Zombie Nightmare - Swindon
You can see from below that we have already experienced Zombie Nightmare in Chatham, Hemel Hempstead and Bristol and that we have a guest review from Blackburn. With that in mind, this will just be a mini review, covering the local aspects of the Swindon show, as opposed to the regular full review.
First up - each experience is always different due to the logistics of the mall itself. The Brunel Centre in Swindon, is a small but sprawling complex that has a unique layout, that meant our route never crossed with another group for the whole hour. It also seemed that the roof top and outside areas actually felt like they were part of the mall, and not just running round the attached car park.
Secondly, we found the puzzle element to be a bit more interesting this time, with both sections including some good practical features that drove the story forward whilst keeping a good immersive experience.
Finally, the actors and zombies (mostly all sourced locally) were convincingly dead, and we have to give a shout out to our female guide, who was totally believable in her character as she tried to lead us to safety.
All in, Zombie Nightmare is a fun show that has just the right mix of zombie action, puzzle sections and great set-pieces (the high speed arrival of the resistance in a zombie response pick-up was like a scene from a movie!) There are a few more dates left of this year's tour, but we are sure that the apocalypse will be coming to a mall near you soon!
First up - each experience is always different due to the logistics of the mall itself. The Brunel Centre in Swindon, is a small but sprawling complex that has a unique layout, that meant our route never crossed with another group for the whole hour. It also seemed that the roof top and outside areas actually felt like they were part of the mall, and not just running round the attached car park.
Secondly, we found the puzzle element to be a bit more interesting this time, with both sections including some good practical features that drove the story forward whilst keeping a good immersive experience.
Finally, the actors and zombies (mostly all sourced locally) were convincingly dead, and we have to give a shout out to our female guide, who was totally believable in her character as she tried to lead us to safety.
All in, Zombie Nightmare is a fun show that has just the right mix of zombie action, puzzle sections and great set-pieces (the high speed arrival of the resistance in a zombie response pick-up was like a scene from a movie!) There are a few more dates left of this year's tour, but we are sure that the apocalypse will be coming to a mall near you soon!
Zombie Nightmare - Bristol
Following the successes of their first year (see the multiple reviews below)- Wicked Experiences are back in 2019 with a number of new venues for their zombie survival event. With Bristol being just down the road from us (and more importantly – the location of our first ever zombie event – the now defunct 2.8 Hours Later). We headed along to see what this latest version of the show would be. We really were not disappointed.
There is a well-known expression that argues “if it isn’t broke then don’t fix it! And that is certainly true of Zombie Nightmare. Each version of the show remains predominantly the same but of course changes due to the location and facilities available
The show remains a crazy mix of running and dodging zombies interspersed with some puzzle room elements as we searched for the cure for the infection. The slower puzzle elements are the perfect chance to get your breath back during the show, as at several times we were breathless after running up multiple stairs or away from angry zombie.
The zombies themselves were particularly active throughout and seemed numerous. It still amazes us how the team manage to move so many people through the venue without bumping into other groups, yet still making sure the zombies are ready to attack around every corner. The execution is seamless and really creates the feeling that the venue is completely overrun by the undead.
One hilarious thing that happened during our tour was that a late delivery was taking place in Superdrug, and the look on the faces of these surprised workers as zombies ran past them was priceless! It could have really shattered the illusion and the storytelling but the staff and guides cleverly wove it into the storyline making it all seem part of the experience. Maybe the zombies ate them. We wouldn't know as we were too busy running away!
We mentioned 2.8 Hours Later at the start of the review as this attraction also used the Galleries shopping mall nearly 10 years ago, but we definitely felt that Zombie Nightmare does it better. This show runs in and out of the back stage areas and loading bays and feels more realistic by allowing for some great audience interaction as we held back doors and puzzled our way out.
One final thing that we cannot commend enough is that Zombie Nightmare is significantly cheaper than some zombie events and is a great way to have fun and scary experience without breaking the bank. Granted it does not have the weaponry of some zombie events but our group was a great mix of all ages, and everyone worked well together to solve the clues when needed.
