STRANGER Things: The Experience has just landed in the UK – and we were one of the first to visit.
Based on the hit Netflix series, it lets fans live out their fantasies in the fictional town of Hawkins, all experience from London Brent Cross.
Here's what awaits visitors at the new immersive experience…
An eerily cheery lady in a lab coat, ushers us towards a bright room as she scribbles notes onto a clipboard.
“We've been expecting you,” she grins.
The posters pinned to the wall reveal that we’re volunteers in a sleep study and it’s not long before I’m being bombarded with intrusive questions on my dreams and – more specifically – my nightmares.
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This is the beginning of my very own episode of Stranger Things and I'm nervous to uncover what lies beyond the large metal door in front of me.
First we’re tasked with solving puzzles in the infamous Rainbow Room, where we learn that we, too, have supernatural powers, just like the show’s heroine Eleven.
And it’s not just this creepy room that fans will recognise either.
During the hour-long immersive experience, we find ourselves escaping Hawkins laboratory, gobbling up ice-cream from Scoops Ahoy and even venturing into the terrifying parallel-universe, The Upside Down.
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Luckily we’re not alone in our journey – as soon as things seem to take a turn for the worse, we’re greeted on security camera monitors by favourite characters, including Mike, Dustin and Max, who guide us through our mission.
The only give away that I’m not in the real Upside Down is the beefy security guard behind me who’s wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the Stranger Things logo.
Although I do start to doubt myself when I feel the breath of a Demogorgon as he lunges towards me and roars into my face.
This 4D element won’t feel novel to anyone that’s been on a multi-sensory ride at a Disney theme park, but you’ll still struggle not to flinch when you’re staring straight into the demonic creature’s fleshy mouth.
Fans in the UK have had to wait longer than those in the US, with the NYC experience launching in May and the San Francisco one in June, but they do get one reward for their patience – Vecna.
The fourth series’ villain is new for the UK and you’ll get the chance to battle it out against him and pose for photos alongside him at the end of the experience.
And after saving the Stranger Things gang (and the entire town of Hawkins) you’ll be able to celebrate by splurging on memorabilia at what is essentially a mega gift shop and food hall combined – all inspired by the show too, of course.
There’s the Surfer Boy pizza van, featured in series four, selling pepperoni slices and vegan paninis.
Or there’s the Scoops Ahoy ice cream parlour, featured in series three, that not only serves up gigantic banana split sundaes topped with whipped cream and cherries, but also fried chicken and waffles.
Plus there’s a bar selling Demogorgon and Hopper cocktails, an old-school video store and endless photo opportunities from the 80s-themed photo booth to an exact replica of the Byers’ iconic lounge covered in Christmas lights.
For mega fans like myself, it’s great – that’s if you’re willing to shell out an eye-watering minimum £52 per adult for the hour-long experience.
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But you’d have to have watched the show to really get stuck into the storyline with the role-play actors – unless you’ve come solely for the 80s-themed grub.
I’m not sure I’ll be Running Up That Hill anytime soon after my ice cream sundae.
GO: Stranger Things: The Experience
Stranger Things: The Experience, in London, will run until the end of the year.
Tickets cost from £52 per adult and £39 per child. See strangerthings-experience.com/london.
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