Countdown to Hallowe'en 2017: This Is Real

"Ever wonder what you would do if you were kidnapped? This Is Real simulates a group abduction at a warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn." Image Source: Jessica Lehrman/NYT.

On 26 October 2016, the NYT reported on scary haunts organized for those seeking a fear-filled time on Hallowe'en. The most intriguingly unhealthy of their selection was This Is Real, a warehouse event in the neighbourhood of Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York City, where you can pay actors to treat you like a brutalized hostage in a psycho-torture film. [Although, in an update at the bottom of this post, the creators of the event corrected me on Twitter to say that they don't actually torture the patrons. They hire actors to pretend to torture each other, and then they chase the patrons through a Saw-like warehouse maze.]

Brought to you by Psycho Clan, the people who developed Nightmare New York, this fake-real experience is so popular that the time slots sell out immediately and tickets (which start around USD $95) are extended to the end of this year:

"Psycho Clan's latest offering 'This is Real' is a heart-pounding mash up of immersive theater, haunted houses and extreme hide 'n seek. You've been abducted, you don't know how or by whom, but there you are. Would you survive if it happened to you?"

All other photos in this post come from the This Is Real Website, which explains the project:

"THIS IS REAL is theatrical immersion at its most visceral and thrilling. You are entrenched in your very own horror story, but the stakes are real! From the intense moment the psychopath steps out, you are forced to devise an escape plan and try to survive… the decisions will not be easy. A dexterous blend of interactive theater with a complete story line, a mind-bending survivalist game, and a twisted version of hide ‘n seek, you’ll have more to think about than yourself. You have the other victims to consider. Do you risk valuable time to figure out how to save them? Or is it every man for themselves? Wrong decisions come at a steep price for captives… do not get caught!

'THIS IS REAL is NOT A HAUNTED HOUSE' says creator Timothy Haskell. 'I’ve directed many different horror productions, haunted houses, escape games and populist interactive events, so this is a culmination of everything that has worked rolled up into 70 minutes worth of entertainment!'

THIS IS REAL premiered in October 2016, in an unadvertised trial run that sold out in six hours – unleashing a truly unsettling and unforgettable experience on participants that tested their quick wit, agility, resolve and even their moral compass." 

This Is Real (2 October 2017). Video Source: Youtube.

ADDENDUM (27 October 2017): Psycho Clan clarified the experience to me on Twitter.

FYI, this is immersive theater. They watch someone being tortured & then have to try & get away.We don’t torture the patrons.

— Psycho Clan (@NightmareNYC) October 27, 2017

See all my posts on Horror.
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Posts on the Occult are here.
Click here for my posts on Ghosts.

Check out other blogs observing the Countdown to Hallowe'en!
Image Source: 4Chan.