The Willows Returns for 2025! Los Angeles’ Most Haunting Halloween Immersive Theater Experience
When The Willows returned to Los Angeles this fall, word spread fast across creative circles from Downtown LA to Silver Lake, and even among New York and Berlin’s performance art aficionados.
Immersive theater in Los Angeles captures it perfectly: this isn’t just another Halloween show—it’s an artful descent into fear, grief, and human curiosity.
Visitors don’t sit back and watch. They enter a mansion, share dinner with “new friends”, and become part of a family haunted by secrets. As creator Justin Fix puts it:
“It’s cinema for the stage… stepping into a movie.”
Director Justin Fix
A Dark and Elegant Return to the Mansion
One of North America’s most talked-about immersive theater experiences, The Willows is back—and reimagined in what Director Justin Fix calls its “4K version.” The JFI Productions team rebuilt the experience from the ground up with months of preparation.
“The home in which we occupy now was an empty space,” Justin Fix explains. “So everything we have, we filled that whole home with so much life.”
That life pulses through every corner. The production uses cutting-edge sound and lighting to create ghostly illusions, while the performers deliver unflinching realism. No winks, no nods—just pure, unnerving intimacy.
For those familiar with JFI’s hit Creep LA, The Willows extends the company’s signature immersive storytelling beyond seasonal scares.
Originally launched in 2017, the production blends dinner theater, escape room intrigue, and emotional psychodrama into one sophisticated experience that appeals as much to cinephiles and art lovers as to horror fans. Hello A24?
Psychology of Fear and Connection
At its core, The Willows is not just about fear—it’s about humanity.
“FOMO is a real human emotion… [the event is…] a feeling of intrigue and investment.”
Justin Fix
That emotion fuels the show’s design: small groups, whispered secrets, and moments that test personal boundaries.
Guests are drawn into a celebration of life that quickly unravels into something surreal. One moment you’re sipping wine; the next, you’re alone in a shadowed hallway or dancing with a stranger who may—or may not—be real.
“It asks a lot of you…”
Justin Fix
“…It puts people in situations that maybe they’ve not been confronted with before.”
In Los Angeles, where audiences are spoiled by entertainment options, The Willows stands out by asking guests not just to observe—but to feel. It’s theater as catharsis, a chance to “learn to play again as an adult,” as Fix describes.
Crafting a World That Changes Every Night
Unlike traditional performances, The Willows unfolds differently for every guest. The branching narrative means no two experiences are the same—something Fix learned after tracking more than 1,200 performances.
“We had one woman come back 22 times,”
justin fix reveals
“Each time, she still found a new scene she hadn’t seen before.”
Seating determines which storyline you’ll encounter. A different dinner table might lead to a different set of secrets, conversations, or even moral choices. It’s theater that rewards curiosity.
Indeed, The Willows rewards curiosity — not always tangible, but emotional moments that linger long after the night ends.
Ensemble Behind the Madness
Justin Fix credits his cast and crew as the heart of the production. Many have been with JFI since 2017, making The Willows not just a show, but a shared creative journey through grief, art, and healing.
“We were grieving and working through that grief and putting it on the stage,”
director justin fix
“And… along the way,
it was healing us.”
From the grieving widow to the manic maid, each performer sustains the illusion with unnerving authenticity. Guests often linger on the front lawn afterward, trading stories about what they saw—or thought they saw.
It’s that shared reflection, that blurred line between audience and actor, that elevates The Willows into a living, breathing work of art.
FAQ: About The Willows
Q: What is The Willows?
A: The Willows is an immersive theater experience by JFI Productions in Los Angeles. Guests become part of the story as dinner guests in a dark, interactive psychodrama.
Q: How long does the experience last?
A: The show typically runs two hours, blending performance, interaction, and light dinner (wine and snacks) in a private mansion setting.
Q: Is The Willows appropriate for all audiences?
A: The experience is designed for adults (18+) and may include intense emotional themes and suspenseful moments.
A Night You’ll Never Forget
Los Angeles thrives on reinvention—and The Willows proves that immersive storytelling can be both chilling and profound. Whether you’re a local Angeleno or flying in from Austin, Phoenix, or New York, it’s an unforgettable night of fear, beauty, and connection.
For show dates and tickets, visit https://www.jfiproductions.com/
