(Los Angeles, CA) If you’re looking for something with a little more heart this Halloween, look no further than Below, an approximately 30-minute immersive, walkthrough experience at the Hospital of Emotions. Blending atmospheric environments, compelling performances, and a deeply moving story, Below offers something a little different from the traditional Halloween attraction – an opportunity to explore the darker corners of the human experience while discovering the possibility of healing on the other side.
As a fan of both Halloween and immersive theater, I was genuinely touched by this experience. It’s the kind of show that reminds you why immersive storytelling can be so powerful: you’re not simply watching a story unfold from the sidelines. You’re stepping into another world, meeting its characters, and witnessing their struggles up close. And sometimes, the stories that move us most are the ones that help us better understand ourselves.
The current run of Below continues through November 1, and I sincerely hope this experience returns to the Hospital of Emotions in the future. It’s a memorable addition to the Halloween season and one that offers something incredibly meaningful alongside a good dose of chills and scares.
A huge thank you to the Hospital of Emotions for having us out!
The Below Experience
Following the mysteries surrounding Patient 13, guests are guided by Sister Raphaela through the belly of an active hospital. From the moment you enter this unsettling environment, you’re drawn into a world filled with questions, secrets, and the lingering feeling that there’s much more happening beneath the surface.
The experience unfolds through a series of meticulously detailed environments, brought to life by live actors and interactive moments that make guests feel like participants rather than passive observers. Instead of simply moving from one scene to the next, you’re immersed in the world of the story as it develops around you.
Guests are led through a variety of hospital spaces, including a medical specimen area and several examination and testing rooms. The environments are filled with medical equipment, carefully considered details, and the clinical atmosphere you’d expect from a functioning medical facility. These elements lend the experience a sense of authenticity, making the setting feel unsettlingly real and drawing you further into the narrative.
But the true strength of Below isn’t just its environments or its immersive presentation. It’s the story unfolding within them.
Although the experience takes place in a hospital, its central themes reach far beyond medicine. At its heart, Below is a story about trauma, loss, self-forgiveness, and the difficult process of learning to let go.
As we follow the story of Patient 13, we witness the struggle to confront painful truths, come to terms with loss, and navigate the complicated emotions that accompany acceptance. Healing isn’t presented as an easy or instantaneous process. Instead, we’re invited to sit with the discomfort, acknowledge the pain, and consider what it means to move forward when the past cannot be changed.
It’s a moving reminder that sometimes, the most difficult battles we face aren’t with the world around us, but with the parts of ourselves we haven’t yet learned to forgive.
The HEART of It: Below at the Hospital of Emotions
This show isn’t just well executed; it’s important. And I don’t use that word lightly.
We all experience loss, disappointment, trauma, and grief at some point in our lives. Sometimes these experiences leave behind wounds that are difficult to explain, much less heal. They can influence how we see ourselves, how we connect with others, and how we approach the world around us. And when we don’t know how to process that pain, it can slowly begin to overshadow the very things that bring us joy.
Grief is a natural part of being human. We can’t always control what happens to us, and we certainly can’t undo every painful experience we’ve endured. But we can learn to live with those experiences without allowing them to define every part of who we are.
That’s what makes Below so meaningful.
Through Patient 13’s journey, the show explores the difficult but necessary work of acknowledging our pain, accepting what we cannot change, and finding a way to move forward. It reminds us that self-forgiveness is not the same as forgetting, and acceptance doesn’t mean that what happened no longer matters. Rather, healing can begin when we stop fighting the reality of our experiences and allow ourselves the freedom to grow beyond them.
For me, this is where Below truly shines. Beneath the hospital setting, the detailed environments, and the immersive storytelling is a message that feels deeply human. While the Halloween season often invites us to confront the things that frighten us, this experience encourages us to look inward, too – toward the fears, regrets, and unresolved emotions that can be much harder to face.
And perhaps that’s the most powerful kind of storytelling: the kind that entertains us while also giving us something meaningful to carry home.
I sincerely hope Below is extended or returns for another run in the future. This is an experience I would love to see reach an even wider audience. Its message is one that many of us need to hear, and its combination of immersive theater and emotional storytelling makes it a standout offering for anyone looking for something beyond the usual Halloween thrills.
If you’re a fan of immersive experiences, appreciate thoughtful storytelling, or simply want to experience something that might leave you looking at life a little differently, put Below on your Halloween must-do list.
Getting Tickets to Below
Below is running on select evenings through November 1, so time is running out to experience this unique Halloween offering!
Don’t miss your chance to step inside the Hospital of Emotions and follow Patient 13’s unforgettable journey. Visit the Hospital of Emotions’ official website to plan your visit and purchase tickets. Be sure to follow the Hospital of Emotions on Instagram, too, for the latest updates, announcements, and news about future productions.
This Halloween, make room for an experience that offers more than a fright. Sometimes, the stories that stay with us longest are the ones that help us find a little more understanding, compassion, and healing within ourselves.
