Once again, we returned to London, but this time, it wasn’t to visit a galaxy far far away, but a world where a virus outbreak had decimated the UK population, as Secret Cinema presents Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later.
For those of you unfamiliar with Secret Cinema, they present ‘immersive theatre events’ based around a specific movie. 28 Days Later is the perfect film for this. Not only is it a brilliant movie, but also a great platform to build a horror based immersive event.
Once you register as a ‘patient’ who wants to get inoculated against the ‘Rage’ infection that is plaguing the UK, and pick your appointment date, you’re given details of where to meet at the ‘secret’ location in London. The faithful NSH (National Service for Health), along with various military support, usher you into lines to get ready for treatment.
Most people were there in full costume, and for the few that weren’t, they were giving ‘patients’ the option to buy cheap costumes at the ‘biohazard tent’ at the entrance. I know people complain about this being an additional cost on top of the tickets, but it’s really not expensive to knock together a cheap costume, and you will feel rather out of place without it. Plus, there are a few moments involving fake blood during the event, so covering your normal clothes is advised!
I really don’t want to give too much away as to what happens from then on, but if you’re a fan of the horror genre, you won’t be disappointed. The events you follow mirror those of the movie, with plenty of zombies… sorry, correction, ‘infected’, to scare you along the way. The warehouse location is well used, with lots of narrow corridors, heavily decorated with macabre props and imagery, and chain fences which produce some nice ‘jump scares’ as infected thrown themselves at you. Be warned though, you will need to bring your running shoes, as you will find yourself being chased on a number of occasions!
Whilst I don’t think this event reaches the pure magic of their Star Wars event – given i’m a huge Star Wars fan, walking out into a fully formed Tatooine filled with Stormtroopers and Jawas was going to be difficult to top – Secret Cinema presents 28 Days Later is still a hugely entertaining and scary evening out, ending with a screening of a great movie.
For more info, or to buy tickets for Secret Cinema Presents 28 Days Later, click here.