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Terror
Roulette
The Arboretum of South Barrington, Sept. 29–Oct. 31, $45 (group discounts available)
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Exquisite
Corpse
Rough House Theatre Co. at Chopin Theatre in West Town, Oct. 5–31, suggested $15–$45
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The
grisly gist |
Guests take an elevator to a basement and enter the fold of a secret society of killers looking for its next victim. Everyone is part of the story — and anyone could be a killer. |
| Independent artists mount six unique puppet shows, drawing inspiration for their spooky scenarios from chapters of the 1883 book Our Homes, and How to Make Them Healthy. |
 |
|
How it
plays out |
 |
Intimate groups of eight are each dealt a card, which determines their paths. Along the way, the groups will be divided and shuffled into smaller groups with different bloodcurdling encounters. Yes, there is a chance that you’ll wind up alone, backed into a dark corner. |
|
 |
Guests encounter six large-scale boxes with peepholes through which you can observe a six-minute scene. The farther you journey into the experience, the deeper you descend into proverbial madness. |
|
This time,
it’s personal |
In what feels like a diabolical cross between Survivor and Saw, guests may be required to consume mysterious things, face live reptiles, endure electric shocks, and make game-time decisions that affect others in their group. |
Each peephole comes with personal headphones that provide an uncanny sense of isolation. Imagine whispers, scratching noises, and bone-chilling echoes that feel piped into your brain. |
Is anybody
out
there? |
| An in-your-face cast of 30 performers includes the Back-Alley Butcher and Sotto Voce, a killer clown |
 |
|
| Shadow puppets and other cute-until-you-do-a-double-take creatures |
 |
|
Biggest
scream
scene |
A vision of someone being consumed by insects appears so real, you may wish you hadn’t eaten lunch. |
A nursery inhabited by a person who has failed to grow up becomes fantastically animated by neon crocheted lemurs that gradually take on a sinister tone. |
Leave-
you-with-
nightmares
moment |
| Did we mention the up-close-and-personal faux human organ removal? |
 |
|
Miniature haunted mushrooms sprout from a house, symbolizing the dangers of breathing toxic air. |
Shock
FACTOR |
High. Very high. Like, unh-uh-they-didn’t high. |
Much is left to the imagination … so it depends how twisted you are. |
Where’s
the exit? |
Everyone is issued a safe word, which, if uttered, terminates your experience immediately. |
 |
Why leave? You’ll actually want to return to catch all the artistic details. |
|
Photography: (Terror Roulette) courtesy of Terror Roulette; (Exquisite Corpse) Yvette Marie Dostatni
The
grisly gist |
Guests take an elevator to a basement and enter the fold of a secret society of killers looking for its next victim. Everyone is part of the story — and anyone could be a killer. |
How it
plays out |
|
Intimate groups of eight are each dealt a card, which determines their paths. Along the way, the groups will be divided and shuffled into smaller groups with different bloodcurdling encounters. Yes, there is a chance that you’ll wind up alone, backed into a dark corner. |
|
This time,
it’s personal |
In what feels like a diabolical cross between Survivor and Saw, guests may be required to consume mysterious things, face live reptiles, endure electric shocks, and make game-time decisions that affect others in their group. |
Is anybody
out
there? |
| An in-your-face cast of 30 performers includes the Back-Alley Butcher and Sotto Voce, a killer clown |
|
|
Biggest
scream
scene |
A vision of someone being consumed by insects appears so real, you may wish you hadn’t eaten lunch. |
Leave-
you-with-
nightmares
moment |
| Did we mention the up-close-and-personal faux human organ removal? |
|
|
Shock
FACTOR |
High. Very high. Like, unh-uh-they-didn’t high. |
Where’s
the exit? |
Everyone is issued a safe word, which, if uttered, terminates your experience immediately. |
Photography: courtesy of Terror Roulette
Exquisite Corpse
Rough House Theatre Co. at Chopin Theatre in West Town, Oct. 5–31, suggested $15–$45
The
grisly gist |
| Independent artists mount six unique puppet shows, drawing inspiration for their spooky scenarios from chapters of the 1883 book Our Homes, and How to Make Them Healthy. |
|
How it
plays out |
|
Guests encounter six large-scale boxes with peepholes through which you can observe a six-minute scene. The farther you journey into the experience, the deeper you descend into proverbial madness. |
|
This time,
it’s personal |
Each peephole comes with personal headphones that provide an uncanny sense of isolation. Imagine whispers, scratching noises, and bone-chilling echoes that feel piped into your brain. |
Is anybody
out
there? |
| Shadow puppets and other cute-until-you-do-a-double-take creatures |
|
|
Biggest
scream
scene |
A nursery inhabited by a person who has failed to grow up becomes fantastically animated by neon crocheted lemurs that gradually take on a sinister tone. |
Leave-
you-with-
nightmares
moment |
Miniature haunted mushrooms sprout from a house, symbolizing the dangers of breathing toxic air. |
Shock
FACTOR |
Much is left to the imagination … so it depends how twisted you are. |
Where’s
the exit? |
|
Why leave? You’ll actually want to return to catch all the artistic details. |
|
Photography: Yvette Marie Dostatni