As many of you may already know, I have an intimate relationship with Urban Death. I’ve experienced it from all perspectives, I’ve been a fan, I’ve been a performer, I’ve loved it dearly, and I’ve even bled for it. With that being said, I’ll try to keep this review as objective as possible.
The standard Urban Death is a one hour show, full of silent vignettes of terror. Actors that look like they’ve been plucked out of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari shock the audience with graphic scenes of violence and existential dread.
Urban Death: Tour of Terror changes things up a bit for Halloween. The theater is transformed into a maze and the show is shortened to about 15 minutes. Audiences must walk through the maze to see the show. On the way out they go back through the maze, which has changed entirely during the show.
I’m not a huge fan of the maze. As both a performer and audience member, I think it’s too dark. I like the darkness, but I couldn’t see the characters at all. If they brightened it up just a tad, it’d be much more enjoyable. My companion disagreed with me. He liked the level of darkness. What I did see, was creepy to the core. My favorite part of the maze involves some sort of creature with long fingers caressing herself.
This year’s show was one of my favorites ever. Urban Death is at its best when it focuses on creating illusions and psychological horror. Everything you ever imagined lurking in the infinite blackness, resides within the confines of Urban Death.
Those intrigued by this article should visit the official ZJU website and check out the upcoming shows. Also check out the Urban Death site. http://zombiejoes.com/ and http://www.urbandeath.com/
