Blackout Haunted House

Azhria Lilu

Captain
Has anyone else heard of this "attraction"? I use the term loosely as I'm not sure what to describe it as. On articles I've read it's referred to as a Haunted House attraction, but I'm pretty confident that's not exactly what it is.

The blurb for it says:-

BLACKOUT - no one under 18. and you must walk through alone. NEW YORK TIMES '...the extreme theater event of the year.' WALL ST JOURNAL "resides in a league of its own." NEW YORK POST "The scariest haunted house is new york city". FANGORIA 'horrific, shocking, and exhilarating...a finely tuned tour de force of terror and an absolute must for horror enthusiasts in the New York City area.' SLANT 'If you prefer rubber bats and cobwebs over genuine fear-inducers like confinement and sensory deprivation, don’t even think about buying a ticket.' MAXIM 'it seriously is one of the scariest haunted houses you’ll ever enter" GIZMODO 'The scariest haunted house ever…It was a legitimately freaky and uncomfortable experience"
No one whose gone through the attraction has really described what happens in any true detail other than there's the possibility of being stripped naked, abused verbally, witnessing sexual acts and the necessity of signing a waiver before you enter, you're given a safe word that, if uttered, brings your experience to a complete end with no refund.

There is a video -

The articles I read say things like:-
Blackout requires all attendees to be at least 18 years old, to do everything that is told no matter what, and to never speak unless prompted. Waivers are signed, noting potential parts of the experience to include complete darkness, strobe lights, crawling, stairs, loud noises, water, physical contact, and sexual and violent situations. In other words almost anything goes, without participants having any say in it once inside.
This experience is for those who are looking to try something entirely new and different that’s not part of anyone’s daily routine (except perhaps those working there). It’s not every day that one gets unexpectedly bear hugged, repeatedly berated and verbally abused, and up close and personal with naked strangers -
Source
"Blackout" has rules. You have to do what the performers tell you to do or you will get kicked out. You do not get to invent or control your own experience. You are given a safe word, which, if uttered, ends the show. No refunds. "How many people use the safe word?" I asked Randall. "About 1 in 8," he said, before insisting that safety was something the show takes very seriously.
Source
I’m not going to give away the surprises in “Blackout,” so let me just say that I did crawl, it was pitch dark and I had physical contact with some of the actors — quite a bit of physical contact, in fact. I got drenched, and was forced to put my hand in places that gave me pause. I was also forced to put something in my mouth that you won’t find on the menu at Orso.

At one point, shackled, on my knees, a bag over my head, I wondered if “Blackout” was a comment on the stain of Abu Ghraib.
Source


Their website is here - Blackout Haunted House | New York City + Los Angeles - not that it tells you much about it. But I'm intrigued to know if anyone reading has been and what they thought.

There's not a lot given away, but from what I can read it doesn't sound like a haunted house, or like something I'd particular enjoy. I'd possibly end up stabbing someone if they got too close. I could probably be on the other side though, dishing out the abuse :D

Would you go along to this?
 
I would definitely be up for something like this. It sounds certifiably insane, so I'm so game.

Granted I haven't watched the video yet. I was merely reading the text because I was in class. But it sounds pretty badass. It'd be an entirely different experience and you need the occasional crazy hour to not die out of the boredom we sometimes call life. :smiley:
 
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