Prism Haunted House: 2019 Review
Prism Experiences, Mission Viejo, CA
Happy #ShriekySunday, folks! With the post-holidays theme park “off-season” upon us, we’ll be catching up on last year’s haunt season by wrapping up our coverage of home haunts that we visited late in October. We’ll start with the first haunt that we visited on Halloween night, a terrific haunted house in Mission Viejo produced by Prism Experiences.
Prism Haunt stepped into the void of Mission Viejo haunted houses following the discontinuation of Higgins Manor. A first year haunt in 2018, Prism returned for its sophomore performance last year, continuing the story of a medical research laboratory gone wrong. The production value of this haunt is certainly impressive. From the spiffy web site to the execution of the research lab through the course of the layout, creators David Fefferman, Andrew Ducote, and Alex Darejeh have have crafted a sophisticated and cinematic walk-through that offers a clear story and a bit of dark humor to boot.
The drama begins before guests even step foot into the haunt. The queue extends on the sidewalk down the street, but visitors who might feel a little daring can venture over near the exit of the maze, where an example specimen of one of the experiments conducted by “The Doctor” is on display. A mutated, fiendish creature looking like something out of a Guillermo del Toro fantasy-gone-wrong concoction paces behind chainlink fencing, growling and wheezing, occasionally lunging at guests who come a little too close. “Don’t worry,” the staff at this micro-lab assure, “He won’t bite.” That doesn’t seem quite so assuring, but the folks running this independent science facility seem more focused on the publicity that comes with the tour they are offering, encouraging guests to pose for photos and even take advantage of a photo booth set-up.
This seems fine. Everything seems fine here. Nothing to see!
Once guests do enter, however, they work through an unnerving preshow that lays the groundwork for the tour (and story) and the safety rules. There’s a lot to process, and the Doctor doesn’t quite seem entirely savory and sincere, but hey, this is a realm of science, right? Everything should be objective and carefully controlled. What can go wrong? A bit of decontamination spray later, and guests are invited into the lobby, where a receptionist is waiting to check guests in.
This is where appearances go from potentially sinister to outright disturbing and grotesque. The reception area seems to have been taken over by a viny latticework of eyeballs and mossy tendrils, all scrawled across the walls. The pupils blink and seem to stare disturbingly, the poor receptionist seems to have been a victim of this organic parasite.
Or perhaps not, because she suddenly awakes with a gasp, startling anyone who might be standing right at the desk, and provides an eerily choked welcome. There is so much to see, even though everything seems to have immediately gone wrong, and it seems the only way to proceed is forward.
A creative scare-from-behind is one of Prism’s many atypical maze elements.
A solitary hanging light bulb entices guests to stroll down the ensuing hallway, but that is merely a set-up for an ambush by the first of several creatures who sneak up from behind. It seems the organisms that have been bred may be considered beautiful masterpieces by the Doctor, but they are anything but to the visitors, who scurry into the main laboratory space next door.
There, heavy fog floods an unnaturally lit space, full of radioactive greens and garish blue hues, and a set-up of science experiments and waste barrels and gas canisters suggests some sinister experiments. It also seems that guests aren’t alone, as victim scientists spring forth from hidden compartments, calling out for help and salvation from the torment of the ogres that are running amok. As guests proceed, they encounter other victims plastered against the walls and even the ceilings, trapped by similarly tentacled coils, evidence that the science of playing God and creator have not produced the most savory results.
It’s probably too late for these scientists, who have become victims of the Doctor’s creations.
Everything comes to head when guests encounter the good Doctor himself, who revels in the life he has created. Constantly tweaking and testing, the Doctor seems hauntingly delighted at his magnificent treasures and unable to understand why anyone else would feel differently. But in a final act of psychological onslaught, the Doctor calls upon “Steve” to usher the guests out. On cue, a towering, demonic ogre lumbers out of a compartment from behind everything, marching toward the group with malevolent intentions. Amidst the screams, guests are able to escape out a side door that takes them through a passageway to safety back out in the world of South Orange County.
Prism Haunt showcases a fantastic example of the new “Haunt 2.0” style of scare attractions that have gained popularity over the past several years, emphasizing storytelling and technology to accent traditional jump scares and gorish visuals and deliver an immersive and theatrical experience. The fact that this polish is now being achieved by “amateur” residential haunters is quite impressive, and the effort that David and his wife, Shasha Jhaveri-Fefferman, have invested into their otherwise-typical suburban home is truly amazing.
The synchronization of the effects with the preshow and scenic elements keeps a nice pacing to the experience, which lasts a solid five minutes or so for those who don’t become trapped by fear. Details like twitching animatronic branches and those trypophobia-inducing eyes, combined with timed air blasts and spotlight triggers and the use of live actors up the quality of this haunted house well above most second-year ventures. The production as a whole is focused and efficient, with plenty of thought put into the procession and sequence of the tension and climactic jump scare moments.
David and Shasha and their friends have created a dreadfully excellent haunted attraction that is completely out of a labor of love. Halloween fans themselves, they just want to present something for the neighborhood that inspires the same memories of fun terror that they enjoyed as kids. And while Prism Haunt is certainly a straight-up hard scare active haunt, it isn’t too graphic or intense that only adults can experience it.
Hi, Steve!! He seems friendly.
Prism is the type of home haunt that we love discovering. With a story-driven production that uses technology and quality scenic direction to enhance the haunted house experience, and devoted actors who hit their prompts and perform their roles perfectly, it is a shining example of the wonderful effort and creations that young haunters are capable of today. It’s also nice to see this sort of quality in Orange County as well, which—though it does feature a fair amount of haunts—still trails Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley area in terms of top tier home haunts. To that end, bravo to the Prism team!
Prism Haunt is located at 24465 Chamalea Dr., Mission Viejo, CA 92691 and was open October 18, 19, 25, 26, and 31—that is, the last two Fridays and Saturdays of October plus Halloween night! Their 2019 run was quite successful, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for the neighborhood this year!
Architect. Photographer. Disney nerd. Haunt enthusiast. Travel bugged. Concert fiend. Asian.
