It’s not a haunted house and it’s not pretend. It’s a “paranormal experience” called Phasmagorica, and honestly, you had me at paranormal.
Turns out West Hollywood’s own Petit Ermitage on Cynthia Street doesn’t just have a rocking rooftop, they’re hiding a secret chamber, a place where belief and imagination meet; a place to keep the spirit of Halloween alive for just a bit longer. Phasmagorica, an immersive séance created by composer and Magic Castle member B.C. Smith, is described by the LA Times as “a séance without a medium.”
According to organizers, the 80-minute experience blends art installation, sound design, and participatory ritual. Nine guests at a time step into a candle-lit chamber wired for immersive sound. The room is filled with “trigger objects.” These are described as old photos, curios (rare and unusual objects), and bits of wood and glass meant to stir memory, spark association, and open the imagination.
Smith, who’s produced private séances for Hollywood’s elite has spent years refining what he calls “immersive, adults-only journeys into the paranormal.” His approach combines atmosphere, tension, and a dose of dark humor, more meditation than magic trick.
“For me, it’s about what people experience when they’re given permission to believe,” Smith told Forbes. “It’s an experiment that turns the audience into the medium. Phasmagorica blurs the line between art and the occult — something wild and unexplainable keeps happening in that room.”
No actors appear. No hidden wires. Guests are guided only by sound and suggestion. Reports from participants mention shifting lights, mysterious whispers, and mirrors that seem to show unfamiliar faces. Whether these moments are supernatural or psychological is part of the design.
Interest in such experiences has surged. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that nearly one-third of Americans engage with astrology, tarot, or other occult practices. In West Hollywood where art, identity, and reinvention have a tendency to overlap, it’s not hard to see the appeal. Events like Phasmagorica seem to question what’s real and what we choose to imagine in the City of Angels. Ask around long enough and you’ll hear nearly everyone has a story, a moment of synchronicity that pierced the veil and hinted there’s more to this world than meets the eye. I certainly have one or two. Don’t you?
So, if you’re looking for a way to keep the spooky spirit alive past Halloween, Phasmagorica runs select evenings through December at the Petit Ermitage. Slip through, if you dare. You never know what -or who– you may find. Tickets and details are available here.
