STORY AND PHOTOS BY GIOVAN SANTIAGO
A downtown nightclub had some unexpected spooky patrons this week.
An Orlando tech company installed a virtual haunted house at The Corner, a bar at, well, the corner of North Orange Avenue and West Washington Street.
As you walk into the experience, you can hear the screams, shrieks and excitement from the spooked guests. As Halloween approaches, cinematic artist Mitchell Sanchez felt it was the perfect time to unveil a passion project years in the making.
“The OtherVRse,” a collaboration between Mitchell and local tech firm 302 Interactive, outfitted a dance floor with VR technology. Combined with ambient and grotesque sound design from the dance floor’s speakers, it creates a simulation set in a futuristic facility.
Sanchez wants The OtherVRse to become something a child would experience at their first visit to a theme park.
“Imagine having to build out a physical structure with all the corridors, lights, screens, and effects,” he said. “Let alone the animatronics for the monster and tour guides. Compare that to carrying around four headsets and a laptop. It’s like having an amusement park in your backpack.
The OtherVRse finishes its public test on Sunday.
