Exclusive clip: The Blackout Experiments, the new horror doc at Sundance

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

One of the most highly anticipated documentaries premiering at Sundance this week is THE BLACKOUT EXPERIMENTS, which takes a look at the fascinating/disturbing “haunted house” experience, Blackout. Firstly, if you’re unfamiliar with Blackout, here’s an accurate synopsis of what occurs to you:

You arrive at a secret location at a precise time, prompted by a mysterious email. You must follow the instructions closely. Once inside, disturbing visions begin. Unspeakable acts befall you — often frightening, sometimes sensual, possibly painful — each stimulating your deepest fears. And when it’s over, you are changed, abandoned, and left wondering what is real and what was merely a game.

Cute little haunted houses aren’t enough for some thrill-seekers out there, obviously, so Blackout satisfies that primal urge to be really scared. You can see its official site HERE. In any case, Rich Fox’s THE BLACKOUT EXPERIMENTS follows a group of friends whose experience with Blackout becomes deeply personal. We have an exclusive clip from the film, which can be seen below, that will give you a little taste of what to expect from the documentary… and the Blackout itself.

In a culture that has embraced immersive theatre and interactive entertainment, the rise of extreme haunts such as the popular horror experience called Blackout has become essential to an obsessive audience that hungers to test the very limits of the dark unknown. Rich Fox’s otherworldly narrative-driven documentary shrewdly seeks out the survivors of some of Blackout’s most intense simulations, revealing an underbelly of private rituals and personal paranoia. Obliterating the line between the real and the imagined, this hybrid experiment dares its victims to stare into the hidden pleasures of a waking nightmare, and then it stares right back.

THE BLACKOUT EXPERIMENTS premieres on January 24th at Sundance; for further info, head over HERE