Ian Waller lived to survive a visit to The House of Frankenstein’s After Dark scarefest – or did he?
It was dark – really, really dark, with just the slightest glimmer of light creeping around the frames of the crooked doors to show – well, we’re not quite sure what. Something was in there – we think – but what exactly that something was, we just didn’t know.
My newly encountered co-explorers (we’d met at the doorway and decided we’d team up) bravely agreed with each other that I should lead the way up the stairs and along the nightmare corridors of the this ancient Bath town house. Cheers guys! Apparently, someone had suggested, that it might be haunted… or was that just our imagination?
The event was opening night of The Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein After Dark halloween inspired ‘intense multi-sensory horror event’, as their website pretty accurately described. Running in selected dates from 11-31 October, this is absolutely not for the faint-hearted or children under the age of 15.
I had been before in previous years, with my older teenage children. However, strangely enough they weren’t available when I asked if they wanted to come along this year. Right from the start, the experience had a new feel. Instead of the usual albeit creepy welcome by someone is suitably funereal attire at the Gay Street door the House of Frankenstein, we were barked at by what looked like a post apocalyptic member of the military police before being ordered – and not in a nice way – to enter the house.
It was then up to my new friends and I to fend for ourselves.
And you know what, we loved it! Throughout the almost complete darkness of the house, each corner and dimly lit doorway offered a new threat from being jumped on, frightened and just, well, scared. It was great! Around the house fantastically talented actors – clearly not the sort of people you’d want to share a house with – were experts in surprise and just being – in the most Donald Trumpian way possible – weird…
By the second floor of the house my new friends were hanging back a little and increasingly keen for me to venture on, with assurances that they would be right behind. OK, to tell you more would be to give the game away, but just to say that you might be grateful for the bar on the first floor, despite the seriously deranged bar keeper.
And then, there’s the basement…
For more information and next of kin forms, venture cautiously to https://houseoffrankenstein.com/tickets