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Evocatively-named immersive horror experience The Nightmare Realm has been terrifying the good people of Dublin since 2009, and by all accounts it’s very good at it, having won numerous awards on the international horror experience circuit over the years. And now it’s our turn to be frightened as it lurches across the sea to London.
The large-scale independent production – with a cast of over 70 – will occupy the atmospheric grounds of the Victorian Avery Hill Mansion in Greenwich. It will offer two fully immersive tales of terror with original plot lines tailored to The Nightmare Realm’s London debut.
‘Avery Hill Asylum’ will invite guests into a Victorian mental institution in which Dr Thorne has been conducting disturbing experiments; ‘Sundown Manor’ concerns an ancient Irish family that has arrived in London looking for victims.
In the middle is Halloween Town, a ‘living village’ to explore with intriguing characters, hidden rooms, a slightly more chilled out vibe plus snacks. With staggered entry from early to late evening, the experience is about two hours long, with 75 minutes of that taken up by the actual stories.
Obviously we’re all a bit wary of immersive spectaculars in the post Willy’s Chocolate Experience era, but The Nightmare Realm has amassed a great reputation over its 16 years, backed up by awards and the simple fact that the people of Dublin seem to be bang into it. So if you’re looking for something suitably horrifying to do this Halloween and the weeks preceding it, it surely doesn’t get more terrifying than this.
The Nightmare Realm is at Avery Hill Mansion, Oct 9-Nov 1. Book tickets and find more info here.
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