Necropolis: London’s Journey of the Dead

Last Friday evening, or Halloween, I waited inside Waterloo Station to be guided beneath the station for Necropolis: Journey of the Dead. Walking into the underground I saw a man dressed in what I can only describe as fanciful attire; beard, cane, top hat with a very archaic vocabulary and delivery.

He made me and the others stand against the wall until eventually he allowed us entry into the tunnels. I have been told to keep the details to myself so as not to ruin the surprises, and there are many, within this event.

What I can tell you is that this is set in 1940, as Hitler’s Luftwaffe relentlessly bombards London. During the Blitz many Londoners were shepherded into the London Underground for their own safety. We are told the gory story of London’s graveyards over-flowing with bodies, with the city forced to use the Necropolis Railway to transport dead bodies on a one-way trip out of London. Rooting this immersive walk in history sets it apart from most Halloween scare-fests.

We were guided through the tunnels by a series of characters, each more macabre, entertaining and bizarre than the last. Again, I’m reluctant to reveal any spoilers, but one actor looked and sounded a lot like Daniel Radcliffe. One woman asked if he was Harry Potter, which he amusingly batted away, before pulling out some Harry Potter puns. I think it may have actually been him. Perhaps his recent rapping has opened his eyes to all manner of new activities, like zombie blitzes.

This event was run by Apocalypse Events, an immersive events company who wonderfully interpret the underground tunnels around Waterloo. They run a series of immersive scare-fests and be sure to check out their award winning WWII Zombie Blitz event. This looks set to be even scarier than last Friday’s event- and I’m sure it’ll be excellent.

This event had a brilliant finale as we were shown the Necropolis Railway before having to run a terrifying zombie-riddled gauntlet. Great Halloween fun all round.

Follow them on Twitter and check out their future events.

Twitter: @ZombieEventsUK & @Bunker51

Website: zombieapocalypselondon.co.uk/

Written by Martin Stocks | @Stocks1986

Read Martin’s comedic blog How to Man-Manage your Manager in a job you hate