Zombie Infection - The Workshop
Having visited several of their previous shows, we were excited when Zombie Infection announced another new location in their ever expanding “zombie multiverse”. As we have highlighted before – each event forms part of an over-riding story arc which rewards those of us who have played other events, but still works well as a stand-alone story for new-comers.
Unlike the slightly more complicated Mansion event, The Workshop follows a simplified plot, and the event is stronger for it. Invited onto a tour of a weapons factory, we were soon interrupted by a band of resistance fighters, and over the course of the next 2 hours, were subjected to an onslaught of zombie action from the liveliest bunch of undead we have ever experienced!
Being part of Shepton Mallet prison, the venue is suitably atmospheric with lots of dark rooms and long corridors providing multiple hiding places. Several times we would be completely startled as a zombie would come lurching at us from the darkness, forcing us to blast them in the head before rapidly running in the other direction.
As the story progressed we were soon split up into smaller groups, and at times we found ourselves separated from our party and just trying to achieve our missions without being eaten alive. There was even a moment where we were forced to make a split second decision on which group we trusted, and were left amazed as the story then played out differently depending on which side people chose.
Of course, none of this would work, if it wasn’t for the enthusiasm and professionalism of the actors throughout, who helped create a believable and immersive experience. As soon as the safety briefing was over, the show began and everyone we interacted with for the next two hours was in character and part of the story. Even the handling and training of the weaponry was delivered in character which differs from other zombie events we have experienced in the past.
All in, we had a genuinely fun evening at The Workshop. The event was perfectly paced with some great scares, interesting story telling and lots of totally believable action. It is clear that like the zombie virus itself, Zombie Infection is ever evolving, and this is easily the strongest and most exciting strain we have seen.
Unlike the slightly more complicated Mansion event, The Workshop follows a simplified plot, and the event is stronger for it. Invited onto a tour of a weapons factory, we were soon interrupted by a band of resistance fighters, and over the course of the next 2 hours, were subjected to an onslaught of zombie action from the liveliest bunch of undead we have ever experienced!
Being part of Shepton Mallet prison, the venue is suitably atmospheric with lots of dark rooms and long corridors providing multiple hiding places. Several times we would be completely startled as a zombie would come lurching at us from the darkness, forcing us to blast them in the head before rapidly running in the other direction.
As the story progressed we were soon split up into smaller groups, and at times we found ourselves separated from our party and just trying to achieve our missions without being eaten alive. There was even a moment where we were forced to make a split second decision on which group we trusted, and were left amazed as the story then played out differently depending on which side people chose.
Of course, none of this would work, if it wasn’t for the enthusiasm and professionalism of the actors throughout, who helped create a believable and immersive experience. As soon as the safety briefing was over, the show began and everyone we interacted with for the next two hours was in character and part of the story. Even the handling and training of the weaponry was delivered in character which differs from other zombie events we have experienced in the past.
All in, we had a genuinely fun evening at The Workshop. The event was perfectly paced with some great scares, interesting story telling and lots of totally believable action. It is clear that like the zombie virus itself, Zombie Infection is ever evolving, and this is easily the strongest and most exciting strain we have seen.
Zombie Infection - The Dungeon
Its Friday night and what’s on television? Not surprisingly the answer is simple - nothing, zilch, zip, nada!
"So do you want to try and bring down a pharmaceutical company that could be responsible for creating full scale zombie outbreak then?” We don't need to tell you our answer, as we were already running out the door to York!
In this event, Zombie Infection have taken over the York Dungeon after hours to host a game of survival on select nights in July and August. Once the group had congregated we signed insurance waivers and were taken inside for the debrief which, in true ZI style, didn't quite go as planned!
There was an immediate sense of urgency and panic as we were rushed through to the first scene to meet Jane Jones, a photographic journalist who had intel that she needed to find in order to bring down the organisation behind the outbreak. All the time we could hear zombies trying to breach the room which gave the experience a great start.
