Delusion Review 2016 His Crimson Queen
Phenomenal sets and effects collide with an overstuffed story and awkward audience 'powers' — Delusion's 2016 vampire outing is a mixed bag.
We can only see so many vampires floating around on badly hidden ropes before it gets silly.
Our reviewerA Mixed Bag, But Still Worth Seeing
Delusion changes its theme every year, and 2016's His Crimson Queen sets a vampire story in 1933 around Burke Sullivan and his supposedly-dead wife Selene, with the audience cast as her half-human children.
The strengths are real: Delusion's set design remains the most authentic of any Los Angeles haunt we've seen — bested, in our experience, only by Sleep No More in New York — and the special effects, including animatronic skeletons and hand-cranked lighting, added genuine scares alongside a cast that included several standout performances.
The story, though, tries to do too much: new characters keep arriving until it's hard to track who matters, and the climax landed flat as a result. Forced audience 'powers' interactions — waving hands to pull actors away on visibly obvious ropes — repeatedly broke immersion rather than building it.
Even the effects, a strength on their own, were overused to the point that some in our group started laughing instead of getting scared, not the reaction a horror show wants. Acting ranged from strong to merely fine, not helped by actors having to herd confused groups through the awkward power mechanic.
At $70, this year didn't feel like the easy value past years have been, though we still consider Delusion among LA's best immersive theaters and recommend it to newcomers as a genuinely unique experience.
Why We Love It
- Consistently the most authentic set design of any Los Angeles haunt
- Strong practical effects, including animatronic skeletons and hand-cranked lighting
- Several standout performances among the cast
- Genuine scares and startle moments throughout
Considerations
- An overcomplicated story that introduces too many characters to track
- Forced audience 'powers' interactions felt gimmicky and broke immersion
- Special effects were overused to the point of undercutting the scares
- $70 ticket price felt steep for this year's execution
What Worked and What Didn't
Delusion's set design remains a genuine strength — this year included a room straight out of a Poison Ivy lair, and only Sleep No More in New York has topped it in our experience. Animatronic skeletons and hand-cranked lighting effects added real scares, backed by a cast that included a handful of standout performances.
The story didn't fare as well. New characters kept arriving until we stopped tracking who was who, which flattened the climax. The audience 'powers' mechanic — waving your hands to pull actors away on visibly obvious ropes — pulled us out of the story more than it pulled us in, and some in our group started laughing at effects that were meant to scare.
Take the Score With a Grain of Salt
We've been going since Delusion: The Blood Rite first got us hooked on immersive theater, and we've seen both the highs and the lows. This year landed toward the lower end, but it's still one of LA's best immersive experiences and worth trying for newcomers.
We Recommend This To Readers Who:
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Are new to immersive theater
It's a genuinely unique experience worth trying at least once.
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Love practical effects and set design
The sets and animatronics remain a series strength.
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Dislike forced audience participation
The 'powers' mechanic may pull you out of the story.
A Closer Look
A Mixed Bag, But Still Worth Seeing
His Crimson Queen doesn't hit the heights of past years, but Delusion's set design and effects still make it one of LA's most distinctive immersive theater experiences.
