I saw the show last year and this year and Wicked Lit has now become a part of my October. It is really creative theater that uses practical space to take the audience on an adventure! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants something other than the traditional 'boo I scared you' haunted houses. Go the bathroom before you leave though because it's outhouses. read more

Such a great offering for folks who love the Halloween season, but even if you don't, a fantastic way to take in live theatre. Completely immersive in a beautiful setting. So much for the senses to take in. As in any production there are stronger and weaker performers. But I suspect in this production the few weaknesses were from lack of experience from what I saw in the programming. Otherwise this production company has definitely found a new fan. As a lover of halloween this is a welcome addition to our season's activities. If you are looking for an alternative in haunt attractions this is a sophisticated, yet great, creepy other offering. read more

After years of wanting to attend this event I finally had the opportunity. We are lucky here in LA to have unique experiences such as Wicked Lit. I am the writer/director of Delusion, another interactive theatre company, so I know what goes into these things. To see Jeff and Paul's passion in action is so wonderful. I try to exist in a world just outside of our own as often as I can. A world where we can be kids again, creating cool new experiences every day and keeping the mind active albeit with thoughts of horror, suspense and mystery ;) Well, Jeff and Paul and the entire Wicked Lit Co. really help those of us who wish to explore those other worlds. Their use of sound and space mixed with captivating performances really create a magical evening one should not miss out on. Well done guys...I'm a fan. read more

Like others have said, I did not expect this to be as good as it was. No doubt it sounded cool from the description: live theater performed throughout the grounds of a cemetery in October. I did not expect how high the production value would be, and how overall excellent the entire production would be. I was lucky enough to be invited to a preview night, when the company was still supposed to be working out kinks. If that's the level they're playing at for a practice run, they'll be blowing their mid-month audiences out of the water. Immersive, impressive sound design; inventive, on point lighting design; great acting in the plays, and great improv during the in-between performances when you're waiting for each play to start. They hit all different notes in the performances: eerie, sinister, romantic, campy...each play was very different from the last. This year there's "Dracula's Guest", "The Monk", and "La Llorona". My favorite part of all of these is how they use the space. They require you to be active and move through the entire cemetery grounds in pursuit of your guide for each of the three plays (though don't worry if that's not your thing, there's plenty of seating available once you get to each stop). The Dracula story takes you wandering through gravestones and mixes traditional built sets with the cemetery grounds; The Monk takes advantage of the already epic architecture of the chapel interior and gardens; and the story of La Llorona -- perhaps the least traditional, most experimental, and my overall favorite for its surprise inclusion of a short but freakin' incredible & moody modern dance sequence -- takes you throughout the grand, spooky hallways of the mausoleum and has a huge finale heavy on the aforementioned bomb-ass sound and lighting design. One of the plays did feature some simulated sex and blasphemy, and all of them require prolonged attention spans and for the audience to remain silent, so maybe think twice about bringing a young kid. Also, if you're going in a group, make sure everyone arrives at approx the same time -- the larger audience is eventually split up into three groups based on a color each person is assigned when they arrive. Each of the three groups stick together the whole time to watch the three plays together. It's the only way they can do it to keep the audience size controlled for each play, and keep each group moving through on the correct schedule from one play to the next. I imagine swapping colors or assigning yourself your own color to stay with your group would mess up their system and throw off the whole night for everyone. In short, GO SEE THIS. It's incredible to me that more people don't know about this. I think it's hard to imagine how awesome it could possibly be until you've experienced it. Or maybe you need to be a bit more of a site-specific performance nerd, which apparently I now am. The ticket price might seem steep for a Halloween event where you're not *quite* sure what you're gonna get, but it's well worth it. Plan to be there the whole night -- the preview took a total of 4.5 hours. Totally worth the time. I'll be going every year from now on. read more

!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fantastic! Halloween is my boyfriend's most favorite holiday (not mine) so every year he tries to come up with different places to go to. I must admit I was a bit skeptical at first about Wicked Lit - a bit pricey and I have to walk around?? But boy, was I converted! We were able to go their preview night. The intimidating environment was already there to set the mood - the Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery. But with the exceptional sound effects and lighting - it surely brought it up a notch. Great production value. They really used the space to their advantage. The audience was split into 3 groups - each one to see the 3 different plays at different times - Las Lloronas, Dracula's Guest, and The Monk. And in between each show, we were brought back to the courtyard to be entertained by the gypsies, a clairvoyant and inventor/adventurer. They were funny! My favorite was Las Lloronas, where we were shown 5 different takes/interpretations of the legend. Las Lloronas was our group's first play. And it was at the mausoleum. It was dark, spooky yet beautifully eerie. That totally set the tone for me. Then for Dracula's Guest, they had a nice set then we had to walk to the graveyard. That was creepy! I must admit I did yelp (no pun intended) twice. I had to cover my mouth with my sweater so I won't disturb the actors and the audience. Then we were on top of building looking down at the garden for the for the second half of The Monk - brilliant! Most of the acting was strong, a few weak ones but over-all an excellent show. I agree with all the 5-star reviewers. It was about 4 hours. I didn't mind the walking at all. I was mesmerized and totally immersed in the experience. A MUST SEE. I'm looking forward to next year's production. read more

I wanted to write this as a heads up to anyone thinking of going to this. I was excited to go as it was recommended by someone who went a few years ago but we actually left early because it was so boring. The venue was great, lighting, sound, costumes and most of the actors right on...and it could have been great....but some of the actors were over the top (especially during the breaks) and the stories were pretty dry and although there was potential to make them great-maybe with more actors coming out in different places to scare or up the excitement (dimly lit hallways in the church not used, etc.), but after two performances (the Damned thing and the Open Door) we had to leave- it was almost painful to watch. I was really looking forward but really disappointed and will not go again. read more

