Feeling very much like Laurie Strode, I was hiding in a closet from someone stalking me. However, unlike that pivotal scene from HALLOWEEN, I was not keeping still. In fact, I was actually swaying side-to-side, holding a black candle in my hand, as it illuminated the darkened space, while a tall creature dressed in black searched for me.

This moment played out in MIDNIGHT, the debut immersive experience from CVRDIVC Productions. Hailing from Orange County, CVRDIVC Productions is the brainchild of Forrest Orta, whose love of the genre lead him to create the show.

I arrived at the Steinen house, along with two others, to babysit the two children. Why they needed three babysitters for two kids was beyond us, but hey, a gig’s a gig, right? After being created by their guide into the shadows, and filling out waivers, we were invited into the Steinen home by the parents. It was date night, and they were excited we were there so they could finally spend some time together. The interplay between the adults and the kids was very natural, and definitely made it seem like they were a family unit that had been together for a long time. But it was after the parents left that the two kids, Alex and Shannon, really let loose.

Not that they were a handful, mind you, just that they really began to shine. They opened up a bit more, sharing some of their interests, and we even watched “Baby Shark” on YouTube (never in my life did I ever think I would hear that earworm in an immersive experience, but here we are). On the subject of YouTube videos, young Alex was a fan of creepy pastas, and asked us if we had ever played the Midnight Game. A supposed old Pagan ritual used to punish children, the game summoned the Midnight Man whom would harvest your organs if you disobeyed the rules.

Of course, this is the PERFECT way to pass the time while babysitting, so naturally we had to try it out. After a bit of a scavenger hunt to find the right materials, we all sat huddled in the dark to perform the ritual. Having stared into a mirror many times in my youth chanting “Bloody Mary,” I’ll be honest and tell you I felt a bit of tension in the pit of my stomach. Sure, you know these things are just a game (and this was just an immersive experience), but there is always that chance in the back of your head that you’d accidentally summon something. And let’s face it, there’d be no show if the ritual didn’t work!

And so, that is how I found myself face-to-face with the Midnight Man. Or, rather, face-to-closet door. Though on the surface, it’s a fairly simplistic premise, the CVRDIVC Productions team does an excellent job of raising the stakes with a sort of slow burn from the moment you begin to a tension-filled ride at the end. The cat-and-mouse aspect of it was fun, once the “game” began, and really felt scary when the Midnight Man was traipsing through the house looking for victims.

All of the acting was great, and the characters were a lot of fun to interact with. Plenty of moments came naturally, and the story did not feel forced at all, which is sometimes a problem in these shows. I had a lot of fun just chatting with the kids, and they played their roles perfectly. There were some minor visual cue issues in the show I attended (their very first!), which was to be expected, but all of them were resolved in the other shows, so no worries there.

In all, it was a fun, and terror, filled hour or so in the Steinen house, and one that brought an urban legend to life in a great way. I will also say, in the interest of full disclosure, Forrest is a good friend of mine. However, that did not effect this review in any way, as I was incredibly honest with him in the weeks leading up to the show (maybe too honest?) about certain aspects with it, as he can attest. I’m not one to pull punches when it comes to immersive content, so I was quite pleased when I walked out of there with a smile on my face (and a cold sweat drying on my skin from facing the Midnight Man).

MIDNIGHT only ran this past weekend, but they are looking to possibly remount in the future. For more information on the remount, and all upcoming productions, visit them online at:
https://www.cardiacproductions.com/