A review of the first show by Perspicuum Immersive, "Revelation"

"What do you see when you turn out the light?

I can't tell you, but I know it's mine" 

~The Beatles

I attended Revelation, the first offering by the recently founded Perspicuum Immersive on Sunday May 19, 2024. While this is their first show, the founder Thomas Darknell has experience in other extreme immersive events. For this show, almost all of the story was shrouded in mystery, with the exception to do a pre-show task. It left me in eager anticipation of what lay in store. 

One of the things I value highly in an extreme immersive haunt is a strong storytelling element. Without a good story, the existential questions of "why exactly am I doing this?" start to come into play. I am pleased to say that Revelation quells all of those questions, and exceeds in putting the participant in the storyline from the get go.

For the participant, what might seem like philosophical discussions at first turn into psychological and physical realities, making this show full of contemplation and consequences. 

It's clear that a rich world building exercise has been taken into account for Revelation and future shows, allowing for an intriguing backstory to emerge. 

Even within those boundaries, the participants must interact with the show on a real time basis, sealing the fates of all involved. 

Revelation forces the participant to engage their senses in ways they might not expect, and to respond according in kind. I greatly appreciated being able to channel some of my inner alter egos as well as my taste for theatrics and extemporaneous conversation. For me, a storyline must be robust enough to stand on its own, but it also must allow for impromptu dialogue/events. Revelation excelled at both of these components. 

As with all good extreme haunts, if the participant is willing to reach deep inside, they will be justly rewarded with a satisfying story arc. 

 There was one surprisingly unexpected psychological component that I personally experienced in this show, which I really appreciated and has led to some deeper introspection. I personally enjoy extreme haunts for the storyline and the challenges they hold, because I develop an even better understanding for who I am, the journey I'm on, and what I am willing to do. 

While this particular show is not as physically intense as other extreme haunts(nor was it designed or advertised to be), it has plenty to engage both experienced and inexperienced extreme haunt enthusiasts alike. In many ways, I think Revelation offers a great asset to our small community: newer people need a good(but still challenging) starting point and experienced people sometimes need a refreshing change of pace from the usual "wham bam thank you ma'am" approach. Personally, while I usually attend more intense shows, I strongly believe we need a variety of intensity levels to continue to create and maintain the community. We can't all do level 10 at Krusebel all the time, nor should we expect it from every show. 

In talking to Thomas Darknell, it becomes clear that he has larger plans for the Revelation storyline, as well as ramping up the intensity for future shows. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what he has in store for the upcoming shows, as Revelation has piqued my intense curiosity with the storyline and future levels of physical/psychological involvement. 

Overall, I was extremely pleased with this first offering from Perspicuum Immersive. Attending a "new kid on the block" extreme haunt can be a coin toss in terms of production. It's clear that Perspicuum took the time to beta test the story and user experience and for that effort, anyone who attends will experience a well made and carefully produced show. 

It was absolutely worth it to me to fly across the country to experience(not to mention, the San Jose area has a lot to see and do as well, making it a great mini getaway). I personally plan on attending future shows and I'd highly recommend them to others as well.