As you can provably tell, we had an absolute blast at Zombie Nightmare again. We had a zombie newbie in the group with us and he could not stop talking about it all the way home. In fact we are pretty sure he will be joining us on more ScareTOUR trips in the future!
The event will be taking a break over Summer but will be back in the Autumn for 14 more dates including some new venues. Check out the Wicked Experiences website below for details.
There is a well-known expression that argues “if it isn’t broke then don’t fix it! And that is certainly true of Zombie Nightmare. Each version of the show remains predominantly the same but of course changes due to the location and facilities available
The show remains a crazy mix of running and dodging zombies interspersed with some puzzle room elements as we searched for the cure for the infection. The slower puzzle elements are the perfect chance to get your breath back during the show, as at several times we were breathless after running up multiple stairs or away from angry zombie.
The zombies themselves were particularly active throughout and seemed numerous. It still amazes us how the team manage to move so many people through the venue without bumping into other groups, yet still making sure the zombies are ready to attack around every corner. The execution is seamless and really creates the feeling that the venue is completely overrun by the undead.
One hilarious thing that happened during our tour was that a late delivery was taking place in Superdrug, and the look on the faces of these surprised workers as zombies ran past them was priceless! It could have really shattered the illusion and the storytelling but the staff and guides cleverly wove it into the storyline making it all seem part of the experience. Maybe the zombies ate them. We wouldn't know as we were too busy running away!
We mentioned 2.8 Hours Later at the start of the review as this attraction also used the Galleries shopping mall nearly 10 years ago, but we definitely felt that Zombie Nightmare does it better. This show runs in and out of the back stage areas and loading bays and feels more realistic by allowing for some great audience interaction as we held back doors and puzzled our way out.
One final thing that we cannot commend enough is that Zombie Nightmare is significantly cheaper than some zombie events and is a great way to have fun and scary experience without breaking the bank. Granted it does not have the weaponry of some zombie events but our group was a great mix of all ages, and everyone worked well together to solve the clues when needed.
As you can provably tell, we had an absolute blast at Zombie Nightmare again. We had a zombie newbie in the group with us and he could not stop talking about it all the way home. In fact we are pretty sure he will be joining us on more ScareTOUR trips in the future!
The event will be taking a break over Summer but will be back in the Autumn for 14 more dates including some new venues. Check out the Wicked Experiences website below for details.
Scary
Sometimes I wonder if my partner and I are entirely sane, especially when we decided to try facing a zombie apocalypse in the midst of Blackburn Mall whilst both suffering from stinking colds!
With neither of us having experienced any kind of zombie event the pair of us were a little nervous about what was in store. We're more than used to scare mazes, but your typical maze doesn't generally involve running for your life from a zombie hoard, something which concerned me most of all as I'm not a particularly fast runner.
Ahead of the event, we'd been keeping an eye on ticket sales and while many timeslots had sold out, the one we picked had no other bookings and the prospect of going through the attraction just the two of us was pretty daunting. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a staff member who explained there was a short delay, the group ahead of us was waiting to go in and we all sat around in nervous silence.
When the group ahead entered it left my partner and I feeling on edge in the dark with an atmospheric soundscape playing. Another couple arrived early for the slot after ours and we were all asked if we'd like to go in together instead. We all agreed that teaming up was the best option and I was immediately relieved to have some companions.
After signing waivers we entered a lift and the experience began. Guided to a tent we were briefed on safety instructions and the backstory was explained sort of in character. This did confuse me a little because on the website it was described as an immersive zombie experience, but our first guide seemed to be acting partly in character and partly as someone who was just trying to scare us (he actually said "Boo!" multiple times). It was comical and entertaining but we both agreed it also really broke immersion from the get-go.