Without giving too much of the story away, we had to locate a member of the army who had locked himself in the weapons armoury. To get to the much-needed weapons inside, we had to gain his trust via a task.
Trust gained, we were each armed with a handgun that fires special rounds but, only a mere 15 rounds that is! Yep, just 15 shots per person so, teamwork was going to be important. The weapons don’t fire a projectile, they fire a “concussive force” that immobilises the infected for just a few seconds. We think they were Airsoft weapons with the ball bearing deliberately left out, but you still get the realistic recoil kick from the gas cylinder inside when you fire.
Jane Jones then set us off on an open exploration around the Dungeon to find the vital evidence that was needed before we could escape. At this point one of us was separated from the entire group and had to go through alone after an unkillable enemy forced us on to a different path. It’s fair to say that the old heart started racing at not knowing what was going on or where everyone else was!
Funnily enough. When we were reunited, we were very nearly "killed" as the rest of the players burst through a door taking aim at our solo player thinking he was a zombie. It was very dark though, so all is forgiven!
The rest, and biggest part, of the game saw us revisiting rooms we had been in before, trying to find clues that we had missed, whilst trying to avoid zombies who were determined to hamper your efforts. When we did find evidence, Jane took a photo of it (and us) because after all, we were Jane’s only hope to get out and expose everything.
A final character came into play who was our last source of information and who confirmed what has been going on, but not before a bit of interrogation. With a documented confession we surely had enough evidence now, don’t we? Who cares! The zombies breeched the room, and all hell broke out for a heart racing finale that had us sprinting out the nearest exit!
This 75-minute experience was very entertaining and we’re glad we were invited to take part in it. The Dungeon is largely played out in very dimly lit areas (unless you upgrade to a gun with a torch on it) and made it easy to deliberately miss evidence that you must go back for. It was also very interesting playing a game in the Dungeon at night when the usual tours that the Dungeons are known for have all finished and the staff have gone home.
All throughout, the zombies got extremely close but don’t touch us. We maybe would have preferred full contact to add to the urgency and panic of the game but it’s obvious that this isn’t possible in this venue for health and safety reasons, and so you don’t damage the scenery and props of the normal, daytime Dungeon tours. Maybe have a set limit of tags attached to you that the zombies can tear off until they’re depleted? Either way it was still thoroughly enjoyable, especially watching players fire shots literally everywhere because they were just so freaked out!
Talking to Greg and Sam the organisers afterwards, the hope is to have a permanent event at the Dungeons which would be great and a welcome addition to York’s already impressive darker side of tourism.
"So do you want to try and bring down a pharmaceutical company that could be responsible for creating full scale zombie outbreak then?” We don't need to tell you our answer, as we were already running out the door to York!
In this event, Zombie Infection have taken over the York Dungeon after hours to host a game of survival on select nights in July and August. Once the group had congregated we signed insurance waivers and were taken inside for the debrief which, in true ZI style, didn't quite go as planned!
There was an immediate sense of urgency and panic as we were rushed through to the first scene to meet Jane Jones, a photographic journalist who had intel that she needed to find in order to bring down the organisation behind the outbreak. All the time we could hear zombies trying to breach the room which gave the experience a great start.
Without giving too much of the story away, we had to locate a member of the army who had locked himself in the weapons armoury. To get to the much-needed weapons inside, we had to gain his trust via a task.
Trust gained, we were each armed with a handgun that fires special rounds but, only a mere 15 rounds that is! Yep, just 15 shots per person so, teamwork was going to be important. The weapons don’t fire a projectile, they fire a “concussive force” that immobilises the infected for just a few seconds. We think they were Airsoft weapons with the ball bearing deliberately left out, but you still get the realistic recoil kick from the gas cylinder inside when you fire.
