Beckett Mansion

From the same folks behind the nightmarish Creep (which is taking the year off), JFI Productions’ The Willows is an immersive play—part dinner theater and part haunted house—in which you are one of 25 guests at an intimate family gathering at the historic Beckett Mansion near West Adams. The intimate, two-hour performance trades more in atmosphere than jump scares, but its surreal circumstances and sense of unease and anticipation will more than scratch that Halloween itch. This one is a favorite of Halloween aficionados and A-listers, and I can see why. The experience truly made me feel like I was in a horror movie—not a slasher, but an unsettling family drama that draws you in and sticks with you. The acting was excellent all around—the actors stayed in character impeccably and are also skilled enough to improvise during impromptu conversations with guests. When I left, I half wanted to stay in touch with all of them.  You enter the experience in groups of five, and each group is taken on its own journey, meeting up with the others for drinks and dinner. So while there are some narrative beats that everyone experiences, you could ostensibly attend several times and have a different experience each time. And participation is practically a requirement.  Tickets are expensive—$250 per person—but, as evidenced by the fact that all of October’s performances sold out right away, audiences clearly find the high price tag worth it. At the time of writing, there are a handful...