REVIEW: Rizo Scarehouse - Path to Darkness

November 7, 2019

REVIEW: Rizo Scarehouse - Path to Darkness

Our first experience with Rizo Scarehouse was at 2017’s ScareLA - which intrigued us enough to check them out that following fall on their home turf of Rialto. We had a very memorable evening in their massive maze which was contained within their very own warehouse. Characters in Slipknot-esque masks ran amok and we were shoved into a parked van that was banged on loudly with baseball bats. The nature of this maze was anarchic, filled with chaos and loud, cacophonous sounds. Since that 2017 season, Rizo has continued their raucous enterprise, touring and doing pop-up events such as last year’s maze in Arizona. This year, Rizo Scarehouse landed in Irvine in order to frighten all who dared visit during the Halloween season.

This year’s maze took place within the Esports Arena. This space is a hub for video game and esports enthusiasts. Rizo Scarehouse was a complete and total contrast to this venue’s environment. We were very pleased once we walked into Rizo’s maze and were blasted by VERY LOUD horror music accompanied by the incredible scare actors who began to mercilessly beat on metal kegs/drums inside of the maze.

The build of the maze consisted mostly of graffitied tarps and pitch black passageways intermittently lit by strobe lights. This minimal background allowed for a greater impact by the exceptional cast of original characters who form the frenzy of Rizo Scarehouse’s personality. The scare actors, with their nightmarish masks (that appear handmade), were constantly appearing out of thin air and relentlessly running circles around us. These characters were extremely intense, whether they were delivering high-powered scares or lifelessly lurking about. Experiencing this magnitude of monstrous energy within a conventional setting like the Esports Arena was truly a treat.

Rizo Scarehouse has created a brand that continues to grow through its intrepid use of frights and horrifying scare actors who run rampant within a maze of pure pandemonium. This unusual interpretation of a haunted house is both refreshing and invigorating. We always love our time at Rizo Scarehouse!

VC

November 07, 2019

Hauntsofla.com