Something Wicked Stirs In Kansas City (Field Report)

NoPro’s Chris Wollman, a seasoned player of The Tension and Lust Experiences, brings us this field report from the ARG setting up Kansas City’s ‘Exiled: Crooked Rose Woods.’

As the country endures oppressive Summer heatwaves from coast to coast, an unseasonable Autumn wind is blowing in from the Midwest, eliciting a spine-tingling chill across the immersive horror community that’s unmistakable: Darren Lynn Bousman is up to something new.

Known to most as the director of four installments of Lionsgate’s blockbuster Saw franchise, Bousman is renowned in immersive circles as the chief provocateur behind The ‘Tension’ and Lust Experiences and the Covid-era One Day Die among other disquieting, addictive happenings. This time around, Bousman is returning to his roots, partnering with his literal hometown’s haunt, the already established Kansas City-based horror attraction Exiled: Trail of Terrors, and IIIExperience for an unholy union promising, or perhaps threatening, the birth of something more extreme than either of their respective fandoms have experienced before: Crooked Rose Woods.

Part and parcel of Bousman’s signature brand of participant activation, a multi-platform ARG fleshing out the lore of this new experience has already begun in advance of tickets going on sale for the in-person event in Kansas City. Employing a familiar and disorienting approach to meta-storytelling, participants are already finding the lines between life and legend blurred as they’re left to question just who may be in charge of this experience, and whether it’s merely another immersive horror show or something terrifyingly real.

The socials are teeming with activity, as participants old and new work together to unravel the mysteries presented while their actions in turn can influence what horrors materialize next. This type of experience thrives on the entropy generated by its followers, feeds off of their dedicated, chaotic attention and efforts, where everything from a painstakingly researched deep dive into the ancient occult to a cheeky bit of fan art could become fodder for the the next devastating twist. Rarely is an experience of this scale so responsive, so enticing yet antagonistic, so encouraging and nurturing of its followers’ role as co-authors of the narrative even as they’re taunted with the assertion that they know absolutely nothing and are absolutely doomed. Sound intriguing? Because they’re calling out now for new initiates, especially those in the Kansas City area, many of whom have already been singled out for special attention once deemed worthy. If you have ever been curious about this sort of thing, there has never been a better time to join in.

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Begin by following the experience on Instagram @exiledkc and peruse the dedicated forum found at www.exiledkc.com, where users real and fictional post in tandem to keep track of the progression of the story so far. And if you’re feeling particularly bold and your phone can handle the notifications, you might track down an invitation to a particularly active Discord group where an eclectic coterie of the most fervent devotees congregate to socialize, theorize, and antagonize The Powers That Be.

When it comes to depth and frequency of content, breadth of playing time, community building, and individual personalization on a grand scale, all presided over with a wryly sardonic tone that acts as a potent counter-note to the otherwise grimdark proceedings, Bousman and company are quite simply in a class by themselves. It’s exciting and overwhelming to remember that it really is only July, before tickets have even been released, and already so much has happened. When members of the community have already been taunted on social media, called via blocked numbers late into the night, received strange packages in the mail, driven into the woods blindfolded, and disappeared after making deals with the very secret society we’re being conditioned to fear, there truly is no telling how far down into the darkness of this rabbit hole they’ll lead us.

The in-person experience is set to run in September and October, with tickets expected to go on sale imminently. Offering three distinct tiers at different price points and levels of interactivity/extremity, the mysterious third level is accessible by application/invitation only (those interested are encouraged to buy a ticket for one of the lower levels initially, which can be upgraded in the event you’re selected).

Speaking only for myself as someone who has run afoul of my share of sinister entities connected to Mr. Bousman and his associates, communal storytelling experiences this potent and reactive are few and far between. There is a reason why, going against all rational instincts for self-preservation, an ever-growing group of fiercely creative, inquisitively brilliant, and hopelessly brainwashed individuals spanning the globe come running every time they call. After a while, you’ll notice an intoxicating recomposition of your brain chemistry. You develop a heightened sense of awareness, alertness, dread, prepared at any moment for the world of these Experiences to encroach on the real one. And it’s then that you realize– there may no longer be a difference. And at the end of it all, if there ever is an end — the indescribable feeling when you see the complete picture and know that it turned out the way it did, for good or ill, partially thanks to you.

It feels somehow wrong to ask Kansas City to inherit our trauma, and the bonding that comes with it, but if you’re willing to risk torment, anguish, and annihilation for the promise of bright blessings such as these, there’s a place in this family waiting for you. Catch their attention, catch an experience, and play your part, but be wary, Kansas City– this is far more than just a walk in the woods.

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