Delusion: Nocturnes & Nightmares

With contributions from Courtney Treweek

With more than a decade of experience under its belt, Delusion is now something of an elder statesman in Los Angeles’ immersive and Halloween scenes. Growing much more complex than the first iteration (which I’ve never seen), Delusion is now somewhat of a known commodity. Leaning into that reputation, the theme of Nocturnes & Nightmares acts as a kind of retrospective on the evolution of Delusion. It also delivers what feels like a personal, bordering on melancholy, message.

Take Me Back

For the third year, Delusion is at the historic Phillips Mansion in Pomona. Newcomers will be impressed by the spectacular setting for an immersive show, but repeat visitors may find it a bit tired. The producers do an admirable job using the space in novel ways, even featuring parts of the grounds that have never been used before. While I applaud the creativity and attention to keeping it fresh, there’s no getting around the same architecture, which dampens the surprise a bit.

When it comes to the theme and plot of Nocturnes & Nightmares, however, the continuity works in its favor. As best I can determine, attendees discover that all previous Delusion shows were written by a mysterious Author. Those past shows came to life as she kept trying to write the perfect story–one that would bring her deceased daughter back. In this capstone show, memorable characters, props, stunts, and settings from past shows make return appearances. Some shows are called out by name in the dialogue. This leads to a bit of a disjointed feeling, as these wildly different past stories have to coalesce into a connected narrative. It doesn’t quite gel as a whole, but this “greatest hits” format does give audiences a great look into the history of Delusion, as is the intention. So in that way, it kind of fits!

Blast from the Past

If you haven’t been to Delusion before, it’s a combination of immersive theater, haunted house, and interactive play. There’s a story, dialogue, and actors leading you through an elaborate setting, often giving you tasks to participate in the experience.

Nocturnes & Nightmares starts with a quick dash to tight quarters where the basic premise is introduced via creepy (but difficult-to-hear) audio. While following the caretaker through a never-before-seen outdoor area, some of the best stunts occur. With a lot happening, it’s hard to know where to focus your attention. Alas, I (and some others) missed half of a big special effects moment. This is my one regret–with so much going on, it’s hard to know the “best” place to focus your attention, so I missed half of a big special effects moment. I recommend looking at whatever has the most movement. Don’t worry about getting to the next area quickly. The show won’t leave you behind if you take a few extra seconds.

After this outdoor section, you enter the house that has welcomed the last two Delusion shows. If you haven’t seen past shows, you’ll probably feel a mixture of wide-eyed puzzlement and heart-pounding excitement. If you have, you’ll probably feel a mixture of nostalgia and anticipation. I am curious how people will react to these throwbacks, if they never saw the shows that the scenes are taken from. To be clear–these aren’t repeated scenes. They are scenes that include characters, settings, and effects from the original shows, but with fresh dialogue and action to fit Nocturnes & Nightmares’ story. It’s a little hard to separate my enjoyment of those scenes with my enjoyment of the throwback references.

Back to Good

Last year’s show (Valley of Hollows) was probably my least favorite of the five I’d seen. I’m happy to say this one is a step up in several aspects. The story is much better–more supernatural and less gory. It was relatively easy to follow and understand, with a specific focus on finding the Author.

There were plenty of opportunities for individuals to actively participate. Even though our group had 10 people, and fewer is always better for this kind of show, I never struggled to see or hear anything and everyone got a fair chance to fully experience all the different scenes. As a counterpoint, my guest, who has ONLY seen the Pomona location (all 3 times) thought this one was not quite as good as last year. She didn’t have that nostalgia/insider point of view, so the elements had to stand on their own. Since the plot has to be a little vague to incorporate so many past stories, it makes sense that newcomers to Delusion may not get as much out of it.

There are fewer elaborate elements this year. Something great in Valley of Hollows (small spoiler) was the opening. Audiences were herded into a trailer, then covered with a tarp and driven to the house! This year doesn’t have anything quite so big and complicated. The production team had less time to prepare than in the past. In some ways that’s a shame, but ultimately, a good story and personal investment make a better experience than fancy effects.

Looking Back

It came as a surprise that Delusion is wrapping up its run of original stories this year, at least temporarily. Creator Jon Braver told us he was a little burnt out. Delusion takes so much of his life in the planning stages, and he wants to try other things. Specifically, he’s trying to get film or television projects off the ground, still based on Delusion, but without the grind of writing and creating a new physical production each year. Oh, the irony that Delusion’s own popularity contributed to its ending!

If you can’t imagine future Halloweens without Delusion, fear not. Jon implied Delusion would begin remounting past productions. This will theoretically start next year with Blood Rite, which was technically the second Delusion show. (The first was just called “Delusion” in 2011). This is great for anyone who missed those early years and has heard such good things about them. I’m excited! He also indicated he’d be willing to hand the franchise off to a trusted collaborator for more new stories. It’s up to that person if they’d like to continue the production. Fingers crossed!

Back and Forth

In addition to the main show, Delusion has introduced the Spectral Soiree this year. The entire front mansion is thematically decorated and worth spending time exploring. Manny Manners, the creepy doll, is available to chat and walk around with you. Esther Phillips, the charming-but-deadly hostess, is eager to schmooze with her guests. Upstairs, a friendly magician performs card tricks, and by the bar, Marion the puppet master enjoys pulling your strings. The attic, which I believe has never been used before, contains an interactive pre-show that I highly recommend. It adds to the world-building of the Nocturnes & Nightmares story, plus has some pretty cool effects.

But wait, there’s more! The backyard has plenty of food and drinks for sale, and a secluded path to this year’s VIP section, “Behind the Veil.” For the latter, Delusion turned a living room of the back mansion into a bar and a seating area where you can watch attendees experience three parts of the show live on a closed-circuit TV. Best of all, there is a rack of oversized clothes, and one of the actors invites you to join her to haunt some guests! Donning the clothes, you enter the set, lie on the floor among fake corpses, and wait for the next group to come into the room. On cue, you rise from the dead as a zombie and stumble towards the audience as they scurry away. It was so fun we did it twice! And it was great to get an inside look at what the cast and crew does behind the scenes.

Nocturnes & Nightmares runs select nights through November 19, with shows at 7:00 and every 10 minutes after that. Tickets start at $95, with an extra charge for the VIP experience. I’m strongly considering taking a return trip. More information, including ticket purchases, is available on their website here.