The pretty, blonde girl took me by the hand, and led me into the back room. When we were alone, she handed me a cell phone. She wouldn’t look directly at me, and seemed to concentrate on the ground, as if the mere act of seeing me was forbidden. But she was insistent, even if I couldn’t tell her intentions.

“Call your parents. Tell them how much they mean to you,” she told me.

“Really?” I asked, incredulously. “Like…call them, call them?”

She nodded her head quickly, still not looking directly at me, but stealing glances every few moments as I dialed. It rang and rang, but my parents didn’t answer. Part of me was thankful for that, since they would have found it odd that I was calling from a strange number to tell them I loved them.

“Should I leave a message?” I asked. She nodded again.

“Hey, guys, it’s me. Just calling to say I love you. Thanks for everything you for me. I’ll call you later.”

As soon as I hung up, she took the phone from me, and looked directly into my eyes for the first time.

“You’re very lucky to be able to do that,” she said, and my heart broke for her. Just as quickly as she had removed me from the group, she grabbed my hand again, and brought me back, into the waiting arms of the O.O.A. meeting.

Though the interaction was short, it was one of the most touching, real moments I’ve felt in any kind of immersive theater. This is not what I expected from The Tension Experience. But I liked it.

But let’s back up a few months…

The Tension Experience began as hushed whispers from my friend Benjamin. For months, he had been posting on Facebook about this mysterious new experience he had been beta testing, and while details were scant, he was excited for everyone to see it for themselves. Here we are now, months later, and the Tension Experience is in full swing, but details are just as scarce.

I will be honest, and start off by saying my first, initial interactions with them were less than stellar. Their first true “event” was inviting people in for an interview to an undisclosed location. After solving puzzles on their website, and finding a phone number, I called and left my information. A few weeks later, a representative of the O.O.A., the “group” behind the Tension Experience, called me to ask me some questions. The woman I spoke to was pleasant enough, and took down my answers before letting me know they would be in touch.

A week later, they called back, wanting to have me in for the aforementioned interview. Since they were holding them somewhere in Eagle Rock, in the middle of a week day, I had to decline, since I have a regular nine to five job, and could not take a 3 hour lunch break to participate. The woman on the other end, not the same as before, wasn’t the nicest about it, and promptly hung up.

OK, I thought, maybe that’s part of their modus operandi. No big deal.

My fiancé, Martina, had also gone through the steps for an interview. It just so happened that she was off that day, and agreed to go. She was told the address would be sent to her that morning, and a representative would meet her there at 1PM.

The day came, and Martina waited. And waited. And waited.

Eventually, it was 1PM, and she received a phone all.

“Are you here?” she was asked.

“No,” she replied. “I never got the address.”

“Oh.”

And then the line went dead.

A few minutes later, she received another phone call. While I wasn’t present for it, she relayed to me that whoever she spoke to wasn’t pleasant, either, asking if she could get up there quickly. But again, since the location was over an hour away, that wasn’t going to happen.

Later on that night, she received an email from them, apologizing for their oversight, as a few people were never given the address (a few of our friends included). They offered to make it up to her. A few days later, I also received an email, after I had expressed to a mutual friend that I wasn’t really pleased so far with our experiences. My email said the same; they apologized and offered to make it up to us.

I thought that was nice of them, and a good touch of customer service on their end. I did make sure to write them back and explain that just because I write for HorrorBuzz, I don’t expect any special treatment. I just expressed that I was let down by the events so far, and wanted to experience it like everyone else. They were gracious in their reply, and I looked forward to hearing from them again.

Between now and then, they released a LOT of material. A lot of back story. A lot of puzzles and world building. They started a forum, with people from all corners of the globe participating, contributing, and dissecting their methods.

In fact, our friends over at My Haunt Life have been very active in story so far. Tension’s event a few weeks later, the details of which I am still unsure of, was covered by them. Again, it was by invite only, and they allowed a select few into their ranks to see what they had to offer. I wasn’t invited, but I read the proceedings with gusto to see what it was all about.

