If you’re a fan of immersive entertainment who hasn’t gone to London you have probably still heard tales of Secret Cinema: the elaborate interactive parties — adventures in some cases — that frame film screenings in the heart of the British Empire.

For years now there have been rumors that the mix of film and immersive decadence were due to land in Los Angeles. That is still not the case, but a posting in Everything Immersive by the creators of Into The Film made hearts skip and imaginations reel this week.

With an inaugural event — A Night at the Opera, based on the silent film version of The Phantom of the Opera — in Santa Monica that promises to treat patrons “to an evening of immersive and interactive entertainment followed by a screening of the classic silent movie” the comparisons are bound to be made.

Best to remember, however, that the road to the massive scale of Secret Cinema’s Moulin Rogue, Back To The Future, and The Empire Strikes Back events were paved by a series of smaller pop-up events. Nor are they the only production company to meld film screenings with live events. New York City’s BBQ Films famously staged the blood-rave from Blade and an off-shoot of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain has begun to roll out their own events. (And, of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is pretty much the ur-interactive film event.)

We reached out to Into The Film’s creative team and talked with co-founder Erik Geffner-Mihlsten about his team’s first foray into a genre — the immersive movie screening — that has only had the surface scratched here in the United States.

No Proscenium: Let’s get this one out of the way: fans of the genre will pick up pretty quickly on a Secret Cinema vibe, is Into The Film the west coast version of that?

Erik Geffner-Mihlsten: When we were developing the idea, we definitely heard a lot about other immersive events like Secret Cinema, Sleep No More, The Willows, and other innovative and exciting projects. I think that what each of those groups do is fantastic. We have always loved movies and always knew that would be the direction we would want to go towards. While we do have some similarities to Secret Cinema, in that we’re both interactive events focused on film, the core aspects are a bit different in order to suit our market and the kind of experience we want to build. A big part of that is our event needs to be approachable for the people here in LA.

NP: You’ve described Into The Film as a mix of escape rooms, immersive theatre, and Westworld — so what’s the mix like? Is this a puzzle heavy interactive gaming experience, or something else altogether?

Erik Geffner-Mihlsten: The mix is really designed to allow guests to design their own experience! That was a big thing for us. For example, guests that are fully ready to immerse themselves can spend the evening following puzzles, interacting with guests and other characters; essentially becoming a whole different person for the evening.

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For guests that would prefer to observe and enjoy a sweet crepe or beverage in 1889 Paris, they can walk around, enjoy the sets and talk with the actors without any pressure. We wanted to make sure we could serve the broad market of Los Angeles.

Additionally, we have assembled an incredible cast of actors with credits ranging from different film & TV roles, to UCB Theatre, Magic Castle magicians, Game of Thrones the Musical and a Juilliard graduate! Each of them is well suited to be able to interact with each and every guest.

NP: Why The Phantom of the Opera? What inspired the choice of a silent film with live accompaniment?

Erik Geffner-Mihlsten: We really liked the idea of A Night at the Opera and getting to step back to 1880s Paris. The Phantom of the Opera is a classic story that has been told so many times. Phantom also lends itself perfectly for this kind of immersive event.

We absolutely love old Hollywood and thought what better way to kick off our business. I know people enjoy having a reason to dress up and the Opera is certainly something people dress up for! In terms of a viewing experience, we wanted live music because it really enforces the immersive aspect of the event and makes the film seem more present.

NP: Who are the team behind Into The Film, what kind of experience do they have?

Erik Geffner-Mihlsten: We have incredible team at Into the Film! This project wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without the team we have built here. At the base as co-founders there are my siblings; Alena and Alex.

Also running the show are Katie Kildahl and Richard Holland, who have been invaluable and fantastic to work with. Katie is our Associate Producer, but she wears another hat as our Production Manager and has a great background in show production.

Richard is our Creative Director. He has some incredible credits to his name that still blow me away. He was the Art Director for movies like Princess Bride and Batman & Robin. Plus, he is British so you know he has to be cool.

Our writer is Mark Sonnenblick, who is one of the smartest and funniest people that I know. He’s responsible for developing everything as it relates to the experience and storyline. Our director, Andrea Ruffalo, has been instrumental in the casting and will be coordinating the experience on-site. She has a great vision of how the actors will be interacting with our guests! Finally our Sound Designer, Ed Holland, just moved here from London (another British accent on the team! Yay!) and has been responsible for figuring out all of the sound elements for the space. He also found the incredible musicians that will be playing the music in the event.

Into The Film’s A Night At The Opera will play August 4–6 and 11–13 in Santa Monica. Tickets start at $59, and appropriate attire is required. See the website for details.

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