Unless you’re a hardcore Disney fan, you probably don’t remember the short-lived attraction “The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter.” A theatrical experience that ran briefly in the 1990s in Florida’s Magic Kingdom, it garnered many complaints from crowds about its intensity. Browsing message boards and YouTube comments, many people still talk about how traumatizing the show was. Of course, it might seem quaint today, but at the time, its use of binaural sound and 4D effects (spraying the audience with fluid, making them feel hot breath on the backs of their necks) was revolutionary.
Luckily, audiences will have a chance to see for themselves — sort of — with Trepany House’s parody production of “Alien Encounter,” created by Adam Franklin and Amit Itelman and sponsored by Titmouse, now running every weekend in October at the Titmouse Warehouse in Hollywood. But there will be blood. In fact, the press release comes with a warning — or a promise, if you’re into that kind of thing — stating: “AUDIENCES WILL BE COVERED IN BLOOD, DRESS ACCORDINGLY.”
As for what audiences can expect, Itelman says, “They will experience 25 minutes of being face to face with a ferocious flesh-eating extra-terrestrial whose only instinct is to release carnage upon this planet Earth.”
If you’re familiar with Trepany or Itelman, you know you can count on some impressive special effects and creature work. Many audiences likely were introduced to his work through “Hollywood Hellhouse,” an experience that blended a haunted house with Christian fundamentalist teachings. Most recently, Itelman wrote and directed “Bride of Blood,” which ran in Los Angeles for eight months before traveling to Tokyo. That show also featured stunning costumes, puppetry, and set pieces that would be impressive in any theater, let alone the small black box space where it ran. As for the future of that show, Itelman says, “There are discussions about a Japanese translation being published overseas. All sorts of ideas are being thrown around — perhaps it will escape the confines of live theater.”
Itelman says “Alien Encounter” shares DNA similar to “Bride of Blood” in that “they are exercises in outrageous make-believe.” He continues, “The ideas and drama that play out seem to want to burst out of the stage. They might be too ambitious for the scale they are presented with. I guess that is true with much of the theater I am involved in. I usually try to go beyond my means and land somewhere that feels comfortable.”
Itelman loves coming up with creature designs and passing them along to effects veterans like Fred Fraleigh (“Hellboy,” “Avengers: Infinity War”) and the performance group Big Nazo, who make his creations come to life. He’s also brought on cast members who are Trepany House players for his show, “just the usual talented lunatics that are always a joy to work with
The storyline parodies the original Disney experience, in which an audience witnesses an alien be transported into the the very same room they’re currently inhabiting and (naturally) breaks free. “We just love the insanity of what Disney attempted, and their concept was so fun,” Itelman notes. “It was so totally inappropriate for Disney Parks, but so very appropriate for Trepany House.” Itelman jokes that it asked the question: “What if Disney Parks let Gwar put on an attraction?” Still, they opted to amplify that insanity with a new script and live actors for what he calls “an original production and a total retelling of the original concept.”
Itelman and Franklin first collaborated more than ten years ago on a stage version of Martin Olsen’s book “The Encyclopedia of Hell.” The two share similar interests — including horror and dark rides. “Shrooming at Disneyland when I was a teenager had a strong influence on what became a life in theater,” Itelman says. “Adam told me about his vivid memories experiencing Alien Encounter at Disney World, and we decided we needed to remount it.”
Of course, there are challenges, such as the carnage each performance leaves. But Itelman has that figured out by now. “Well, the secret to cleaning up gallons of stage blood is sawdust,” he says. “A whole lot of sawdust cleans up any mess.”
For tickets and information on the show, visit www.trepanyhouse.org.
