ScareLA write up

Tension brand Forums IN PERSON EVENT DISCUSSIONS ScareLA write up

This topic contains 60 replies, has 19 voices, and was last updated by Profile photo of skathic skathic 8 years, 1 month ago.

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  • #17790
    Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
    Jeff Heimbuch
    Participant

    As someone who has been watching this from the beginning, but hasn’t had the time to REALLY be involved with this whole thing, I walked out of ScareLA not knowing what the hell just happened. It kind of seemed like a convoluted mess to me, with so much going on all at once. I feel like there are so many things fighting for your attention here, and it just kind of falls flat for me.

    Anyway, I wrote up something about it. Forgive me for not getting names right and so on, as I wrote it from the gut after it happened.

    http://horrorbuzz.com/tension-rises-scarela/

    I would love to talk to some of you folks, and hear your perspectives on it, and the entire experience.

  • #17805

    @jeffheimbuch: I have a dilemma. One the one hand thank you for taking the time to write something about Tension. On the other hand, it is unnerving to read what you’ve wrote and see various factual details that are completely incorrect. We are all allowed our opinions, but facts aren’t really up for debate. I’d suggest a tad more due diligence next time. No disrespect intended.

  • #17807
    Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
    Jeff Heimbuch
    Participant

    @electrichippo None taken, but might I ask what facts are incorrect in what I wrote?

    • #17808
      Profile photo of Blondie
      Blondie
      Participant

      The first thing that jumps out to me is that the woman (named Macy, although Atticus, who you call Al, kept calling her Marcie) said her brother was in Oklahoma… I wasn’t even there and I have a clearer picture of what went on…

      • This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by Profile photo of Blondie Blondie.
  • #17812
    Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
    Jeff Heimbuch
    Participant

    As mentioned in the write up, so much went on, so quickly that keeping the names and places straight was a chore. I called him “Al” because I forgot his name, as I did say. Also, I thought it was Wisconsin from my memory. However, apologies for putting the wrong city. The intention of what she said remains the same, though.

    • #17813
      Profile photo of Blondie
      Blondie
      Participant

      Maybe take a notebook next time?

  • #17814

    Of course @jeffheimbuch and thank you for being so reasonable. A few things that come to mind off the top of my head: The FOUR murder didn’t occur on a periscope, Tom has appeared only 3 times (including ScareLA) thus far and that is all, it is pure assumption (and very likely incorrect) that the participants on stage didn’t know they’d be called on stage. These may seem nitpicky as none of these points matter a lot in the larger scheme of things. It’s just that journalism that doesn’t concern itself with fact checking worries me.

    Again, thank you for being open to this dialogue.

  • #17815
    Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
    Jeff Heimbuch
    Participant

    @Blondie Again, as mentioned, there is literally so much going on at once, especially in the panel, that much of what I wrote done was jumbled. Even WITH a notebook, I had to remember these things from memory due to everything being so convoluted.

    @electrichippo I am intrigued by the people infatuated with Tension and their devotion to it, so of course I am open to a dialogue about it. I want to know why it speaks to so many of you, while many others looking in from the outside are like “Huh?” Also, you are awfully nice about the discussion, so no reason for anyone to be hostile in responding! :)

    But, again, as I spoke about earlier, so much has happened during Tension that I cannot keep up with it. I assumed the murder happened on Periscope, as they often do many things on there. I thought it was a Periscope recording that was uploaded to YouTube. Was it just on YouTube then? I have no idea who Tom is in the larger narrative, so I didn’t connect the name to any of the people on stage. I also asked Russell and Mike if they knew they were going to be on stage, and was told that they did not. Perhaps they misunderstood when I asked them?

    • #17816
      Profile photo of Blondie
      Blondie
      Participant

      I know I sound annoyed… If you weren’t sure of details, why not check with someone else first? Forum peeps don’t bite if you ask for help…

    • #17817
      Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
      Jeff Heimbuch
      Participant

      You are correct, maybe I should have asked. However, at this point, I am used to asking for “clarification” on things from Tension, and getting the cold shoulder, haha.

