Due to injury Scare Directory were unable to attend Cult Purge in person. We are very grateful that Cody Niesyto kindly offered to write this review for us.
On a chilly Saturday evening in the middle of December, most people would be focused on preparing for Christmas. However, at Normanton ARLFC in Yorkshire, a brave group of us gathered with alternative plans. Some participants had even travelled from opposite ends of the country to attend this most enticing opportunity. A chance to prove ourselves as pledges, putting our souls on the line in an attempt to join a mysterious cult.
With nearby parking and excellent communication from the organisers, we all made it to the event site despite disruption on public transport for those not travelling by car. After several train delays and cancellations, some of us were running late and were very kindly collected from the local train station to avoid the faff of booking a taxi or walking the remaining distance to the venue.
As pledges filtered in, we were given waivers to read and sign as is standard with events on the more extreme side of things. It was clear from the level of detail in the waivers and additional assurance from the organiser that safety was paramount, with ample opportunity to raise any concerns before signing our souls away.
Once everyone was comfortable (or as comfortable as you can be in such a situation), we were taken to a place where we could store any belongings securely and given one last opportunity to use the toilet or grab anything we might need with us.
Back outside, nerves built and an ominous red glow beckoned from within the building while we were given a full safety briefing to make sure we all understood what to do if things were to become too much.
For the event, we were given 2 safewords to use. The first would allow a participant a brief break from any scenario they felt overwhelmed by, providing the opportunity to continue with a task after collecting themselves as opposed to quitting the task altogether. Secondly, an extended safeword would ensure an immediate ceasing of the current scenario for the participant to be excused from engaging in the scene. Upon using the second safeword, there was also the opportunity for a participant to be completely removed from the event as a whole rather than skipping a specific scene and continuing to the next. Having different levels of safewords meant participants could control their exposure to the experience, enabling them to push themselves without fear of missing out on anything.
When everyone was ready to proceed, we were lined up and led into the darkness to face our fates.
Welcome to the Cult
From the moment we entered the room which would serve as a base of sorts for the evening, an atmosphere of intense dread descended, the colour red engulfing us all as though we had entered another reality altogether, accompanied by an eerie piece of music that would become the soundtrack to our torment.
Before a single word was even spoken, I had already forgotten we were on rugby club grounds, immediately immersed in this candlelit crimson-soaked world the team had created.
It was here we were introduced to the cult, an imposing group of cloaked fanatics with an affinity for embracing the elements.
After a speech offering an explanation of the trials we pledges were about to face, we were warned not to speak to or look at one another as we waited to attend our first task. I cannot stress how something so simple added to the air of bleak oppression in the room. We pledges were not here to mess around, and anything so much as smiling at each other or staring at the cult members would result in some form of punishment. It was clear the cult had total control. Selecting a chosen one is serious business, after all.
The Trials
Throughout the evening, pledges would be removed from the red room to face various tasks, each based on the elements the cult had previously referenced. Fire, water, earth, air, and spirit (not in that order).
It would be unfair to spoil the exact details of all the trials in case they are used in future iterations of the event, but every task was exquisitely themed to its respective element, each one offering greater enlightenment.
The inclusion of scripted speeches before and after the trials elevated the experience above other extreme events I have attended. Having such symbolism and an overarching storyline connecting the tasks gave every action greater purpose. With each trial completed came a brilliant sense of accomplishment. We weren’t there to simply survive something harrowing; we were there as witnesses and willing participants to an otherworldly power that would dominate our minds long into the night.
It is worth mentioning that there was a brief unscheduled break in the show due to a personal matter involving cast members, which was handled extremely professionally. During this break, the organiser explained the situation and took the time to check on everyone’s wellbeing. The way it was dealt with served as a testament to the organiser’s dedication to ensuring the welfare of both the cast and participants.
Despite the interruption, the show was able to continue, and the cast’s transition back into the cult’s world was so seamless that it almost felt as though the break was a mere fleeting dream.
As a side note, I’ve attended a few different extreme immersive events, and some of the trials at Cult Purge had me facing an interesting mix of things I’d never encountered before personally. The strong themes and creative ways in which the tasks were executed had me in a constant state of fear and curiosity at what may come next. Some of the trials were things I had hoped never to face, some were physically demanding, and all of them were psychologically intimidating.
The Characters
Unlike another event by the same organiser, Purge at the Pots, where distinctly individual characters express their personalities, the cult appeared more akin to one unknowable entity, their unity serving to heighten their menacing presence at all times. Even in moments where only one member was with us, or when we participants were hooded and oblivious to how many may watch over us, it always felt as though the eyes of the entire cult were piercing our very souls, judging our worthiness to dwell among them.
Although being largely nameless and often unnervingly silent, different cult members presided over different elements. This small detail was also present in their appearance, as while each wore robes befitting a creepy cult, they were adorned with individual symbols on their foreheads.
Despite the horrors we would face and the general domineering presence of the cult, there were moments where the actors also achieved a delightful sense of genuine care for participants, acknowledging the difficulty of the trials we encountered and encouraging those who needed it to find it within themselves to succeed. On the reverse, there were also moments of cruelty where the cult did everything in its power to steal all hope from us. The unrelenting nature of the actors and their dedication to creating these moments made the experience that much more special.
In Limbo
To not mention the downtime between trials and the general psychological nature of the event would do it a disservice, as these strange moments in a state of suspension made the experience just as much as any of the trials.
