Fear VR: 5150 is a horror based Virtual Reality experience that will be making its debut in Cedar Fair parks this season. Hollow Studios, the company behind the production of this project, has partnered with Cedar Fair Entertainment to bring Fear VR: 5150, to Canada’s Wonderland, Knott’s Scary Farm, and California’s Great America this haunt season, providing a whole new kind of cutting edge horror experience.
Fear VR: 5150 will be largely themed to a mysterious medical facility. Guests receive timed tickets, and upon their entry will be greeted by ominous nurses at the Meadowbrook Institute, guests become the latest patients inside the mysterious facility. Once checked-in, the new patients are warned of a dangerous, telekinetic female inmate known as “Katie,” who has just gone missing. Strapped to a specialized wheelchair, patients’ embark on a terrifying tour of the institute.
Regarding the experience itself, eight people at a time are loaded into 4D-effects seats disguised as wheelchairs. Once seated, they are provided with Samsung Gear VR headsets, headphones and a panic button. A safety message will be displayed while each guest’s hands are strapped down to the wheelchair, before beginning their four minutes of terror.
Fear VR: 5150 will use the technology to its full potential according to writer and sound designer, and Chief Creative Executive of Hollow Studios, David Love. “There’s one moment where you feel yourself getting an injection, which is something I imagine has never happened before in a 4D experience”. He goes on to say, “There needs to be something happening on screen constantly. It is designed to lull the viewer into a false sense of security which gets interrupted.”
Fear VR:5150 was directed by Ted Dougherty, who for nearly 20-years has worked as an expert in both the haunted attraction and Halloween theme park industries as a writer, actor, producer and creative director. The virtual reality media was produced in-house by Hollow Studios’ Chief Creative Executive, David Love and Ted Dougherty. Both worked closely throughout the process with Art Director for the project, Jon Cooke.
Additionally, the footage used during the experience is all live action, filmed in a studio near Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, as opposed to the original animation we have seen in other VR programs.
As mentioned, Fear VR: 5150 is going to Canada’s Wonderland, Knott’s Scary Farm, and California’s Great America. According to Hollow however, each of the three parks will have their own “real life scare elements”, differentiated each of the installments.
We are very much looking forward to experiencing what seems to be a very well though out horror experience. Make sure to check out our maze reviews for Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain here, as well as the scare zone reviews from the same event here. Thanks for reading!
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Can’t believe they closed it because people complained. So lame