Sneaking our way around the shopping centre we were advised to remain stealthy upon encountering our first group of zombies (there are no weapons in this experience in order to create more of a realistic feel). Adrenaline certainly built with each of us wondering how far we could get by keeping low and staying quiet. Not long was the answer, we soon found ourselves sprinting for our lives as zombie actors chased us. I made my partner promise to never run ahead of me and while I was too focused on legging it, he was brave enough to look behind him at times as we ran! He said that the actors did a fantastic job of running at just the right speed, fast enough to be within arms reach of the back of our group but not enough to grab us. It worked well and felt like you were only seconds away from being devoured! I don't think I've ever run so fast in my life and all of us instinctively slammed any doors behind us to keep the zombies at bay.
Much to my relief, the experience also consisted of a few escape room-like puzzles in between running from zombies, which not only allowed us to catch our breath but they also added to building the overall story. I'm not the biggest fan of escape rooms just because my mind doesn't work too well with the kinds of puzzles in them so I feel pretty stupid most of the time. However, the first task here seemed relatively simple and my only complaint is that our guide rushed us and provided far too many hints (despite us making progress) which prevented us from truly solving things on our own.
The rest of the experience followed the same mixture of sneaking past and running from zombies, alongside solving puzzles and getting closer to obtaining a cure. Ironically, the sections where we had to sprint away from the flesh-hungry zombies turned out to be my favourite parts! For me, it was the only part of the attraction that really got my adrenaline going. Don't get me wrong, the atmosphere in the shopping centre after dark was fantastic, but the large sections of sneaking around quietly when there weren't any zombies in sight sort of broke the immersion, as did the lack of zombie apocalypse theming (I'm talking about bits of blood splatter, etc.) I understand that it would be extremely difficult to have a large number of zombies in the experience and ticket prices would have to rise to cover the costs of hiring additional actors, but it did feel a little too empty at times. The lack of theming is also understandable with the small amount of time the team must have to prepare the venue. Similarly to scare mazes though, when you're walking for a significant amount of time without anything happening, the immersion just collapses. Another immersion killer we experienced was witnessing some of the zombie actors in conversation/out of character when they hadn't realised we were watching.
Our second guide was a lot more serious and remained in character throughout her performance, after meeting her the experience started to feel significantly tenser, largely due to her convincing acting skills. The sense of urgency rocketed from there and the car park scene before the finale had us all in a bit of a panic with the actual finale feeling like something straight out of a zombie flick! I'm not afraid to admit that I was almost relieved it was over when we reached a tent for debriefing.
Would we go again, absolutely! But it'd be interesting to check out the event in another location, Blackburn Mall wasn't our local shopping centre anyhow. Presumably, Wicked Experiences hire actors local to the area they're running each event so I imagine the attraction can vary quite a bit depending on the location and layout of the shopping centre used and of course the actors too. It did feel a little expensive for what it was but compared to other zombie experiences it is reasonably priced. I'd recommend anyone who loves zombie movies to check out one of these events at least once as it was a lot of fun and pretty unique.
Sometimes I wonder if my partner and I are entirely sane, especially when we decided to try facing a zombie apocalypse in the midst of Blackburn Mall whilst both suffering from stinking colds!
With neither of us having experienced any kind of zombie event the pair of us were a little nervous about what was in store. We're more than used to scare mazes, but your typical maze doesn't generally involve running for your life from a zombie hoard, something which concerned me most of all as I'm not a particularly fast runner.
Ahead of the event, we'd been keeping an eye on ticket sales and while many timeslots had sold out, the one we picked had no other bookings and the prospect of going through the attraction just the two of us was pretty daunting. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a staff member who explained there was a short delay, the group ahead of us was waiting to go in and we all sat around in nervous silence.
When the group ahead entered it left my partner and I feeling on edge in the dark with an atmospheric soundscape playing. Another couple arrived early for the slot after ours and we were all asked if we'd like to go in together instead. We all agreed that teaming up was the best option and I was immediately relieved to have some companions.
After signing waivers we entered a lift and the experience began. Guided to a tent we were briefed on safety instructions and the backstory was explained sort of in character. This did confuse me a little because on the website it was described as an immersive zombie experience, but our first guide seemed to be acting partly in character and partly as someone who was just trying to scare us (he actually said "Boo!" multiple times). It was comical and entertaining but we both agreed it also really broke immersion from the get-go.
