{"id":22996,"date":"2019-11-16T14:03:31","date_gmt":"2019-11-16T22:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/?p=22996"},"modified":"2019-12-09T14:41:13","modified_gmt":"2019-12-09T22:41:13","slug":"mhp-wendigo-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/mhp-wendigo-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Wendigo by Murder House Productions – Facing the Beast"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I step through the tattered remains of a tent and into the forest outside, I hear a howl. Only a few steps further down the path, a woman turns toward me. Suddenly she howls and her body twists in on itself in ways that don\u2019t seem physically possible. The Wendigo has possessed her and I\u2019m its next victim.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wendigo<\/em> is the newest home haunt creation by Murder House Productions<\/a>. It\u2019s a home haunt designed and built in Thousand Oaks by Murder House\u2019s team of Aurora Persichetti and Kyle Warner. Roughly 5-6 minutes long, Wendigo<\/em> has some of the most impressive effects, audio, and set design of any haunt in the area.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unlike many haunts that have multiple themed rooms, Wendigo<\/em> has an actual story that runs through the entire attraction. Based on mythology from the Algonquian Native Americans, the Wendigo is a cannibalistic spirit capable of possessing humans and turning them into a monstrous wolf\/human\/antlered creature that kills those who anger it or who get in its way. The Wendigo <\/em>haunt allows guests to learn the truth about the myths for themselves.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Murder

Photo: Thea Rivera<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Participants are sent into this nightmare in very small groups of 2-3 people, which means there is no place to hide in between or behind others. That\u2019s unfortunate, because the experience leads participants down the Appalachian Trail, complete with sound effects and a truly impressive set. As participants move past animals eating other freshly dead creatures, the sense of foreboding increases. A recently trashed tent leaves just enough clues behind to show that someone is searching for evidence of the Wendigo. Sadly, she finds it just in time for it to possess her and start trying to hunt you<\/em> down.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From start to finish, Wendigo<\/em> hits on all cylinders. Inside a simple garage, Wendigo<\/em> manages to make it look like an actual night outdoors, a barn, multiple tents, and even a forest. It\u2019s an absolutely stellar example of the impact of proper lighting and clever stage design tricks. The interior sets are also incredibly detailed and give every location (even one full of body parts and entrails, such as the barn) a natural, legitimate, and lived-in feeling. Many professional designs don\u2019t manage to include the level and attention to detail this haunt offers at literally every step. It\u2019s worth seeing a Murder House haunt just to appreciate how carefully they craft every step of the experience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Murder

Photo: Thea Rivera<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The design isn\u2019t the only exceptional piece, however. While Wendigo<\/em> has a significantly smaller number of actors compared to most other Southern California home haunts, the difference is intentional. Wendigo<\/em> wants to tell an actual story, and that means placing its actors in specific places that help deliver the tale to participants. It\u2019s another smart decision because it allows the actors to focus on creating a specific<\/em> moment or scare each time a new group appears. Instead of simply trying to scare everyone, the actors are an integral part of the entire experience. They become important, so any scare or movement or interaction they give to participants becomes that much more important.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wendigo<\/em> is an impressive creation. It takes incredible care with every aspect of its design. From set to actors to sound and lighting, Wendigo<\/em> makes sure that the experience will be as complete and terrifying as it can possibly be. It\u2019s a spectacular event with an impact that will be remembered for a long time. Wendigo<\/em> may be a dangerous spirit but its one that everyone should see if it ever appears from the forest again. In the meantime, audiences can be certain that whatever Murder House Productions makes next, everyone should run to see it as fast as they possibly can.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Murder

Photo: Thea Rivera<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wendigo<\/em> has finished its run for this year but Murder House Productions will be back with a new theme in 2020. See their website<\/a>, or follow them on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, or Twitter<\/a> for more information. Check out our Event Guide<\/a> for more Halloween and horror entertainment throughout the year.<\/p>\n

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wendigo wendigo wendigo wendigo<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I step through the tattered remains of a tent and into the forest outside, I hear a howl. Only a few steps further down the path, a woman turns toward me. Suddenly she howls and her body twists in on itself in ways that don\u2019t seem physically possible. The Wendigo has possessed her and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":23000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[11839,12945,80],"tags":[4283,28,13272,1537,8653,22879,3586,8337,22878],"yst_prominent_words":[1050,22877,651,245,188,4375,12852,5954,4593,19302,9548,19301,19300,239,18948,18947,12364,22876,22875,22874],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.haunting.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/wendigo.jpg?fit=2000%2C1500&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p89hUA-5YU","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22996"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22996"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.haunting.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=22996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}