Live Insidious show apparently shut down after audience backlash

Here are two pieces of news for your Wednesday afternoon: first, the Insidious live show was canceled indefinitely after audiences discovered it was really, really terrible. Second, an entire group of people decided to make an Insidious live show. And then people bought tickets to it, and were apparently surprised to discover it was terrible. It just feels like this all could have been avoided somewhere down the line. 

Luckily for the rest of us and the schadenfreude centers in our brains, this cascade of bad decisions did indeed happen exactly as written. Insidious: The Further You Fear opened January 18 in Lafayette, Arkansas and likely just played its last show after less than two weeks in Detroit. The show’s website promised “an immersive live horror experience that brings your darkest nightmares to life right before your eyes,” featuring the Bride in Black, the Wheezing Man, and the Red Face Demon for “the scare of a lifetime.” The show also released a short teaser that looks both terrifying and obviously very fake at the same time. (To put it plainly, if the production actually had the sort of budget to pull off any of the jumpscares it advertised, it would have gone straight to Broadway.)

According to local outlet WXYZ Detroit, fans began posting their negative reviews on social media almost instantly. “Unfortunately, I have to tell you all to never go to this if it comes to your city. It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” one self-proclaimed “biggest Insidious fan” wrote. “um…. if you’re considering buying tickets for ‘insidious: the further you fear’ DON’T” another posted. Speaking to WXYZ, attendees also said they were surprised to find there was no set, and the show felt more like a comedy than horror.

Tickets are no longer available for the show and an actor involved in the production confirmed to WXYZ that it has been prematurely canceled. (RoadCo Entertainment, the show’s production company, did not immediately respond to The A.V. Club‘s request for comment on this story.) Seems like every year gets the Willy’s Chocolate Experience it deserves.