Terror
Roulette

The Arboretum of South Barrington, Sept. 29–Oct. 31, $45 (group discounts available)

Exquisite
Corpse

Rough House Theatre Co. at Chopin Theatre in West Town, Oct. 5–31, suggested $15–$45
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


Terror Roulette

The Arboretum of South Barrington, Sept. 29–Oct. 31, $45 (group discounts available)

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