Drunken Devil's The Sinner's Soiree: 2015 Recap

Downtown Los Angeles, CA

It's time for another #ShriekySunday, and this time, we look at a newcomer to the L.A. haunt scene last year in the form of Drunken Devil Production's The Sinner's Soiree.  This event advertised itself as a bit more of an adult play--not necessarily in the content of the haunt, but just in general vibe and atmosphere.  The idea was to create a Mardi Gras themed Southern Gothic version of hell, where a sense of quiet, slow creep pervaded, rather than in-your-face high-intensity scares.

To that end, The Sinner's Soiree was not a typical haunt.  The spaces and scenes were generaly sparsely themed, relying on play of light and shadow and select props to convey their story.  The actors sometimes went for startle scares, but more often, they were present to evoke a macabre mood and play off the concept of sin and the appeal of dark things.  So though not necessarily scary, it was a different sort of event.  Lets take a further look...

When I ran into Drunken Devil owner Matt Dorado at Midsummer Scream, he mentioned that they would not be returning with a haunted attraction this fall.  The outcome of The Sinner's Soiree wasn't exactly in line with Matt's original vision as a haunt, but as it turned out, the social aspect outside of the actual maze turned his attention to putting on more themed social events, which have come with some greater success. 

This October, they will be putting together a Witches' Ball Halloween dance, featuring the same ambiance of darkness and decadence mixed with vaudeville, acrobatic, and dance performances, a bar atmosphere, and a spirit of old fashioned Halloween indulgence and festivity.  For those looking for a unique Halloween weekend Saturday night experience, this might be worth checking out!

Architect. Photographer. Disney nerd. Haunt enthusiast. Travel bugged. Concert fiend. Asian.