Bold:We had a lot of fun in West Croydon …Sshhh

By Jo Phillips

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“…but my favourite part was when they administered my Electro Shock Therapy!”

This is not a quote from a David Lynch film, more surprisingly it’s something I found myself excitedly saying when I was waxing lyrical about the latest Secret Cinema production of Brazil to friends.

Secret Cinema has been around since 2007 and is an immersive cinematic experience, which for our particular foray took us to the outer reaches of West Croydon, certainly not a part of the world we would otherwise visit. That these bold grand-scale productions take place are of course no longer a secret, however  unless you correctly guess from the build up of clues provided, the film does remain so until you arrive.

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The actors really played their parts well and just some of the elements we were treated to included having our drawing of a house analysed (based on John Bucks HTP test),  dancing at a disco party and having Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT).  This was all before the film even started.

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The highlight for us was the set design which saw a 13 floor office block transformed on nearly every level with derelict floors , disco parties, operating rooms and  a winged man swooping down in a forecourt.   Helen Scarlet O’Neill (production designer) & Anne-Soyra Fitte (installations) were in no small part responsible for the production of the actors and set design including the Helpmann Bar on the 13th Floor.

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Drambuie and Secret Cinema certainly succeeded in creating a surreal experience for film lovers and escapists alike, pushing the boundaries of film immersion to a new level whilst providing film fanatics with ‘A Taste of the Extraordinary’. A number of fully integrated bars serving specially crafted cocktails to compliment the narrative of the film were a clever way to promote the partnership with Drambuie helped by the fact the cocktails were divine.  Definitely one to check out, for more information go here.

Have you been to Secret Cinema?  How did you find it?

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