“Will mommy be mad at me forever?” young Angela asks as her mom storms out of the room, belt in hand and desperate for her next heroin fix. STAG PRVT 2

“No, she’s just in a bad place right now. Things will get better. Nothing lasts forever.” I assure her.

Angela snuggles up next to me on the bunk bed and searches my eyes. “Will you be my friend forever?”

“I’ll do my best.”

I didn’t know that two hours later I would inject adult Angela with a needle full of drugs that would leave her dying in a cold bathtub, friendless.

STAG PRVT 2: The Story of Angela is the seventh extreme haunt from Saginaw, Michigan’s STAG. STAG has gained a solid reputation for their 30-minute summer shows that throw guests into the middle of horrifying and deeply uncomfortable scenarios. However, starting in 2018, STAG offers two-hour private shows in the winter. These are more intense than their summer shows and aren’t recommended for newcomers to the extreme haunt genre.

The Story of Angela makes good use of its extended, 2-hour runtime, taking guests on a twisted journey from an abusive childhood to a drug- and sex-fueled adulthood. Early scenes with young Angela help guests build a genuine connection with their new friend. Hiding under a table with Angela as her dad beats her mom, and being made an unwilling accomplice to Uncle Andy’s sexual abuse of Angela were harrowing moments that left me feeling protective of this girl and hoping everything would turn out alright in the end. Alas, with each birthday we celebrated together, Angela’s story only accelerated in its swirl down the drain.

These birthday parties that dotted the experience effectively conveyed the passage of time and were integrated with a surreal flare that left me disoriented in the best way possible. Covered in hot wax and tingling from electric shocks, I stumbled out of one birthday into a giant man demanding I explain why I was there. I muttered something about a birthday party before he spat angrily, “Birthday party? I don’t see a birthday party here. Do you?” I turned around to point, but all evidence of the party was gone. Dreamlike transitions like this kept me on my toes and excited for whatever happened next.

Not every transition worked as smoothly, however. During one of these birthday transitions, the character of Angela was portrayed by a different actor with no indication that it was supposed to be the same person. Further adding to my confusion was that the previous actor, still dressed as her version of Angela, showed up at the party as a different character. When the new Angela pulled me away from the party for some painful playtime, I didn’t understand who she was or why she was tormenting me. This violence and sex in the latter section of the show, divorced from the strong storytelling in the first half, began to feel a bit pointless. When telling a story about something as serious as sexual child abuse, scenes of titillating sexuality feel in poor taste.

The actors who guided me on my journey were, for the most part, engaging and skilled at immersing me in their world. Alexx Lynette as young Angela especially impressed, capturing the mannerisms of a five-year-old girl with the restraint needed to not slip into caricature. My only criticism with the acting is that a few of the actors would benefit from projecting and enunciating more, to be better understood. As it was, some instructions were difficult to hear, and therefore follow.

Despite some confusing creative decisions in the last 30-45 minutes of The Story of Angela, STAG still crafted an emotionally resonant and intense experience that left me glad I made the trip to Saginaw. I left with an aching body and an aching heart as Angela’s lifeless body lay alone in a cold bathtub, overdosing on the drugs I injected into her arm. I tried my best to keep my promise to be her friend forever, but some stories are bound to end in tragedy. Here’s hoping that STAG will continue to refine their craft, guiding guests through future tales of terror and tragedy.

Find more information on STAG and their upcoming shows on Instagram and Facebook. Check out our Event Guide for more horror entertainment throughout the year.

MORE ABOUT HAUNTING

Haunting is a resource for immersive theater and horror fans in Los Angeles and across the world, promoting art and community. Want to help us reach even more people, and get some cool perks and experiences? For as little as $1 a month, you can join our Patreon and help us keep bringing content to life.

If you like the above article and want to find more like it, make sure to join our community. If Facebook is your favorite, follow us there and become a part of our groups for Immersive Horror fans and/or Immersive creators. We’re active on Instagram, posting evocative imagery and informative stories to promote our reviews and recollections; follow us there. You can even find us on twitter; click here to follow. For those who want to explore deeper, we have a vibrant Slack community with new event alerts and immediate ticket sale announcements; click here to join. And subscribe to our event calendar to get emails for all or specific events (look for the link right under the calendar)! Finally, we have a newsletter that comes out once a week; click here to sign up.