Zombies are red
Humans are blue
Go to secret cinema
It will make you wanna poo
…your pants!
*contains no major spoilers*
Dear mummy, it’s not everyday you get chased by zombies (I’m not sure what they are, but I think they are scary!) You and daddy went to Secret Cinema’s performance of the classic horror film 28 Days Later by Danny Boyle. You are a MASSIVE horror film fan, so when this event popped up on your news feed you couldn’t resist. You had to go.
So what is Secret Cinema? Well the clue is in the name, it’s a live cinema experience which is usually in a secret location and participants keep it under wraps! It’s run by a British events company combining film screenings with interactive performances in purpose-built sets.
It cost a pretty penny though £40 per person for a fully immersive cinema trip which included a theatre type performance of this zombie film acted out right in front of your eyes and a full cinema showing afterwards. All photos included in this post were taken before and after the event because you weren’t allowed phones inside. Secret Cinema is a secret remember. Shhhhhhh.
All you can tell me is that you did a lot of running away from Zombies, it wasn’t for the faint hearted, the attention to detail in the lead up to the event was great. With a fake NSH hospital being set up to contain the virus in London, a fake RBC news channel streaming updates from the Rage Vaccination centre at a fake hospital called St Thomas, somewhere in London. You can’t quite remember the exact details 😉 A secret website portal and public propaganda videos being posted on social media all led up to the excitement of the day.
A couple of weeks beforehand my folks purchased a biohazard/medi kit, which was a yellow bag that contained items of clothing they had to wear (medical scrubs) for the event and props to help them through the day. There were two performances scheduled, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. You opted for the afternoon as Daddy was a wuss and was too scared to go in the dark! 😉
As soon as you arrived Secret Cinema staff were in character and it was intense with military and medics on site. It was a perfect location to create a zombie apocalyptic atmosphere and set the scene for the next 4 hours. The set design was immense and the attention to detail (if you looked hard enough, when you weren’t being chased by zombies) was fantastic!
Once inside you can’t remember much having been dosed up with a drowsy vaccination 😉 Strobe and smoke was the order of the day, blood rained down on you and daddy….and there were lots of screams.
Was it true to the film? Yes and no.. But then you are a massive Danny Boyle fan. Some parts were done extremely well from 28 days later (Hannah was very good) and got the adrenaline racing and some parts left you feeling deflated. They could have done more…more zombies, more frights and more blood – but that’s just my folks high expectations of Secret Cinema.
My Daddy went to the Star Wars Secret Cinema event last year and said it wasn’t a patch on that event – but then Star Wars is a cult film with a loyal fan base that are willing to dress up and fully immerse themselves into the characters and roles.
Some of the people who turned up to 28 Days Later weren’t in costumes (recommend hospital scrubs) A lot of the fun my folks had was travelling to and from the venue in their costumes! Some weren’t immersing themselves in the experience sadly, taking their phones out and chatting loudly during the movie screening is a major NO-NO!! The military personal/staff could have been a bit more stern with these guys. The secret cinema experience should finish once you have walked off the site.
Would we recommend a Secret Cinema performance and screening? Hell yes! Just as long as it’s a film you love, you’ll have a great time. My folks did and it was a cool experience.
Please do another sci-fi or horror soon!!!
Secret Cinema’s 28 Days Later is on until May 29, 2016 and tickets are still available. Guess what? They are also putting on a Dirty Dancing adaptation this year too!
But Shhhhhhh keep it a secret 😉
Love Bella and her folks!
dearmummyblog.com 
This is such a GREAT and FAB concept! I LOVE it! There isn’t anything of the sort here where I am but it would definitely go on my list that I want to go/do/see. I would have loved to have gone to The Star Wars event as I am a massive fan. #KCACOLS
The Star Wars event was magic! You should check out Secret Cinemas YouTube videos! Amazing. They did ‘Back To The Future’ which we missed!
Great idea, only been to a Rocky Horror Show party where only 2 people dressed up, this sounds like a lot more fun x
My folks have been to The Rocky Horror Show at the Mayflower in Southampton and that was awesome too….if you haven’t been to a secret cinema event then we’d highly recommend it – pure escapism.
As much as I am loving the idea behind interactive cinema I do not think I can do zombie or other horror specific ones lol but romantics definitely would love to try. £40 a bit steep but doable.
Agreed about the price, it is expensive just like going to a theatre show! Dirty Dancing sounds like a good one 🙂
Well this was more interesting than I had expected it to be, I was all ready to put £40 for a film eff that… but actually what a brilliant idea x
Yep, when we first heard of Secret Cinema we just though it was a screening of a film….oh no…it’s much, much more than that! You should check out the Secret Cinema’s Back to the Future performance of YouTube! Am.maz.zing! xx
we were supposed to do something similar on a trip to Florida last fall, but somehow I screwed up the days and we missed it. Looks like a blast #KCACOLS
I’d be surprised if secret cinema doesn’t become a global phenomenon! It’s ace!
Ok this is different in a good way. Never heard of secret cinemas until now.
My friends all went to the previews and had an awesome time. If it wasn’t for the cost we totally would have gone as it’s one of my favourite films. The Dirty Dancing one sounds great too.
It was definitely worth the money just for the experience! It’s not everyday you put yourselves in that kinda situation 😉
Oh my goodness! I’d LOVE to do this! It sounds amazing! And wow, they set up a hospital and everything. Awesome. I’m a huge horror film fan (and love TWD!) so this is right up my street. It sounds like a fantastic time! #KCACOLS
It’s really creepy and very good fun!
Wow this sounds great. I would have been scared stiff but excited! Sounds like overall brill with few improvements needed. I love your costume and pictures! Need to watch 28 days again now xx #twinklytuesday
Oh my, this looks so much fun – Hubby would want to do a walking dead one
Oh my I know that hospital and at first i was like wth going on over there. lol then i woke up. haha a really nice concept and i imagine a lot of fun. xx
http://www.annanuttall.com
Wow, this looks amazing! Love all the attention to detail the organisers went to, really impressive! Disappointing to hear that people were talking during the screening though – surely it’s the kind of thing you only go to if you’re a big fan and really want to see it? Certainly not on to ruin it for everyone else! #KCACOLS
Oh wow, this looks like so much fun and I really am jealous!
My friend went on one of these for a stag do and ended up with a broken rib from an over-zealous zombie throwing him onto the bonnet of a car. Definitely not my scene 😦
There was little or no contact at this event thankfully. Secret Cinema isn’t really rowdy, more like physiological induced fear… 😉 if anything it could have done with more zombie interaction! 😉
SOunds like tremendous fun. I share your pain with the idiots on the mobile phone, though. People are obsessed nowadays.
My eldest would love this, as would I. Need to see if there is one near us
They run a couple a year but change the location each time 🙂 we’re on the mailing list so we get to find out what’s happening x
Wow this sounds like I would pee my pants!! I’m such a wimp I just couldn’t do it myself but I’d send someone I loved truly to go and experience it on my behalf. I’m thoughtful like that… 4 hours?! Well I think you got your money’s worth, I wish there was a video so I could get a glimpse inside of what happened. I like your description though, it’s a little secret x
No doubt when the event is finished Secret Cinema will release video footage. They usually do….keep your eyes pealed 🙂
How cool! I wonder if we have any Secret Cinema experiences near me in the U.S.
Such a cool concept, and a fun way to get people immersed and involved in a movie screening. I just love love LOVE this and it would be so fun to do something similar! Thanks for sharing ❤ #KCACOLS
omg that’s one hell of an adventure, would love to go.
Cool