Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II-IV, Spiral) has joined forces with one of Kansas City’s most bone-chilling haunted houses, EXILED: Trail of Terror, to bring a new level of fear to the city this Halloween, BD has learned. Together, they are crafting a one-of-a-kind fusion of terror and immersive storytelling, giving people a living, breathing emotional experience.
Read on for everything you need to know and watch the announce trailer below…
Bousman beckons you to step into a realm of fear this fall at EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods, an outdoor haunted house nestled in the sinister shadows of Bonner Springs, Kansas, just 25 minutes west of downtown Kansas City. “Those looking for traditional scares, be warned, this insidious event breathes, reacts, and transforms with your every interaction,” taunts Bousman.
“I was raised in Kansas City, and every Halloween, my father and I would venture into the West Bottoms. It was there that my fascination with horror and the macabre was born. But as I grew older, I craved something more than the usual shocks and jump-scares. I wanted an experience that would truly terrify me. And now, I’m thrilled to bring that to my hometown.”
After directing blockbuster hits like Saw II, III, and IV and the cult favorite Repo! In the Genetic Opera, Bousman shifted his focus to immersive, live-action horror. That experience led to the creation of The Tension Experience with fellow Kansas City native Clint Sears. This new venture, touted as “living a personalized horror film,” has redefined horror entertainment. The success and uniqueness of The Tension earned Bousman and his team a high-profile fanbase with the likes of Neil Patrick Harris, for one. “In Tension, I was transformed, transfixed, terrified, and turned on. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” Harris said. Bousman has carved a niche in Hollywood, creating larger-than-life theater projects that unnerved everyone attending.
Building on this momentum, Bousman, alongside Morgan Rooms—co-founder of IIIexperience and producer of the upcoming Exiled 2024, is a converted believer in Bousman’s vision—promises that EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods will redefine terror. “Darren shattered my concept of fear with The Tension Experience,” Rooms said. “What we’re bringing to Kansas City is beyond a nightmare; it’s a rebirth in terror,” he added. Allowing guests to choose their destiny, patrons can choose three different levels of terror.
After Darren and his family experienced the thrill of EXILED: Trail of Terror in 2023, he reached out to Dan Scott, the company’s Managing Partner, with an innovative idea. “After meeting Darren and hearing his ideas, we knew we had to collaborate and bring this unique concept to life,” Scott said. Bousman and the EXILED team are keeping their plans under wraps about what haunt-goers can expect, but they offer a tantalizing clue. “This will be unlike any haunt Kansas City has ever seen,” warns Bousman. “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 spectral gates of EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods will open from September through October. The creators encourage the brave to get involved early via www.ExiledKC.com. “The more involved you allow yourself to get in our world, the scarier it will be,” Rooms added.
Jen Scott, Managing Partner of EXILED, has issued a chilling message: “The doors open in September, but the haunting begins now. 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.”
For more information, visit EXILED online at www.exiledkc.com.