Sneaking our way around the shopping centre we were advised to remain stealthy upon encountering our first group of zombies (there are no weapons in this experience in order to create more of a realistic feel). Adrenaline certainly built with each of us wondering how far we could get by keeping low and staying quiet. Not long was the answer, we soon found ourselves sprinting for our lives as zombie actors chased us. I made my partner promise to never run ahead of me and while I was too focused on legging it, he was brave enough to look behind him at times as we ran! He said that the actors did a fantastic job of running at just the right speed, fast enough to be within arms reach of the back of our group but not enough to grab us. It worked well and felt like you were only seconds away from being devoured! I don't think I've ever run so fast in my life and all of us instinctively slammed any doors behind us to keep the zombies at bay.
Much to my relief, the experience also consisted of a few escape room-like puzzles in between running from zombies, which not only allowed us to catch our breath but they also added to building the overall story. I'm not the biggest fan of escape rooms just because my mind doesn't work too well with the kinds of puzzles in them so I feel pretty stupid most of the time. However, the first task here seemed relatively simple and my only complaint is that our guide rushed us and provided far too many hints (despite us making progress) which prevented us from truly solving things on our own.
The rest of the experience followed the same mixture of sneaking past and running from zombies, alongside solving puzzles and getting closer to obtaining a cure. Ironically, the sections where we had to sprint away from the flesh-hungry zombies turned out to be my favourite parts! For me, it was the only part of the attraction that really got my adrenaline going. Don't get me wrong, the atmosphere in the shopping centre after dark was fantastic, but the large sections of sneaking around quietly when there weren't any zombies in sight sort of broke the immersion, as did the lack of zombie apocalypse theming (I'm talking about bits of blood splatter, etc.) I understand that it would be extremely difficult to have a large number of zombies in the experience and ticket prices would have to rise to cover the costs of hiring additional actors, but it did feel a little too empty at times. The lack of theming is also understandable with the small amount of time the team must have to prepare the venue. Similarly to scare mazes though, when you're walking for a significant amount of time without anything happening, the immersion just collapses. Another immersion killer we experienced was witnessing some of the zombie actors in conversation/out of character when they hadn't realised we were watching.
Our second guide was a lot more serious and remained in character throughout her performance, after meeting her the experience started to feel significantly tenser, largely due to her convincing acting skills. The sense of urgency rocketed from there and the car park scene before the finale had us all in a bit of a panic with the actual finale feeling like something straight out of a zombie flick! I'm not afraid to admit that I was almost relieved it was over when we reached a tent for debriefing.
Would we go again, absolutely! But it'd be interesting to check out the event in another location, Blackburn Mall wasn't our local shopping centre anyhow. Presumably, Wicked Experiences hire actors local to the area they're running each event so I imagine the attraction can vary quite a bit depending on the location and layout of the shopping centre used and of course the actors too. It did feel a little expensive for what it was but compared to other zombie experiences it is reasonably priced. I'd recommend anyone who loves zombie movies to check out one of these events at least once as it was a lot of fun and pretty unique.
Zombie Nightmare - Hemel Hempstead
Have you ever wondered if you could escape zombies while hunting around a deserted shopping centre looking for a cure? Well with Zombie Nightmare from Wicked Experiences you have the opportunity to try just that. A combination of escape room and scare maze your team are joined by a guide who will help you find the cure.
On arrival you enter into a tent where you are briefed. From then you have an hour to retrieve the cure and get to safety. As soon as you start the tension starts to build as you start walking through the empty quiet and rather eerie shopping centre. It doesn’t take long before you encounter your first zombie. You initially try to creep past but then they are joined by a number of ‘friends’, you run for your life through a fire escape into the back of house area. It is down the winding corridors and parking areas that you spend most of your time. Keeping a look out for zombies with every step.
After a few more zombie encounters you make it to the first room. It is here that you have to follow clues in traditional escape room style. It was when leaving this room that I felt the event really picked up, you end up being chased and almost cornered by a horde of zombies.
