House of Spirits: The Tale of Vaughan Hall
Reviewed by Socks Whitmore
Meyer2Meyer at Casa Vertigo
Through October 31
RECOMMENDED
A skeletal creature made of branches chitters at you from the corner. A veiled woman with empty eye sockets walks the halls with her arms outstretched. A humanoid owl solemnly hands you a burning torch and gestures for you to follow. The ghosts of Vaughan Hall have awoken at this year’s Angelino iteration of House of Spirits – A Haunted Cocktail Soirée, bringing the nights before Halloween alive with the whims of the undead.
Produced by Meyer2Meyer Entertainment, House of Spirits is a 21+, spooky season-exclusive immersive adventure sprawling the floors of the eccentric Los Angeles landmark, Casa Vertigo. From their first step up the stairs, guests of the manor are transported into the “eerie, elegantly macabre” rooms of the show’s setting, Vaughan Hall, and greeted by spooky specters at every turn. Dressing up for the event is highly encouraged and most attendees take the instruction to heart, wearing everything from period fashion to bloody costumes of their own making. The whole spectacle revolves around the tragic tale of the Vaughan Clan, loosely inspired by the haunting of Loftus Hall in Ireland and featuring a selection of characters from Irish folklore. Part of the event’s intrigue is the secret nature of the narrative; audience members will discover the lore in bits and pieces by engaging with the various activities around the venue, and extra information may be revealed by interacting with the character actors who wander the halls. And one mustn’t forget that every ticket comes with a select number of House specialty miniature cocktails complete with delicious individual truffle pairings, alongside access to other offerings available throughout the night at the cash bar in the main lounge.
Theatregoers are just one of this event’s many potential audiences —the House of Spirits contains many forms of entertainment, from ritualistic burlesque to a jump scare-ridden maze to Cirque du Soleil-flavored acts underscored by live musicians in monstrous attire. The maze and scavenger hunt activities are fun but not difficult, and are far more about enjoying the creature design and scenic ambience than being challenged. These elements of the design shine throughout the experience as intelligently crafted, bringing a world of beauty and horror to life while also responding gracefully to the high-traffic nature of the event.
Populating the different spaces of Vaughan Hall are reportedly 32 actors, though it’s hard to say if you can meet them all in a single visit. The most stunning offerings are actually from the non-verbal performers; the slow, silent creatures come off as otherworldly, and the circus artists execute mesmerizing movements with both grace and fervor. The roaming spirits such as the gorgeously gaunt crow goddess Morrígan are bewitching to look at, but any amount of success in eliciting interesting conversation is not guaranteed; some characters seem to be terse or repetitive, while others are simply hard to pin down. In theory, however, if one of them takes a liking to you, you may be escorted off to another room for a private story-based experience with them. (This critic unfortunately failed to orchestrate such an invitation, despite several efforts.)
Another opportunity for audience participation is in the Theatre of Grand Guignol room, where several “puppets” re-enact the two major beats of the Vaughan Hall backstory. Spoofed versions of Punch and Judy deliver a comedic anthology, followed by a chilling live rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” underscoring a monstrous dance duet. The story laid out on stage is unfortunately hard to understand due to a poor acoustics that muddy the dialogue, but it can also be uncovered via a scavenger hunt downstairs — a far more effective way of granting audiences access to the full lore, provided you have access to a device that can read QR codes. Each session grants audiences two hours of access to the House’s myriad of dreadful delights, and while it’s just the right amount of time to explore thoroughly without getting bored, it certainly leaves you wanting more.
Casa Vertigo, 1828 Oak St., Los Angeles; Monday 31st, 6:15 p.m. & 9:15 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 6:30 p.m. & 9:15 p.m.; Saturdays, 4:00 p.m., 6:45 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.; Sundays, 3:15 p.m., 6:00 p.m. & 8:45 p.m. https://houseofspiritssoiree.com/los-angeles/ Running time: 2 hours
