You possibly can go inside ‘the catacombs’ of certainly one of San Francisco’s most historic buildings

The last time I descended into the depths of San Francisco’s Old Mint building at the 5th and Mission, I was chased by a person in a terrible clown costume as I tried to find one of several rubber rats that were in the 19th century Bank vaults disguised as prison cells were hidden.

I failed the challenge that served as the 2019 finale of Terror Vault, an immersive theater experience and an eerie maze from the minds of Joshua Grannell, aka drag icon Peaches Christ, as well as creative director David Flower, who is instrumental in the To transform the winding corridors of the historic building while preserving much of the aging architecture, which gives you the feeling of being trapped in time – and that there is no way out but through.

When strobe lights flashed overhead, my friends and I screamed for the exit, half screaming and half laughing, so hard that we couldn’t breathe. When I tell Grannell this, he laughs himself.

“Just wait until you see it this time,” he says. “It’s kind of a ‘make it or break it’ year. Last but not least, we delivered the best show we have ever done. ”

Joshua Grannell, also known as drag icon Peaches Christ, poses at the Mint in San Francisco in his haunted immersive attraction “The Immortal Reckoning” on September 13, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE

On a Wednesday evening, I dared to brave the attraction again for her return in 2021 as “The Immortal Reckoning” and found that the environment had completely changed. Instead of creepy clowns and barred hallways, there are crystal chandeliers and soft vintage couches that I learned were from the Edwardian Ball. Red, blue and green disco lights twinkle to the rhythm of “Dominion” by the 1980s Gothic band The Sisters of Mercy, while scantily clad vampires sneak through the brick corridors. The atmosphere is rounded off by a stylish cocktail lounge called “Fang Bang”, where guests can enjoy Unholy Water or perhaps an O-Negative Margarita.

“We decided that we wouldn’t have the bar up in the ballroom like we had in the past few years, but in the vaults because selfishly I really wanted to do an 80s new wave goth vampire moment, and the vaults are so “much better for that because they’re like the catacombs of the building,” said Grannell.

While the lounge plays an important role in the plot of “The Immortal Reckoning,” unlike previous shows, it will also be open to the public for the entire length of the show until Halloween weekend, whether or not you have a ticket or not .

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the actors aren’t going to try and have some fun with you. While I’m sipping a sweet and tart but strong corpse reviver, one of the vampires strolls up to me and smells my hair. “You don’t seem to be from here,” she purrs. “Are you a mortal?”

Unholy Water is one of the cocktails at “The Immortal Reckoning”.

Courtesy Kevin Kopjak / The Immortal Reckoning

The pop-up bar is largely inspired by the former San Francisco club Roderick’s Chamber, which was popular in the 90s. It’s also influenced by an event called Jesus in the recently closed Stud bar on 9th and Harrison, as well as Death Guild, the country’s oldest non-stop gothic and industrial dance night (but which has been held at Trocadero Transfer for years, where Today the grand stands the event is now hosted by the DNA Lounge). Grannell said many of these clubs shaped his early San Francisco nightlife experience when he moved here in the ’90s, and he wanted to find a way to bring them back to the very different neighborhood where they once thrived.

“In many ways, I think this whole show is inspired by San Francisco,” he said. “My experiences in the city and my longing for the old SoMa.”

A look behind the scenes of “Fang Bang” in the haunted immersive attraction “The Immortal Reckoning” at the Mint in San Francisco on September 13, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE

Two years in the making – much of the elaborate set was built during the pandemic – “The Immortal Reckoning” begins as a tour of a new exhibit at the Mint that shows rare artifacts pertaining to the occult and the supernatural. A museum guide invites visitors in groups of eight to view some of its most prized acquisitions, the Hecate Tablet and the Book of Shadows.

