By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – A haunted house where visitors aren’t just spectators but become part of the story is bringing a different kind of Halloween experience to Albuquerque this October. “This is a Haunted House*,” an immersive horror-comedy presented by ShortTerror Productions at North Fourth Theatre, combines traditional haunted house scares with live theater, comedy and audience participation.
Co-director Rusty Rutherford explains that the production grew out of “Quarantine,” a long-running immersive horror experience originally developed by a group of University of New Mexico students and graduates.
Over the years, the group has explored themes ranging from zombies to ghosts and aliens. More recently, the productions have shifted toward interactive theater, with this year’s show making the haunted house itself central to the storyline. “We love traditional haunted houses, but this is a new take on that, and it’s very story driven,” says Rutherford.
Unlike a traditional haunted house, where visitors walk through themed rooms encountering different scares, this production follows an overarching storyline that unfolds as audiences move through the space.
Visitors arrive as extras recruited to work inside a haunted house. As they receive training and venture deeper into the attraction, they begin discovering that things are not quite what they seem. “The audience becomes characters in the show,” says Rutherford.
Producer Shannon Flynn emphasizes that the experience blends the scares of a haunted attraction with the character development and storytelling of a theatrical production. “It’s not just walking into the witch’s room and then walking into some other room with a different theme,” says Flynn.
Instead, audiences follow characters through a complete story, experiencing the events alongside them rather than simply watching from a theater seat. Flynn explains that the production was developed collaboratively by seven writers over approximately six weeks. The writing team worked together on ideas and storyboards before selecting a primary writer to help shape the script.
Although the performers follow a script, audience participation means no two performances are necessarily identical. The actors are encouraged to adapt their performances based on audience interactions, allowing the production to evolve from night to night. “It is scripted, but it’s always changing, even night to night,” says Rutherford. “You’re not going to necessarily see the exact same show with the exact same lines.”
That flexibility also creates challenges behind the scenes. Instead of directing actors on a traditional stage, the production team must coordinate performances, lighting, sound and other technical elements across numerous rooms.
Rutherford co-directs the production alongside Charles Herrera, whom he met in an improv class several years ago. Both bring comedy experience to the production, something Rutherford believes naturally complements horror.
Rutherford explains that comedy and horror rely on similar techniques, including misdirection, surprise and playing with audience expectations. As visitors progress through the experience, they can expect increasingly strange encounters involving blood, guts and body parts, presented in ways intended to be both frightening and funny. “The further they get into it, the weirder it gets, the deeper it gets,” says Rutherford.
Beyond the scares, the production highlights Albuquerque’s local arts community. Approximately 15 actors and a similarly sized crew helped bring the show together through set design, lighting, sound and performance.
Flynn emphasizes that the production is entirely homegrown, with local artists working together to create an experience for their community. “It’s a completely local show made by completely local artists, just collaborating live,” says Flynn.
For Rutherford, the production also offers an opportunity to encourage people to step away from their screens and experience live entertainment, especially as so much entertainment is now consumed online. “Get out from behind the screen and come see stuff,” says Rutherford.
“This is a Haunted House*” runs Oct. 9 through 31 at North Fourth Theatre (4904 Fourth St. NW) on select evenings. Thursday performances feature “splash the audience night,” during which attendees will intentionally be sprayed. Tickets range from $26.78 to $31.98 and can be purchased at shortterror.com.
If you go…
This is a Haunted House*
- Runs Oct. 9 through 31
- North Fourth Theatre (4904 Fourth St. NW)
- Tickets ranges from $26.78 to $31.98