    • #17818
      Profile photo of Blondie
      Blondie
      Participant

      You haven’t asked the right people then :-)

    • #17819
      Profile photo of
      Anonymous

      I think he means he’s been asking Tension *themselves* and getting the cold shoulder, which is not an uncommon refrain.

    • #17820
      Profile photo of Blondie
      Blondie
      Participant

      @coryphella I got that :-) but we’re for the most part a lot more open to discussion

    • #17824

      @jeffheimbuch – First, I appreciate your input on Tension even if I don’t necessarily agree with it. I suspect that the reason why you don’t like it is the reason why we love it: Tension is non-traditional storytelling. There is a huge amount of relationships, details, and points to go through if you’d like to get caught up completely with what’s been happening since February but how deep you’d like to go is less important than the main points. For example, Atticus is a name that’s been spoken a few times throughout the experience but knowing who he is is less important than knowing about the BoS (Brothers of Seraph) and their antagonistic relationship with the OOA, the 4 Gatekeepers we’ve met so far and how they’ve met their end. Those are the important points and if someone does not have the time to go digging for all of the details that we eat up, the story can still be followed by following their plotlines.

      The Powers That Be behind Tension are, for the most part, partaking in monodirectional communication. They speak to you but you do not speak to them. For someone viewing this as a performance, that’s likely incredibly frustrating but to us it’s necessitated the formation of the forums and the community. This simultaneously allows The Powers That Be to maintain an air of mystery and impenetrability that makes the Tension organizations seem so alluringly clandestine and strengthens the community by nature of the fact that if you need help following Tension you don’t ask Them, you ask us. We have developed our own structure that has people solely dedicated to the cause of explaining and catching people up.

      You are right and do bring up some valid criticisms but the reason why we love Tension is because it’s this beautiful knot of tangled details and stories that can only be unraveled by helping each other and filling in the pieces that others have missed.

      This approach trades away some people’s ability to approach Tension on their own, independent of the community, but in doing so gains a community that is actually a very large drawing point for many of those who remain. I suspect that many of us love it for that tradeoff and may be angry at your article because it reads in a way that suggests you were trying to approach it on your own which is not the way the game is played.

      With all of that said, I again would like to state that I appreciate your response and your willingness to engage in a dialog with us

    • #17828
      Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
      Jeff Heimbuch
      Participant

      @thegilded I understand your points, and agree with what you said. However, I DO love non-traditional storytelling. There are plenty of other experiences that employ this type of thing, and I have no issues with it whatsoever. I think it’s more of being off-put by the vastness of the story behind it. As I said in a previous comment, it’s great for you guys, but for the general public to catch up on everything before doing their event, it’s just not feasible.

    • #17893

      @jeffheimbuch: Since others are addressing the matter of “keeping up” and “misunderstanding” I won’t go further there. As far as the infatuation many of us have for this Experience, yes, that is a very interesting topic and I really would encourage you to dig deeper. There might be as many reasons as there are supporters of this project. For me personally, my first and foremost reason has been the community that has been built. I have made good friends through this… people from all walks of life who share certain commonalities such as a love for theater, haunts, puzzle solving, etc. I’ve seen selfless acts of kindness that truly move me. It’s a bit of irony that a “game” about a cult grows it’s own subculture of like minds, but an irony I appreciate. This brings me to that thing that can appear as convoluted and obscure… THE Tension Experience. Yes, there might be a very steep learning curve here, but if you take it at it’s most basic concepts, it’s really not so complex. We have themes of loyalty, betrayal, faith, and distrust. We have blurry lines surrounded who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. There are some elements of horror, some of suspense, and a lot of mystery. One can study Tension, come up with theories, hunt for clues and use up many hours a day, or you can take a more casual approach, choosing what appeals to you most. Either way you can get something out of this if that is your goal. Tension really is what you make it. In this way, I do agree, we are the Experience. I hope this helps answer some of your concerns.

