A thrill seeker was left petrified after riding Derren Brown's Ghost Train.
User testing new ride
A bungee jumper has dared to brave a number of stomach-churning tasks in a bid to get an adrenalin rush, but he was left trembling with fear after experiencing the dark ride at Thorpe Park, although she wasn't fazed by being attached to a cord and jumping from a height.
The theme park in Surrey has carried out tests on its updated ride Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon using 10 fearless volunteers, ranging from thrill-seekers to security guards and a stunt woman who were expected to cope with fear.
During a trial of the new attraction the highest heart rate was recorded at 183 beats per minute (bpm) and belonged to bungee jumper Emilia Cain.
Speaking about the experience, she said: ''As a bungee jumper, I face fear on a regular basis but this was a new level in fear - so, so real and absolutely terrifying'.''
Using heart rate as an associated marker it's been proven in 'On Combat' by Dave Grossman heart rates over 175 bpm induce irrational fight or flee behaviour, loss of depth perception, freezing and cognitive processing can deteriorate whilst afraid.
Thorpe park has called for more volunteers to test the new additions, which have been adapted following feedback from fans in 2016 demanding even more shocks.
Speaking about the ride, the 46-year-old illusionist Derren said: ''Over the last few weeks I have been testing out the components of the attraction and decided to run scare tests on a selection of participants who claim they are totally fearless - the reactions have been incredible.
''Visitors to the Ghost Train will experience a heart stopping combination of next generation technology, grand illusion, live action and special-effects, completely unalike anything they will have seen before. We are making this bigger, better and scarier than last year. The changes and improvements that have taken place will scare the sh*t out of guests''.
The trials resulted in terrified reactions including spine-tingling screams, falling out of the chair and curling into a ball, with one test even resulting in a VR headset being flung across the room.
Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon opens on March 31, to get tickets visit: www.thorpepark.com.
Tagged in Derren Brown