Prepare yourselves, horror enthusiasts, for a new era of terror is about to dawn in Kansas City. Acclaimed horror director Darren Lynn Bousman, the twisted mind behind several “Saw” entries and “Spiral,” is bringing his macabre vision to his hometown this fall. In collaboration with EXILED: Trail of Terror, Bousman is set to unleash EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods, an immersive horror experience that promises to redefine fear itself.
Opening its unhallowed gates on Friday, September 13th (because of course it would), this outdoor haunted attraction will lurk in the shadowy outskirts of Bonner Springs, Kansas, a mere 25-minute drive from downtown Kansas City, Missouri. But make no mistake – this is no ordinary haunted house.
Bousman, whose roots in horror trace back to childhood excursions with his father into Kansas City’s West Bottoms, has a clear mission: to transcend the typical jump scares and create an experience that burrows deep into your psyche. “Those looking for traditional scares, be warned,” Bousman taunts. “This insidious event breathes, reacts, and transforms with your every interaction.”
Drawing from his experience with The Tension Experience, a revolutionary immersive horror project that captivated even celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris, Bousman aims to blur the lines between reality and nightmare. Morgan Rooms, co-founder of IIIexperience and producer of the upcoming Exiled 2024, describes it as “beyond a nightmare; it’s a rebirth in terror.”
What sets EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods apart is its adaptive nature. Visitors can choose from three different levels of terror, allowing them to customize their descent into madness. But be warned – the deeper you delve, the more personal and terrifying the experience becomes.
While the exact nature of the horrors awaiting brave souls remains shrouded in secrecy, Bousman offers a chilling hint: “This will be unlike any haunt Kansas City has ever seen. This experience will be more than just a bunch of scare actors in a corn maze. It will be a living, breathing thing, and it will be too late when you realize what I mean by that.”
The collaboration between Bousman and EXILED came about after the director experienced EXILED: Trail of Terror in 2023. Impressed and inspired, he approached Dan Scott, EXILED’s Managing Partner, with a vision to elevate the concept of fear itself.
But the terror doesn’t begin when you step onto the grounds. As Jen Scott, another Managing Partner of EXILED, ominously states, “The doors open in September, but the haunting begins NOW.” Potential victims are encouraged to get involved early through the website www.ExiledKC.com. The more you immerse yourself in their world before the event, the deeper and more personalized your nightmare will become.
EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods will run from September 13th through November 2nd, offering nearly two months of customized terror. Tickets, ranging from $59 to $199, go on sale August 20th, but true horror aficionados know that the real experience begins long before you set foot on the cursed grounds.
As you contemplate whether to subject yourself to this new level of fear, remember the words of Jen Scott: “Dare to be part of the legend that will haunt Kansas City forever. Prepare to lose yourself in EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods. Survival isn’t guaranteed — nor is it the point.”
Will you have the courage to face your deepest fears? Or will you cower in the safety of your home, knowing that just outside the city, a living nightmare awaits? The choice is yours, but remember – in the world of EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods, your choices have consequences, and the line between spectator and participant may be thinner than you think.
For those brave enough to tempt fate, more information and tickets can be found at https://www.exiledkc.com But be warned – once you enter the world of EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods, you may never see reality the same way again.