    • #17898
      Profile photo of Amie
      Amie
      Participant

      That was well said @electrichippo! I couldn’t agree with this statement more. @jeffheimbuch if you have any questions I’d be happy to answer anything.

    • #17899
      Profile photo of Jake O
      Jake O
      Participant

      @jeffheimbuch and if you have any questions I will be happy to help confuse you more

    • #21989
      Profile photo of Hazel Cloud
      Hazel Cloud
      Participant

      hahahahaha

    • #17901
      Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
      Jeff Heimbuch
      Participant

      @electrichippo I completely understand where you are coming from with that. I know that certain things can create communities, and I can absolutely vouch for that, for it has happened to me (Blackout Survivors, ALONE folks, etc). I do appreciate that aspect of it. And I agree that there are the general feelings and aspect of the trust, betrayal, and so on that are easy to pick up on here. That makes total sense for people taking a quick glance at this. You do get out of it whatever you put into it. But again, at the end of the day, this is business for them. They are selling tickets to an event. The public at large is having a difficult time digesting any of this, and are hesitant to purchase tickets to something that seems dense and daunting to them, despite their claims that you do not need the backstory to understand the show. From a creative perspective, what they are doing is brilliant, no doubt. From a community perspective, it’s great because it brings this group together. From a business and marketing perspective, they aren’t winning any favors amongst the haunt community.

      None of that is by ANY means a diss at anyone here, nor Tension overall. Just an observation that has been made not just by me, but many others.

      But you are right, the infatuation of Tension by some people IS fascinating, and worth exploring. It’s a study in the making of sorts, and it is actually pretty neat how this thing was created, and people latched onto it in such a way. (using the words “infatuation” and “latched on” makes it seem like a negative connotation, but It’s not, I promise!)

      @jake O God damn it jake! haha.

    • #17918

      @jeffheimbuch: Tension has always felt to me like a passion project. Something a person or small group put together to push boundaries and see what is possible. If this is an experiment of sorts, then it is to be expected that things won’t always go smoothly, or as we planned, and that course corrections will be imminent. Maybe Tension didn’t want to do things the way others expect is the “smartest” way to sell the most possible tickets. I’m sure money is a goal, but perhaps pursuing creativity nudges ahead of the desire to make a profit. Whatever the truth may be, I am going to have faith that Tension can manage the business of Tension.

      I’m glad you have had the pleasure and reward of being a part of similar communities to Tension. As you know you meet the most amazing people. You also meet a few nuts. Thankfully the nuts are the exception, not the rule, and communities get pretty good at self policing when things get too far out of hand.

    • #21990
      Profile photo of Hazel Cloud
      Hazel Cloud
      Participant

      Seconded, @electrichippo !!

  • #17822
    Profile photo of
    Anonymous

    I can empathize with what Jeff is saying as, honestly, I’ve been doing a bit of unofficial promoting of Tension where I can in the theatre world and it’s taken some convincing due to its denseness. The initial response from one person who I *think* is now going to cover it was literally “I don’t have the bandwidth for that.” I also handed in an article last week and one of my readers told me I needed to make it several thousand words longer and shop it elsewhere as an academic paper, because 1000 words was too short to cover Tension.

    I wondered today – for those who watched LOST, do you remember those videos that they did to catch people up before each season? Could we do one to catch people up on the main points – Tension in 60 seconds – before Ascension? It might be fun(ny).

    • #17827
      Profile photo of Blondie
      Blondie
      Participant

      I could give it a go if people think it’s a good idea?

    • #17829
      Profile photo of
      Anonymous

      @blondiecamps – If you want to do the voice over and send it to me, I can do the rest and see if you like it? I can almost GUARANTEE your speaking voice is much more pleasant than mine.

    • #17831
      Profile photo of Blondie
      Blondie
      Participant

      Sounds like a deal. I’ll send you a script over the next day or two so you can fact check it before I record :-)

    • #17857
      Profile photo of
      Anonymous

      I missed this – that sounds awesome. :)

    • #17970
      Profile photo of
      Anonymous

      @blondiecamps – also maybe include a prologue that says basically you don’t actually need to know any of this to enjoy Ascension?

