Prism Haunt presents MiCRO Lab 4: 2021 Review
Prism Haunted House, Mission Viejo, CA
I have an affinity for scary haunted houses in Mission Viejo. After all, a haunt lifetime ago, I was part of the original “scariest home haunt in Mission Viejo" myself! It was a lot of fun scaring at Higgins Manor, but the only problem was that I was never able to experience all the other fantastic home haunts that were out there. Suffice to say, my October schedule has opened up a little bit since then.
As such, I was ecstatic when I discovered a terrific Mission Viejo haunt a couple of years ago called Prism. Themed to a medical lab gone terribly wrong, Prism was terrifically impressive with its use of beautiful sets, incorporation of multi-media technology, and scary ambiance with a fun, sardonic tinge. Last year, because of the Coronavirus pandemic, Prism pivoted to a haunted show instead, giving owner David Fefferman new challenges to tackle and skills to learn in programming an elaborate theatrical show mixing live actors with projections, fog and laser effects, coordinated theatrical lighting and audio, and a few good ol’ fashioned scares!
For anyone daring enough to come close, this friendly / not-so-friendly monster is happy to take photos for Prism visitors!
This year was supposed to be the year that Prism put it all together. They were going to expand the maze layout, mix in little show moments and technology cues and triggers that would create a more theatrical and immersive environment, and greatly expand the world and frights that lie within the MiCRO Lab realm. And then they ran into every haunt’s least favorite friend: meddling local city jurisdiction.
At some point during their build this season—either from a neighbor’s complaint or perhaps just out of sheer chance of notice, the Fefferman came under attention from the city of Mission Viejo, which visited them several times to inspect their haunt and review compliance with local regulations. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because even home haunts need to be responsible for the safety of all their guests and their actors, but it can be problematic if a local official or perhaps a determined neighbor is committed to curtailing the haunt, period, and levels bureaucratic hoops and limitations that effectively make the continued operation of the haunt unviable. We’ve seen this happen with other successful home haunts—most notably Boney Island. And in this case, the result forced Prism to cut back this year’s haunt dramatically, removing the built-out maze foot print that had expanded onto the front driveway and drastically cutting the length and content of the maze.
Prism goes to great lengths to monitor the health and safety of its guests—as long as those guests don’t turn into test subjects.
As a result, this year, Prism Haunted House is a fraction of its original planned extents, starting on the right side of the front yard and spanning across the yard and front porch area before moving into the garage and exiting out the left side, along the driveway. None the less, David and his team have persevered as well as they could and produced a pretty fun and detailed experience despite their limitations.
Guests arriving at the corner of Chamelea Drive and, um, Chamalea Drive (the extended cut-de-sac has several turns) will find a familiar facade similar to the 2019 iteration out in front. Tenting and temporary pop-up quarantine tunnels line half of the front side, while a creature looms in front of some toxic waste barrels as a photo op for anyone brave enough to venture near. Fortunately, this monstrous beast is restrained, but the rattling chains help create startle scare opportunities on unsuspecting guests.
Once visitors venture in, the first half is a claustrophobic, winding course that almost feels like guest are crawling through some unseen service chase or utility corridor behind the walls of the actual lab. The mood is misty and mysterious, with foggy lighting and a few well-placed jump scare compartments helping to set up a tense mood. Along the way, there’s even signs of previous experimental activity, including a test pod with monitors still connected, and a subject (or victim) apparently trapped inside! Hanging wires and ductwork and discarded lab equipment make the actual path almost confusing, and the only way to get “un-lost” is to push forward.
The spectacular MiCRO Lab, complete with a patient undergoing “treatment.”
That brings guests into the second half, which serves as the big climactic space. Here, visitors stumble onto the lab of Dr. Sanguine himself, working on a heavily sedated creature but also flanked by a very not-sedated creature bounding with pent up energy. This demonic looking fiend crashes against the chainlink barrier that has fortunately been put up to shield the passers-by (though not intentionally by the doctor, who continuously decries how people have gotten in here and why they’re here). Occasionally, the creature rakes a metal pan across the fencing, creating a dramatic flurry of sparks that yields a fantastic visual effect.
Those attentive enough to not be focused on the intensity directly in front of them can take in the immaculate details of the lab space, which features a bevy of medical monitors, signs of a series of heinous and disfiguring experiments, and even a disposal conveyor belt to discard subjects that have not performed to expectations. This scene is the evidence of Prism’s potential and the beautiful crafted environment that it could have been this year, had it not been for the local authorities.
Alas, guests cannot linger too long. For one, there’s still this savage beast railing against the barrier, and for another, there’s an exit nearby that guests can use to escape back to the outdoor world. And so, leaving an all-too-brief time with Prism behind, unintentional tour groups re-emerge out into the evening air of Mission Viejo.
The lighting, theming, and level of detail in this bit end scene is fantastic!
This year’s Prism is a restrained step back from what Prism has demonstrated themselves to be capable to achieving, but it has been entirely due to circumstances beyond the creators’ control, as the team has done everything they can to comply with all local standards and requests. That said, what is there is still a lovely passion project of morbid medical curiosity spawning hideous horror, and the haunt is well worth stopping by as part of an area haunted attraction run. Even at last night’s opening night, we saw a short but continuous line of eager neighborhood guests who screamed and shrieked and were delighted by this neighborhood haunted attraction. We’ll see how Prism evolves next year, but it’s wonderful that they’re still able to entertain their local community neighbors with the spooks of Halloween!
Prism Haunt is located at 24465 Chamalea Dr., Mission Viejo, CA 92691 and runs 7:00 - 9:00 each evening on Fridays and Saturdays now through October 30 and 6:00 - 10:00pm on Sunday, October 31st. Tickets must be reserved in advance online via their EventBrite link but are free to reserve.
Architect. Photographer. Disney nerd. Haunt enthusiast. Travel bugged. Concert fiend. Asian.
