The Laudanum Project bring another gloriously horrific production to the abandoned Ararat Lunatic Asylum.

Ever pushing the boundaries, The Laudanum Project have again created a piece that is not for the faint of heart. Their “most nightmarish work” yet is taking special residence at the Ararat Lunatic Asylum in Victoria this Halloween.

The Grand Guignol Automation is the company’s fourth production, and it’s a piece that had an extreme reception in its Melbourne Fringe season, much to the delight of the horror-themed production’s creators.

“We had one audience member who looked like they were going to get physically ill,” says Nick Ravenswood, writer and performer with The Laudanum Project. “Another doubled over and groaned quite loudly: ‘this is sooo gory.’ It was kind of funny, as it was really audible from the stage. On opening night we had two rather pale looking people get up and leave quite abruptly during one of the more extreme scenes,” Ravenswood admits. “It’s very exciting to see people having strong physical reactions to a show that consists of nothing more than just words and music. It means we have done our job.”