Derren Brown plays tricks on human guinea pigs on new Thorpe Park ghost train
Derren Brown has been playing tricks on 10 volunteers as they tested out Thorpe Park’s new ghost train – and you can sign up to try it out.
The 20-metre-long Victorian ghost train – suspended mid-air – is being tested before it opens to the public.
Combining virtual reality, physical transit and 4D special effects, the Ghost Train has two different endings to its 12 different journeys that last between 12 and 15 minutes.
Illusionist Derren Brown has trialled the ride on 10 human guinea pigs, whose heart rates soared to 145bpm while experiencing the Virtual Reality test.
He said: “Over the last few weeks I have been testing out the components of the attraction and decided to run scare tests on a selection of participants who claim they are totally fearless - the reactions have been incredible.
“We are making this bigger, better and scarier than last year. The changes and improvements that have taken place will scare the s*** out of guests.”
Located at Thorpe Park Resort, the ride has been upgraded to Derren Brown’s Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon and promises to be ‘the world’s first multi-sensory, multi-layered theme park attraction’.
Ex-prison officer Matt Sproit, who volunteered to try out a VR version of the ride, said: “I’m used to dealing with terrifying situations, so I was never expecting the VR footage to scare me that much. When I took off that headset I was physically shaking.”
Watch the video above to see volunteers try out the new ride.
Members of the public can sign up for the next round of testing at thorpepark.com, before the ride opens on March 31, 2017.
The theme park states you must be an ‘adrenaline seeker’ who is ‘good at keeping secrets’.
“Our test trials on some of the nation’s most fearless subjects have gone very well, with heart rates reaching over 180bpm,” said Thorpe Park Resort’s divisional director Dominic Jones.
“Now we are opening early stage testing to the general public to see how they handle the new journey – and of course, we always keep a secret up our sleeve. Things may take an unexpected turn.”
