The FX Network was out in full force at San Diego Comic Con. Not only was The Strain prominently featured on the Hilton Bayfront Hotel, but the entire lawn between the Hilton and the San Diego Convention Center were transformed during SDCC into a full-sensory FX experience: The FX Arena.
Dark Media was invited to attend a special press preview of the FX Arena before it opened to the public. The FX Arena included popular shows like Fargo and The Strain, as well as soon to be released shows like the highly-anticipated American Horror Story Hotel and The Bastard Executioner. Each show’s exhibit was unique and customized to the show it depicted.
The Strain was a simple brick building made to look like a garage that had seen better days.
Every fifteen minutes, six guests were escorted inside and asked to sit upon stools. The room was dark and each stool had an attendant to help guests don their virtual reality glasses and headphones. That’s right, virtual reality. Our guide explained that we should swivel around to experience the full view during our adventure. With that, our adventure began. Soon we awaken in the back of a bread truck with fellow refugee Vasiliy Fet (played by Kevin Durand). He warns us that we have to move quickly lest we face an attack from the undead plaguing the city of New York. The VR experience was pretty amazing. The room shook and air blew on our faces, furthering the effect. I won’t reveal the ending, but I will tease that there is a crowbar-wielding Vasiliy Fet involved.
The next exhibit was a giant snowglobe depicting a scene from Fargo, where guests could take a photo inside the giant globe.
We didn’t get a chance to go into the Bastard Executioner exhibit, but it was a maze and obstacle course where four people went in at a time, and it culminated in a two-person dual. the winner of the dual won a custom hoodie.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, was the AHS Hotel. As San Diego residents, we were able to watch the construction of the exhibit prior to SDCC, but nothing prepared us for what awaited inside.
Eight people were allowed in at a time. The guests entered the lobby, which was adorned with pictures and marble floors and columns and an elaborate registration desk.
The eight people were split into two groups of four, and then each group was escorted into separate wings of the hotel. Each guest went into a room wearing goggles, and when the air came up, the objective was to scoop up as much paper money as possible.
At the end, we returned to the lobby where the hotel clerks counted out the money.
Each guest received an AHS Hotel keychain and FX Now collectible card, but the overall winner who captured the most money received a $100 Visa gift card. Needless to say, the line for the hotel was long throughout SDCC. Very long. But it was worth it for AHS fans.
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Photos provided by Annie Thornton
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