The tension of sitting silently in the red room, not knowing who would be next to be taken away for a trial, added to the overall intimidating atmosphere. Maybe others felt a sense of relief in those brief breaks from being actively involved in tasks, but make no mistake, the respite offered was little. I found my mind spinning, and the occasional shouts from actors and noises from pledges in a nearby room only served to unnerve me further.
After seeing fellow pledges punished for as little as letting out a stifled laugh, I learned early on in the experience that doing anything other than sitting in silence staring at the ground was a bad idea. I am normally the type of person who wanders around a scare attraction giggling like a child at every attempted scare, but not here.
One moment in the red room particularly freaked me out. Fellow pledges were being dragged one by one to the next trial, sometimes offering themselves up, sometimes chosen at random. The group gradually disappeared into the darkness, taking a drop of my courage with each of them. I am not brave enough to volunteer to go next for anything in life, and so I was one of the few remaining in the room.
As I was weighing up whether or not to offer myself next in an attempt to avoid being the last one left behind, the cult member watching over us turned towards me and took a single step in my direction. Already in a somewhat panicked state of mind, I then found myself wishing he would do anything other than take another step towards me. My wishes went unanswered as he took one more step in my direction, paused, then another, and another. I had spent my time here purposefully avoiding attracting attention to myself, yet now I had one of the cult members looming over me in menacing silence.
Not knowing the intent behind such actions was genuinely daunting. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel rather uncomfortable! The temptation to look up at him was all-consuming, but so were the flashbacks in my mind of the other pledges being punished earlier in the night.
The most I dared do was raise my eyes to the two remaining pledges opposite me, who were trying (unsuccessfully) to suppress their amusement at the scene unfolding in front of them. I knew if I didn’t do something, I would wind up in a fit of giggles myself, but in my determination not to be goaded into punishment, I picked a spot on the floor to focus on and started reciting lyrics from a favourite song in my head. Much to my relief, my fellow pledges took the heat off of me with their laughter, resulting in one of them being punished while I escaped unscathed.
I cannot understate the power of some of these mind games played throughout the event. We were kept in a state of perpetual paranoia, left to battle not only the trials but our own intrusive thoughts. When deprived of sight, I began to wonder if anyone else was even there anymore or if I’d been left alone to suffer. There were instances where I’d hear a sound and immediately dread what was about to happen, even if it were only a ruse. More often than not, the idea of something was more frightening than what actually occurred, forcing me to face my fear over and over again.
These psychological tricks and traps played a key part in sustaining an atmosphere of suspense and terror throughout the experience, to the point that some of the pledges tentatively questioned when offered water if it was genuinely allowed or another way to mess with us somehow!
The Finale
Upon completing each of the elemental trials, we all knew what was coming next. The whole point of us pledging our souls to this cult was to become the chosen one, yet the story’s enthralling conclusion was both a grand deception and a glorious theatrical sight to behold.
I won’t spoil what happened, but believe me when I say it was one of the most aesthetically impressive finales to an immersive horror event I’ve ever seen! The looks on people’s faces were priceless, a cocktail of confusion, horror, and others utterly spellbound.
Sometimes, extreme horror shows can fall a bit flat towards the end, but Cult Purge’s final act was a total triumph and one that will stay with me for many years to come.
Summary
Everything about the experience was bittersweet (literally, at one point!) Part of me didn’t want it to end, and another was glad it was over, mirroring the highs and lows felt throughout.
It was without a doubt the most psychologically challenging horror event that I’ve been to, and the only one where I’ve had to forcibly silence the cowardly voice in my head from blurting out a safe word before a task even started, such was my fragile state of mind created by the intensity of the event’s immersion.
Overcoming the various aspects of an event like this is only possible if you can place your trust in the team who are both tormenting and entertaining you. Your life is theirs to hold, and you need to know you will be looked after. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I felt I was in safe hands for the entirety of the experience.
I can recall a moment during the Air trial where my brain was attempting to process the information being given to me while thinking to myself, right… so we’re really going to go there? It seemed like insanity, and yet, I could physically feel that despite how disconcerting the idea was, I was completely safe and had nothing to fear but my own thoughts on the matter. I appreciate that they didn’t, but the team could have pushed further at that moment, and I still would have trusted them to keep me safe.
Parts of the event felt as though they would never end while others flew by in the blink of an eye, but every second there was time well spent. For all the harrowing moments, I found it to be both satisfying and empowering.
Overall, the experience was delightfully intense and unrelenting, and I would easily recommend it to any thrillseeker who likes their scares on the more extreme side of things. What I especially adored was the more sensory and theatrical nature of the event. I’m a sucker for a storyline, and that’s not something you tend to see often in extreme horror shows, so it made for a more unique blend of immersive theatre that I immensely enjoyed. For that reason, I believe the experience would also be suitable for the more daring horror lovers out there who have any interest in immersive theatre and are willing to explore what they might be capable of. At the end of the day, you are safe, and you never know what you might find out about yourself.
It was clear that a lot of love had been poured into bringing everything to life. From the impressive use of the venue’s space and set decoration to the cast’s costume and makeup design. The intriguing story progression to the energy and enthusiasm of the actors who kept us engaged. And last (but certainly not least), in the aftercare that was provided once the show was over.
Hats off to the entire Cult Purge team for creating such an exhilarating and imaginative event. A massive thank you to each and every one of them for the opportunity to endure such a cool experience. I very much look forward to seeing future versions of the show and anything else the organisers put their delightfully twisted minds to.
If you’re looking to get your blood pumping, make sure to keep an eye on the Purge at the Pots social media page for news and announcements related to Cult Purge and other future Purge events.
