The Haunted Soiree: A Macabre Cocktail Party was previously known as House of Spirits: A Haunted Cocktail Soiree—and it was one of our favorite events during the Halloween season. The experience runs two-hours and is sandbox in style, meaning guests have free roam over the entirety of an atmospheric theater, finding monstrous scavenger hunts, demonic seances, human-sized Ouija boards, basement swamps, twirling acrobats, a macabre band, a magic show, and of course, over five bars each with their own specialty cocktail. Participants are trusted to engage in whatever way they feel comfortable: meaning they can experience everything, only come for the aesthetic and the spirits, or a combination in between. As with any Meyer2Meyer production, the creature design is exceptional, creating larger than life monsters to interact and engage with. The event is fun, spooky, and heavily atmospheric—perfect for large groups wanting to celebrate Halloween or small groups wanting to dive deeper into the lore of Theatre Du Vaurien.

With the rebrand this year, the experience in Los Angeles is themed around the Theatre Du Vaurien, which takes inspiration from Cabaret d’Enfer and Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol, as well as many of the legendary folktales, historical figures, and famous hauntings found in France across the ages. As playwright Donatien Neville sells his soul to a literal devil to find success—he crafts a nightmarish series that calls forth legions of monstrous abominations, hellish behemoths, and tormented souls that now all reside in a gorgeous but abandoned theater. It is now up to you to uncover the truth and help these creatures return to where they came from.

Participants enter Theatre Du Vaurien at a bronze, silver or gold level. Bronze comes with 4 drink offerings, Silver gets 5 drinks, and Gold gets 5 drinks with expedited check in and chocolates directly from France!

Haunted Soiree Cocktails

Hidden throughout the experience, the brave will find access to five distinct bars (apart from the cash bar at the lobby). Each of these bars serves a unique drink—and all mirror the aesthetic of their location. They are tracked via a beautiful tarot card you carry with you and serves as a nice take-home after the experience. Further, guests with any tier do not need to try all five bars; rather, they can use all four to five drinks at a single bar if they so wish. Guest choice is key at Haunted Soiree.

Fleur de Lis: Gin, dry vermouth, Lemon, Raspberry, Aquafaba.

Le Marais: Bourbon, Giffard Apricot du Roussillon, Ginger, Lemon.

L’Automn: Kraken spiced rum, apple cider, lemon, cinnamon, simple syrup.

La Dame Verte: Tequila, cucumber, lime, agave, firewater bitters

L’enfer: Earl Gray Infused Vodka and Lemon.

The L’enfer was a fan favorite; with it’s boozy tea notes, it is reminiscent of a warm cup of tea on a rainy evening. I also loved L’Automn, which tasted like Autumn bottled up and served with a spiced rum. Finally, La Dame Verte perfectly fit the vibe of the French Quarter swamps of Louisiana, providing a little spice for the vibrant ghosts in the fog.

While the drinks are delicious, we had all five within our two-hour window and felt a light buzz—never enough to cause drunkenness or disorder among other guests. Guests need not worry about other guests—only the spirits that roam the halls of Theatre Du Vaurien.

The Story of Theatre Du Vaurien

On the surface, Haunted Soiree’s Theatre Du Vaurien is a beautifully crafted nightmarish world full of monsters to look at while sipping on hand-crafted cocktails. But dive deeper, and you’ll see that each monster, each soul, each spirit holds a deep backstory. This is easily one of the best parts of the experience—even for those who aren’t lore hunters. Just standing at any of the tables in the swamp, and Veronica with her impressive headdress or Sara with her ashen white face and very pregnant belly will approach you to tell you about how they came to be here—and the darkness that permeates this place.

Upstairs Immersive Elements

The immersive offerings in Haunted Soiree: A Macabre Cocktail Party can be experienced in any order—and there is no right way. As guests enter Theatre Du Vaurien, they can choose to go upstairs towards the Ouija, the Séance, the Creature Scavenger Hunt, or the Cabaret de L’enfer—which rotates a series of performances in five-minute intervals.

Ouija: At the top of the stairs, turn left, and enter a bar, with a six-foot-tall Ouija board on the side wall. Ask it questions via a microphone and the planchette will move, answering you one letter at a time. While we never explored the narrative here, we did learn that it was a ghost named Vivian that we were speaking with. With only two hours to spend, we focused our attention on the more tangible spirits.

Séance: In the next room, guests line up and turn off their phones before being welcomed into the studio of Donatien Neville. Here, audiences watch as Neville sells his soul to a devil who grants him his desire—but at a horrible cost. The creature effects are fantastic here—and right before my eyes, characters were transformed by their deal. It’s sexy, it’s fun, and it is a fantastic introduction to the lore of the experience.