Jane Jones then set us off on an open exploration around the Dungeon to find the vital evidence that was needed before we could escape. At this point one of us was separated from the entire group and had to go through alone after an unkillable enemy forced us on to a different path. It’s fair to say that the old heart started racing at not knowing what was going on or where everyone else was!
Funnily enough. When we were reunited, we were very nearly "killed" as the rest of the players burst through a door taking aim at our solo player thinking he was a zombie. It was very dark though, so all is forgiven!
The rest, and biggest part, of the game saw us revisiting rooms we had been in before, trying to find clues that we had missed, whilst trying to avoid zombies who were determined to hamper your efforts. When we did find evidence, Jane took a photo of it (and us) because after all, we were Jane’s only hope to get out and expose everything.
A final character came into play who was our last source of information and who confirmed what has been going on, but not before a bit of interrogation. With a documented confession we surely had enough evidence now, don’t we? Who cares! The zombies breeched the room, and all hell broke out for a heart racing finale that had us sprinting out the nearest exit!
This 75-minute experience was very entertaining and we’re glad we were invited to take part in it. The Dungeon is largely played out in very dimly lit areas (unless you upgrade to a gun with a torch on it) and made it easy to deliberately miss evidence that you must go back for. It was also very interesting playing a game in the Dungeon at night when the usual tours that the Dungeons are known for have all finished and the staff have gone home.
All throughout, the zombies got extremely close but don’t touch us. We maybe would have preferred full contact to add to the urgency and panic of the game but it’s obvious that this isn’t possible in this venue for health and safety reasons, and so you don’t damage the scenery and props of the normal, daytime Dungeon tours. Maybe have a set limit of tags attached to you that the zombies can tear off until they’re depleted? Either way it was still thoroughly enjoyable, especially watching players fire shots literally everywhere because they were just so freaked out!
Talking to Greg and Sam the organisers afterwards, the hope is to have a permanent event at the Dungeons which would be great and a welcome addition to York’s already impressive darker side of tourism.
Zombie Infection - The Mansion
If you love scare events, then you most likely love horror movies too. So when Zombie Infection announced that The Mansion was "effectively a sequel" to the Court House, the words of Randy Meeks from Scream 2 rang in our ears - "There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to create a successful sequel. Number one: the body count is always bigger. Number two: the death scenes are always much more elaborate - more blood, more gore. And number three: never, ever, under any circumstances, assume the killer is dead"
This quote perfectly sums up The Mansion event so well that we could just leave the review here and not go any further! Like any good sequel - The Mansion continues and expands on a pre-existing story, but without precluding anyone who hasn't watched or survived the first part.
So, first off lets start with the venue - just look at the building in the pictures below! Wollaton Hall in Nottingham is a stunning location, and as we started the event in the grounds we worried that we may not even step inside this 16th century beauty. After some fun set pieces, we were suddenly inside, where we had chance to explore just about every part of the house from the catacombs underneath, the spacious grand room at the top and even outside on the roof!
Our experience left us dashing all round the venue trying to evade the zombies, solve the clues and most of all - find the mysterious creator and dash his nefarious plans. Unlike Court House which was a bit more gung-ho, The Mansion had a more complex story that was delivered by a talented team of believable actors. From the moment we stepped through the gate to the final climactic showdown, the whole show was 2 hours of detailed and immersive entertainment.
Before we go any further we must mention the dedication of the talented team of zombies. They weren't your average slow walking zombies, and as such had a habit of lunging at us from hidden rooms or out of the darkness. A swift shot to the head usually saw them tumble to the floor accurately as if shot for real. They were so believable when shot, that it was easy to forget that underneath the make up, there is an actor probably black and blue from the physicality of dying so many times. Fortunately their ability to "regenerate" was all explained in the story, but they must have been shattered after three events in one night!