From this point the adrenaline is pumping, tired and out of breath we continued evading the zombies attempting to make our way to the second room where we hoped the cure would be. Another escape room style challenge and eventually onto the roof, it was a night where the town had a thick layer of mist, this definitely added to the atmosphere.
Safe and with the cure we make our way to the exit, a great finale rounds off this exciting adrenaline fuelled hour. In our run through we found the cure and I got the feeling throughout the event that every group does. It would be good to have an alternative ending where either the cure isn’t found or we don’t make it to safety.
All in all it was a good event, the actors worked very hard and kept the story moving along well. Personally I would have liked a few more scares but I think in its current format the event would appeal to quite a wide audience. If you have an opportunity I would definitely recommend checking out Zombie Nightmare!
Review by Ash Moore - ScareTOUR Competition winner
On arrival you enter into a tent where you are briefed. From then you have an hour to retrieve the cure and get to safety. As soon as you start the tension starts to build as you start walking through the empty quiet and rather eerie shopping centre. It doesn’t take long before you encounter your first zombie. You initially try to creep past but then they are joined by a number of ‘friends’, you run for your life through a fire escape into the back of house area. It is down the winding corridors and parking areas that you spend most of your time. Keeping a look out for zombies with every step.
After a few more zombie encounters you make it to the first room. It is here that you have to follow clues in traditional escape room style. It was when leaving this room that I felt the event really picked up, you end up being chased and almost cornered by a horde of zombies.
From this point the adrenaline is pumping, tired and out of breath we continued evading the zombies attempting to make our way to the second room where we hoped the cure would be. Another escape room style challenge and eventually onto the roof, it was a night where the town had a thick layer of mist, this definitely added to the atmosphere.
Safe and with the cure we make our way to the exit, a great finale rounds off this exciting adrenaline fuelled hour. In our run through we found the cure and I got the feeling throughout the event that every group does. It would be good to have an alternative ending where either the cure isn’t found or we don’t make it to safety.
All in all it was a good event, the actors worked very hard and kept the story moving along well. Personally I would have liked a few more scares but I think in its current format the event would appeal to quite a wide audience. If you have an opportunity I would definitely recommend checking out Zombie Nightmare!
Review by Ash Moore - ScareTOUR Competition winner
Very scary
Really good value for money. I loved how the actors made it feel so real & the story was excellent. Running & shutting the door on two zombies was scary which then led to having a door with a glass panel between me & two zombies. I was nearly caught. It felt like I was in a film which probably shows how good the acting was by the zombies & army personnel. Would strongly recommend to anyone who is interested in a zombie apocalypse.
Really good value for money. I loved how the actors made it feel so real & the story was excellent. Running & shutting the door on two zombies was scary which then led to having a door with a glass panel between me & two zombies. I was nearly caught. It felt like I was in a film which probably shows how good the acting was by the zombies & army personnel. Would strongly recommend to anyone who is interested in a zombie apocalypse.
Brighton -
Very scary - I really enjoyed the experience.
A suggestion to make it better for next time - more Zombie required and better makeup for the Zombies. It would be great if you could get enough Zombies to do a mass walkers thing like they do in the Walking Dead.
Very scary - I really enjoyed the experience.
A suggestion to make it better for next time - more Zombie required and better makeup for the Zombies. It would be great if you could get enough Zombies to do a mass walkers thing like they do in the Walking Dead.
Zombie Nightmare by Wicked Experiences - Chatham
Zombie Nightmare is Wicked Experiences’ debut event and our group went along to their first location of their new UK tour - the Pentagon Shopping Centre in Kent.
Now, we have experienced several zombie chase events held in shopping malls before so we were half excited and half expectant to see how this would differ. We’re used to seeing shopping centres full of people in daylight, so the fact that we were there when it was dark outside and all the shutters were down on the stores, felt a bit eerie from the get go.
After signing the standard waiver, we joined the rest of the 11 strong group. To kick things off, we were directed toward an army tent where a TV explained our mission - we just had to find the cure & stay alive. As we were confirming to our host that we understood our mission, the first scare happened in the form of zombies bursting into the tent sending us all screaming and running back out the way we had come. We were bundled into a lift and sent off in a panic. When the doors opened, we were met by an equally panicked army officer.
