Pomona’s ‘Delusion’ experience transforms Phillips Mansion into a house of terror

Esther Phillips lives unsocial successful a stunning mansion surrounded by keepsakes tied to spirits that conscionable can’t fto go. This haunting season, she’s inviting guests into her location for the archetypal clip ever to assistance her research her latest artifact — 1 that seems much powerfully tied to the tone satellite than the rest.

While the Phillips Mansion successful Pomona is real, this communicative isn’t.

“Delusion: Reaper’s Remorse” is the brainchild of Los Angeles-based writer, manager and tv and movie stuntman Jon Braver. He’s written a publication for his yearly “Delusion” horror-themed interactive theatre lawsuit and determination are plentifulness of roles for guests to willingly oregon unwillingly instrumentality connected wrong his twisted play.

Since 2011, he’s developed a bid of terrifying tales that person played retired successful eerie aged churches, historical mansions and abandoned theaters successful the L.A. country each fall. Groups of 10-12 radical mingle with the actors wrong the hour-long acquisition and are asked to enactment unneurotic oregon solo to execute definite tasks to further the storyline.

“There’s truly thing similar it anyplace – due to the fact that you truly bash consciousness similar you’re wrong of a fearfulness movie oregon wrong of immoderate different fantastical world,” Braver said during a caller telephone interview.

While determination are elements of a modular walk-thru haunted location and flight rooms incorporated into the acquisition and it is scripted, astatine its core, Braver insists, it’s precise overmuch unrecorded theatre and thing tin happen.

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“You could beryllium captured wrong your radical and spell connected a small broadside adventure,” helium said. “That allows for a batch of replayability and it has that campfire effect wherever aft the amusement everybody benignant of gathers astir successful a ellipse and they’re like, ‘Where did you go?’ ‘What did you do?’ ‘What happened implicit there?’ So it’s truthful overmuch amusive to benignant of reconnect adjacent afterwards with people.”

How progressive does 1 truly request to get to beryllium a portion of the “Delusion” experience? Braver said determination are respective layers to the communicative that supply information levels for some the meek and the bold.

“You tin inactive beryllium passive successful the acquisition and get swallowed into the communicative portion not having to bash arsenic galore things,” helium added. “With each the ‘Delusion’ events, the much you enactment the amended clip you’ll person and the much you’ll autumn down the rabbit hole.”

This acquisition is simply a carnal 1 arsenic the play constituent makes situations fluid, truthful guests are encouraged to deterioration comfy covering and shoes that won’t impede movement. There volition beryllium step climbing, lurking successful the bushes and perchance immoderate crawling involved. They’ll besides acquisition airy carnal touch, choky spaces, strobe effects and unexpected large noises. “Delusion: Reaper’s Remorse” is not recommended for those nether the property of 12, and successful compliance with existent region COVID-19 guidelines, guests indispensable deterioration look masks astatine each times indoors.

Braver said helium thinks that this year’s lawsuit is the scariest mentation of “Delusion” he’s done yet. He attributes portion of that to the caller location, which is situated on the Butterfield Stage way and nestled up against immoderate mountains successful the Spadra vicinity of Pomona. Phillips Mansion was built successful 1875 by Louis Phillips, who astatine the clip was the wealthiest antheral successful Los Angeles.

“We knew these 2 people, Esther and Louis Phillips, lived successful this mansion, but that’s beauteous overmuch wherever it ends for maine successful presumption of humanities facts with the story,” helium said. “When I archetypal saw the place, I was like, ‘Oh yes, this is special.’ It’s similar an artifact unto itself and it’s a spot unusual and unsettling. It’s a cleanable Halloween and fearfulness satellite and I’ve ne'er seen thing similar it.”

Though determination is simply a designated check-in clip for the interactive play, guests are invited to get aboriginal and enactment aft to rotation the free-roaming acquisition created extracurricular of the main lawsuit that furthers the communicative with a scavenger hunt-style twist. There’s besides a afloat barroom with nutrient and beverages disposable for purchase. For an further $30, there’s a VIP upgrade that grants entree to the Her Private Collection VIP Lounge that includes second-floor access, exploring the Phillips backstage postulation of further artifacts, a backstage barroom and lounge and a signed lawsuit poster.

For Braver, doing “Delusion” each twelvemonth is fundamentally balling up each of his passions into 1 — classical role-playing games, writing, directing and stunts — and throwing them astatine a unrecorded audience. While helium has a lengthy database of credits for his acting and stunt enactment successful films similar “Tenet,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Iron Man” and “American Sniper,” the bulk of his enactment is present happening off-camera arsenic helium continues to constitute and produce.

“When a occupation presents itself present and it sounds similar amusive and doesn’t interfere with the ‘Delusion’ stuff, I’ll inactive bash it,” helium said. “It’s a ace amusive occupation to get and it does get the adrenaline going. But I’ve been coordinating down the cameras now, truthful I whitethorn inquire idiosyncratic other to spell dive done a window.

“Sometimes you’ve gotta beryllium the 1 to bash that though, and particularly if it’s [stunt] driving, I’m in. Who wouldn’t privation to bash that? Go crashing though things and flipping cars?” helium said, earlier rethinking the statement. “I mean, who would privation to bash that, I guess.”

“Delusion: Reaper’s Remorse”

When: 6:30-11:15 p.m. Thursday-Sunday Sept. 16-Nov. 21

Where: Phillips Mansion, 2640 Pomona Blvd., Pomona

Tickets: $89.99-$129.99 wide admission; Additional $30 for VIP upgrade includes backstage barroom and lounge entry, entree to a secluded 2nd level with the Phillips backstage postulation of idiosyncratic artifacts and a signed poster from Delusion creator Jon Braver. All tickets are disposable astatine enterdelusion.com.