivations. Each actor, from Baker’s colossal presence to Clausen’s thoughtful narrative to Candace’s blissful ignorance, feels as if they stepped out of a horror film. I’d love to see them reconsider their price point and include some more audience agency, but overall, this show was a success. I can’t wait for more experiences like this from the BL4KM4SS team – it’s truly a pleasure to step into a world of power, intrigue, and of course, murder.

 

Clausen Inauguration | Bl4km4ss

 

For more information on upcoming shows, follow BL4KM4SS on Instagram; email them at bl4km4ss@gmail.com to apply. Once your application is approved, you will receive show information before anyone else, priority registration, and select discounts. Check out our Event Guide for more immersive and horror entertainment throughout the year.

 

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About The Author

Taylor Winters
Taylor has loved immersive theater since his first experience at ALONE in 2013. Since then, he has written, produced, & directed immersive theater, consulted for numerous immersive companies, acted in others, and attended even more. He has his PhD in Bioengineering, an MBA in Organization Leadership, and currently works fixing broken hearts.

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