Far away from the bright glare of mainstream haunts in southern California lies a fiendish haunt for only the bravest, most daring souls. Urban Death: Tour of Terror is back at Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre. Once again this scrappy little production takes a modest theatre in North Hollywood and turns it into a terrifying Halloween Experience that is a must-see for true horror fans.

Somewhat different than the normal Urban Death production earlier in the year, Tour of Terror brings the monsters up close, in your face, and close enough to touch, although no contact ever happens intentionally.  The experience is part haunted house walkthrough and part black box shock theatre. Ticket holders must enter in groups of two to three people and navigate a darkened maze past terrors untold to make it to the small theatre within.

We begin by queueing outside the modest storefront on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood. Guests are directed to shut off all light and sound-emitting devices when the performance time rolls around. Once all of that is handled, we are ready to enter. As our turn to enter the attraction approaches, we are offered a small, almost useless flashlight and guided into the darkness inside.

The maze is a flimsy labyrinth of black plastic sheets hung from the ceiling to create a winding path in the dark. Glow in the dark arrows point the direction and we wince as we turn each corner, preparing for what might be waiting. Intimate encounters with pale figures startle and, finally, we enter the theatre.

A lone figure in a straight jacket stands, in a trance, in the performance space. An announcement is made to, AGAIN, make sure that all devices are off and the show begins. So what do we see? Scenes of terror, silliness, and the bizarre, all with no dialogue. A mix of Grand Guignol, Butoh, and Theatre of Cruelty, the scenes touch on the subliminal fears that linger in our minds. When the lights rise on a new scene, there may be a dim figure appearing to levitate in the space before us, or in one of my favorite moments, two Luchadores sharing a moment of friendly competition.

Once the approximately 20-minute show concludes patrons have no choice but to reverse direction and brave the path they used to enter where new terrors await. Sone enough we are back out on the relatively safe streets of North Hollywood laughing and commiserating about the terrors witnessed. Fair warning must be given though, this is a show that is intended ONLY for the 18+ crowd. There is a fair amount of nudity, and plenty of moments that may trigger some.

This edition of Urban Death: Tour of Terror is a banger. There is a healthy mix of the profane and sublime. The cast here rises to the occasion and commits to the show. Experiencing Tour of Terror is akin to an initiation into some strange club, a rite of passage if you will. You can say you want a good scare, but are you ready to be face-to-face with nightmare fuel? What Zombie Joe and his troupe of fearless performers accomplish is nothing short of miraculous in that is is at once art and therapy. Tour of Terror explores the darkest recesses of humanity and objectifies them to a digestible size. You will leave this haunt deeply affected and forever addicted.

Do NOT Miss Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre’s Presentation of Urban Death: Tour of Terror.

WHEN: Fridays & Saturdays: 9/27-10/26
Halloween Week: Sunday 10/27, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 10/30, 10/31 and 11/1
TIMES: 7:00p / 8:00p / 9:00p / 10:00p / 10:45p / 11:30p*
*Fridays & Saturdays only.
WHERE: ZJU Theatre – 4850 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, CA 91601
TICKETS: Advance tickets $23 online: http://zombiejoes.tix.com/ $28 at door
WEBSITES: http://zombiejoes.com/ & http://www.urbandeath.com/
DURATION: 40 minutes

WARNING: Graphic content, trigger warnings, and full nudity. AGES 18+