Laocoönte – Under Horror – Barcelona – September 2025
Under Horror are a Spanish group that have been running for a few years now around the Barcelona area and have three extreme immersive horror shows under their belt, No Soy Libre, Cinderella and their latest Laocoönte. It has been quite a while since I’ve been through a solo extreme immersive experience and sadly for me the dates and times that Under Horror’s shows have been on have never quite aligned. Finally in their latest run of Laocoönte I was able to make a flying visit to Barcelona.
Laocoönte has had quite a few runs already and I’d tried my hardest to avoid any and all spoilers. Attending a show like this is always much better knowing as little as possible beforehand. Just in case the show does ever return I’ll try and keep this review as spoiler free as possible and won’t recite a blow by blow account of all the elements that take place during the show. That said this review will contain glimpses that those that wish never to be spoiled may regret.
The experience starts well before the actual event itself, there are a few interactions that happen digitally over email and social media in the run up to the event, they help to build up the tension and give a flavour of some of the things to come within the narrative, but it did feel slightly disjointed, and I wasn’t sure how it all tied together. A few days before the event I received my final details and address for a venue about 30 mins drive from the centre of Barcelona.
When I first signed up for the show, about 4 months previously, there was understandably a lengthy and comprehensive waiver. Most of the specific items on this waiver occurred during the show. In later correspondence there was a bit more detail about other practical things to do, including a simple dress code. Suitably attired I arrived at the stated venue bang on time, but had to wait of a couple of minutes. This really didn’t do my rising anxiety any good.
A massive part of the reason I do these types of events is the build up of tension and anxiety. The sense of fearful anticipation I get in the run up to and during the event I haven’t been able to find anywhere else except elements of the excellent Demise of the Gricers. Weeks beforehand you may be doing something completely unrelated and then a quick flash of what may or may not happen to you in a few weeks time creates a sense of dread and brings that awful anxiety out. It feels almost impossible to replicate in a fake way for me. Eventually the door opened, I unceremoniously entered, and with a final removal of any remaining belongings it was time to enter the depths.
A character resembling a legal professional met me. They led me through the space by torchlight only. I caught glimpses here and there, of doorways, curtains, bits and pieces of furniture and other items that I might have encountered later in the show. It was time for the main introduction to the storyline, that helped to tie a few of the pre-show pieces of information together a bit more.
In this room, there was some nice atmospheric lighting through the darkness and the smoke and something that was a nice twist on the usual form of starting the show. Slight spoilers to the format and shape of the show are to follow, but I’ll keep away from any narrative or experience specific pieces. There were elements of painful memories, fractured, compartmentalised and it was my choice which order I was to experience them in. Some seemed like it was more obvious what type of experience that they would contain and the nature of the pain you would experience, with others it was more ambiguous.
I chose to start with two that I felt I knew what they were, and I hoped that what I chose last would be a relatively nice way to end proceedings. I was naive in my decisions. My first choice opened with a suitable atmospheric and tension building scene, but it took a very brutal and violent turn. I was honestly shocked by the ferocity of the main element of this scene.
My second scene was a bit more of what I was expecting, but with a nice twist toward the end. It was still as horrible as I was expecting though. My middle scene was an interesting change of pace. Throughout each of the scenes there was exposition and story points that again helped you piece together the fragments of these painful memories. The conceit of why I was experiencing this pain made sense narratively, and helped frame the extreme elements well. Nothing that I experienced was frivolous or done merely for the sake of doing it.
Over the half way point and I’m a mixture of emotions and feelings, physically and mentally, and the adrenaline is definitely pumping. Brief periods of respite before, after and in between scenes allow for some deep breathing to calm down and steel myself for the next scene. This next one was a lot more brutal than I was expecting and very emotional especially towards the end, but there were also some fun elements. I’m sure they weren’t meant to be fun, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Everyone has their own experiences that they don’t mind as much as others, and other experiences that they absolutely despise. Somehow I had picked my own personal most hated type of experience for last. As soon as I entered the scene, I knew roughly what I was in for, but again Under Horror managed to surprise me as they did with all the previous scenes. I was grateful that they were very responsible and receptive during this final painful memory.
Last up was back to where it all began for the finale and a last choice to be made. I’m unsure if the choice here would make any difference to the ultimate ending, but it did provide a final cathartic and comforting moment before it was back into darkness, things placed in my hands and I emerged from the depths messier, with much less intact clothing and as unceremoniously than I entered a little over an hour earlier.
I was very impressed with Laocoönte, well worth the wait and the trip over to Spain. The team have put together an impressive show that is brutal, violent, taxing physically and mentally, emotional and tragic.
As mentioned above, my only slight criticisms would be that the overall reason for being there in the first place didn’t quite fit. I received the, I assume, intentionally fractured pieces before the show, but never quite worked out how it all fit together, or how it all tied to the tragic Trojan referenced in the title of the show. Within the show itself though it all made sense and made the painful experiences and memories meaningful and impactful.
I wish I had had the opportunity to sample Under Horror’s shows earlier than this, but I will be making sure that I can visit the depths again whenever their next show is. I promise, I won’t bring it back.
