Haunted Play: Delusion’s new location and title revealed

Delusion's mastermind, Jon Braver, in front of the former church that will become a walk thru theater for his Haunted Play.

Delusion’s mastermind, Jon Braver, in front of the former church that will become a walk thru theater for his Haunted Play.

“Delusion: Masque of Mortality” will plague the former Bethany Presbyterian Church in Silver Lake beginning September 26th.

After two years battling telekinetic mental instution patients and demons throughout a dilapidated mansion in the West Adams neighborhood, guests visiting this year’s Haunted Play will be tasked with exploring an equally chilling empty church in Silver Lake.

Jon Braver, the creator, writer, and director of the experience said his story begins in 1931, when a small community of people took refuge from a plague inside of the church. , “But time and intimacy breeds friction and dissent,” he added, “and a sort of ‘Lord of the Flies’ thing began.” Member of the community began disappearing, and rumored at the center of it were sightings of plague doctors.

As soon as guests step foot onto the property, Braver tells CreepyLA, they’ll immediately become part of the story and ushered into the church’s central courtyard where a bar has been set up — a neutral zone for the assorted factions still taking refuge in the church. Guests will be able to have a drink or two before being invited in groups of ten to investigate the church to solve who or what is behind the disappearances.

“People will be put in some uncomfortable positions,” Braver said of the interactivity of the play. In previous years, Haunted Play has had guests dig through racks of books for passwords, need to pull keys from the hands of corpses, and occasionally split off individually from their groups. He wouldn’t divulge what would happen this year besides saying, “There is a guillotine involved. Let’s leave it at that.”

Braver advises any who who comes, “don’t wear heels,” as guests will be walking up and down numerous flights of stairs throughout the 33,000 square foot church, for what is estimated to be a 50 minute experience from start to finish.

Built in 1931 as the Bethany Presbyterian Church, the property has recently been acquired by Dana Hollister, who also owns the nearby Brite Spot Restaurant and former Canfield-Moreno Estate, now known as “The Paramour,” as well as downtown’s One Eyed Gypsy and Villains Tavern. She plans to turn the Paramour, and now the church, into a boutique hotel, “”hopefully after next year,” says Braver, who hopes to bring Delusion back for a 2014 run.

Tickets and more info can be found at their new domain: enterdelusion.com