Visitors to a shopping centre in London got a fright yesterday, when the doors to a lift opened and they were confronted with a collapsed floor and gaping lift shaft.
Luckily however, the shocked shoppers were never really in danger -- an artist had been hired to create the 3D illusion to promote the launch of a new ride at a theme park.
Bosses from Alton Towers had set-up the stunt to test the nerves of the public and see how they responded… and to plug their Nemesis Sub-Terra ride which opens on March 24.
One shopper said: "A deep, dark lift shaft is not what you expect to see on your average trip to the shops! It gave me a bit of a fright, but I quickly realised the joke was on me! I then had a laugh watching other people’s reactions a they walked past."Katherine Duckworth, head of consumer marketing at Alton Towers Resort, said, “Nemesis Sub-Terra is by far the most terrifying of our attractions to date and we really wanted to test the limits of the British public to see if they could cope with what it has in store.
"When creating the illusion inside the lift we considered some our most common fears including heights, darkness and claustrophobia that are also a core part of the new attraction.
"The reactions of the public were fascinating and we can’t wait to see what happens when people come and experience the new attraction for the first time.”
Luckily however, the shocked shoppers were never really in danger -- an artist had been hired to create the 3D illusion to promote the launch of a new ride at a theme park.
Bosses from Alton Towers had set-up the stunt to test the nerves of the public and see how they responded… and to plug their Nemesis Sub-Terra ride which opens on March 24.
One shopper said: "A deep, dark lift shaft is not what you expect to see on your average trip to the shops! It gave me a bit of a fright, but I quickly realised the joke was on me! I then had a laugh watching other people’s reactions a they walked past."Katherine Duckworth, head of consumer marketing at Alton Towers Resort, said, “Nemesis Sub-Terra is by far the most terrifying of our attractions to date and we really wanted to test the limits of the British public to see if they could cope with what it has in store.
"When creating the illusion inside the lift we considered some our most common fears including heights, darkness and claustrophobia that are also a core part of the new attraction.
"The reactions of the public were fascinating and we can’t wait to see what happens when people come and experience the new attraction for the first time.”