What followed was a bit of a blur, hiding behind walls from the lurking undead, running for our lives across the car park, holding doors shut to keep ourselves safe, quietly walking so the zombies wouldn’t detect sounds or sudden movement, and a lot of nervous laughter and exhausted breathing.
This was all interspersed with following instructions from the army staff as to what our next steps would be (mostly ‘RUN!’) and navigating our way to two different bases. At these bases, we had to search for clues to take us to the next point and ultimately find the cure.
The whole experience was consistent when it came to theming - blood, flickering lights, silence, darkness, moments of panic, lumbering zombies, rage zombies… there wasn’t a moment when we didn’t feel completely immersed. Elements of a classic zombie chase game, escape room puzzles and even a tunnel section - which reminded us of scare attractions past, all combined to make this a really fun, immersive, varied and exhausting experience! Luckily, our group worked together and found the cure and when we were checked for evidence of infection, fortunately, none of us had been bitten and we all survived. A caged zombie was kind enough to have a photo with us at the end showing that we made it out alive.
From chatting with the other group members and gauging their reactions along the way, it is safe to say that this event was, and will continue to be a great success. With groups of 12 starting every 20 minutes, it’s a real testament to the planning that we didn’t bump into anyone else during the hour. The shopping centre also closed its doors only a mere hour before the first group were booked in, so credit is due to the team for the fast and efficient set up.
Our tip if you want to experience Zombie Nightmare, would be to wear good running shoes and be prepared to be unprepared! There really are twists and turns around each corner, and we had an absolute blast!
The event continues at The Mall in Blackburn, Quadrant in Swansea and The Marlowes in Hemel Hempstead.
Now, we have experienced several zombie chase events held in shopping malls before so we were half excited and half expectant to see how this would differ. We’re used to seeing shopping centres full of people in daylight, so the fact that we were there when it was dark outside and all the shutters were down on the stores, felt a bit eerie from the get go.
After signing the standard waiver, we joined the rest of the 11 strong group. To kick things off, we were directed toward an army tent where a TV explained our mission - we just had to find the cure & stay alive. As we were confirming to our host that we understood our mission, the first scare happened in the form of zombies bursting into the tent sending us all screaming and running back out the way we had come. We were bundled into a lift and sent off in a panic. When the doors opened, we were met by an equally panicked army officer.
What followed was a bit of a blur, hiding behind walls from the lurking undead, running for our lives across the car park, holding doors shut to keep ourselves safe, quietly walking so the zombies wouldn’t detect sounds or sudden movement, and a lot of nervous laughter and exhausted breathing.
This was all interspersed with following instructions from the army staff as to what our next steps would be (mostly ‘RUN!’) and navigating our way to two different bases. At these bases, we had to search for clues to take us to the next point and ultimately find the cure.
The whole experience was consistent when it came to theming - blood, flickering lights, silence, darkness, moments of panic, lumbering zombies, rage zombies… there wasn’t a moment when we didn’t feel completely immersed. Elements of a classic zombie chase game, escape room puzzles and even a tunnel section - which reminded us of scare attractions past, all combined to make this a really fun, immersive, varied and exhausting experience! Luckily, our group worked together and found the cure and when we were checked for evidence of infection, fortunately, none of us had been bitten and we all survived. A caged zombie was kind enough to have a photo with us at the end showing that we made it out alive.
From chatting with the other group members and gauging their reactions along the way, it is safe to say that this event was, and will continue to be a great success. With groups of 12 starting every 20 minutes, it’s a real testament to the planning that we didn’t bump into anyone else during the hour. The shopping centre also closed its doors only a mere hour before the first group were booked in, so credit is due to the team for the fast and efficient set up.
Our tip if you want to experience Zombie Nightmare, would be to wear good running shoes and be prepared to be unprepared! There really are twists and turns around each corner, and we had an absolute blast!
The event continues at The Mall in Blackburn, Quadrant in Swansea and The Marlowes in Hemel Hempstead.
Links:
Wicked Experiences website
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