The Blackout Experiments

You arrive at a secret location at a precise time, prompted by a mysterious email. You must follow the instructions closely. Once inside, disturbing visions begin. Unspeakable acts befall you - often frightening, sometimes sensual, possibly painful - each stimulating your deepest fears. And when it's over, you are changed, abandoned, and left wondering what is real and what was merely a game. In a culture that has embraced immersive theatre and interactive entertainment, the rise of extreme haunts such as the popular horror experience called Blackout has become essential to an obsessive audience that hungers to test the very limits of the dark unknown. Rich Fox's otherworldly narrative-driven documentary shrewdly seeks out the survivors of some of Blackout's most intense simulations, revealing an underbelly of private rituals and personal paranoia. Obliterating the line between the real and the imagined, this hybrid experiment dares its victims to stare into the hidden pleasures of a waking nightmare, and then it stares right back. (Sundance Film Festival)