You’re given a dim (like SUPER dim) flashlight, wished luck, and sent off into a narrow, winding maze of black tarps. You squint to see as your partner shakily pans the light across the wall, looking for the next turn, when out pops…. 

A creepy lady eating kitty poop out of the litter box?! “Yum, yum?” she questions, motioning to you with the scoop.

If this doesn’t sound like a familiar situation to you, then you’ve probably never been to Urban Death: Tour of Terror. I’m making light of one of the more silly and icky scenes, but it’s actually quite scary too. Here’s an actual conversation from inside the maze:

Sara: I literally just almost peed myself! Like, I’m not kidding.

Ashley: OMG ME TOO!

Urban Death: Tour of Terror lets your mind play tricks on you. There’s no crazy gore or horrific props, just a pitch black, disorienting maze with some seriously freaky performers. If you have a good imagination, BEWARE. Once through, guests gather in the showroom for the main event, and a big part of what Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group is known for – Urban Death. It’s a collection of independent scenes put on by various members of the ensemble. Some are disturbing, some are hilarious, some are that awkward mix where you don’t know if it’s PC to laugh out loud or not. If you’ve got a good crowd (as we did), it’s just a room full of weirdos being creepy together, and it’s amazing. That’s not to take away from the show that these actors put on. They are fiercely talented performers that aren’t afraid to ‘go there.’ They work in very tight spaces, set up most scenes in the dark and still never miss a beat. That, combined with the audio and lighting effects, makes for a very memorable show. When the performance is over, guess what you get to do? Go back out the way you came, against the directional arrows, for a ‘new’ maze full of twists, scares and oddballs. A word of caution, surprises can come from all angles. 

I’ve been to Urban Death and Urban Death: Tour of Terror a good number of times, and this has been my favorite show yet. Each vignette was impactful, whether funny, frightening or just damn impressive. The set up is simple, but it doesn’t get old. Every year has a slew of frightening new concepts with a sprinkle of fan favorites. It’s not for everyone, definitely not the prudish or faint of heart (there’s graphic content and full nudity), but everyone that attends won’t be able to forget it!

New for this year, ZJU is also offering a ‘family friendly’ version of Urban Death. It’s the same set up – entry maze, show, exit maze – but with age appropriate scenes and extra lighting in the maze. There’s a tooth fairy scene that had the whole room of adults previewing it in stitches, and the end of the maze got me so good that you could apparently hear my screams from outside (surprised screams, not terror-filled screams like in the adult version). ZJU recommends it for ages 8+.

For more info and tickets for both of these events visit their site HERE. And let Zombie Joe know we sent you!