The body goes limp. Blood pooling out from around the wound. The small girl on top of the body raises her head to address my group. With a slight smile, she asks, “How fast can you run?” Her white gown is splattered with blood. “I’ll give you a ten second head start.” I hesitate, as distant screams reverberate down the Mausoleum corridors. “Ten…” The group around me immediately starts running; their footsteps echoing as they pound against the marble floors. I, too, start running, as I hear the countdown quicken behind me. “Nine… eight… seven… six….” I don’t even reach the stairs when I hear the sounds of a girl on all fours crawling after us. Fangs is an immersive horror experience put on by Downtown Repertory Theatre Co.

Fangs by Downtown Repertory Theater

Fangs is the 2023 immersive theatrical experience by Downtown Repertory Theater, known for Witch! In 2022, It’s Alive in 2021, and The Assassination of Edgar Allan Poe in 2019 and 2018. With a run-time of approximately 3 hours and 12 actors, this experience is heavy on the theater and is a true pleasure to behold. While interactivity is not a main focus, there is a system to include 1:1’s for almost all participants (necklaces designate who has received one already so repeats don’t occur), allowing for intimacy and engagement. The participants are led around the Mausoleum by various characters and are pulled onto different paths as the groups are segmented—allowing for a level of repeatability for return guests—or just for comparing with friends after the experience.

To me, Fangs is better than any previous Downtown Rep experience, showcasing that they continue to improve, innovate, and surprise with each new experience. The writing is exceptional, with each character having their own arc, character development, and moments of real emotion. It’s also scary—far more frightening than Witch! or It’s Alive. Characters transform into vampires, creating some strikingly strong visuals and moments of shock. There’s also a strong villain in it, allowing for a powerful climax and focused ending.

As this is a theatrical experience, don’t expect strong immersion, horror, or a haunted house. The sets here are minimal, requiring some use of your imagination—but the use of the mausoleum is gorgeous and fits the vampire theme very well. As we mentioned in last year’s review, if you’re a fan of Wicked Lit or Speakeasy Society’s The Johnny Cycle (which also had similar format in the Alta Dena Mausoleum), Fangs is absolutely an innovative extension of those events.

Vampires Who Feed & Hearts that Beat

“Do you feed a man if he produces no value to society?” A resonant question asked at the start of Fangs that resonates through many of the storylines. A question of value, a question of taking, and a question of vampirism. It’s clear that there are vampires in this story, taking from others, and using ideology to control others in the narrative. But, there’s also real vampires. Pale faced, sunlight hating, bat-transforming, blood sucking vampires. These vampires elicit fear in a very real way—a strong evolution from the group think and mass hysteria present in Witch!.

While there is some nuance in the portrayal of the vampires in Fangs (nuance is a specialty of Downtown Repertory Theater), I loved that there was a clear villain, an evil, in this narrative. The vampires, the old and the new, are primal and blood thirsty. They are fast, and they are hungry. They produce much of the fear that previous Downtown Rep shows never capitalized on. And it gives a focal point to the story: Baron Luca is the one amassing wealth, hurting the townsfolk, and also—(small spoiler)—is a terrifying vampire. This character is wonderfully introduced and frighteningly portrayed. His presence is felt in every scene despite only appearing in a rare few.

But the other aspect that elevates Fangs is that it felt more grounded and emotional than previous Downtown Rep experiences (or maybe it was that I was on that specific track). I was privy to many scenes that showed the forbidden love between Narcissa (Caroline Quigley) and Florin (Sarah Lee Harter). These characters and their narrative were exceptional. It felt real, it felt prominent, and it felt meaningful. Quigley and Harter especially were just so honest and genuine in their portrayals, I felt they were actually their characters—and wanted to help them—a feeling I haven’t felt since immersive theater from years ago.

Immersive Elements

Arrive thirty minutes early to the experience, as water, wine, or a cocktail in a blood bag is served prior to the start of Fangs.

As the experience begins, guests are seated in two rows of chairs merely watching. As flies on the wall, the characters are not aware of you, nor are you able to interact or engage. But as the scene is set, the group of 40-50 is divided, then divided again, as small groups of 5-8 follow a given character on their path. This continues as groups intertwine, split again, and certain people are selected for 1:1’s and returned to the group. At the mid-point and finale, all audience members meet at the start for a group scene and a climax—allowing all participants to have a complete story.

Similar to Witch’s mechanic of designating some people as witches during the experience, there is a voting mechanic for the Harvest Queen—where every participant is given a flower and is able to vote for their maiden of choice. I wish there was more of an ability for us to affect the outcome, but at least having some choice is a nice addition. I’d love to see Downtown Repertory Theater further expand on this in future years, finding more ways for the audience to not just remain as flies on the wall, but rather be an active role as a townsperson or as a community throughout the experience.

The strongest element of immersion is the 1:1 mechanic. In an effort to make sure every audience is selected at least once for an intimate moment with a character, the same necklace system that was implemented in Witch returns this year. While audiences are mostly spectators, actors will grab participants once throughout their experience and take them to a side-location and engage / interact with them. Here, this builds rapport and intimacy between you and that character. For me, I spent time with Florin as she showed me a box of keepsakes and a letter to her father that she write in one of my friend’s 1:1. It’s great to see how these all interconnect and create further backstory and color for every character in this world.