    • #17971
      Profile photo of Blondie
      Blondie
      Participant

      @coryphella will do! Been working on the script today :-)

  • #17823
    Profile photo of MColyard
    MColyard
    Participant

    OMG, I just realized we are a cult! I am sitting here furious and defending a group of people I don’t truly know! hahaha

    Maybe I am wrong here, but why do the creators owe you anything @jeffheimbuch? I am not saying that to be rude, I am asking because I am in fact curious?

    I emailed them and then facebooked them about 20000 times since I joined. I finally received one response from their facebook about a month back.

    “We are not here to hold your hand, or guide you. This is in fact whatever you want it to be. In time, our intentions will become clear, in the mean time, tip toe, or dive in, either way, we are waiting.”

  • #17826
    Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
    Jeff Heimbuch
    Participant

    @mcolyard Not rude at all! I don’t think they “owe” me anything, honestly.

    However, as someone who has tried to get into it, and doesn’t have the hours or man power to catch up, read, watch, and re-visit everything they have done in the past few months, I find it very off-putting to new people coming in. As per their press release, they want ASCENSION to run for 6 months. However, they cannot survive for 6 months off of you guys alone. They need John Q. Public to get behind them, too. However, most John Q. Publics aren’t going to spend the time to read the massive backstory to understand an event they pay $130 for.

    Also, point of clarification: I don’t mean to come off as curmudgeon about this. I WANT to like this. I love immersive experiences, I love ARGs, I love all of that stuff. And I get the point of them not wanting to hold anyone’s hand. But they are isolating their main audience base (not meaning you all) by all of this. I’m not saying that to be combative or mean; I have spoken to many folks who enjoy these types of things who have just plain given up on this because they do not have the time for it all, or had unpleasant encounters with them in some way.

    At the end of the day, the people behind Tension are just that: people. They obviously love immersive theater, and these types of experiences. I know they are trying the best they can to keep up with it and create this world for people to enjoy.

    • #17830
      Profile photo of Blondie
      Blondie
      Participant

      I have lost count of the number of times this has been raised. For those involved in Indoctrination, their Ascension will most likely reference events that have occurred previously. However, Tension have designed Ascension as a stand alone that can be enjoyed by the uninitiated. Everyone’s experience will be different just as in other immersive theatre productions.

    • #17832
      Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
      Jeff Heimbuch
      Participant

      I’m sure the point has been raised before, but you also have to remember that many members of the public are turned off to even giving the event a chance because of the long story line presented so far and the price point. While Ascension may be enjoyed by all, that’s not really being conveyed.

    • #17834
      Profile photo of Melissa
      Melissa
      Moderator

      ?

      I thought they made it pretty clear in the FAQ

    • #17833
      Profile photo of Andrew Kasch
      Andrew Kasch
      Participant

      Jeff, if it helps, here’s my chronicle of everything that has happened for the first 4 months or so of the experience:

      The Wild, Frightening Events Behind The Tension Experience!


      http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/164212/164212/
      http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/168815/tension-experience-continues/

      Really need to write a new one soon just to keep track of everything in my head. It’s a labyrinth, my friend.

      Like a lot of ARGs, I suspect the main event will be accessible to everyone with plenty of bells and whistles added for the longtime followers.

    • #17839
      Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
      Jeff Heimbuch
      Participant

      Actually, Andrew, your pieces were some of the few I HAVE read before, especially before coming to the mixer at the VFW hall a few months back!

  • #17837
    Profile photo of Andrew Kasch
    Andrew Kasch
    Participant

    Also, you might want to interview our good friend and Gatekeeper-slayer, @thebuz. He joined up late in the game and recently became a full-fledged participant.
    Might be able to give you another insight.

