Guest Blog: The Lust Experience: Anointment – Event Overview and Review by Omar Hanson
Steve Barton
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On Sunday, December 17th, I attended The Lust Experience: Anointment, which I first learned about after attending The Tension Experience: Ascension last year. I’m always eager to travel back to the Los Angeles area several times a year for haunts and immersive shows. Living and working in Las Vegas, however, limits the amount of interaction that I can have during these events, so I was not involved in any “Forums” or “Slacks” throughout the months leading up to this show.
All I had was a fresh set of eyes.
Despite this, there were a few scenes where they called me out either by name or just simply, “Omar from Vegas.” It was very cool that they took the time to get to know their participants, even ones such as myself. In one of the first scenes when we were sitting around the dinner table, Sabrina, one of the, shall we say, purveyors of lust, turned to me and said, “Everyone knows Omar.” That phrase still sticks with me. Eerily so.
From the beginning, I felt like I was in an Eyes Wide Shut type of immersive play. The wearing of masks and the characters we encountered just served to fuel that. These practices took away our sense of identity and added to the voyeurism I think they were going for.
That first scene in which we entered a dark bar filled with “swingers” felt very creepy and dirty. It’s easy to walk away feeling a bit filthy. Throughout the show we encountered nudity, and it added to this. It was very much akin to being in an underground sexual castle of some sort. Along the way there was also an encounter featuring a rock star looking for a creative spark in this house of sexual escapades and a woman who may have been there against her will (I cannot be sure of this, and she wouldn’t say). Our host insisted participants share a dark secret about ourselves with the other patrons, all of which added to the mysterious feel of the event.
The direction and mood that the show created were much more emotional than horrific. Throughout the event you’re put in uncomfortable sexual situations that evoke a myriad of different feelings… ones that are rarely experienced in a haunt or immersive theater piece before. They effortlessly run the gamut between exhilarating and embarrassing.
Personally speaking, the worst moment for me was a shower scene where I was told to shave my pubic hair and given a razor and a can of shaving cream. To be frank, I did not get the point of this scene and found it humiliating. I actually put up resistance and refused. Several actors had to come and speak with me until I shaved something; and at the end of the experience, I ended up shaving my chest. It was embarrassing, but I was glad to be able to make it through.
My most memorable moment was when I was put into a room with one of the event’s actresses. I can’t remember her name because I was more than enthralled by what she was saying. She was that good. During our time together she proceeded to “read” me like a book or as if she were a super legit psychic or gypsy palm reader. Every evaluation made was spot on. It was a very emotional experience, and you couldn’t help but be drawn closer to her. How she was able to read me so effectively remains a mystery and a delightful yet semi-scary one at that.
The last scene I encountered was very powerful. I was placed on a bed with another participant and told to copulate as the others watched – still wearing their masks. I was freaking out and not sure what to do next. Thankfully, Noah Sinclair entered and ended this scene for me. But, wow, what a way to test your participants’ emotions and create another dark scene for them to be tested by!
At the end of the day, I do wish that I had taken the time to have read up on the Forums or Slack more. There were certain characters I wanted to know more about, but at this point it was too late. What might be helpful is if The Lust Experience were to release an abridged version of the story up-to-date for those who haven’t been playing along. It doesn’t have to be the entire story, but something like that could give guests a better understanding of all the goings-on. Not all participants can invest as much time as others, so a quick guide of sorts might help alleviate any confusion.
As an avid attendee of extreme haunts and immersive theater shows for close to 10 years, I must say that The Lust Experience struck a chord with me. It’s an emotional journey into the dark, and one that I keep thinking about weeks later as we enter this new year. I’m eager to see how this dark story progresses and what it has to offer. The Lust Experience: Anointment is as boundary-pushing as they come. Check it out if you can!
For more information visit the official Lust Experience website.
Categorized:News
