Murder House Productions presents Wendigo: 2019 Review

Murder House Productions, Thousand Oaks, CA

Over the past several years, the haunt community has seen the rise of a new wave of young home haunters who have developed surprisingly sophisticated spooky attractions that incorporate a mix of professional-quality theatrical sets, synchronized and programed special effects, dramatic and expert show lighting, immersive audio soundtracks, integrated and cogent storytelling, and, of course, some great scares to boot. Their work would be impressive enough regardless of the age of anyone putting on haunts of this caliber, but it's especially impressive here, considering that these folks are all in the high school or college aged demographic. This "New Blood" group of haunters includes people like Sam Kellman of Opechee Haunt, Ben Conway of Rosehill Haunt, Zion Fenwick of Twisted Minds Productions, and our focus in today's update: Aurora Persichetti and Kyle Warner of Murder House Productions. (Don't worry, we'll be visiting the other haunts this season and reporting from their attractions too!)

The MHP duo started their first haunt over in Thousand Oaks three years ago, but they really burst onto the scene in 2017 with their amazing Trick 'R Treat haunt, one of the few IP-based home haunts that I've seen and most certainly the most polished and stunning. With no real concerted advertising, it caught the eye of Rick West and some of the Midsummer Scream folks, which in turn prompted us to visit it that year, and since then, it's become an absolute must-visit in Westcoaster's haunting calendar. Last year's Resurrection haunt was an original concept production, and it showcased the creativity that Kyle and Aurora pour into their craft. When the two confirmed that another haunt would be coming this year, we were understandably excited. And so, we made the trek out to Thousand Oaks earlier this week to see what Murder House Productions had to offer this year with their 2019 creation, Wendigo.

Kyle and Aurora, the brains and effort behind Murder House Productions.

The wendigo is a supernatural creature based on the Algonquian Native American mythology. This beast is a somewhat werewolf-like spirit, except with the aesthetic of a carnivorous buck or ram or reindeer. It has traditionally been associated with attributes of possession, cannibalism, and starvation, and it is seen as a malevolent being that can manifest as an independent spirit or take over the body of a person, transforming him or her into a murderous and terrifying monster. The legend is ripe for horror fodder, and after Murder House Production's witchcraft-inspired maze last year, the transition into this similarly rustic but supernatural and ravenous story was a logical move.

This year, the entirety of the maze is once again contained in the Persichetti garage, with an extension built onto the front driveway to serve as a facade and queuing area this year and some additional light theming in the front yard, mostly comprised of a pretty awesome logo projected onto the neighbor's side wall.

<<<SPOILER WARNING>>>
For anyone who plans on visiting this haunt this or next weekend but doesn't want to know what happens in the storyline.

This is not your friendly, woodland critter scene.

Guests enter by stepping into a branch of the Appalachian Trail. Immediately, they are transported away from Southern California suburbia and deep into the creepy, haunting woods of the American east. The wilderness setting, dramatic lighting, and chilling soundscape set an immediate pall upon the atmosphere, made even eerier by the presence of a couple of static beasts consuming ill-fated wildlife. A little rabbit is victim to a feral dog-like creature on one side. A buck is being consumed by something a little more demonic on the other. And guests have no choice but continue forward to see what might be causing such a savage disturbance.

A shift into the next scene shows a campsite with a modest fire just outside. Ducking into the tent reveals a rummage of books and papers and scribbles and tools, evidence of an explorer who has gone out into the forest to investigate the lore of the wendigo. This seems like an unwise idea, but some people just have to set out to find truths for themselves.

Unfortunately, the fate of the explorer is witnessed in the next scene, as the woman comes into the moonlight and is revealed to have been possessed by the spirit of the wendigo. This jarring and dramatic lightning-lit moment is reminiscent of the opening scene of Resurrection last year. It's sublime intimacy and horror juxtapose an elegance in the portrayal of the scene against the horror of what is actually happening.

This might look familiar to attendees of last year’s MHP haunt.