  • #17897
    Profile photo of MColyard
    MColyard
    Participant

    i just think it’s awesome they aren’t even open yet and they are causing this much disruption.

  • #17923
    Profile photo of 111_error
    111_error
    Participant

    @jeffheimbuch Hi there, we met once and you probably don’t remember my face or my voice, but I wanted to add something here.

    At the Donut mixer, I loved meeting you and have one particularly awesome memory of you. When the O.O.A. left the building, I started curiously looking at things around the room, and I bumped into you, where you (or one of your friends) told me you’d immediately gone into escape room mode, and you were ravenously hunting for any detail you could find, looking behind every picture, staring at everything with ‘we don’t have much time left’ eyes. I immediately wanted to join you in that mission, and even though we found nothing, I loved that we both were in that mode.

    That’s how a lot of this experience has been for me, the most amazing moments have often been wandering down blind alleys with friends, sometimes in search of clues that didn’t exist, but going on the adventures together.

    Even though you’ve found parts of this frustrating or confusing, I hope you continue to get involved and that we get to hunt around another room one day.

    – Morgan

  • #17924
    Profile photo of TheBuz
    TheBuz
    Participant

    Hey @jeffheimbuch.

    I read your write up and first off kudos for taking the time to even do so.

    A few things I’d just like to say in defense of some of things you said. Personally I feel like “convoluted” is being substituted for “dense.” I am someone who came in almost at the same time as you (the mixer was both of our first events and I had only joined a week or so before that).

    Personally the thing I love most about The Tension Experience is it assumes that I am smarter than I actually am, and thus makes me really put in the time and effort to go in as deep as I can go.

    I love that there is a deep mythology here, and the lines of reality blur often making me question my own sanity and personal reality. Causing… TENSION.

    They turned me into a murderer so maybe I shouldn’t be defending the experience, but personally having a great time and looking forward to more.

  • #17937
    Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
    Jeff Heimbuch
    Participant

    @111_error I DO Remember you, because you were right there with us! it was a fun moment for sure, I cannot deny that!

    @thebuz Just to clarify, I came in at the beginning, but did not get to attend any functions until the mixer due to most of them taking place during the day and I have work (and Martina wasn’t given the address for the “red room” one). So, I had been following the events, loosely, online after that, until we finally got invited to the mixer. I do think dense and convoluted are pretty interchangeable here, though. Most of you guys and gals are pretty deep into this, but try to see it from an outsider’s perspective, and see if it becomes daunting to someone who has not been following the story line.

    I do appreciate their rich mythology, as it is something I can fully get behind, but it’s part of the reason that there is this smaller Tension community…it is extremely dense to get through it all.

    Think of it like LOST…if you came into Season 4, you’d have to really go through all 3 season before hand to understand what was going on.

    Please don’t take this as me being combative, because I’m not at all. I just want to show that it’s not easy for folks to get into this based on the long history of it since February.

    • #17942
      Profile photo of Nate
      Nate
      Participant

      I was an outsider. I was completely in the dark until July 7th. And then I got here. I filled out some personally invasive questionnaire. They warned me it’d be that way. I thought “How bad can it be?” Well, we all know how bad it can be. Lol. I came in months after this thing’s inception. And I love every minute of it. I learn something about either the experience, the backstory, the people, or myself every day. I read articles and thought, “Jeez, who takes the time to come up with this stuff? And who takes the time to read it?” I do, apparently. Yes, there is an extensive mythos, but both Tension and members of the community have logged it in an exceptionally thorough and easy-to-understand manner. So, sir, I have viewed it from an outside perspective, and took the plunge and have adored, as have numerous others present. Thanks for the time you’ve invests in the article and in us.

    • #21992
      Profile photo of Hazel Cloud
      Hazel Cloud
      Participant

      Definitely like LOST.

