MISSING PERSONS ONLY

Nov 4

Gatherings are a perfect time for an unusual narrative to become the star of the show.

“MISSING PERSONS ONLY” is a Halloween party I created in October 2025 for the Out/There Project’s Nightlife group. In the world of the party, the attendees have all been kidnapped by a novice serial killer and drugged to forget what happened. They’re all attending the killer’s haphazard idea of a Halloween event, using it as something of a sandbox to choose the next victim. The high point of the night is the costume contest, where all the attendees choose the first, second, and third prize winners. The person who wins first prize becomes the killer’s victim, getting swept into a black bag and carried off into the night.

All around the room are cryptic messages and evidence of botched attempts. Odd music choices, strange horror movie clips on a large screen, and the mish-mash of people in and out of costume create an unsettling, subliminally nightmarish environment.

In a daily update to the private MISSING PERSONS ONLY WhatsApp chat, attendees receive an eerie image accompanied by the number of days remaining before the Halloween party. They also get two videos sent directly from “the killer.”

During the party, attendees receive a copy of the “Times Out There” newspaper, containing a disjointed article written about the party, a crossword that goes nowhere, and messages within and behind the text. Attendees are photographed with an Instax camera; a tarot sticker is placed on the back of it, foretelling their fate for the rest of the night after 1:00 a.m. (the end of the party).

The event was inspired by The Cell, The Batman, Longlegs, The Babadook, and The Conjuring, as well as the Miss Twin Peaks scene from “Twin Peaks” Season 2.