I’m not going to give too much away, but something goes wrong, and the powers of these ancient artifacts transport guests through a portal into another dimension with a circle of rabbit-worshiping nun witches (loosely inspired by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Easter). the park event), a sinister orphanage, and more vampires populating another version of the nightclub “Fang Bang” (which has a touch of Folsom Street Fair). There’s also an underground peep show, inspired by the Lusty Lady, a North Beach club that unionized and became a workers’ cooperative before it closed in 2013.

One of the walls in an enchanted orphanage in “The Immortal Reckoning” on the Mint in San Francisco on September 13, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE

“The Lusty Lady was one of those places in San Francisco, like many others that I thought would be there forever,” said Grannell, calling the scene his favorite scene at the attraction. “Like Stud or Finocchio’s or the Lexington Club. When they are gone, you will notice how much you took them for granted. “

Former Lusty Lady dancer Roxanne Redmeat stars on the show as Joan Blackwell, one of the heirs to the iconic collection of artifacts. When she joined the cast of “The Immortal Reckoning,” she suggested replicating the now defunct venue.

“[Joshua] asked us which places in San Francisco we thought were haunted and for me it was definitely the Lusty Lady, “she said, noting that some nights the dancers slept on the couch in the club’s dressing room, because her last shift was 3 a.m. and BART wasn’t on at that time. “There were all kinds of strange noises, vibrations and shadows.”

Former Lusty Lady dancer Roxanne Redmeat dances at the “Fang Bang” nightclub in “The Immortal Reckoning” on the San Francisco Mint.

Jose A. Guzman

“The Immortal Reckoning” takes about an hour from start to finish, and guests can opt for a more interactive experience by wearing a glowing red necklace to let the actors know they can be touched and fed (think a fruit by the foot disguised as something disgusting) or even isolated for a one-on-one scene. A number of William Castle-inspired gimmicks are also used throughout the show. The filmmaker behind B-horror classics like “13 Ghosts” and “House on Haunted Hill” was famous for marketing tricks like taping buzzers under the cinema seats that go off at exactly the right moment and scare the cinema goers during a climax scene.

“This year we’re electrocuting people. We lock them up in coffins. Is there more of William Castle? ”Grannell recently said on an episode of his Midnight Mass podcast, which offers more insight into how the director has influenced the attraction.

One of the rooms of a haunted immersive attraction, “The Immortal Reckoning,” in the Mint in San Francisco on September 13, 2021. (This is one of Peaches Christ’s old wigs.)

Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE

That said, there are a number of security measures. Following the example of the San Francisco theater community, Grannell said, guests must wear masks and show proof of vaccination at all times – negative COVID-19 tests will not be accepted. Other functions are implemented such as “Scream Boxes”, a gadget that emits a loud screeching sound effect when an actor presses a button to prevent the spread of airborne particles.

But is the show really that scary? Even as a devoted horror fan, I’d say yes, but there are still plenty of combative and comedic moments that keep the vibe relaxed – and that’s the point, Grannell said.

“I want you to scream, of course, but I want to take it a step further and make you scream and then laugh,” Grannell said. “I think in these scary times we find ourselves in, horror, especially fun horror, is a relief. You know? It enables people to, to a certain extent, drive out the fear we have from everyday life. ”

Some of the mask performers will wear “The Immortal Reckoning” on September 13, 2021 at the San Francisco Mint.

Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE

And in a way, The Immortal Reckoning puts a mirror next to past nightspots in San Francisco to prove a point beyond Grannell’s feelings of nostalgia.

“What I really want to say to people this year is, ‘These unique places we love are going away if you don’t support them,'” Grannell said.

The show itself won’t last forever in its current form. While events firm Non Plus Ultra is currently renting the Old Mint building, the California Historical Society plans to eventually convert the space into a museum.

“I have a feeling there is a Y on the street [as nightlife slowly begins to reopen]”Said Grannell. “And I think right now we can actually say, ‘Let’s fight for this renaissance. Let’s fight to bring back the weirdness and protect those things that make the city so special. ‘”

“The Immortal Reckoning” will open to the public on Friday, September 24th at the San Francisco Mint. Tickets $ 50 to $ 70.