Looking for a Halloween event in Essex that is actually scary?
Most Halloween events in Essex are built for families: pumpkin trails, fancy dress discos and friendly ghouls. The Bunker Below is not one of them. It is a one-hour immersive scare experience staged 125ft underground inside the real Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker near Brentwood, with professional actors, film-quality sets and no daylight. It runs on selected nights from 16 October to 1 November 2026 and is not suitable for anyone under 14.
Book tickets for 2026 – from £33.50 with no booking fees.
What makes The Bunker Below different from other Essex scare attractions
- A real nuclear bunker, not a tent or a field. Three floors of Cold War corridors, blast doors and government rooms built to survive the end of the world. Nothing in Essex comes close for atmosphere.
- One hour underground. Timed 15-minute arrival slots, so there is no queueing in the cold for an eight-minute maze.
- Story-led, not just jump scares. You are part of the narrative from the moment you descend. Our cast are working actors from TV, film and the UK scare industry.
- Built for adults and older teens. No under 14s. 14 and 15 year olds must come with an adult; 16 and 17 year olds can enter without a guardian in the group.
- Rated 4.9 on Google and 100% recommended on Facebook. Read our reviews.
Halloween 2026 dates and prices
Open on 16, 17 and 18 October, 23, 24 and 25 October, and every night from 28 October to 1 November 2026. Tickets are for a 15-minute arrival slot and cost £33.50 (Off Peak), £34.50 (Peak) or £36.50 (Super Peak, the busiest nights around Halloween). No booking fees. Peak and Super Peak dates sell out first, so book your slot early.
Where we are: Brentwood, Essex
The Bunker Below takes place at the Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker, Kelvedon Hall Lane, Brentwood, Essex CM15 0LA. Free on-site parking. We are 10 minutes from Brentwood, 20 minutes from Chelmsford and Romford, 30 minutes from Basildon and Harlow, and under an hour from Southend, Colchester and east London via the A12 and M25. Full directions on our location page.
Is it too scary?
It is intense: darkness, confined spaces, loud noises, strobe lighting and actors who will get close. Phones stay in your pocket and there is no fancy dress. If you have never done a scare attraction before, come with a group you trust and read the FAQ first. If you want a family-friendly Halloween trail, this is not the event for you, and that is the point.
Other Halloween events in Essex this year
If you are planning a full Halloween season, Essex has plenty of family trails, pumpkin patches and club nights across Chelmsford, Colchester and Southend. For the scare-attraction end of the scale there are a handful of outdoor haunts around the county. The Bunker Below is the only one staged inside a genuine underground military bunker, and the only one where the location itself is part of the fear.
Descend into The Bunker Below, 16 Oct to 1 Nov 2026. Book now.