Kraken Rum is opening a unique horror bar in London for Halloween where the price of drinks is determined by visitors’ heart rates.
When guests arrive at Screamfest VII: Shock Exchange, they will be given heart rate monitors before experiencing “an immersive gauntlet of relentless horror… scientifically designed to test people’s resilience to fear”, per the event page.
The faster a guest’s heart beats, the more they will pay at the bar. Also, all visitors will be required to sign a waiver before the event.
Taking place underground at the Clerkenwell Catacombs, the Shock Exchange is described as a “twisted testing ground” offering “more scares per minute than the best horror movies”.
It was designed by Kraken Rum in consultation with the Recreational Fear Lab, a research unit dedicated to the scientific investigation of fear.
Mathias Clasen from the Recreational Fear Lab said: “An increase in heart rate is among the most well-known physiological indicators of fear and research has identified a range of stimuli that reliably induces fear in the average person.
“It is this knowledge that hosts of Screamfest VII have used in an event designed to heighten fear, and, by extension, heart rate. Hearts don’t lie, even in the presence of masking smiles.”
Heart rate monitors for horror fans
Swedish amusement park Liseberg also teamed up with the Recreational Fear Lab to conduct a fear experiment and ultimately improve its eerie experiences.
Liseberg‘s PR and communications director Mårten Westlund said the test was designed to find “the sweet spot between fun and unpleasant”.
Clasen added: “Frightening entertainment may have a range of positive psychological effects – it may actually be good for us to play with our fears by, for instance, watching scary movies or visiting haunted attractions.”
Screamfest VII: Shock Exchange is at the Clerkenwell Catacombs from 26 October until 28 October.
Images courtesy of Kraken Rum