My husband always wants to go see scary things, particularly around his October birthday, whereas I am frankly just a chicken. He had brought home a WickedLit flyer he picked up from a bookstore. When I checked the website they were sold out so I figured I was in the clear but the sheer disappointment and look of ' I really want to go but I knew you wouldn't go with me cause you're a chicken' was too much to bear and, if I'm being honest, wasn't far from the truth. So I took the extra initiative to call. My phone call was returned promptly by Paul Millet, the friendly co-artistic director, who, much to my total dismay had just had two tickets come available. Crap. Now I HAVE to go to the scary play in the cemetery. Good lord. Making points with the husband, we get to the mausoleum just before 7pm as Paul recommends to witness 'The Red Death Experience'. I am pretty terrified which I vow to tell no one yet almost immediately start blithering to anyone who will listen. We are separated into groups and the 'Red Death' begins. Actors in renaissance costumes dance and sing fairly joyously. There is even a jester offering comic relief. I however, the victim of unwillingly watching too many creepy horror movies with my ghost hunter husband (who, for the record, has endured an equal amount of Hugh Grant romantic comedies) , literally spend the entire time biting my nails. I am fully convinced that shortly we will be encircled by vampires and eaten alive. Or, at very least, scared out of our wits by characters jumping out of bushes and such. This was not like that. Not at all. This was a beautifully choreographed, carefully crafted theatre experience where you witness and move with the action all around you but you don't interact. It's almost like being in a movie where the actors are running by you but they are not aware of you. You are a fly on the wall. It's fun and actually kind of exhilarating. It's not flawless. It doesn't have to be cause it's ridiculous good fun. I'm not really interested in picking it apart because it's smart and creative. The venue is not to be believed and the producers make good use of what seem to be endless nooks and crannies. I won't give it away except to say that I am a believer. So much so that I (yes! Me personally) signed my husband and I up as patrons for $20 per month assuring us tickets to future events and encouraging Paul and his co-horts to keep up the good work. Go!!! Go and have fun! It's something clever enough to entice a self proclaimed wuss to put her own fears aside and just enjoy some good old fashioned ghost stories in a fresh way. read more

Not entertaining. I kept falling asleep during the inside performances and froze during the outside performances. A total waste of money!

I'm a little surprised there aren't any reviewers that felt this production was an inappropriate use of a burial space, which for some religions is often blessed and/ or holy ground. I don't know if any the ground is blessed here...? Having heard and read the excellent reviews, we paid $60 a ticket and were greeted by an enthusiastic, if high school level pre-show - but I appreciated that this was at least an effort to entertain while people arrived for the main event. While on the street section of the grounds it felt strange for this random performance to be happening, but still okay. I had been curious about how this group would use the space without being disrespectful, and walking through and staying on streets and pathways seemed like it would be okay. When we were led to the courtyard area outside the Mausoleum, I felt my first strong feeling of "awkward" when I spotted a table of refreshments for sale in front of a wall of dead. Tacky, or was it just me? No else appeared bothered aside from me and my husband. We are a young couple in our late thirties and go to many interesting and diverse types of performances in L.A. so I don't think we would be immediately categorized as uptight. Despite our misgivings, we went to the first of three stories, which took us inside the mausoleum. The performance quality here was better, however we left as soon as we were led safely back out of the darkness. I looked at my husband shortly after that first show inside started, and said, "this doesn't feel right." He nodded similarly, and I wish I had had the good sense to leave then. As soon as the first act/story was over and we were back in the outdoor courtyard, he said the word that popped into my mind throughout that first play - "Sacrilege. It feels like sacrilege." My husband isn't a churchgoer or claimant of any religion, but he also felt the same uncomfortable feeling I had for the duration of the performance. We were doing something that wasn't right. On top of that, in this particular story a satan-like character narrated the stories and it culminated in a demonic character and projection against the stained glass of the mausoleum. I was a little sick to my stomach when I thought of all the prayers that mourners and religious leaders must have said here for those who had passed on. This definitely felt irreverent to the sacredness of the place and the bodies at rest and families who entrusted their family to the owners of the location. That said, this is L.A., right? We shoot plenty of film and TV on these types of locations. Probably some of the people buried there would have thought it was cool. And I'm pretty sure they don't care now. But for me, I hope there are still enough people alive who saw the show and who have considered going and might re-think things. It's easy to get caught up in our art and entertainment, and making choices that we believe are pushing the boundaries - or just saving a lot of money. Did anyone else feel uncomfortable but you just pushed that instinct away because someone had approved this location and people have been doing this show for several years now? My personal feeling was sadness that a group of artists used the death of others as props and sets for their art, and I regretted my own curiosity for contributing to it. I would like to believe that all our lives are sacred and that we respect the physical bodies that allowed us to love and laugh and create. A few other couples also left at the same time as us. They were if a different group than ours, but I wondered if they had the same reaction. The performance was okay. Not horrible. The sound and lighting and effects nice. The choice of location - or at least how that location was used - not right, or at minimum in my opinion, not in good taste. However it seems like a lot of people don't mind and obviously the residents haven't complained. I think with all the great locations in L.A. and the amount of effort put into the production, an alternate venue could be found. Overall, (having only seen one of the three plays for the evening) if it had been somewhere else, I would have given it 2-3 stars for quality and a fun Halloween event. For taking advantage of those who can't fight back and the families of who loved them-my lowest rating. Here's hoping for redemption next year. read more