  • #17946
    Profile photo of
    Anonymous

    I think that maybe what’s missing is that those of us who are here are the people who DO want this experience, but there is a large number of people who are NOT here. When you’re marketing something to the masses, there are a LOT of people out there that DON’T want to do the work necessary to catch up on a story and get involved in a mythology. Lots of people think Sleep No More is too much work, and at this point Tension is 97 times as much work. The point isn’t to necessarily appeal to the minority that’s already here, but to the majority that doesn’t think they want this experience because of the level of work that appears to be involved.

    On the tickets page, it says “The direction, writing, special effects and production design come from the film industry’s top talent who feel that now is the time to revolutionize what interactive entertainment can be.” That says to me that there is some money that’s being spent on this, but the “sold out” shows haven’t spread beyond the first four, which sold out within the first week of tickets being on sale. No matter how pure of heart any artist is, no one wants to lose their shirt on a production. They want to sell tickets. I think that Jeff is only trying to offer constructive criticism of what may be going wrong on that front. He can be right, and we can be right at the same time about how much we love Tension.

    • #17954
      Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
      Jeff Heimbuch
      Participant

      Thank you @megan for articulating it better than I have! Haha

  • #17973
    Profile photo of TheCreator
    TheCreator
    Keymaster

    Firstly, I appreciate this dialogue. I am humbled that Participants have become family, and continue to support, and defend what this is.

    @jeffheimbuch, I also appreciate you keeping an open dialogue, and bringing exposure to Tension, albeit in a negative light. Jeff we are fans of your sight, and glad to see you still engaged, even if you are confused by our “convoluted storyline”.

    As an artist, I never want to explain my art, but it appears by your numerous posts you and public at large are confused by who we are, and what this is.

    I need to start off by addressing your concern over our business. That is generous of you to be worried but lets keep our business, just that… ours. If Tension fails because we only sell one ticket, or succeeds because we sell out nightly, this should have no impact on you, or your time with us.

    I had thought we were clear, but now is as good as time as any to state again.

    what is 
    THE TENSION EXPERIENCE: INDOCTRINATION? 

    The Tension Experience: Indoctrination is a FREE online, fractured narrative that reveals the story through various platforms including internet forums, social media posts, live Periscope feeds, and occasional in person events.  The concept behind The Tension Experience is to tell a compelling and detailed story without the use of conventional linear constraints.  

    what is
    THE TENSION EXPERIENCE: ASCENSION

    The Tension Experience: Ascension is a site specific, walk through, theatrical immersive experience in which the Participant will have to interact with dozens of characters and make decisions that will alter their time within our walls.  Ascension puts you in the center of your own personal conspiracy in which you control the narrative through your actions.  

    what is the difference between
    INDOCTRINATION vs. ASCENSION

    Indoctrination’s storyline is a free supplemental add on that any person, regardless of financial stability or geographical location can participate in. It is the Batman comic book that releases before the Batman movie. It is the prologue to novel…

    Ascension has its own unique story, with its own unique narrative.  The degree to which you were previously involved yourself within Tension Indoctrination will have no impact upon your experience in Tension Ascension.  Indoctrination is a prologue.  A prologue that if skipped will not harm the outcome of the story that is being told. (however if you have been keeping up, you will be rewarded with certain understandings)

    Jeff, you mention that we are not winning any favors within the haunt community. Again, this comment greatly saddens me. We have done nothing that should offend, or upset any other haunt, theater, arg, etc. We have great respect and admiration for them all. But, we are our own thing. This, is its own thing. We are not Alone, or Blackout, or Heretic, or Delusion, or… Nor do we aspire to be them. They are all wildly successful in what they do and I personally will continue to be a fan of them, and support them. Again, we are not them, so please try to not lump us with them, the last thing this is a carbon copy of something already out there.

    Come to Ascension, you have been invited, we provided you tickets. But if you do come, we hope you can keep your critique on the Experience itself, not our business practices, or the dense nature of a narrative of Indoctrination which you have admitted time and time again you haven’t been keeping track of.

    You are an artist Jeff, and a talented one… Imagine if Return Home decided to create a TV show, but instead of it being set in Melancholy Falls, NJ, it was set in the town next door. Some characters might cross over. hell Mason Barker might even make an appearance (who wouldn’t want to see Russell Eaton on the tele) both exist separately, but are companions to each other.

