Zombie Apocalypse Live 'like basic training with zombies'
Starting on Aug. 26, the event is set to return to Halloween Park in Newberry Township for three days.
When Mark Oldhouser was in St. Louis for a large Halloween convention last March, he ran into people from the Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group.
Oldhouser, who’s a co-owner of Halloween Park in Newberry Township (about a half-mile from Strinestown Cemetery), got into a conversation with them about one of the company’s touring events: Zombie Apocalypse Live. Eventually, in May, he was able to get the attraction to come to York County.
During the first hour of early registration, more than 750 people signed up.
“So it has been a tremendous response,” Oldhouser said. “It’s popular, it’s bringing people who never came to our haunt before.”
Starting on Aug. 26, Zombie Apocalypse Live is set to return to Halloween Park for three days. The event is action-packed and fast-paced, he said, and it’s something that York County has not seen very often.
Zombie Apocalypse Live advertises itself as a tactical, live-action experience that’s similar to a video game. Players get a replica M4 rifle, and they work with teammates to clear areas that are filled with zombies.
Unlike last time, Zombie Apocalypse Live will be held entirely outside, on Halloween Park’s island.
The event is expected to include at least 45 zombies, which will be hidden behind obstacles, Oldhouser said. It will be “like basic training with zombies,” he said.
He noted that “The Walking Dead” has been a phenomenon, and video games such as “Call of Duty” have also featured modes that include zombies.
“To put yourself into that situation — it’s really intense,” he said. “It’s fun, it’s an adrenaline rush.”
Brandon Lewis, a mechanic from Enola, Cumberland County, went out to Zombie Apocalypse Live with a group of six people when the event was held back in May.
Lewis, 27, said he found out about the attraction on Facebook. So he called his friends, and they were “all for it.” They loved it.
The event is fast-paced, Lewis said, and it’s a “different experience.” The only part that he did not like was how the attraction seemed different from what’s depicted in some of the promotional videos.
“It’s not something you do every day,” Lewis said. “I mean, other than that, I definitely had fun.”
Contact Dylan Segelbaum at 771-2102.
If you go:
What: Zombie Apocalypse Live
When: Friday, Aug. 26 through Sunday, Aug. 28 from 7 to 11:30 p.m.
Where: Halloween Park, 100 Hykes Mill Road, Newberry Township.
How much: $29.99 to $49.99
More information:zombieapocalypselive.com