New Halloween Recommendation: Terrifying True Stores by Candlelight – updated with review & photos
This preview was originally posted on October 10. It has been updated with a review and photographs of the show at The Cat’s Walk Theatre in Hollywood, which you can find below the original text.
Original Text: Terrifying True Stories by Candlelight (may contain outdated information)
Having finished up its brief run at Heritage Square Museum last weekend, Terrifying True Stores by Candlelight is moving to The Cat’s Crawl in Los Angeles for a two-day engagement next week, followed by a gig in Oxnard at the end of the month. The immersive theatrical presentation dramatizes a series of legends and “true” stories, mixing drama with jump-scares. For the record, the show rebrands itself according to its location: the L.A. shows are Terrifying True Stores by Candlelight in a Haunted Theatre; the Oxnard shows are Terrifying True Stores by Candlelight in a Haunted Church.
The stories include “The Resurrection of Marjorie McCall,” “Salem’s Circle,” Doctor Wax,” “The Final Prophecy,” “The Nest of Spiders,” and “Exorcista.” In the words of the press release: “These are not simple tales—they are confrontations with spirits demanding recognition, phantoms yearning for acknowledgment, and beings that reject eternal rest…”
Technically, Terrifying True Stories by Candlelight is not a new event, but we missed its single show last Halloween. Since then, we attended an off-season variation this May, titled Victorian Horror Stories in the Dark, which was quite impressive. The short plays offered a variety of approaches – some subtle, some serious, some slightly tongue-in-cheek, along with a handful of heart-stopping frights you would expect from a haunted house attraction. Based on that, we highly recommend checking out this Halloween’s presentation.
The Los Angeles shows take place on October 17 and 18, Friday and Saturday. Start times are 6pm, 7:30pm, and 9pm. Patrons are advised to arrive thirty minutes early. The Oxnard shows take place on October 24 and 25.
Tickets (not including fees) are $65+ for general admission and $85+ for VIP; early bird discounts are currently available. Admission is restricted to ages 17 and over. Parking is free. (Update: Prices may be slightly different in Oxnard; see review below for current info.)
Terrifying True Stores by Candlelight in a Haunted Theatre (Reviewed at Cat's Crawl Theatre)
Ratings Scale
0 – Poor
1 – Mediocre
2 – Fair
3 – Good
4 – Great
5 – Excellent
Terrifying True Stories by Candlelight (from the people behind the Terrifying True Stories podcast) takes the form of an immersive, slightly interactive theatrical presentation, disguised as live events taking place – and whirling out of control – directly before the audience. It’s a bit like a series of supernatural Ted Talk gone wrong as characters give lectures and recount events that break the fourth wall with horrifying consequences.
“The Resurrection of Marjorie McCall” sets the tone, with Marjorie herself telling the audience about having been buried and returned from the grave. Her account is more dramatic than horrifying, showing the lingering effects of surviving a horrible circumstance, in this case crossing the shadowy line separating life from death.
“Salem’s Circle” deals with esoteric arts and incantations, which may require audience participation.
“Doctor Wax” is a creepy tale told by a ghostly child, whose body was exhumed (along with many others) by the title character and preserved in wax. Mostly this is a grim tragedy, spiked with occasional scares when the title character makes his appearance, creeping down the aisles through the audience.
“The Final Prophecy” is an entertaining presentation by Anton Mesmer. The father of mesmerism (a forerunner of hypnosis) dazzles the audience with feats of “animal magnetism,” which looks like magic to us, though in Mesmer’s theories it was magnetic fluid that existed in living creatures, which could be used to healing effect.
“The Nest of Spiders” is an amusingly comic piece, which turns grim at the end. Dr. Eliza Fanny Staveley lovingly recounts her obsessive interest in arachnids while her doltish assistant offers comic relief. Things go bad when an oversized hybrid she has developed gets loose in the theatre. In the blackout that follows, the creature’s rampage is not seen, but it is heard – and felt.
“Exorcista” finally takes the gloves off and goes for a serious level of horror. The setup is that the theatre itself has held a demon imprisoned since an exorcism performed long ago by a bishop whose uncorrupted body (indicating his holiness) lies in state on premises. Two priests express different points of few on how to banish the demon, and it’s not clear who is right – if either of them. This uncertainty intensifies audience suspense as the exorcism flies wildly out of control, providing a powerful climax for the evening.
There is a good variety to the tales: alternately creepy, eerie, funny, and frightening while the scare element slowly increases from mild to intense for the climactic exorcism. As to the veracity of these “true” stories, we will remain agnostic. However, their presentation – as real events being recounted directly to us in the very theatre where they are supposed to be taking place – adds an extra turn of the screw – or perhaps two.
Interactive and immersive elements turn Terrifying True Stories by Candlelight into something more than just an anthology of short plays. The audience is acknowledged from beginning to end, with characters addressing them directly, stepping off the stage, moving through aisles, and sometimes inviting participation. Immersion arises from presenting the actual venue (in this case, Cat’s Crawl Theatre) as the location of the exorcism (including the bishop’s body you pass upon entering). This immersive impact is enhanced by darkly dressed figures floating in and out of peripheral vision during the show (while deftly aiding scene transitions). At times, the horror even becomes tactile, when you feel the spray of blood or the tingle of spiderwebs.
Overall, Terrifying True Stories in the Dark remains a theatre piece more than Halloween haunt, but that’s what it means to be, and it delivers the shivers.
The performance of Terrifying True Stories by Candlelight reviewed here took place on October 18 at Cat’s Crawl Theater, 660 Heliotrope Drive in Hollywood. The Oxnard shows take place on October 24 and 25, Friday & Saturday. Start times are 6pm, 7:30pm, and 9pm. Patrons are advised to arrive thirty minutes early. Tickets are $70.56 for general admission and $85.41 for VIP (including fees); there is also a two-for one deal for $65. Early bird discounts are available until until October 24. Admission is restricted to ages 17 and over. The location is Heritage Square, 715 South A Street, Oxnard, CA 93030. Free parking is available. Get more information at the official website.
Terrifying True Stories by Candlelight in a Haunted Theatre: Photo Gallery