    Until we meet in the dark,

    The Tension Creators

  • #17974
    Profile photo of TheCreator
    TheCreator
    Keymaster

    Firstly, I appreciate this dialogue. I am humbled that Participants have become family, and continue to support, and defend what this is.

    @jeffheimbuch, I also appreciate you keeping an open dialogue, and bringing exposure to Tension, albeit in a negative light. Jeff we are fans of your sight, and glad to see you still engaged, even if you are confused by our “convoluted storyline”.

    As an artist, I never want to explain my art, but it appears by your numerous posts you and public at large are confused by who we are, and what this is.

    I need to start off by addressing your concern over our business. That is generous of you to be worried but lets keep our business, just that… ours. If Tension fails because we only sell one ticket, or succeeds because we sell out nightly, this should have no impact on you, or your time with us.

    I had thought we were clear, but now is as good as time as any to state again.

    what is 
    THE TENSION EXPERIENCE: INDOCTRINATION? 

    The Tension Experience: Indoctrination is a FREE online, fractured narrative that reveals the story through various platforms including internet forums, social media posts, live Periscope feeds, and occasional in person events.  The concept behind The Tension Experience is to tell a compelling and detailed story without the use of conventional linear constraints.  

    what is
    THE TENSION EXPERIENCE: ASCENSION

    The Tension Experience: Ascension is a site specific, walk through, theatrical immersive experience in which the Participant will have to interact with dozens of characters and make decisions that will alter their time within our walls.  Ascension puts you in the center of your own personal conspiracy in which you control the narrative through your actions.  

    what is the difference between
    INDOCTRINATION vs. ASCENSION

    Indoctrination’s storyline is a free supplemental add on that any person, regardless of financial stability or geographical location can participate in. It is the Batman comic book that releases before the Batman movie. It is the prologue to novel…

    Ascension has its own unique story, with its own unique narrative.  The degree to which you were previously involved yourself within Tension Indoctrination will have no impact upon your experience in Tension Ascension.  Indoctrination is a prologue.  A prologue that if skipped will not harm the outcome of the story that is being told. (however if you have been keeping up, you will be rewarded with certain understandings)

    Jeff, you mention that we are not winning any favors within the haunt community. Again, this comment greatly saddens me. We have done nothing that should offend, or upset any other haunt, theater, arg, etc. We have great respect and admiration for them all. But, we are our own thing. This, is its own thing. We are not Alone, or Blackout, or Heretic, or Delusion, or… Nor do we aspire to be them. They are all wildly successful in what they do and I personally will continue to be a fan of them, and support them. Again, we are not them, so please try to not lump us with them, the last thing this is a carbon copy of something already out there.

    Come to Ascension, you have been invited, we provided you tickets. But if you do come, we hope you can keep your critique on the Experience itself, not our business practices, or the dense nature of a narrative of Indoctrination which you have admitted time and time again you haven’t been keeping track of.

    You are an artist Jeff, and a talented one… Imagine if Return Home decided to create a TV show, but instead of it being set in Melancholy Falls, NJ, it was set in the town next door. Some characters might cross over. hell Mason Barker might even make an appearance (who wouldn’t want to see Russell Eaton on the tele) both exist separately, but are companions to each other.

    Until we meet in the dark,

    The Tension Creators

  • #17979
    Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
    Jeff Heimbuch
    Participant

    @thecreator First of all, thank you for taking the time to respond. That was extremely nice of you, and helped to shed some light on things. I do very much appreciate it.

    Again, let me state that I want nothing more than for this entire thing to succeed. As you mentioned, I am still engaged, so that fact alone should show that I am interested, and want to see this through to the end.

    You are correct, it is YOUR business, so apologies if I was out of line by saying that earlier. As a lover of these immersive experiences, I really do want all of them to succeed and be fantastic, and that does include Tension. Saying what I did was not a swipe at you, nor was it meant to be, so apologies if it was taken that way.

