The Generation of Z: Edinburgh

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If you were lucky enough to make it out alive of zombie chase game 2.8 Hours Later, you’ll find Generation of Z to be right up your street. This immersive, interactive horror game launches audiences into an apocalyptic warzone in which “the infected” are at large and hungry for our blood. Arriving from New Zealand, this bloodcurdling, rib-shattering escape mission lives up to the drama it promises: lifelike, terrifying and visceral.

We step into Zone 1. After being corralled into the first of many quarantined areas, an army truck roars up next to us and a group of yelping, trigger-happy U.S. soldiers fall out. Dragging the audience into line, we’re told to stand up and shut up. Do we not know what’s going on? There are zombies out there, gahddamnit. When the beasties do attack, the bullets fly, in an explosive, heart-racing first encounter. As we make our way through the disused basement of Edinburgh University, full of guttural screams and gory mutilations, we must find a way to safety.

If you’re willing, dive in headfirst to G of Z, as the more you take part, the more you’ll enjoy it. A team of 150 volunteers has pieced together a staggering, authentic—and at times scarily dark—performance. Admittedly, there are moments when it’s clear how surreal the whole thing can be: 100 people standing in a room watching an actor tear up an infected with a chainsaw. Given the size of the audience, it can all feel a little theme park-y. Still, this is sheer hair-raising, rampaging good fun.