Salvation Z at Gloucester Prison 2024
review coming soon
Salvation Z at Gloucester Prison 2022
No official review for 2022

Terrifying - We visited the mad maze at salvation-z at Gloucester prison - omg! It was absolutely terrifying! From the moment we left the briefing room, we were on edge. Scares commenced from the very start to the very end, even when we thought we were safe, no, it was truly terrifying! Fully immersive, a few funny parts but a brilliant night out and at £10pp, excellent value for money.

Very scary - Great value for money, the actors were on point and really worked had for your enjoyment.
Salvation Z at Gloucester Prison
Like many events, Salvation Z at Gloucester Prison has had to adapt to the new normal that has been forced upon us by Covid restrictions. In 2019, the event had large groups being led round a prison by a single guide, but due to social distancing in 2020, groups have been reduced to family or support bubbles only.
Which of course made the whole thing more intimate, with groups released into the prison every 10 minutes or so. In fact, we were genuinely amazed that we didn’t encounter any other group on our experience – it really was just the two of us, a couple of army guys, and a whole horde of zombies.
Unlike many other zombie experiences, there was no major backstory or narrative to drive the event forward. Realising that most people know about zombies and the way to get away from them, we were thrown straight into a narrative that took advantage of the impressive venue - even entering the building through a double door airlock chamber, just added to the excitement factor.
The whole show alternated between being led by some army guys (who progressed the story and provided some of the more high impact scenes) with several periods where we were just left to explore the prison alone (with just one simple rule – follow the red light)
The actor led scenes were always chaotic, and loose, with special effects such as sirens and blank bullets being fired. By counterpoint, the exploration and discovery scenes were genuinely less frenetic (but no less scary) as we tried to find our way around the complex. One minute we would be creeping around darkened corridors trying to find a way to the next rendezvous point, and the next we would be running hell for leather as zombies chased us through the venue!
And here we must mention the incredible setting for Salvation Z. The action all takes place in the exercise yard, admin buildings and even the cell wings of a genuine disused prison, and this made the event fell so much more memorable and believable. These weren’t just sets created in a workshop, but genuine prison cells and rooms that were used by prisoners, such as serial murderer Fred West, up until 2013!
The constant switching between high energy survival and more tactical avoidance really worked well, and meant we never really knew what would happen next. Across the whole 30-minute experience, we also experienced deranged doctors, a handful of survivors, lots of army people and a bunch of crazy zombies.
Of course, zombies are only exciting if they are perceived as a genuine threat, and these were quite fast and agile, meaning that several times we had to sprint up and down staircases or down darkened corridors just to get away from them. The zombies were also very “wet” in appearance and we understand that guests wearing white T shirts to the show, may end up leaving with a few extra stains for extra effect!
Talking of those zombies, the designs have been made by Clive Barzilla of Burkbench Designs and involved full face latex masks alongside detailed costumes and some fun characterisations. In fact, the event is so pleased with their different characters, that they provide a Top Trumps style card set featuring each of the zombie characters by name. We met a few of the characters after, for a photo, but it was great to see that such thought had been put into their creation.
By the time we reached the final safe zone we were completely breathless from the scares and excitement, as well as the physical demands of the show. Although we didn’t have to run too hard during the experience, there were several moments where all we wanted to do was get away, and where it was safe to do so – this was positively encouraged by the actions of the zombies and the military team.
So in summary, as we said at the start – this can not be compared with some of the other, longer form zombie events that are on the market. With no weapons to use, Salvation Z is more of a short, sharp and intense shock experience that takes guests on a rollercoaster ride around a prison full of zombies. It really is a perfect scare attraction event for Halloween, and with such incredible zombies and an amazing venue, it is definitely one to be experienced.
Which of course made the whole thing more intimate, with groups released into the prison every 10 minutes or so. In fact, we were genuinely amazed that we didn’t encounter any other group on our experience – it really was just the two of us, a couple of army guys, and a whole horde of zombies.
Unlike many other zombie experiences, there was no major backstory or narrative to drive the event forward. Realising that most people know about zombies and the way to get away from them, we were thrown straight into a narrative that took advantage of the impressive venue - even entering the building through a double door airlock chamber, just added to the excitement factor.
The whole show alternated between being led by some army guys (who progressed the story and provided some of the more high impact scenes) with several periods where we were just left to explore the prison alone (with just one simple rule – follow the red light)
The actor led scenes were always chaotic, and loose, with special effects such as sirens and blank bullets being fired. By counterpoint, the exploration and discovery scenes were genuinely less frenetic (but no less scary) as we tried to find our way around the complex. One minute we would be creeping around darkened corridors trying to find a way to the next rendezvous point, and the next we would be running hell for leather as zombies chased us through the venue!
And here we must mention the incredible setting for Salvation Z. The action all takes place in the exercise yard, admin buildings and even the cell wings of a genuine disused prison, and this made the event fell so much more memorable and believable. These weren’t just sets created in a workshop, but genuine prison cells and rooms that were used by prisoners, such as serial murderer Fred West, up until 2013!
The constant switching between high energy survival and more tactical avoidance really worked well, and meant we never really knew what would happen next. Across the whole 30-minute experience, we also experienced deranged doctors, a handful of survivors, lots of army people and a bunch of crazy zombies.
Of course, zombies are only exciting if they are perceived as a genuine threat, and these were quite fast and agile, meaning that several times we had to sprint up and down staircases or down darkened corridors just to get away from them. The zombies were also very “wet” in appearance and we understand that guests wearing white T shirts to the show, may end up leaving with a few extra stains for extra effect!
Talking of those zombies, the designs have been made by Clive Barzilla of Burkbench Designs and involved full face latex masks alongside detailed costumes and some fun characterisations. In fact, the event is so pleased with their different characters, that they provide a Top Trumps style card set featuring each of the zombie characters by name. We met a few of the characters after, for a photo, but it was great to see that such thought had been put into their creation.
By the time we reached the final safe zone we were completely breathless from the scares and excitement, as well as the physical demands of the show. Although we didn’t have to run too hard during the experience, there were several moments where all we wanted to do was get away, and where it was safe to do so – this was positively encouraged by the actions of the zombies and the military team.
So in summary, as we said at the start – this can not be compared with some of the other, longer form zombie events that are on the market. With no weapons to use, Salvation Z is more of a short, sharp and intense shock experience that takes guests on a rollercoaster ride around a prison full of zombies. It really is a perfect scare attraction event for Halloween, and with such incredible zombies and an amazing venue, it is definitely one to be experienced.
Links:
Salvation Z website
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