The 17th Door in Fullerton continues to haunt visitors

Los Angeles Times

Oct. 26, 2017 1:10 PM PT

The waiver warns you, but the sensations felt during The 17th Door’s new virtual reality experience are unlike anything most people have endured before.

Did that tarantula really sit less than an inch away from your face? Did you really have no control over where you went in that wheelchair? Was that an actual taser and electroshock therapy machine?

This year, the 3-year-old 17th Door, which first started in Tustin and is now located in Fullerton, focuses on anticipation and build-up of scares in its 35-minute haunt experience with an optional seven-minute virtual reality (VR) room that all take place within a very messed-up jail.

The attraction, which includes old favorites and new scares throughout 17 diverse rooms, plays on fear of heights, uncertainty of trusting people to do certain things to you and questioning your confidence in dark, confined and wet spaces.

The VR component — which was custom-made for The 17th Door and immerses all five senses — elevates the scares by strapping participants in mock electric chairs and essentially blindfolding them with a device that plays video and sounds.

Robbie Luther, who is the genius behind The 17th Door with wife Heather Luther, said it was only a matter of time before his haunt began utilizing VR, which has been used at other Halloween attractions.

The 17th Door, however, is scarier than other VR experiences because actors are allowed to touch the people who walk through the doors. Die-hard fans know this attraction isn’t for the faint of heart or haunt beginners.

And one effect in particular is, to say the least, shocking.

“When I first did it, I was like, ‘Holy crap. This thing is crazy. I have to use this effect somehow,’” Robbie Luther said. “It was just such a unique sensation. I love that effect. Some people just come out sweating, not because it’s hot but because of the intensity of the experience stressing them out.”

Before going through the VR room, or any part of The 17th Door experience, participants must sign a waiver that acknowledges they may come into contact with bugs, dizziness, extreme temperatures, claustrophobia and more. People can, however, cry out mercy to leave a certain room, or they can purchase “mercy pendants” which prevent certain scares and phobias.

About 15 percent of people who have gone through the VR room, so far, have cried mercy before the end of the video, Robbie Luther said.

Many have questioned if, for example, an actual spider would be placed on their bodies while watching the video involving the arachnid.

“It’s not about how accurate and immersive the video is,” Robbie Luther said. “It’s really about coming to The 17th Door, and you know what we do. Then, you get in a chair and you let them strap you in. Then, you put basically a blindfold on and headphones. Immediately, anything I put in that video, it makes you wonder what’s going on in reality.”

In the past, The 17th Door has become known for its controversial scenes surrounding topics like bulimia, abortion, rape and attempted suicide.

This year, however, the haunt does not include any such scenes but still provides enough scares and unease. Robbie Luther said there’s a fine balance he has to walk with his creative limit because he doesn’t want to hurt people, but he wants them feeling uncomfortable while going through the maze and proud when they complete it.

“When I’m creating the show early in the year, I don’t listen to people,” he said. “I just do it, and I intentionally don’t tell a lot of people what I’m doing because I don’t want to hear feedback or a rational person’s fears about whether I should do something or not.

“This isn’t supposed to be some relaxing foot massage kind of experience,” Robbie Luther said. “You’re supposed to be faced with certain things and not want to do them, but you’ll push through them. If not, you’ll cry mercy.”