    It is obvious that the folks who love immersive experiences are a passionate, devoted bunch, as is evidenced by everyone on this forum. No one wants a carbon copy of any of the other experiences out there, nor would they appreciate it. They want something new.

    None of my comments were meant to offend, harm, or so on. I was trying to make a point, one that, when someone is so ingrained into something, may not be able to see clearly. I just wanted to make aware of what others have been saying, and if that makes me a jerk for being the mouthpiece, so be it. But my intentions behind it were pure…Tension has created something unique, and truly amazing with this prologue, and I cannot deny that. Good, bad, indifferent, people are talking about it, and really, at the end of the day, that is what matters.

    I absolutely will be attending Ascension, and will absolutely will keep that review its own thing, separate from anything else I had experienced here.

    You all are talented artists as well. I may not understand it all, or have been following it all, but really, the man power and creativity to do what has already been accomplished by you is mind-boggling, and I respect the hell out of you for that.

    Also, I am now starting a petition to get Russell on TV, period. Late Night with Russell Eaton.

    Again, thank you for taking the time to chime in and clarifying some points. And again, I apologize if I came off harsh, or offended you, or anyone else for that matter. I want this is be amazingly successful, despite how it may seem on the surface level.

    • #17985
      Profile photo of Jake O
      Jake O
      Participant

      my haunt life tv
      featuring haunt noises by @reaton

      View post on imgur.com

      • This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by Profile photo of Jake O Jake O.
    • #17988
      Profile photo of Amie
      Amie
      Participant

      Wow! I’d like to give these gentlemen a round of applause. 😉

    • #18000
      Profile photo of Melissa
      Melissa
      Moderator

      That video will NOT get old for me. With @reaton haunt noises and @mike falling to the ground at the end this will forever be a WIN.

    • #18001

      Watched this video last night on a loop. This amuses me to no end <3 @reaton @mike

    • #18014
      Profile photo of Rusty
      Rusty
      Participant

      Those of you who know us already are well aware that @mike and I are masters of the subtle and understated………..

    • #21993
      Profile photo of Hazel Cloud
      Hazel Cloud
      Participant

      Seeing this for the first time.
      Just realizing I met @mike the other night, unofficially.
      Well, officially, hello! lol

    • #21998
      Profile photo of skathic
      skathic
      Participant

      I got to go through the experience with him last week – I had no idea whose presence I was in!

  • #17980
    Profile photo of Jeff Heimbuch
    Jeff Heimbuch
    Participant

    Also, if agreeable, I would love to reproduce part of what you said (Ill take out all personal references, if you’d like) on the site, and add some of my own commentary (much like what I just wrote above), to shed some more light onto the whole thing, and give you a voice on the site. I don’t want it to be one-sided, I would love to help push what you guys aim to do out there!

    • #17996
      Profile photo of DimStyle
      DimStyle
      Participant

      @jeffheimbuch I am sure anyone that frequents the forums would be more than happy to fill you in on anything or give you insight into their own personal experiences and why we feel the way we do about tension

  • #17982
    Profile photo of creepsociety
    creepsociety
    Participant

    @thecreator ❤️

  • #17989
    Profile photo of Amie
    Amie
    Participant

    @thecreator I just want to take an opportunity to say thank you. Thank you for all you’ve done with this so far. I love it and everything that has come with it. If for some reason it ended today as much as I would be sad, it would still be a success to me. I’ve gotten more out of this than I ever would have imagined, so thank you.

  • #17990
    Profile photo of DimStyle
    DimStyle
    Participant

    @jeffheimbuch it can be a bit much to take in. I didn’t come in until the3rd week in July. I was able to catch up.

    The thing to understand is this… The tension experience is just that. Not a one off haunt walk through. Not an immersion theater dinner who done it.

    The experience is yours. Your journey.

    I am in Florida and as such will never get to have the in person experience many here have.

    I enjoy it though and it is my experience

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