Derren Brown had set up a free standing zombie video arcade game in a pub called Waking Dead.He told us that it had been created to specific specifications laid down by him. There were (RARE) wires and cables to a nearby back room where a technician sat, who actually had total control of the game. He and Derren Brown would "control" the game when someone decided to have a go on it.
Derren said that one third of the population using the zombie game would (at a certain point), go into a catatonic trance.So, we now have a (RARE) camera fitted into the top of the game where we can see the person who is playing it.We wait for a while, then three students come into the pub and one guy decides to play; he is with a male and a female friend or stand either side of him drinking and chatting.He starts playing. He is able to shoot with a gun provided, the zombies that are coming to "get him" through various doors and around different corridors. He starts shooting, hitting a few, getting further and further into the building. The zombies are coming thick and fast now..... Now just at the point where the mind is totally and completely focused on shooting and reacting to the zombie onslaught - Derren instructs the technician to trigger a series of slight strobe flashes. He does so.Our student frowns a little but continues with his shooting of the zombies, concentrating hard. Then Derren says "again" (flash flash of the strobe). Suddenly the guy playing the game drops the gun, shuts his eyes and very gently pitches forward, head resting on the machine. His friend looks a little nonplussed.Derren Brown quickly arrives, explains one or two things, says "help me get him on this..." and they carry the catatonic student outside, strap him onto an A&E type trolley, wheel him a few yards down the pavement and into a building.
The buildings corridors and rooms are an exact copy of the ones in the video game!!They take him off the trolley, lay him on the floor with his gun, go into another room where they can watch him on CCTV and Derren sounds a very loud klaxon which has the effect of waking the student up.He wakes, stands up, confused, obviously wondering why he is no longer in the pub,he wanders around for about ten seconds, and then the zombies start appearing, in full make up, very scary, making noises...... and our student starts looking terrified, shouting at them, yelling, screaming, running around trying to open doors which are all locked. He picks up the gun which Derren had placed next to him, and threatens the oncoming zombies with it. He is hysterical and starts shooting, while running about trying to open doors.
The zombies when hit by the "bullets" get back up again and the student gets more and more agitated screeching obscenities and shooting them before finally finding an office door and shutting it.At this point Derren comes out of the secret room, tells the "zombies" to lie on the floor, goes to the hysterical student, puts his hand on his head (we dont really see much of this bit, we are too far away), and the student goes back into a catatonic state.He is put back on the trolley and taken back to the pub where they stand him back up in front of the video machine, head resting on it, gun in his hand, his friends back in position.Derren sounds the klaxon again and the student wakes up, looking a bit confused. He looks around to see where he is, looks a bit blank and then says to his mate "great game".At this point the TV crew appear and tell him they would like his reactions as its a new video game they are introducing to the pub. He enthuses about it, saying it was realistic (!), full of colour etc etc.Derren finally appears and explains all. He takes the student into the (RARE) room and shows him all the film taken with the CCTV cameras in the zombie building. The student cant believe what he is seeing.Finally, they go back out in the pub where Derren says the zombie actors will be, in full make up, but theyd like to thank him for his co operation.We see the student having a laugh with the zombie actors, shaking their hands etc."
http://www.derrenbrown.co.uk/