Zombies out in Brighton city centre

10:03am Monday 3rd November 2008

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Zombies lurched into Brighton city centre on Saturday night as part of an internet stunt. The intrepid Richard Gurner, who met the undead and lived to tell the tale, reports.

With their arms outstretched, their clothes soaked with blood and various body parts hanging off, they looked even more bizarre than some of the oddballs usually seen wandering around Brighton in the dead of night.

About 200 zombies, complete with umbrellas, braved the rain to walk from Brighton Station to the seafront in a Halloween horror night.

The “undead” donned flaky skin and fake blood to pay homage to gory zombie movies such as Dawn Of The Dead in Brighton’s second zombie walk, dubbed Beach Of The Dead.

The stunt was organised by 20-yearold Katie Amer, from Preston Circus, through internet sites Myspace and Facebook.

Stunned tourists and revellers watched as the zombies marched from Queen’s Road to Churchill Square and then along West Street to the seafront.

Katie, who works for Legal & General, said: “It went really well. I’m chuffed. I didn’t think anyone would turn up because it was pouring down with rain but it was such a good turnout. It’s going to be a yearly thing and we’re going to keep on doing it. It’s getting bigger and better.

“Everyone took it as a laugh and we had people taking pictures and walking with us.

The only problem we had was the people at Churchill Square, even though they gave us the OK to go in. The security guards were rude and wouldn’t let us in.

“We wrote to them four months ago and they said as long as we didn’t go into any of the shops and touch people then it was all right but they didn’t inform their security guards. However, it was a fun night so I can’t complain.”

Katie, a self-confessed zombie movie fan, said the inspiration behind the stunt was similar zombie walks held in America.

Graham Miles, 28, from Brighton, said: “There would have been more people if it hadn’t rained but I just decided to come along with my friends.”

The fictional story behind the night’s activities was explained on the two internet sites.

A posting on MySpace read: “Rumour has it that in the outskirts of Brighton, in a grotty disused military building, last year’s zombies have been kept by the nation’s top military brain-boxes for experimentation.

“Amid fears of an escape, the Government has decided to move these ‘specimens’ to a new secure location on November 1.

“Critics have pointed out that a scheduled security personnel changeover at Brighton Station may potentially lead to a second epidemic, almost exactly a year to the day after the initial outbreak.

“Last year’s undead uprising was considered a ‘gruesome way to spend the day’ and hopes and fears for the transit of these flesh-eating ghouls is high.”

One bystander in West Street approached The Argus to ask what was going on. When told, she said: “I suppose it’s one way to spend a Saturday night.”