Thanks to the blindfold covering my eyes, I cannot see the doctor who has forced me to lie on the floor below her. That’s probably a good thing; it’s more than worrisome when she whispers to her fellow doctor that she doesn’t remember how to perform surgery on me. As my shirt is pulled up and the numbing agent is slathered on my skin, all I can think is, This was just supposed to be a drug trial. midnight experiment

Midnight Experiment is the first immersive production from the new company Lights OUT Productions. Developed as a trial run for future productions, Midnight Experiment brings 4-6 people on a 30-45 minute extreme haunt. Within that time frame, participants experience three extreme haunt-style scenes of varying intensity in smaller groups of 1-2 people.

Midnight Experiment builds its narrative around participants agreeing to do a drug test. Each audience member takes a pill and then waits to see if there are any side effects. There are some, of course, and participants get to experience each of them one after the other. In a bathroom, they come face to face with someone who has become suicidal. The bedroom offers the dangers of insomnia personified into an actual creature. Finally, the kitchen generates the concept of fear and paranoia into two terrified doctors. Through each scene, participants are treated to different styles of terror, often with sight removed thanks to blindfolds given to each at the top of the show and used extensively throughout.

In general, the show works as intended. Each of the scenes has moments that are genuinely creepy, such as when Brittany Ludwig forces guests to watch her only in a mirror – even as she reaches a suicidal despair because of how others view her. Other moments send the adrenaline spiking, such as when Jazmin Martinez presses a pillow onto a participant’s face as she desperately warns them not to move or say anything because “he” is here. While the scenes are very different in nature, they are thematically connected by the idea of being side effects of the drug participants have taken. The suicide scene forces the audience into feeling helpless and lost. The insomnia scene creates a sense of desperation and confusion. It’s the equivalent of a hallucinatory trip through the darkest parts of the psyche as it alternately scares and agitates each participant.

The best scene of them all comes with the fear and paranoia of the doctors, played with panicked zeal by Camree Lynn and Charlotte Cocker. There is something truly disconcerting about being unable to see as someone slathers your stomach with liquid that numbs the skin just before slicing into it. Yes, this is a show and intellectually everyone is safe. But the moment is very visceral and the whispered terror from the doctors as they panic but still go ahead with the surgery stands out as one of the highlights of the entire experience. It taps into the fears of surgery in all the right ways.

Midnight Experiment is an interesting take on the extreme haunt format. While labeled as an extreme haunt and including some elements that are traditional to such events, Midnight Experiment is soft enough in how it treats its audience that it comes across best as a bridge between traditional and extreme haunts. For those who enjoy extreme haunts, there are familiar aspects such as blindfolds, taped body parts, and definitely being touched repeatedly by various characters. For those who have contemplated whether they would find an extreme haunt interesting, this show offers a taste of what such events are like without plunging a participant into the full extreme experience. It makes for the type of event that is fairly unique in current immersive productions but is also a welcome addition to that area of experience.

This first production from Lights OUT definitely had some moments that could have been improved. The opening scene had a somewhat amateurish feel to it, as though the company wasn’t quite sure how they wanted to start their narrative. Some audience members did not get to experience all three scenes while others found themselves sitting for long times without any clear idea why. These issues felt like first-time company hiccups and, with more experience, such issues will hopefully not happen.

Midnight Experiment is a competent first step for a new company into the extreme immersive world. With a talented cast comprised entirely of women, Midnight Experiment showcases an energetic group that clearly wants to build quality experiences. Hopefully they will learn from this production and create stronger shows in the future.

Midnight Experiment has concluded its run. Find out more about Lights OUT Productions and their upcoming shows on their website. Check out our Event Calendar for more extreme haunt and immersive horror entertainment throughout the year.

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