While I won’t dissect the story, as there are plenty of other places you can go to do that, I will say I was still a bit out of the loop. I don’t have the time to invest in participating in the forums as much as others, as a lot of it lately seems to be centered on experiences and phone calls that I had not experienced, so I can’t contribute to the conversation. Tension also encourages sharing all of their released materials, and while some of the involved folks do share consistently, a lot are hesitant to continue to promote something they have yet to experience for themselves yet. They have been asking more and more of people, though, including sending them an incredibly long, and somewhat invasive, questionnaire about our personal lives and experiences we’ve had in the past.

And that brings us to this past weekend. And the pretty, blond girl. And the cell phone. And Norm’s experience from Saturday, which you can read here.

One of the O.O.A.’s elders wrote me on Facebook, asking me if I was busy on Sunday at 1:30, and if I wanted to attend a social hour. I agreed, provided Martina could come with me, so she could get in on it as well.

After a bit of back and forth for a few days, we were confirmed, and given a zip code of where the gathering would be. Our friend, Tal, who has received phone calls and emails about the event, got a bit more information than we did over the few days leading up to it. I was told we’d get the address the morning of. He was told we’d get it at 12:30, just an hour before it began. I wasn’t told any dress code. He was told to dress to impress. All of these things weren’t realized until later, but that’s neither here nor there. As the clock ticked on, and still no address in sight, our friend came over to car pool, and we decided to just head in that general direction. At 12:30, the address DID arrive in our emails, thankfully. I get that there is an air of mystery around not knowing where you are going, but holding the actual location back until just an hour before the event begins can be an issue for people without cars. Taking a train would be nigh impossible, and those relying on Uber or Lyft can’t really give an address until it may be too late.

Before arriving, I was told to catch up on the story so far, so I wouldn’t be lost. I did so, reading many of the articles written, but there was just so much to consume that not all of it sank in. The basic gist was had, though, and I know there was a missing girl named Addison.

In any event, we got to the VFW hall, and left our phones in the car, as instructed. We waited outside as more folks showed up. Eventually, a crowd gathered, and the door opened. A cheerful woman allowed us in, one at a time, checking us in. She handed us name tags, while the pretty, blonde girl, making sure to not make eye contact, handed us each a yellow rose.

After we all were inside, the door closed, and we just…mingled. Old friends said hello and caught up, new friends were made, and doughnuts were had. Those who had been deeply involved in the story since the beginning traded notes. Those who were not enjoyed the doughnuts and chatting.

The tables were filled with various objects for us to explore: books, view finders, candy, and so on.

Sometimes, the members of the O.O.A. would pull someone aside, and talk to them. Short interactions, but mostly everyone got something. While sitting at my table, talking to friends, is when the pretty, blonde girl took my hand and led me into the back.

After a few minutes, I realized that this was Addison, the missing girl. Her interactions made sense then…no eye contact, slightly scared, and out of place. She seemed liked a captive. And in a sense, she was.

About 30 minutes later, the elders started the show, with the one in charge giving a speech about why we were there, welcoming the new initiates, and calling Mike from My Haunt Life up to give a speech. He was given the title of scribe within the O.O.A., and spoke about the community that had formed. It was a nice touch, involving the people partaking in the experience in the proceedings.

Afterward, the elders brought out a hooded figure, who was said to be a traitor to their cause. After he was de-hooded, it elected gasps from the crowd…at least, the crowd who were far involved in the story. Most of us just sat there, confused. It turns out that the traitor was one of us…a participant, who had gotten tired of the O.O.A, and said some nasty things about them online. There was a vote about whether or not he should be allowed back in (he was), and the meeting continued.

Here is one of the fundamental issues I have with Tension so far, though. While their story is rich and intriguing, there is a LOT. Unless you are extremely active in all of their work, and constantly keep up on it, you will be lost. While some of the crowd gasped at the traitor, we had no emotional attachment to the proceedings. Feeling disconnected made it seem like there was a story point we missed, and it didn’t have a real effect on us. Interesting, yes…but at the end of the day, it could have gone either way.

A wonderful cellist performed a piece next. It was haunting and beautiful.

The meeting continued, and the elders came out in robes. As part of the process, they said they were inducting a new initiate who, in the process, would have to disrobe her before us. And sure enough, that initiate was Addison, the pretty, blonde girl.

She was brought (practically carried) to the front of the room, and made to kneel before the person in charge. Before he got too far into what he was saying, a voice called out from the back room.

“Addison? Addison, where are you?”

