EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods

Kansas City’s own horror mastermind, Darren Lynn Bousman, has joined forces with one of the city’s most bone-chilling haunted houses, EXILED: Trail of Terror, to bring a new level of fear to Kansas City this fall. Together, they are crafting a one-of-a-kind fusion of terror and immersive storytelling — giving people a living, breathing emotional experience.

 Bousman beckons you to step into a realm of terror this fall at EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods, an outdoor haunted house nestled in the sinister shadows of Bonner Springs, Kansas, just 25 minutes west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. “Those looking for traditional scares, be warned, this insidious event breathes, reacts, and transforms with your every interaction”, taunts Bousman.

 “I was raised in Kansas City, and every Halloween, my father and I would venture into the West Bottoms. It was there that my fascination with horror and the macabre was born. But as I grew older, I craved something more than the usual shocks and jump-scares. I wanted an experience that would truly terrify me. And now, I’m thrilled to bring that to my hometown,” recalls Bousman.

 After directing blockbuster hits like Saw II, III, and IV, Spiral and the cult favorite Repo! The Genetic Opera, Bousman also shifted his focus to immersive, live-action horror. That experience led to the creation of The Tension Experience with fellow Kansas City native Clint Sears. This new live venture, touted as “living a personalized horror film,” redefined horror entertainment. The success and uniqueness of The Tension earned Bousman and his team a high-profile fanbase with the likes of Neil Patrick Harris, for one. “In Tension, I was transformed, transfixed, terrified, and turned on. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” Harris said. Bousman carved a niche in Hollywood, creating larger-than-life theater projects that unnerved everyone attending.

 Building on this momentum, Bousman, alongside Morgan Rooms — co-founder of IIIexperience and producer of the upcoming Exiled 2024, is a converted believer in Bousman’s vision, and promises that EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods will redefine terror. “Darren shattered my concept of fear with The Tension Experience,” Rooms said. “What we’re bringing to Kansas City is beyond a nightmare; it’s a rebirth in terror,” he added. Allowing guests to choose their destiny, patrons can choose three different levels of terror.

 After Bousman and his family experienced the thrill of EXILED: Trail of Terror in 2023, he reached out to Dan Scott, the company’s Managing Partner, with an innovative idea. “After meeting Darren and hearing his ideas, we knew we had to collaborate and bring this unique concept to life,” Scott said. Bousman and the EXILED team are keeping their plans under wraps about what haunt-goers can expect, but they offer a tantalizing clue. “This will be unlike any haunt Kansas City has ever seen,” ominously warns Bousman. “This experience will be more than just a bunch of scare actors in a corn maze. It will be a living, breathing thing, and it will be too late when you realize what I mean by that.”  

The spectral gates of EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods will open from Friday, September 13 through November 2. The creators encourage the brave to get involved early via www.ExiledKC.com  “The more involved you allow yourself to get in our world, the scarier it will be,” Rooms added.

 Jen Scott, Managing Partner of EXILED, also issued a chilling message: “The doors open in September, but the haunting begins NOW. Dare to be part of the legend that will haunt Kansas City forever. Prepare to lose yourself in EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods. Survival isn’t guaranteed — nor is it the point.”

 Tickets will range from $59-199 and are now on sale.  For more information, visit EXILED online at www.exiledkc.com.

Ticket Levels:

Level One: Torment

Duration: 1 Hour+

This ticket includes an elevated yet classic Exiled
experience, a sinister trail traversed in the dark. 1 mile of hiking through the dark forest infested by our deranged freaks.

Rated PG-13 – Parents, please be aware simulated violence and harsh language may be used, discretion should be considered for anyone under 16 years of age.

Absolutely no flashlights, phone lights, photography, or other light sources will be permitted.

Level Two: Anguish

Duration: 2+ Hours

ANGUISH takes the fear and intensity of Exiled to a whole new level.

This Level 2 experience is not just an upgrade—it’s an immersion into the darkest corners of the Exiled world.

Located just minutes from old downtown Bonner Springs, your night begins with the Immersive Midway Experience, featuring libations, eats, games, and encounters. But that is not all… No, no no… On top of our hootenanny, you will also step into the forest for your mile-long hike; you’ll know you’re on a path few dare to tread.

Rated R: This experience is not suitable for anyone under 16 due to violence, offensive language, or sexual content.

Discretion is advised. Physical contact with performers and
splashes from simulated bodily fluids may occur.

Level 3: Annihilation

Duration: 3+ Hours

ANNIHILATION is not for everyone… And not everyone will have this opportunity.

This ticket is reserved for The Elite. Those with a discerning pallet…

This Level 3 experience is more than an upgrade—it’s a symbol of class.

Immersion into the darkest corners of the Exiled world. Located just minutes from old downtown Bonner Springs, ANNIHILATION adds exclusive access to the OPULENCE Tent to your terrifying journey through the haunted woods.

Your night begins with the Midway Experience, but this time, as you step into the forest for your mile-long hike, you’ll know you’re on a path few dare to tread. The forest is alive with horrors, but the real terror awaits inside the OPULENCE Tent.

Here, you’ll meet the ELITES—the puppet masters of Exiled—who will welcome you into their world of twisted luxury and power.