Tal’s first taste of horror came through exploring his nightmares as a child. While being scared of the dreams there was something that enticed him and this opened a gateway of interest into horror. Through the years he enjoyed watching horror films and going to haunted attractions. Then in 2013 Blackout, an extreme hands-on interactive horror experience, came to Los Angeles and changed everything. He immediately fell in love with this new genre of experiencing scary situations. He has attending all of Blackout’s Halloween events as well as their two off-season events in Los Angeles. Blackout has a special place in his heart as the induction into something new and fun. He has continued to attend other events that fall along similar lines, but with their own characteristic qualities that make each their own experience. Tal attended McKamey Manor in December of 2014, which is its own beast. He made it about 5 and a half hours inside out of the full eight. He describes it as the scariest thing he has ever experienced. It was challenging, unrelenting, and he has no regrets of going, but don’t ask him to go back because once is enough. He will be appearing in the “Haunters” documentary by Jon Schnitzer with some footage of his time inside.

Outside of scaring himself in extreme horror simulations, Tal is a practicing psychotherapist working on his hours to be licensed. He has an MA in counseling psychology and is currently working on his PhD in depth psychology with an emphasis in psychotherapy. His psychology background has made the experiences at Blackout, Alone, and McKamey Manor interesting to study as he follows his personal psychological processes during and after. He is currently writing about these experiences as part of his doctorate.