CRIMSON COVEN
Look, I know this is weird. A bunch of naked ladies in the middle of a forest dancing around a campfire chanting mysteriously all under the gaze of a blood moon. But let me provide some context. I made my experience based on the ending scene of The Witch (2015) directed by Robert Eggers.
In this scene, the protagonist stumbles upon a coven of witches in the forest worshipping the Devil. Absolutely imbued with pure insanity, they end up levitating in the air in a very surreal and mythological experience.
I was captivated by this scene when I first viewed it. The music, the lighting, everything about it was haunting yet beautiful at the same time. The cult following of what was then the precursor to religious groups such as Satanism was fascinating because these are very old and ancient tales that still have relevance today. Whether or not dancing and screaming in the nude around a campfire at night with your best girlfriends has/had the capabilities of giving you the power of flight remains a mystery. However, what remains certain is the powerful influence it had on people. Thrust into a dangerous world where many questions of the universe remained unanswered, they turned to stories and magical fairy tales for comfort and security.
In the film, the forest is bathed in a very soft white light, presumably from the moon. But in my VR experience, I decided to make the entire environment red. I wanted to portray it as a very evil space with cryptic implications. Plus, I'm a sucker for hard lighting.
In the experience/video, you will see a lone woman standing apart from the mass. She represents Anya Taylor-Joy's character in the film. A new member or a heretic? In the film, she is seen as a new "witch" being inducted into the club. But in my VR experience, I wanted to leave it open. Perhaps her young mind is coming to its senses and doesn't carry the same beliefs as the other more elderly witches - particularly the elder seen worshipping the blood moon atop the hill.
The user awakens in an empty, broken, and creepy house in the middle of the woods. Eventually, they look around and see nothing. Then, the loud but distant chants of the coven attract the user to investigate. They venture deeper into the woods, following the noise, seeing the light, until they are in the presence of the women.