Humans have created horror stories since the year dot. People have tried scaring others with ghost stories and tales of monsters for as long as we have been able to communicate. Fear, particularly of the unknown, is a powerful emotion, one that triggers the natural fight-or-flight response in us. The likes of Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures have used our love of fear to produce iconic horror movies. Fear is the driving force behind the popularity of immersive horror experiences.

Haunted houses and ghost trains have been part of carnivals for decades. These low-budget attractions usually last only a few minutes and are aimed at a younger audience. Aside from the possibility of a couple of jump-scares, they are incredibly tame; you could take your grandmother with you. Over the years, thrill-seekers have wanted more from a horror experience. They want to overwhelm all five senses. They want to experience sheer panic and a feeling of helplessness. Their needs are met and often surpassed by some incredibly intense immersive horror experience creators worldwide. These experiences are not for the faint-hearted. Usually, people do not complete the “show” and use a safe word to bring things to a rapid conclusion. Most are so extreme that you must sign detailed waivers before being allowed to participate. These are some of the most intense immersive horror experiences of all time.

Blackout – The Godfather of Immersive Horror

Josh Randall and Kristjan Thor created Blackout in 2009, making it the original extreme immersive horror experience, the Godfather of the genre if you will. Randall wanted to create the antithesis of the traditional haunted house, putting participants in their own movies of horror, fear, and trauma. Blackout would win the lifetime achievement award if there were such a category at the most trusted online sportsbooks.

Midsummer Nightmare was the first Blackout experience. It was Randall and Thor’s first foray into interactive and immersive horror. The scene was primarily jump-scares, and audiences went through them quite quickly, but it proved extremely popular, with lines of people snaking around the block within the first fortnight of its opening night.

Since then, Blackout has created shows that have complete physical contact and are packed with psychological terror.

The Victim Experience – Truly Traumatic

The Victim Experience by Freakling Brothers is widely regarded as one of the most genuinely horrifying experiences in the United States. It is so intense that more than 70% of the show’s audience uses the safe word! The Freakling Brothers launched Gates of Hell, which was one of the first R Rated shows. Rumors circulated about the last shows of the night being more intense, which is when the Freakling Brothers realized there was a market for extreme content, and The Victim Experience was born.

October 2013 was when the first Victim Experience took place in Las Vegas, and it quickly gained a reputation for its intense simulated death experiences, including electrocution, drowning, and suffocation. The show ran in 2014 and again in 2015 before a brief hiatus in 2016. The following year, The Victim Experience III launched, and it took a special kind of person even to consider participating. No other Victim Experiences have run since 2017, but there is definitely a market for a fourth episode.

Heretic Horror House – Extreme Horror at Its Best

Adrian Marcato created Heretic in 2012, and it has since gained a cult following in the immersive horror world. In 2013, Heretic changed its structure to a series of episodic nightmares that are infamous for their brutal physicality and aggression. Heretic has produced an incredible range of experiences, including Iso/Dread, which is the ultimate test for anyone claustrophobic because you move through smaller and smaller spaces before ultimately being buried alive in a body bag. Yes, really.

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. 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.