In fact so must all the cast, as there was a LOT of moving up and down stairs throughout. We know that we aren't the Springest of chickens, but our knees were truly aching the next day! There is a reason why the first rule of Zombieland is "Cardio"
Having done several of Zombie Infection events, it has been really interesting to see the transition from run and shoot to a more story led and immersive experience, Certainly all of this together along with the room escape style elements, create a thoroughly entertaining experience that is definitely worth the entrance fee. There are a few more nights at the Mansion left, as well as the original shows at multiple venues including the Courthouse, Asylum and The Factory. Why not get those tickets before the zombies do!
This quote perfectly sums up The Mansion event so well that we could just leave the review here and not go any further! Like any good sequel - The Mansion continues and expands on a pre-existing story, but without precluding anyone who hasn't watched or survived the first part.
So, first off lets start with the venue - just look at the building in the pictures below! Wollaton Hall in Nottingham is a stunning location, and as we started the event in the grounds we worried that we may not even step inside this 16th century beauty. After some fun set pieces, we were suddenly inside, where we had chance to explore just about every part of the house from the catacombs underneath, the spacious grand room at the top and even outside on the roof!
Our experience left us dashing all round the venue trying to evade the zombies, solve the clues and most of all - find the mysterious creator and dash his nefarious plans. Unlike Court House which was a bit more gung-ho, The Mansion had a more complex story that was delivered by a talented team of believable actors. From the moment we stepped through the gate to the final climactic showdown, the whole show was 2 hours of detailed and immersive entertainment.
Before we go any further we must mention the dedication of the talented team of zombies. They weren't your average slow walking zombies, and as such had a habit of lunging at us from hidden rooms or out of the darkness. A swift shot to the head usually saw them tumble to the floor accurately as if shot for real. They were so believable when shot, that it was easy to forget that underneath the make up, there is an actor probably black and blue from the physicality of dying so many times. Fortunately their ability to "regenerate" was all explained in the story, but they must have been shattered after three events in one night!
In fact so must all the cast, as there was a LOT of moving up and down stairs throughout. We know that we aren't the Springest of chickens, but our knees were truly aching the next day! There is a reason why the first rule of Zombieland is "Cardio"
Having done several of Zombie Infection events, it has been really interesting to see the transition from run and shoot to a more story led and immersive experience, Certainly all of this together along with the room escape style elements, create a thoroughly entertaining experience that is definitely worth the entrance fee. There are a few more nights at the Mansion left, as well as the original shows at multiple venues including the Courthouse, Asylum and The Factory. Why not get those tickets before the zombies do!
Review - Zombie Infection Courthouse
We have visited several of the Zombie Infection sites around the UK, and have always enjoyed the gung how style of zombie survival. Generally, we have been armed with guns and following a cursory brief, have been sent on our way to shoot as many zombies as we can. These type of events are great fun and are hugely popular, but for their latest adventure – The Courthouse – the team have aimed for something a bit more theatrical.
As soon as the safety briefing was over, we were thrust into a detailed scenario that played out convincingly over the next two hours. Invited into the research centre as visitors, the first 15 minutes or so really cranked up the tension with a number of great scenes that left us nervous about what we had let ourselves in for. All the actors involved in the initial story telling were 100% convincing, and we loved the fact that our heroes were not just the bog standard army/police that we usually find in this sort of event.
Although the courthouse event is eventually about running around shooting zombies, the build up to the moment where you get your gun is perfectly handled, with some room escape elements, some interesting set scenes, and some great audience interaction. As with anything like this – get involved and you will enjoy it more (although we soon began to regret our foolish decision to volunteer for the solo mission, as we were stood surrounded by flesh eating zombies, trying to “blend in” in true Walking Dead style!)
Once armed up – we then had a number of missions out into the venue where we were hounded relentlessly by zombies. The rooms and corridors of the Courthouse are narrow with plentiful hiding spaces around every corner, which the zombies certainly took advantage of. It would seem like they would appear out of nowhere, and we had a number of great jump scares as zombies lunged at us out of the darkness.