Scavenger Hunt: This is my favorite part of the entirety of Haunted Soiree. Anyone who has been to a Meyer2Meyer experience knows just how incredible the creature design is—from The Bite to House of Spirits. And this is no exception. Instead of being an observer, like in the Séance, participants are forced to enter the space and navigate the creates of French Folklore that have been released from their paintings and retrieve an item from each to complete a ritual. This reminds me of the Great Horror Campout in so many ways, as we must navigate past horrific abominations to find items to complete a mission. While there is no consequence to being captured or seen by a monster, they are frightening enough to elicit true moments of fear. We won’t spoil how collecting all the items ends—but it may send you off on another mission deeper into the theater.

Cabaret de L’enfer: Every five minutes the performance shifts, allowing guests to experience a show without losing too much time from the other events in the theater. These include: Pierrot’s dance, Agnes’ Burlesque, The Wedding of Cinq Mariees, Pierrot’s song, and the magic of Magnus. The extremely talented Dana Benedict is Pierrot, a harlequin jester of sorts that delights audiences with her singing, tap-dancing, and arrangement of musical instruments. It’s a pleasure seeing her on stage and the absolute range of talent in her repertoire. Jeff Black is Magnus (we call him Swagnus), who has magic tricks that I cannot figure out. His performance is astounding and if you’re lucky, find him after one of his shows for an up-close private show—he’s incredible. Finally, the Wedding of Cinq Mariees is the most romantic element in the history of the Haunted Soiree. Make sure you catch this one—we won’t spoil the fun.

Downstairs Immersive Elements

Descend into a massive open space that could easily hold a hundred people with a live band—and lucky for Haunted Soiree and Theatre Du Vaurien, that’s exactly what they have. Two of the bars can be found here (one on the upstairs mezzanine and one on the dance floor itself), as well as ten or so of the roaming characters. As the band plays, various acts will unfold, including aerial dancers and some narrative deaths. This and the Cabaret are the ideal places to land after experiencing everything.

From the mezzanine, two paths exist, and the first takes you to the Theatre Du Vaurien’s haunted maze. This is a simple dark maze that goes up and down stairs with a three to four actors that jump out from behind curtains and a small immersive story to begin. There’s also an inflatable tunnel in this one that is one of the strongest I’ve experienced from a haunt. Overall, the maze pales in comparison to the monster scavenger hunt upstairs but it is a nice aperitif to the larger courses offered.

On the opposite side from the maze, another bar is found in the swamp, which houses of the most interactive characters. With saturated green lamps, hints of orange flickering candles, heavy netting, and large willow trees, this swamp is one of the most atmospheric areas in Theatre Du Vaurien. The characters have thick accents and more than happy to engage with you at your table. This level of intimacy is important—and providing so many spaces for character interaction ensures that people that want to engage with characters can find that somewhere in the Haunted Soiree.

Crowds

We went on a Sunday at 3:15pm, and with the entire experience taking place inside, we never even noticed (or remembered) that it was daytime until the doors reopened two hours later. Choosing a Sunday at an earlier time afforded us the luxury of having nearly the entire theater to ourselves. The Haunted Soiree was not a full capacity, and there were no lines to experience any of the immersive elements, no crowds around the characters, and ample tables at the theater. We cannot comment on the lines and crowds during peak hours—but we’d recommend picking an off-time if you can, it’s really a treat to have the room to be scared in an experience like this.

Final Thoughts

The Haunted Soiree: A Macabre Cocktail Party is a perfect Halloween event that molds to fit the needs of many different types of people. For lore masters, it provides puzzles, scavenger hunts, character interactions, and mysteries; for beverage connoisseurs, it provides five wonderfully balanced and curated cocktails that each explore a different spirit; for theatrical fans, there’s two stages offering everything from magic to tap dancing to aerial feats; and for the introvert, it provides numerous alcoves and moody corridors that allow for the enjoyment of your drinks as you watch plenty of excitement from afar. Meyer2Meyer expertly crafts this experience to appeal to such a wide audience, making sure that everyone and anyone has an amazing time at the Theatre Du Vaurien.

The highlights for me are clearly the details in the monsters (don’t miss out on a siting of Cinq Mariees—she’s incredible), the l’enfer cocktail, and Swagnus’s magic show. But regardless of my choices, the entirety of the experience is two hours of spectacle and frights. It’s a step across the veil into an otherworldly adventure; it’s a chance to explore folklore of France; and it’s a chance to immerse yourself in a little Halloween spookiness for an evening. Happy Haunting.

For more information about Haunted Soiree, check out their Facebook, Instagram, and website. For information about similar events, check out our Event Calendar.

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