The 17th Door: 2021 Review

The 17th Door, Fullerton, CA

The 17th Door has been through a lot over the past six years. When it first burst onto the scene in 2015, it quickly established itself as a polarizing yet wildly popular extreme haunt thanks to its mix of elaborate, beautifully detailed, Halloween Horror Nights-caliber sets mixed with a penchant for scare tactics that went beyond the usual pro haunt jump scares and startles--techniques that included the use of live insects, electric shocks, prolific water effects, and other gross-out techniques that were not for the squeamish or faint of heart. That combination helped separate The 17th Door from the field, making it the most popular and only mainstream extreme haunt in Southern California and developing a legion of fans who felt that traditional big names like Knott's and Universal just weren't scary enough.

For my part, I enjoyed The 17th Door because it tackled the horror of reality, utilizing real, everyday dark matter like drug use, eating disorder, rape, abuse, and mental health through the lens of performative art, manifesting these demons in the form of its monsters and telling the galling story of poor Paula and her experience at Gluttire University. These were trigger topics for sure, and I understand if they may have turned some off, but I felt that there was a deeper weight to portraying the very genuine trauma of these hardships through the lens and metaphor of a haunt.

(Photo courtesy of The 17th Door.)

Two years later brought a wild change, as owners Robbie and Heather Luther had to move the venue in the middle of their offseason due to a lease expiration that couldn't be renewed. This resulted in the storyline and theme being completely retooled midway through the haunt planning year and a new setting--Perpetuum Penitentiary--built from scratch for the 2017 season. Instead of spending her junior year at Gluttire University, Paula was sentenced to an undefined term at the prison after shockingly murdering her baby at the end of her sophomore year. The vivid and sumptuous details of Gluttire University gave way to the stark and cold setting of Perpetuum, which also seemed to bring out even more raw and severe fright tactics and stunts in this elaborate haunt.

Since then, the story of Paula has continued at Perpetuum Penitentiary, evolving from a tortured victim suffering from psychological upheaval to a more sinister, threatening semi-antagonist to an abused victim of a corrupt institutional system who ultimately decides to take matters into her own hands (and up another's... well, those who've been to the past couple years' 17th Door will understand the reference).

The 17th Door features a host of ghastly characters eager to torment guests so that they’ll scream “Mercy!”

When we last checked in with Paula in 2019, she was due to be released from Perpetuum Penitentiary "due to good behavior" / after exacting her vengeance on the prison warden. 2020 would supposedly have seen her return to Gluttire University or perhaps follow her in a new setting, moving beyond the chapters of her previous five years, but the real life horror of the novel Coronavirus and resulting pandemic upended everything, and as a result (as I understand it), The 17th Door last year was largely a repeat of 2019.

2021 brings us back to Perpetuum Penitentiary.

That brings us to this year, with the pandemic still raging (but doing way better in SoCal than in most of the rest of the country) but haunts resuming as close to normal operations as possible after a lost year. I visited The 17th Door on Friday, curious about what changes might be in store for this year, especially after hearing that they had also been working on a new add-on attraction called The Field Trip (more on that at the end of this article).

Well, you know how I've mentioned that commercial haunts--despite resuming a largely typical operating schedule this year--were more restrained than usual, tempering their offerings or the scope of their haunts in one way or another because they've had to plan for a nebulous and ever-changing COVID environment where a sudden spike in worsening conditions could lead to an event shut-down at any time? That has turned out to be the case at The 17th Door, which largely retains its 2019 layout and plot, albeit with some updated and a couple completely changed rooms. The haunt does acknowledge the recycled narrative of this year's show, loosely referencing Paula's retention at Perpetuum on account of the COVID pandemic and pointing to the prison warden's false concern about her health and desire to make sure she passes all safety protocols as an excuse to keep her locked up. But fans who have attended the past two years' 17th Door will find this year to be largely the same, with returning notables like the "Tumbler Room," the firing squad, the gas chamber, the shower room, the shock treatment room, the cockroach lab, and others.

(Photo courtesy of The 17th Door.)

