HellsGate Haunted House owner, operator, and designer John LaFlamboy returns to Car Con Carne alongside also-recurring guests John and Maria from Chicago band clubdrugs. We recap this year’s HellsGate adventure and get awesome insight from LaFlamboy about the experience. Call it a post-mortem, if you will…

We get into all the behind-the-scenes background of the immersive HellsGate experience, starting with the showstopper of the season: the brand-new CLOWN CAROUSEL. LaFlamboy details the seventeen years of planning, and mechanical engineering required to pull off the rotating nightmare, complete with period-accurate 1920s Art Deco trim, counter-rotating canopies, and German circus clown death masks. We also discuss the aftermath of the severe late-summer tornado that swept through the 66-acre grounds, downing power lines and uprooting over 80 mature trees while miraculously sparing the outdoor sets.

We also talk about how LaFlamboy shadows guest groups to direct his 150 to 200 actors in real time, and how he pre-builds and designs the haunt’s upcoming sets using Lego models (no, seriously). We hit on several HellsGate highlights, including the disorienting, brain-breaking realism of the swamp, the claustrophobic coats-in-the-closet room, and the hilarious consequences of taking a wrong turn mid-haunt and facing a chorus of actors yelling “Shame!” (That was me. Whoops.). Plus, John reveals his alter ego, “Earl”—a full-silicone creature suit he wears exclusively on Wednesdays to cause chaos by navigating the entire haunt backward, interacting only with the props.

Car Con Carne is sponsored by Exploding House Printing in Hermosa. Jonathan and the team deliver boutique-quality screen printing, embroidery, and merchandise for bands, brands, and small businesses at large print shop prices. Get a quote at explodinghouseprinting.com or check out their work on Instagram at @explodinghouse.