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28 Weeks Later - The Virus Reborn, Drakelow Tunnels, Kidderminster - review

"Enter at your own risk," we were warned as we anxiously gazed down the dark path to the tunnel door, dressed in our newly acquired white overalls and gas masks.

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"Anybody who would like to turn back can do so now," the event organiser added.

Well there was no gently easing us in for this zombie scare event. It was straight into the apocalypse.

For the next good 30 minutes or so, we were to be guided through miles of deep, black, tunnels - where the unknown awaited us. And when I say guided I mean yelled at and told to run.

As we made our down the dirt path to the entrance to Drakelow Tunnels, screams and shouts got louder with every footstep.

"Move! Move! Every get moving, hurry up!" the male actor, dressed as a soldier, yelled to us as we clambered through the door.

"Everybody line-up against the wall, single file!" the soldier continued yelling. Talk about being authentic.

The plot for the event - called '28 Weeks Later, The Virus Reborn' - was for us make our way to safety of the refuge zone from the entrance. Along the way were hoards of zombies, rebel soldiers and government officials - all played (brilliantly) by actors.

The setting - which was the historic tunnels of the former Second World War factory and Cold War bunker in Wolverley, Kidderminster - was perfect for this event. Inside Drakelow is like a grid maze with around 3.5 miles of tunnels.

The soldier, who was joined by another male soldier, and were both dressed in army camouflage gear and sporting replica machine guns, gave us instructions to follow if we were to make it out 'safely'.

"In a minute you will be taken to the chancellor", the soldier said. "Whatever you do, don't pledge allegiance to him." He added: "Everybody move!"

It was hard to keep a straight face behind the gas mask and hood of the overall. The acting was very good but you were thrown straight into the nail-biting scenario.

The corridors got darker as we walked up to the chancellor, who was waiting for us in front of a wall with what appeared to be his personal assistant - a devious looking one at that.

Each doorway we passed I checked around every corner to see if there were zombies waiting to jump out at us. In this fictional world, we had been chucked into a virus epidemic which had broken out and had turned people into zombies.

The chancellor welcomed us and gave a speech, with his assistant staring at us eerily. Both were dressed in suits. He then finished by telling us to make our way to the medical area. Things got more interesting.

Amongst the fast pace of the event and the setting, it felt very real.

We were met by a female guide who took us on a zigzag path through corridors to the medical room. It was filled with beds, and occupied by two female soldiers, a crazed doctor wearing a gas mask and white overall, and a patient lying on the far bed.

A plastic cup with a red 'pill' in each was on a table for us to pick up.

"Line up against the wall in two columns," one female soldier said. "Take your pill." It was a small piece of candy. She and another female soldier gave each of us a coordination test, our eyes following her finger left and right, while the doctor yelled about the apocalypse.

A hand then reached over my shoulder, before one of the soldiers pushed this man away. He was wearing a gas mask and white overalls too, but was not originally part of our group. This man, who turned out to be an actor, made his our to the crazed doctor before he was subdued and the scene descended into chaos.

"Run, RUN!" one of the soldiers shouted . The scare event had truly begun. Everybody was confused of what to do.

We ran down a corridor, which ended with a grey door. "Through the door!," one of the female soldiers shouted to me, as I was the first down the corridor. I couldn't open the door. Behind it was the crazed the doctor, who was screaming. It was hard to take in what was going on with the loud noises and flashing of torches.

Along came one of the soldiers, who tried pushing the door a few times before we broke through.

We were now in a tunnel that was well light. Two new female guides met us, who told us to head down one of the adjacent black corridors to escape the scene.

We got to the end at a T-junction and made a left. Then suddenly hoard of about 20 zombies (actors) appeared in another adjacent corridor, their black silhouettes standing out against the dim back-light.

"Run!" came another call as the realistic zombie screams could be clearly heard. We were in the thick of the action. I could hear the zombie sounds getting closer from behind.

After we outran them, two rebel soldiers met us who were standing in front of a doorway. They questioned whether we were infected, and a stand-off between our guides and the soldiers took place. On the call of one of the actors, we clambered into a dimly lit passageway, where another group of zombies in an adjacent tunnel were heading towards us.

We escaped them, weaving through the Drakelow maze, before a dark silhouette awaited us in a tunnel. It was a deranged soldier, who questioned our allegiance to the chancellor. "We don't support the chancellor," our group told him. We were ordered to face the wall before a black cloak was placed over our heads. The prop made the situation even more realistic, but I did find this part uncomfortable.

Deranged soldier

The soldier tapped a prop gun on each of our heads, chanting and talking, before a scuffle took place between our guide and the soldier. Our cloaks were then yanked off our heads and we were told to run through a final doorway, ending at a group of chairs lined up in front of a projector. We had made it safely to the refuge, where our event organiser greeted us. We had escaped the outbreak. Phew, I thought.

What seemed like half an hour went very quick with the intensity of the event. This was aided by the quality of acting, and the detailed planning of the route from the event organisers and the quality of the props used (such as fake weapons, lighting and the clothing).

All in all it was greatly orchestrated, with a lot of effort put in from the team at the production company The Underground Picture House.

There were two groups of participants who had taken part, with mine being the second. We were all treated to a beverage after the event, with the option of pop or alcohol.

It was wrapped up with a screening of the film 28 Weeks Later. It was a good film which helped set the scene of the event which we had just taken part in. The film itself had inspired the plot of the scare event.

I would say the scare event is not for the faint-hearted, and you can expect a thrilling encounter which plays on your senses. But if you can brave the darkness, zombies, rebel soldiers and rogue government officials, it is definitely worth taking part in for truly authentic and spooky Halloween event.

Participants are advised to bring a torch and wear sturdy footwear, such as boots, while a white overall and gas mask are given before entry.

Although you get told to run quite a bit, this is optional and you do not have to. You are advised though by the event organisers to have a moderate fitness to take part.

The event time ran from 6.25pm to 8pm. Tickets cost £50.

For more information about the Underground Picture House, click here

By Jamie Brassington

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