That's not to say that this year's event is a complete rehash. Several scenes have been reconfigured to deliver their scares differently or from unique angles, or to provide a different experience. That starts from the beginning scene transporting guests on a short bus to the prison and continues through the hobo alleyway scene and in elements like a disguised elevator ride up to the gas chamber that is now a S&M-esque whipping scene. The biggest and most notorious new scene, however, comes at the 17th and very final door, where guests are warned that they may be very soaked from the last challenge and given an explicit opportunity to Mercy out of the room if they choose. Having heard what happens before I visited, for the first time ever, I did actually opt to skip the room. I won't spoil what actually happens, but trust me when I say that at least one unlucky guest will exit the maze completely drenched from head to toe. A full change of clothes is recommended for anyone going to The 17th Door this year, because an extremely soggy ending (worst band name ever) is very much in the cards for visitors in 2021.

When they warn about getting very wet, they mean it!

Overall, The 17th Door has diversified its scares this year by offering a little bit of everything. The maze that originally gained infamy via gross out scares (its second season had guests reaching into Paula to deliver her baby, only to pull out an actual pig fetus) and later featured a third season that was particularly heavy in electrical shocking now delivers a balanced portfolio of scare actions, from traditional out-of-nowhere jump scares to those dreaded shocks to water threats and, of course, those disgusting cockroaches. But there are also physical challenges that guests must engage, turning some scenes less into frights and more into adventures.

There are a host of warnings shown very clearly for guests entering The 17th Door. This haunt may not be for everyone, but they communicate very clearly what guests are in store for.

The 17th Door continues to deliver an alternative and amped up haunt experience that caters to those looking for something less sanitized than regular commercial haunts. This year's offering is less original than the past full seasons, but as we've noted before, haunts get a pass this year because of the Coronavirus, and we're mostly just happy that there's some semblance of a normal haunt season.

The Field Trip is an extracurricular activity available as an uncharge add-on.

It did turn out that the folks at The 17th Door weren't just twiddling their thumbs this year. There is actually an upcharge attraction located off-site for fans looking for a different 17th Door experience called The Field Trip. This hour-long immersive is unlike anything that the haunt has done before and actually features less of the extreme haunt characteristics and more of a wild and raucous expedition with outlandish characters and activities. The premise?

For the past four years, you have been the prime example of a perfect inmate. As a reward for your good behavior, the Warden has chosen you to attend a field trip, leaving behind the walls of the penitentiary for one special evening of rehabilitation.

This 50 minute off-site experience will transport you from the grim and gruesome prison to a pair of worlds that are both equally wacky and unique. From Rave Furries to Ratrod Clowns, you are in for a wild ride that includes chasing, hiding, drops, sparks, music, dancing, and a bunch of cool cars. Part drive through, part walk through, all fun, this intense experience is like nothing ever done before.

I didn't get a chance to do this, unfortunately, as the attraction wasn't quite ready to be previewed to media this weekend, but if I have a chance to try it later in the season, I'll update the article. The Field Trip is a completely built-from-the-ground haunt in an outdoor environment that constitutes the bulk of the energy that the Luthers and their talented staff have devoted themselves to this year, and it definitely sounds like a riot--just not a prison riot.

(Photo courtesy of The 17th Door.)

Also, the Vixi Ward VR experience is back at The 17th Door. It’s another add-on that enhances the Perpetuum Penitentiary experience and offers more “stimulus” to guests looking for an electrifying trip.

Bring your wits with you at The 17th Door—and a change of clothes!

The 17th Door continues to run select nights for the rest of this month through Halloween. Its location remains on the backside of the 99 Cent Store in Fullerton off the intersection of Brookhurst St and Orangethorpe Ave. As a reminder (or if you've never been before), this is a waiver maze requiring the signing of a legal release prior to starting the maze. Guests are also made to swear on camera that they have read and signed the waiver before handing the physical copy to a scareactor in the preshow room.

Waivers are signed here and brought into the maze.

Note that The 17th Door is not requiring masks for visitors who have been vaccinated, but they are also not checking vaccination status. As has been customary for me this and last Halloween season, I double masked and wore an KN-95 as my inner layer for added protection from the Delta variant, even though I am fully vaccinated. It's just a comfort level and personal risk mitigation option that I've chosen to engage. Everyone who visits should obviously assess their own ease with the haunt setting (for this and any other haunt they visit) and adopt their own actions and protocols to that.

The staff at Perpetuum Penitentiary are waiting.