From there, the intensity ramps up. A barn appears, also reminiscent of last year's production, and guests find a veritable butcher shop of blood and bones and scavenged remains littered throughout, hanging from rafters, piled up against corners, and even nestled in shelves and bins. Without warning, a goatlike, snakey creature attacks from above. Rounding the corner reveals a demon-like figure, who plunges a hand into the chest of an unfortunate human victim, ripping it from the cavity with a spritz of blood. He laughs with a sinister satisfaction.

Finally, guests proceed into a farm silo, where more skulls are piled up--evidence of recent human feasting, and the wendigo is revealed in dramatic strobe and thunder. This sends the group scurrying out of the den and back onto the proverbial safety of the real world.

<<<END SPOILERS>>>

If Murder House Production's Wendigo can be described in one phrase, it would be "mind-blowing." Aurora and Kyle fit so much detail into such a confined space, and the result is a concise, visceral, spine-tingling haunted experience that doubles as a masterpiece in storytelling. There are layers of theming within each scene, not to mention some fun callbacks and easter eggs for returning MHP fans. One of the most impressive achievements of this haunt is how it manages to recreate the openness of the wilderness sky high above despite the fact that the plaster ceiling of the garage is less than ten feet overhead. The way the lighting is focused, and how the trees filter upward, and how little details like a full moon in the distance force perspective all combine to achieve a deliciously deceptive effect.

The camp scene is full of little props and details that reference previous haunts, and sharp eyed guests might spot bloody scribbles referencing MPH, Kyle, Aurora, and a few other notes within the barn. Even the barn facade is a return from last year, but it looks even better this year under the enhanced theatrical lighting that has been set in place.

There's also thought and care applied to the ground and wall treatment. Rocky caves of the transition between the first and second scenes is simple craft paper deformed into craggy texture, but it looks incredibly convincing under the show lighting. Aurora also took actual pine leaves and mulch and scattered it across the ground in the scene after the campsite and added branches from a recently chopped down tree on the family property to add to the enveloping ambiance. The hanging wendigo bone symbols were all lovingly hand-made and hand-hung. Even the addition of a pine scent, subtly sprayed from a hidden cannister, helps really complete the illusion.

The barn scenes are the most gory that Murder House Productions has ever devised, and there are so many wonderful elements that really inject depth into the haunt atmosphere. Nothing is plain here. A little rat feasts on bits of cadaver flesh, while roaches cover a skull. Hanging netting and burlap add some claustrophobia to the space. Even the blood spray effect is wisely done--more of a nice mist instead of the full-on water gun jet of water employed at Halloween Horror Nights.

The barn is rather hellish in Murder House Production’s Wendigo maze!

This brings us to the natural comparison. Trick 'R Treat amazed everyone because it was the first time a home haunt had really recreated the feel and quality of a Universal Studios Horror Nights maze (minus the black hallways)--all the way down to the boo box style scare, which was more palatable within this condensed home haunt length vs being repetitive through a full theme park maze length. It was even funnier, given that Universal did a Trick 'R Treat maze in Hollywood the following year.

But this year's Murder House Productions attraction seems to have reached a new level of complexity and sophistication that arguably surpasses the HHN giant. The boo boxes are less predictable, and the theatrical scenes carry even more weight and impact for showcasing story, not just scare. The way each startle is manifested is truly graceful in its horror, coming from a variety of angles that doesn't broadcast its presence like Universal does. Faced with the challenge of fitting so much into such little space, Kyle and Aurora have knocked it out of the park. They should be more than proud of the magnificent haunt that they have passionately crafted.

Murder House Productions located at 2240 Ranch View Place, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 and continues this weekend--tonight and tomorrow night--next Friday through Sunday, and also the following Wednesday, Halloween eve, and Thursday, Halloween night. The haunt is open 7-10pm each evening, and it is a perfect combination with two-exits-down Reign of Terror for an evening of high quality, exquisite frights. There's also Nights of the Jack down the road in Calabasas for those who want to mix teen/adult scares with family friendly Halloween fun, and House at Haunted Hill in nearby Woodland Hills for anyone going on Halloween.

This is a fantastic home haunt that has very quickly risen to the ranks of being among the best in Southern California, and despite its distance from Metropolitan Los Angeles and Orange County, it is absolutely worth the trip for any haunt fan. Go check it out, before Wendigo materializes away...