One of the most popular things to do inside of a virtual reality headset is scare you – or a friend – half to death. The immersive nature of these devices means that our brain’s ability to suspend disbelief is magnified. This makes adventures more exhilarating, combat more pulse pounding, and yes, horror more terrifying.
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As fun as giving yourself multiple heart attacks from zombies, ghosts, ghouls, and tiny dolls can be, the fact remains that high end virtual reality headsets are still a bit difficult to come by. The HTC Vive and Oculus Rift are still experiencing supply issues, and you may not think that the lower-end Gear VR or Google Cardboard HMDs are powerful enough to truly give you a fright.
While I would encourage you to rethink that last statement – especially when it comes to the GearVR (cough, cough, Dead Secret), I am also here to tell you that a headset is not required at all to give yourself a huge fright.
All you need is James Wan and his delightfully horrifying 360 video: The Conjuring 2 – Experience Enfield.
The Conjuring is Wan’s blockbuster series of horror films. Each film in the series follows a team of real life ghostbusters as they seek to rid various dwellings of their nefarious, demonic houseguests.
The first film in the series was praised by horror fans and critics alike. And now the inevitable sequel is getting the chance to terrify audiences all over again.
The Conjuring 2 – Experience Enfield is a 360 look inside one of the haunted domiciles in the film and asks viewers the subtly chilling question, “Do you dare to enter the Hodgson’s house?”
I won’t spoil the thrills and chills that can be found inside this three minute experience but I will leave you with a few pieces of advice: be sure to watch it with the lights off, and make sure your neighbors know the screams coming from your apartment are all in good fun (not the product of a grizzly murder). And definitely watch it with the lights off.