A frazzled man came running in, looking for Addison. When he spotted her, you could tell the connection immediately, even if he didn’t utter his next few words.

“What the hell are you doing with my daughter? Addison, come on, we’re going home, now!”

The elders quickly gathered Addison up, who went, against her will, with them. The man, Addison’s dad, tried to video tape the elders, the crowd, exclaiming that they kidnapped his daughter, and he wanted her back. The security guard held him back, and when the father got rough, he was slammed into the wall of the VFW, breaking it.

I have to be honest…that was a pretty damn cool moment.

The elders took Addison out, explaining they had to go, the location was compromised, but that we should not move until instructed. Addison’s father was escorted out, and then, we were all left alone…stunned…and confused as to what to do next.

A few of us went into escape room mode, and began looking for clues. Bob Glouberman, of Get The F Out’s The Virus, searched every corner. I worked with someone else began to look behind the O.O.A. propaganda posters on the walls for anything hidden behind it.

But there was nothing.

Eventually, after being left alone for close to 30 minutes, someone who had gone missing a few minutes before came out of the back and said we all needed to leave. We filed out of the hall, and it was over.

We milled around, trying to figure out what happened, what comes next, and so on. After a few minutes in the blazing hot sun, we all parted ways. We got into my car and began to drive off. I turned to my car-mates and said “What the hell just happened?”

The Tension Experience is an interesting beast. Since day one, they have been hesitant to release any information to the public about what they aim to do, and instead remain “in character” through all of their interactions. While I am still unsure what their end game is, I am intrigued, to say the least. I would love to invest the time into more interaction on their forums and as part of their community, but I can’t find more free spaces in my day to allow me to do so. Will I miss some of the story because of that? Probably. But I am still interested in seeing where they go next.

I’m unsure of what to think of the entire thing, but at least I know I am not alone. While all of these events are leading up to something, with tickets going on sale July 1^st, no one is sure what that something is. Will people need to be well-versed in all of the story points in order to appreciate it all? Who knows? It seems likely, given their history so far. It makes me concerned that some people may be left cold with their experience, without knowing what came before. But I am hopeful it will be set up in such a way for all to enjoy, regardless of their familiarity of the story.

However, I do have to give them credit for creating this atmosphere, and really amping up the mystery. On top of that, all of their events thus far have been free; whether clandestine interviews in a warehouse in Eagle Rock or community gatherings at a VFW.

A few months ago, I watched THE INSTITUTE on Netflix, and some of what Tension is doing seems to parallel the Jejune Institute from the documentary. Even though they both are technically interactive experiences, they both are going through all the motions of a cult-like atmosphere. Thus, in my mind, they can be viewed as an actual cult. Whether or not that is the vibe they are going for remains to be seen, but I am interested enough to continue to pay attention…and be cautious about it.

But the cult-vibes can be taken a step further here. A few times over the last month or so, I’ve heard that someone from the O.O.A. has contacted a media outlet, and requested they write up their experience thus far for others to read. While I appreciate the enthusiasm, it does seem a bit odd that they are going out of their way to ask people to promote them on their news outlets. Pushy, almost. As if they are using them as subtle recruitment tools for more members.

In addition, I was told by a few people recently that a SLACK channel, created by participants of Tension, was recently shut down, after the folks chatting on it were threatened to be blacklisted from the experience overall. They were told that all talk of Tension should be on the forums and in public places. While I do not know the exact particulars about this, it does seem odd that Tension (or the O.O.A.) do not want talk going on about them that they cannot control.

Both of these things can either be viewed as part of “the experience” or as an overly protective entity trying to control the message of their product. Which is the correct answer? We don’t know, but hopefully time will tell. But the underlying cult feeling is even stronger, here.

I realize that this entire thing has been a lengthy read so far, but I wanted to put my thoughts on paper about it all. It’s been a long time coming, but I wanted to make sure I experience SOMETHING from them before putting it out there.

For those looking for something very immersive, and to join a community, the Tension Experience is probably the perfect fit for you. For those who just want a passing immersive theatrical experience that begins and ends, I’m not sure yet what to tell you. At the very least, visit their site, and sign up for updates. Keep in the know, as much as you can, and see if you can handle the Tension Experience.

You can find them online at: www.thetensionexperience.com

Glory be.