Delusion: The Red Castle
Delusion’s return in 2024 took immersive fans by surprise. Last year was a very public “farewell” show, with the creator announcing his intention to move on. It turns out that a specific combination of circumstances was enough to lure Jon Braver back for another year, with a new story and new location based on characters from one of the earliest Delusion shows, before it became a Los Angeles Halloween juggernaut. Those circumstances include the use of the Stimson House for the location, a spectacular mansion in the West Adams neighborhood. The house is somewhat similar to the amazing sets of Lies Within and His Crimson Queen. Does this year’s show, The Red Castle, live up to the past?
Seeing Red
The Red Castle specifically refers to the location of this year’s show, a beautiful red brick edifice. Since the Stimson House is on the National Register of Historic Places, I strongly suspect the production company was not allowed to do any major construction or alterations to the building or grounds. This makes sense, of course, and the setting is still well-lit, architecturally diverse, and VERY creepy. However, the lack of any big modifications meant Delusion missed out on some of its signature grandiosity. Although I was glad for a change of pace from the Phillips Mansion in Pomona, that setting gave a lot of leeway for customization, especially the exteriors which included graves dug into the yard and stuntwork apparatus. The only real stunt this time is outside using a tree for support. While it’s a good effect, it’s also one that Delusion veterans will see coming before it happens.
The story this year is themed to mental patients in an asylum, but not your generic Halloween asylum. This year, audience members play sleepwalking patients of one Dr. Lowell, who believes he has the ability to unlock “powers” in his patients. He intends to use these powers to bring his deceased wife back to life. The premise gave me a kind of “horror meets X-Men” vibe, not unlike the 2020 New Mutants movie nobody saw because of the pandemic. While the special powers get 4 moments to shine, they weren’t as integral to the plot as I hoped. Mostly it involves scurrying through the mansion dodging demented, but non-psychic, inmates who are now roaming free with Dr. Lowell missing.
Rearview Mirror
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. With so many past iterations, comparisons are now inevitable. The Red Castle has a better story than last year, which was very “meta” and acted as a summation of Delusions to date. It helps immensely that the Red Castle is original with no prior knowledge needed.
I think it needed another revision though. It can be a bit confusing, especially since the characters that guide you through the house are only with you a short while before your group is handed off to the next character. I know this helps them run more shows per night, but that’s not the best for the audience. For one thing, you can hear other groups in the house, on the other floors, and it’s distracting. For another, the many transitions make the story a bit patchy. It’s easy to understand the general plot, but the specific characters get lost when their names/relations are only mentioned once. I went twice, once as Media and once as a paid guest, and the second time definitely helped it all fall into place. However, for the vast majority of people who only attend once, this is not a solution. Once should be enough to understand it all.
It Can’t Rain All the Time
I was impressed with the many opportunities for active participation. It felt like every room had at least one person getting a cool assignment, and I counted 3 story splits. Those are always fun and frustrating in equal measure because you want to see both tracks but you simply cannot. I was able to see both versions of 2 tracks thanks to going twice, but try as I might, I could NOT get picked for the other track of the third split. I knew where to stand, and I practically waved at the cast member, but he looked past me and chose people that were standing farther away. I heard this one was particularly fun, but there was nothing more I could have done. I am glad that my friend got picked for it.
There are also moments where everyone is able to participate if they want to. An in-character game of Hide and Seek lets everyone become a kid again, and letting the audience choose what character to follow at the finale, instead of random assignments, is a great touch. Plus, the architecture of the house provides a perfect atmosphere. You’re sneaking through a labyrinth, going down curving stairs, finding secret doors, trapped in a basement…even without the personalized elements, this would feel very interactive.
Master of Puppets
Before I talk about technical issues, I acknowledge this is a complex show. It has a lot of moving parts, actors, lighting, special effects, etc. This is a big production and it pulls off most of it very well. The parts it doesn’t get right are noticeable, however. In my first visit (opening weekend), a crew member interrupted our group during a scene and told us we had to wait a few minutes. Obviously something had gone wrong elsewhere in the house, so we had to hold until we were able to resume. I’m glad they fixed the problem, but the immersion was broken. At another point, a cast member opened a basement door and fog filled the entire doorway, so much that nothing was visible. While I actually thought this was kind of cool, it made the show unable to progress. We had to stall until enough fog cleared that we could see the stairs, with the cast member doing their best to improvise in character until we could move on.
Neither of these were an issue in my second visit, although both times had delayed starts. The second visit was only delayed by about 10-15 minutes, so I think they are improving as the crew get more experience. I think the delays are likely due to trying to fit in too many shows. I think the tickets start every 10 minutes, which is just too often. They should do every 15-20. The extra time would let the show breathe more and give time for the story to flow better. During both visits, the big finale was underwhelming. There is a special effect that simply doesn’t work well for what it’s trying to achieve, although a similar effect worked great in Pomona. I’m going to chalk it up to them being unable to do major effects in the historic house, but if so, they probably should have chosen a different finale.
Lastly I will mention there is not a good “magic circle” this year. The transition from the real world to the world of Delusion is abrupt as hell. In years past, an actor has introduced you to the story and set you on your way. At the Red Castle, a crew member in an earpiece and t-shirt reading STAFF gives you the rules, walks you over to the side yard, and leaves. Then you to listen to an audio recording that sets up the story. It’s clumsy and feels like they could have easily found a way to have all of this information relayed by a character, as they’ve done before, which would have really enhanced the mood.
King of Wishful Thinking
Last year, Delusion plussed up the grounds outside the show into the “Spectral Soiree.” There was thematic decor, interactive characters, a magician, and a fantastic pre-show that tied into the story. They also had food and drinks for sale, which is pretty standard. The overall atmosphere it created was great. This year is a big step back. The setting is similar–a separate building from the main show houses a lounge with a bar inside. Typical food and drink are for sale again. But the lounge is largely disappointing. There is magician doing close-up magic, and he was quite good. There are several large props and costumes from past shows. And there is a merchandise shop. But that’s it. There is nothing interactive, there is nothing to add to the story or lore of the Red Castle, and there is no bonus show or experience like they had each year in Pomona.
In addition, the VIP experience this year is advertised thusly on the website: Head to the VIP lounge for your private bar where you might stumble upon a few hidden surprises and performers. Then venture beyond the veil of the show and prepare to showcase your mad talents. A quick costume change into mental asylum garb and off you go, awaiting actual patrons of the play as they move through a deranged scene that features you!. My visit to the VIP lounge found no hidden surprises and no performers. I don’t know if they weren’t ready yet, or so well hidden that I couldn’t find them, but there was nothing in the VIP lounge except a couple more props and a closed-circuit tv that showed the “play your part” scene in the house.
Speaking of playing your part, it’s one area that may be better than last year, depending on your comfort level with performing. VIP ticket holders are escorted secretly into the house and walk behind the scenes to a holding room, wearing patient gowns. Cast members instruct you on what to do when the audience passes through. It was only my friend and I along with one cast member, so I felt pressure to put on a big performance for the audience, even though it’s not something I’m usually comfortable with. I think this room would work better with a guaranteed number of VIPs/patients. With a small number like I had, I tried to make my presence felt and would have liked to ask the audience how I did after their show, but I never saw them again. If you like performing, this is probably fun! If not, the VIP ticket is not for you.
The Red Castle runs every night but Mondays through November 3, with shows at 7:00 and every 10 minutes after that. Tickets start at $110 on weeknights, with an extra charge for the VIP experience. More desirable timeslots cost more, thanks to dynamic pricing. More information, including ticket purchases, is available on their website here.