Acting

The best part of Fangs was the acting. I was thoroughly impressed and drawn in by the actors in this experience. Further, every character speaks with an Eastern European (Transylvanian accent) that never feels cartoonish or difficult to understand. Huge appreciation to the actors and any vocal coaches used to make sure this is conveyed well—because it could have been a bad decision, but in this case, it thoroughly elevated the experience, creating a transportative feel to the entire experience.

Narcissa (Caroline Quigley) is a spoiled girl, groomed to be Harvest Queen—and just by observing the way Quigley walks and talks, it’s clear on why she was named Narcissa. But on her track, she opens up, is vulnerable, and showcases the expectation and pain behind the mask she wears and the shackles that restrict her. Here, Florian (Sarah Lee Harter) is the far freer girl, able to understand her feelings and be aware of what would make her happiness. And when the two of them are in the same scene, the emotion bubbles forth, leading to some of the most heated scenes I’ve seen in theater. Tears, screams, and physicality is plentiful, and Quigley and Harter expertly navigate these intimate scenes, showcasing the power in their acting—and chemistry.

Another favorite moment was one in which Bogdan (Markus Jorgensen) loses someone close to him. While the death is not the main focal point of the scene—and the action continues, Jorgensen continues to hold her and weep. He was directly in front of me, and he could have watched the action—but as Bogdan, he was heartbroken; his focus on his loss. He sat their continuing to weep, kissing the girl’s forehead. It was a beautiful detail that was only an aside to the main scene—but Jorgensen played it with such care and gentleness that it gave weight to his character. He proved that he was more than a character; he had something to lose—and that gravity is needed in a story like this.

Baron Luca was the big bad of Fangs, and he’s played by Aidan Collet—who also played the scheming Thomas Lister in Witch. But while Lister was a conniving force prior, he transforms into the menacing Baron Luca. I did not recognize Collet in this role until I saw the program and was surprised. His force, his power, his presence is easily felt in every scene he’s in—and even from the minute he’s introduced, you know Luca is someone to be feared. Collet definitely embodied this role and was responsible for some of the highest moments of tension.

Presbyster Calin (Kevin Cook) and Vasile (Taylor Flowers) are brothers, both navigating their role in resisting Baron Luca’s control over their small village. Both characters are easy to root for, and create some moments of strong philosophical debate. While I never had many small scenes with Vasile, he was the good guy in so many of the group scenes and Flowers played him with such a familiarity that it was hard not to root for him (and I like rooting for the bad guys). I did get an intimate moment with Cook where we discussed chess—and I found myself entranced by his delivery of his words.

Oh and Alderman Andreu (Chrisopher Karbo) and Ruxandra Andreu (Erika Godwin) were exceptional as the right hand to Baron Luca and the mother to Narcissa. I loved exploring the family dynamics with Narcissa and Ruxandra in later scenes—and their backstory is one of the most heartbreaking elements of the show. Bravo to Devon Armstrong for writing such strong characters in this family and allowing Karbo and Godwin to create this dysfunctional family that feels real after what they went through.

Sadly, in an experience like this, you don’t get to visit with every character or learn their backstories and motivations. While I cannot mention everyone here, the actors are a highlight in Downtown Rep’s already impressive repertoire.

Lights and Sound From the Other Side

For anyone who hasn’t been, the Alta Dena Mausoleum is gorgeous—and worth a visit just to see its grandeur. Yet, because of its historic presence, there’s no elaborate sets. The homes of the characters are just different corridors in the Mausoleum. The imagination is key here. But where the Mausoleum lacks in set décor, it more than makes up for it in creep-factor. The dark halls, lit only by flickering lantern, are frightening at night—knowing there are real dead bodies surrounding you on all sides. Further, the marble floors and walls only amplify the screams from the living and the undead. The actors definitely take advantage of this, Quigley especially, screaming at every chance she gets—and succeeding in eliciting goosebumps from multiple audience members.

The lighting is exceptional. Lights go pitch black with flashes of color for gun shots. The scarier moments are lit only by flickering lantern light. And when they need to amplify fear, a single spotlight on a vampire is enough—and of course, the light goes out just as they drop to all fours, blood dripping from their mouth.

In terms of sound, there’s some fantastic elements of song. One that stood out to me was the exceptional singing of the teacher Alina (Rachel Levy) who appeared to be singing in a foreign language as the rest of the cast provided harmonies for her. It was a surprising and moving moment that provided a brief respite from the tension.

While the sound design overall is wonderful, the same criticism of all Mausoleum shows is still present: the dialogue in the main hall is extremely difficult to hear at the times. As actors raise their voices, it echoes over the arched ceilings, and when audiences are seated on the opposite side of the actor, it’s impossible to understand what they are saying. That main hall is beautiful—so I understand why it is used, but it produces some garbled dialogue.

Final Thoughts

I said this last year with Witch, but I’ll say it this year now: Fangs is the best experience created by Downtown Repertory Theater. Each year, this company grows, improves, and innovates on the multi-track immersive styling. They take a tried-and-true immersive theater style and build upon it with strong lighting, sound, acting, and storytelling. This is the perfect show for Halloween fans looking for something literary and theatrical with some genuinely chilling moments. Bring your walking shoes, because who knows what’s hiding in the dark, hungry for a drink of blood.

For more information about visiting Fangs this Halloween Season, check out their Facebook, Instagram, website or you can buy tickets here. For information about similar events, check out our Event Calendar.

Haunting is a resource for immersive theater and horror fans in Los Angeles and across the world, promoting art and community.

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