“It’s just a mannequin,” I think as I slowly am crawling under a fallen metal wall.
“You’ve been through something like this before on the course, and it’s just a mannequin like before. A very real looking mannequin.”
Quickly, a hand stabs out at me, and the mannequin is a man just like me. In New York, married but now lost to the zombie apocalypse, waiting for his next meal, but his likely wouldn’t come in the form of tasty ramen.
It was meant to be me.
I desperately crawl away, mixing a palpable sense of fear and an almost manic laugh, enjoying myself completely but undoubtedly reacting to the visceral feeling of the experience.
What experience you ask? Well, at New York Comic Con – or, to be accurate, at Pier 86’s Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum – there was another run of The Walking Dead Escape, the “official obstacle course of The Walking Dead”, also known as the absolutely best experience I had at this year’s Comic Con, and one hell of a thrill ride for people of all shapes and sizes.
“THIS IS NOT REAL!”
As my wife and I approached Pier 86, heading up to the media area to pick up passes to run the course, one of the people running the Escape event was bellowing out instructions to a horde of participants in the event.
“THIS IS NOT REAL! ZOMBIES HAVE NOT ACTUALLY OVERTAKEN NEW YORK!”
This made me laugh to myself, and many members of the swelling crowd, as of course, we all knew that. I looked over the fence that separated us, and the people waiting to get in came in athletic gear, wearing Go Pros and make shift smart phone camera rigs, and all of them were smiling the wide smiles of someone who didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.
The event itself was extremely well run, with many knowledgeable staffers helping guide those coming to participate to the right place. And it’s a good thing they were prepared because the line was massive, to the point there was apparently slowdown in the course itself.
With that in mind, we got in line and prepared for the wait, as entry was staggered. This meant we ourselves got to experience the man who was preparing participants for entry. With incredibly creepy, atmospheric music pouring out of speakers, our guide began preparing us for what was on the other side, how zombies had in fact overrun the city, and that we need to keep our heads if we want to survive.
The delivery combined with the music and the growing feeling of trepidation in the crowd started becoming palpable.
Sensing this, he brought us back to Earth by again emphasizing “THIS IS NOT REAL! DO NOT HURT THE ZOMBIES!” before breaking down laughing when he sees that one of us is dressed head to toe as Spider-Man. Anyone who says the apocalypse isn’t funny clearly hasn’t experienced cosplayers properly.
Quick note: one of my favorite things about the event was just how into it everyone was. There was a crew – pictured above – actually dressed as members of the prison community from The Walking Dead. They were the best.
Our turn hits, and we head in to the event where military and FEMA members greet us with three shackled zombies being held by them. It looked – truly – like a war was going on, and these men and women who were there laid on the atmosphere in a very authentic way, with fake news reports with Barack Obama declaring the country in a state of emergency running in the corner.
Then, a power surge hits, the zombies break their shackles, and I am nearly run over by the people behind me literally screaming and shoving me directly into my unsuspecting wife (who previously had run the course at San Diego Comic Con 2012).
All hell breaks loose.
State of Emergency
I don’t want to get into too much detail, but holy crap you guys, this was one of the most fun and exhilarating experiences you can get. The course was absolutely laden with zombies and actors portraying emergency response units, with ominous, creepy sounds and music getting their hooks in on you throughout.
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The zombies themselves were expertly made up, some to frighteningly realistic degrees, and each zombie was so damn locked in you could have convinced me that some of them were authentic.
It really is necessary for them to tell those participating that this event isn’t real because trust me when I tell you, it feels real.
There were people strewn throughout the course, running, sweating, nervously giggling or even outright screaming. I passed people who literally had to stop because they were hyperventilating, either out of fear or out of sheer exhaustion – it’s a surprisingly taxing course – while others stopped because they were thinking they were safe, but really, they just came up to the next cut scene (if you will).
The whole event was expertly crafted, with participants going from a street course up to the U.S.S. Intrepid itself, running along it avoiding zombies and doing your best to not get tagged by a zombie for fear of being infected. There were obstacles, such as broken down busses that you had to make your way through, and there were zombies around every corner.
Many people treated it as effectively a legit parkour course, but others? Others had fear running throughout them, with some people screaming as if these zombies were actually real. Even if the experience wasn’t real, the emotions it brought out in you were very much real.
Biggest complaint? There was only one station for water. For an event that was quite taxing on an atypically warm night in October for New York, multiple stations for water would have helped dramatically.
The Walking Dead Escape: Survivors
Having made it through the course and to the safe zone, my wife and I came into the place where FEMA units checked to see if you were infected. Certain that we were, we walked into happily find out we made it through uninfected. A man behind us? Not so lucky, as they quickly and certainly fake shot him in the head, leaving a red mark to indicate that he didn’t make it.
As we walked out, I asked he and his friends if I could get a picture, and he happily said yes, as he kept saying what an amazing time he had. You can see him above, and clearly, he was about to turn.
The event was, simply put, thrilling and completely fun. Even if it did negatively impact my experience walking around NYC for the next hour – not even kidding, I was nervous around people for a while afterwards because I was used to them jumping out and trying to attack me – it was a thrill ride and a half, and something that even myself, a non-fan of the TV show and a huge fan of the comic, greatly enjoyed.
In short, it was the type of visceral, thoroughly satisfying event not every comic con has, but if yours does? Do not miss it, because it is an absolute blast.
Below are some of my other favorite shots from the experience. Thanks to the team running the Escape in NYC. Top notch work.
