While the last 18 months (and counting) have certainly been terrifying, that hasn’t stopped those who love Halloween from trying to scare us further. And at one equestrian facility in Arizona, a virus-induced zombie apocalypse is how they want their clients, fans, and locals, to take part in celebrating All Hallows’ Eve.
The Koli Equestrian Center in Chandler, Arizona, is located in the Gila River Indian Community Reservation, outside of Phoenix, and offers up trail rides throughout the year, as well as hosting birthday parties and corporate events. But between October 8th and November 7th, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night, the horses are left in the stables, and instead the desert landscape is turned into the site of The Hunt AZ Zombie Assault.
In keeping with the mood of the times, and certainly fans of zombie shows like The Walking Dead and World War Z, the creators of the event set you up with a backstory.
“There has been a viral outbreak in 2019. A rare virus was spreading across the country. This virus has been reawakening dead people into undead Zombies after their vaccine has worn off!
This reaction was unknown to the masses and needs to be stopped. We you to help us conduct The Hunt of these infected zombies before they reinfect the population. Send these zombies back to the grave!”
The cost of admission includes paint balls, paintball guns and a “ZAV”, which is an acronym for “zombie assault vehicle.”
If all this sounds a little too close for comfort, that’s sort of the point.
These ZAVs are pretty bad-ass – but we think hunting zombies from horseback would be even cooler! (thehuntaz.com photo)
“Piggie-backing on the pandemic makes for a great storyline that is intriguing guests to come out and hunt. Who doesn’t want a chance to shoot a zombie?” Zombie Assault General Manager TroyScott Farrar, told local news outlet Gilbert Sun News.
The zombies are played by actors, who get cast according to their ability to look scary but also have a knack for dragging a leg and grunting. The zombies will also pose with guests at the end of the twenty-minute desert adventure. The zombies do not come closer than 20 feet to the trucks, which can make it tough to hit one with the paintball.
Tickets start at $25, and you can purchase extra paintballs. But be warned, children who wander off from their parents will be fed to zombies. We have to admit, this is an inventive and fun way for an equestrian center to pull in extra revenue and maybe even ‘scare up’ some new business.
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