It is also worth mentioning just how physical these zombies were. At the start of the event, they were quite slow and shambling, but towards the end, the actors were throwing themselves into their roles. In fact, we can confidently say, these were some of the most realistic zombies we have seen at any event! As they ran towards us they were genuinely terrifying and once shot would just throw themselves to the floor in a heap. They were also really convincing as they started to regenerate and at one point we stood and watched a zombie slowly come back to life – only to immediately put it down with a swift shot to the head. Talking of which – the gun technology has a realistic feel – the guns were suitably heavy but were beautifully responsive and genuinely felt like we were taking a real shot.
By the end of our session, we were left to our own devices to collect a number of key items from around the venue. Without a guide or a map, we were literally hunted around the whole building with zombies appearing around every corner. As teams we would split up then meet back to complete our missions, and we genuinely had to work hard to get out alive.
From beginning to end, we could not find anything to dislike about the Courthouse experience. The venue was outstanding, the actors and zombies were very believable and the story was engaging and very believable. As such - we cannot recommend this experience enough!
As soon as the safety briefing was over, we were thrust into a detailed scenario that played out convincingly over the next two hours. Invited into the research centre as visitors, the first 15 minutes or so really cranked up the tension with a number of great scenes that left us nervous about what we had let ourselves in for. All the actors involved in the initial story telling were 100% convincing, and we loved the fact that our heroes were not just the bog standard army/police that we usually find in this sort of event.
Although the courthouse event is eventually about running around shooting zombies, the build up to the moment where you get your gun is perfectly handled, with some room escape elements, some interesting set scenes, and some great audience interaction. As with anything like this – get involved and you will enjoy it more (although we soon began to regret our foolish decision to volunteer for the solo mission, as we were stood surrounded by flesh eating zombies, trying to “blend in” in true Walking Dead style!)
Once armed up – we then had a number of missions out into the venue where we were hounded relentlessly by zombies. The rooms and corridors of the Courthouse are narrow with plentiful hiding spaces around every corner, which the zombies certainly took advantage of. It would seem like they would appear out of nowhere, and we had a number of great jump scares as zombies lunged at us out of the darkness.
It is also worth mentioning just how physical these zombies were. At the start of the event, they were quite slow and shambling, but towards the end, the actors were throwing themselves into their roles. In fact, we can confidently say, these were some of the most realistic zombies we have seen at any event! As they ran towards us they were genuinely terrifying and once shot would just throw themselves to the floor in a heap. They were also really convincing as they started to regenerate and at one point we stood and watched a zombie slowly come back to life – only to immediately put it down with a swift shot to the head. Talking of which – the gun technology has a realistic feel – the guns were suitably heavy but were beautifully responsive and genuinely felt like we were taking a real shot.
By the end of our session, we were left to our own devices to collect a number of key items from around the venue. Without a guide or a map, we were literally hunted around the whole building with zombies appearing around every corner. As teams we would split up then meet back to complete our missions, and we genuinely had to work hard to get out alive.
From beginning to end, we could not find anything to dislike about the Courthouse experience. The venue was outstanding, the actors and zombies were very believable and the story was engaging and very believable. As such - we cannot recommend this experience enough!
Links:
Official Website - http://zombieinfection.co.uk/
Scare Review
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Stanley Tool Factory: Terrifying
This is the 4th event I have done with this company and it never gets boring. All the storylines are different but link into each other. The zombies are awesome and the team leaders are amazing. I didn’t pre order a weapon upgrade so had to use the stock shotgun which was better then I thought it would be. It is very immersive from the very start right to the end. I will be trying their other venues that were released this year and I would highly recommend anyone else to do the same.
This is the 4th event I have done with this company and it never gets boring. All the storylines are different but link into each other. The zombies are awesome and the team leaders are amazing. I didn’t pre order a weapon upgrade so had to use the stock shotgun which was better then I thought it would be. It is very immersive from the very start right to the end. I will be trying their other venues that were released this year and I would highly recommend anyone else to do the same.
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