17th Door: Fearless Asks Guests to Be Just That

In the continuing saga of Paula, an abuse victim jailed for infanticide and treated by the prison’s questionable virtual-reality experiments, The 17th Door presents their third and final year at Perpetuum Penitentiary: Fearless. The 17th Door is the closest experience guests can get to an extreme haunt with its trigger warnings (just reread the first sentence!), physicality and interactivity, often resulting in unpleasant electric shocks. Like prior years, Fearless (un)welcomes guests in small groups of up to eight people into Perpetuum where, room by room, they traverse the labyrinthine prison in hopes of escaping its twisted and hellish walls.

Fearless continues Paula’s attempts to earn back her freedom after having a therapeutic breakthrough in last year’s Crybaby. But with a sinister Warden looking to take from Paula that which she does not want to give, she’ll need to rekindle her inner strength to fight the authorities. While guests do not need to know the details of the narrative before attending Fearless, prior knowledge does help to empathize with the main character. Out of the 17 torturous rooms inside Perpetuum, less than half further Paula’s story; the rest exemplify the hellscape that is prison life there. And while the rooms in order don’t 100% make sense as a cohesive story or timeline, the magnificent sets, details and character interactions are more than capable of helping guests suspend their disbelief. The video teaser in the final room is also a nice set-up for next year’s change in location; consider me excited already!

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The 17th Door has changed up some of their rooms this year, replacing some old favorites (I’ll miss you Speeder, and I can always use more Mad Dog) with innovative and ambitious new favorites. While not all of the rooms contain obvious jump-scares, the disorientation and interaction with the actors as well as the set work and production design of the rooms themselves continue to impress – some even top the bigger-budget theme park attractions! Did I mention Fearless will test your limits – physically and mentally? See how your friends treat you in “Group Therapy,” or find out how long you can hold your breath in the “Breathless” room. With the inclusion of electricity, water, air effects, actual bugs, compression tunnels, slight suffocation, and shadow play, The 17th Door always finds ways to let guests revel in their discomfort.

A Few Tips:

• Heed the Warnings: As mentioned above, there will be electric shocks, bugs, slight suffocation, disorientation and more. Make sure you know what you’re in for and use your best judgment to remain safe.
• Don’t Bring Anything You Might Lose: This goes for jewelry, phones and even shoes. Make sure everything you have is secure, and leave your bags in the car.
• Try The Vixi Ward Experience: If you haven’t already, try out the virtual-reality experience before the actual haunt. It’s an extra fee, but delightfully macabre and worth doing once. 
• Interact: The actors in Fearless are amazing and enthusiastic; listen to them, interact with them and have fun – but don’t touch them unless otherwise instructed!
• Say Mercy if You Need To: You can purchase a “mercy” necklace beforehand which lets the actors know to steer clear of you for the most part – especially during the electricity and bug rooms. Even if you don’t purchase the “mercy” necklace, you can “mercy” out of rooms that might push your limits too far. The actors in select rooms also remind you that you can opt out of extreme circumstances.

The 17th Door: Fearless runs select days now through November 2nd. Find out more information – including a copy of the waiver – and buy tickets HERE.