Haunted houses are typically viewed as tangible locations that one can physically visit. However, Blackheart Collective’s A HAUNTED HOUSE (AHH) successfully proved that a haunted house does not need to be physically experienced in the flesh in order to be soul-wrenchingly tragic and terrifying.

Blackheart Collective has quickly become a pioneer in the online immersive world. The creators of Blackheart Collective constantly raise the bar when it comes to virtual experiences, and AHH was no different. AHH boasts an incredible team of Blackheart Collective creators. It was directed by Joshua Simon and Melody Magyor-Philips; and was written by Joshua Simon, Melody Magyor-Phillips, and Allison Darcy. AHH featured original artwork from Katelyn Rose, special animations from Kris Smith, and original music by Eli Magyor-Phillips. Joshua Simon, Melody Magyor-Phillips, Allison Darcy, and Kris Smith all played various roles throughout the show. AHH possessed a strong cast that were one of the driving forces that made this experience such a successful immersive.

AHH is centered around a haunted house with a dark history. The entire experience takes place on Discord over the course of about 4 days, with the first day being a Prologue of sorts to get used to the format of the show. The structure of the show was quite loose and based around how the audience interacted with different elements of the house. Different actions would trigger different reactions. We essentially roleplayed throughout the entire show which turned out to be incredibly fun. This allowed for teamwork and a lovely sense of community and friendship that quickly formed between us. AHH reminded me slightly of the video game, Phasmophobia, which made me adore it even more.

AHH blew me away with the attention to detail in literally every aspect of the experience. I can truly say that this was the most immersed I have ever been in a virtual show before. Living in the world of AHH felt like getting lost in a really good book that had me on the edge of my seat for the entire journey. Blackheart Collective is absolutely brilliant on many fronts, but their world building always leaves me astounded. The intricacies held within this universe were varied and well-crafted and all played crucial parts in the overall experience.

AHH took us on a powerful, emotional journey that had me feeling many different heart-wrenching, beautiful emotions. While a bit time-consuming, it is so worth clearing an entire weekend to fully immerse oneself in AHH. This experience will be haunting my mind in the best possible way for the foreseeable future.

I full-heartedly recommend experiencing A HAUNTED HOUSE. It is truly incredible and something one should experience.

For information on the next run of A HAUNTED HOUSE, check out Blackheart Collective on Instagram.

About the Author

Linnea Swanson enjoys writing about things that scare her. When not writing, she enjoys reading and screaming into the void.