Paranormal Cirque: The Horror Cabaret Circus

I've only been to a proper circus once, a long time ago when I was a kid. It just so happened that on Saturday my hetero-lifemate wifey Jess found a paranormal circus near her work and Mom asked to take the kids for a day for the weekend. We jumped on the chance. None of us had been to a circus since childhood, and what the HELL was a paranormal circus? It was right up our weird alley.

With excitement, we purchased our tickets online and headed off giddy as kids.

And it was FREAKING AWESOME.

We walked into a 3-ring Circus tent that was black and white, with red glowing lights glaring above that read "Paranormal Circus." On the trailers, we noticed the word: "Cabaret." I didn't know exactly what cabaret me and my fiance told me: "Oh, well, it's like an uh.. more scantily clad dancers and stuff. It's kind of like...oh think of the style in the movie Burlesque. "

Walking into the tent, they immediately set a Halloween vibe, with fog machines and low lighting, and haunted house decor within the entrance. Next to the concession stands, there were souvenir stands selling masks and horns of the horror genre.

We were worried about being cold, but we soon realized that the seats were kind of small and pressed close together in tight rows, so during the show we were quite warm. We ordered popcorn, nachos, some drinks, and a plague mask and white horns. The nachos were the regular cheap gas station-type nachos. The cups were light up and cute, and as usual, these things are expensive, much like a movie theater. But let me tell you... the POPCORN! It was SO delicious, and the tube was HUGE. The popcorn alone made the price of everything combined, worth it. Sharing it, my fiance and I could not finish our tub of popcorn.

The stage had sheer curtains around it when we walked in, and creepy images of portraits that would zombify were displayed for aesthetics while we waited. When the curtains fell, a little zombie boy came out on a tricycle, talking to his dead mother's head as he warned us not to use our phones or leave during the performance.

Crude, adult humor was a large portion of the show - which was expected. On the website, it clearly states that anyone 17 and below had to be escorted, and children under the age of 12 weren't allowed at all.

When the show finally started, it started hot, literally. Demon girls in sexy outfits came out with two demon-men with whips. While intense music played the girls held out targets for them to hit with the whips. And it only got better from there.

There was a motorcycle trapeze act that reminded me a little of the movie Ghost Rider, and an act that hinted as a tribute to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Exorcist was another movie reference in the acts that was given a shoutout. *I could be wrong about the movie references, that's just what I got out of it.*

There was also a storyline to the show as well - based around a mischievous character who came out and interacted with the audience. When he pulled a man from the audience, and he willingly went and put himself in the stocks waiting for him on stage, the audience members quickly found out that these European entertainers were not shy, and there weren't many lines they considered uncrossable.

We were graced with the most fun (and funniest) strip show... and you can just see the evil joy on this man's face as he prepares to scrape a fork on a plate into a microphone.

A few of my favorite highlights of the show include...

There are a few favorite moments I want to highlight - moments of pure joy brought to me by this crazy, insane circus sporting a demon-themed story in the Bible Belt of America.

The girls came out and did a group dance in the middle of the audience. They were beautiful, but I quickly got bored of the dance since it was more of an act for the men... if you know what I mean. Cabaret dancers, at least these, were hindered by their 6-inch boot heels, so it was mostly bendovers and titty shaking. My eyes wandered to the crowd, and I was delighted with my little comedy highlight.

In the middle of the tent is where all the girls meet up for their dance. They were in the centre of the two sections of the audience. It's not a big space, so naturally as they are bending over facing the back half of the crowd, the back half is only a couple of from their perfectly curved booties. I watched as one man with a bright red beard sat with his back rigid, face staring seriously toward the stage instead of where the dance was happening. Next to him, a small black-haired woman stared up at him with narrowed eyes. When his face slid slightly to glance at her, and saw her giving him the eagle eye- he sat more straight and his face snapped straight back toward the stage.

Just another man's testament to how terrifying having tiny wives can be.

Another dance that took place in the center of the audience caused gales of laughter to echo around the whole tent. One of the girls came out clad in red this time, and did a sexy dance, before moving back to the center again. A man was sitting in the front row of the center, with a large box of popcorn. As she danced in front of him, he began to stuff popcorn into his mouth, and as she did a handstand-split he began throwing popcorn around on the audience around him.

When she was done, he stood up, put on sunglasses, popped out a walking stick for the blind, and headed out of the building. It was a fantastic part of the show.

Let me tell you about the Juggler though.

It's hard for me to say this after seeing people string themselves up by their hair (just their hair, no vest), and dance on ribbons and ropes... but my favorite part of the show was the juggler. Not because I'm a big fan of the juggling bit. but the performer made me so happy! His smile was so bright, and genuine during his act that it was contagious for me. You could tell most of the actors loved performing, but the juggler radiated pure joy during his bit.

And that impacted me. He was amazing too! Not a single fumble during his performance.

Every single act was performed with passion and fun. The intensity of the acrobats had me holding my breathe as I watched them fall and spin from ribbons and ropes, and skate in a pair on a tiny little round table, the woman holding on by only her ankles as the man spun her around as fast he could.

We were close enough so that I could see their bodies straining, their muscles working. I was filled with awe, the concentration and trust the pairs had in each other was palpable, and I loved every moment. In total, the R-Rated Circus was a combination of satire, gothic horror, and crude sexual humor.

When Jess posted her pictures on their Instagram and tagged them in it, the actors themselves commented, shared her photos in reels, and thanked her for the photos! We were over the moon, this simple act of kindness that they went to to acknowledge her photos told us that they were not only amazing performers and athletes but also kind and humble. Which made us even happier that we supported them.

We will be attending Paranormal Cirque again the next time it comes to our area. I cannot wait for next year's show.

Until then, they are taking this show to Texas, so make sure to check it out while they are there. They do 3 shows a day for 3 days wherever they are, or something like that, and the tickets sell fast! So don't delay.

For more pictures of the show, visit Jessie Lynn Photography and Digital Services on Facebook.