The House Of Spirits Is The Haunted Party Of The Year [REVIEW]
If you know me at all, you know that I am petrified of spiders. So, sticking my hand into the belly of a pregnant arachnid was not something I ever thought I would do. Or say. Or think about. And yet, there I was, face to face with the horrifying spider mama and her many eyes, trying to complete the scavenger hunt challenge on the second floor of the House of Spirits.
The House of Spirits is an interactive cocktail party with a sort of choose-your-own-adventure vibe. You can stay on the main floor, mingling with the guests and spooky spirits of the house, or venture upstairs to a scary scavenger hunt laid out by the mad artist, Francisco Vega, whose tragic story served as the inspiration for the party. Finally, brave party goers can choose to go down into the two rooms - and two different experiences - in the basement. The basement was dubbed the “most intense” section of the house, which is … accurate.
First things first - when you arrive at the House of Spirits - whose secret location isn’t revealed until you have received your ticket - you immediately come across spooky photo ops, a bar, and one of the hosts of the evening, a ghoul whose spats with his wife throughout the evening reminded me of Carol Kane and Billy Crystal in The Princess Bride, to my absolute delight.
When your time slot is about to begin, you line up to receive a tarot card, which is also your ticket to the six, themed cocktails on the first floor. And the drinking commences immediately, as you’re handed a sparkling wine cocktail upon entering, AKA, the way I would like to enter every event from now on.
As you explore the first floor - and try all of the cocktails - you will meet a few strange faces who, if you’re lucky, might pull you away for a special tour of the haunted mansion. You’ll also notice that each of the cocktails are themed around the six rooms on the first floor. And they’re delicious - ranging from the Black Magic Margarita to a basic witch apple cinnamon drink that seemed to (unsurprisingly) be a crowd favorite.
My favorite happened to be from the Goya room, because your girl loves Goya’s dark period — and whiskey (Or was it bourbon? Either way, I’m a fan.). Set design for this event was amazing, with every inch seemingly perfectly decorated to fit their spooky theme. The musicians were even dressed as haunted creatures, both frightening and mesmerizing. And I got to partake in my ultimate obsession of late, via a tarot reading from Meline Tovmasian (@melibellishow).
Upstairs you encounter the last six paintings from Vega, before he disappeared. And let me tell you - they are creepy AF. The bad news I have to give you is that if you choose to do the scavenger hunt, know that the demon paintings are warnings of what you will find in each room. The makeup of the characters at House of Spirits is phenomenal, so be prepared to come face to face with fear, as I did. If you’re feeling a bit of alcohol-induced confidence, two more unique experiences await you in the basement. I’ll keep the details of those to myself, since they are quite the interesting endeavor.
If you’re lucky, you might even stumble upon the hostess of the party, who could beckon you to the Garden of Despair to tell the tragic story of the home’s former owner, artist Francisco Vega. Once outside, you’ll find a host of evils of a different kind entirely. There, the House of Spirits has yet another bar, as well as a food truck cranking out hand-made pasta and desserts.
Throw in an evil puppet show, and now you’ve got the gist of the House of Spirits experience. It’s not exactly easy to put into words, because it is not exactly like any other fall fare. But for those with macabre inclinations, it could just be the best thing to do on a Friday evening.
If you’re reading this, and worrying you may have missed the haunted party of the year - fear not. House of Spirits has been extended until December 15th, thank Lilith! And if you use code FO2019LAX, you can get $5 off your ticket on the Fever App. Halloween may be over, but we can keep this season going all year long - or, at least until December 15. Happy haunting!
This post was previously published on CreepyKingdom.com.
