Ahead of Halloween, Zero Latency VR brought in "scientist of fear" Dr. Coltan Scrivner to explain why people can't stop playing with the things that scare them
MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 1, 2026 /CNW/ -- Zero Latency VR, the world's largest and most innovative immersive VR network, is celebrating a double Halloween anniversary: three years since the launch of Outbreak, its free-roam zombie survival shooter, and one year since the debut of Haunted, its immersive haunted house experience. Rather than mark the occasion alone, the company brought in an outside expert: Dr. Coltan Scrivner, a research scientist who studies why humans seek out frightening things for fun.
In three years, Outbreak has thrown wave after wave of the undead at guests across Zero Latency's venues worldwide. In the year since, Haunted has barely let anyone make it through the lobby without a scream. Between the two, Halloween has become the company's busiest and loudest season, leading Zero Latency to ask Scrivner a simple question: why do we pay money to be scared on purpose?
Scrivner is a research scientist at Arizona State University known for his work on morbid curiosity, horror, and what he calls "recreational fear"; the mixed feeling of fear and enjoyment that draws people to haunted houses, horror films, and survival games. He is the author of Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can't Look Away, and his research has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, The Economist, NPR and Scientific American.
"Humans are built to play with the things that frighten us," said Scrivner. "It's a great way for us to learn how to better regulate our fear and anxiety. One of the best ways to learn how you and your friends react in stressful situations is to simulate a stressful situation, and immersive VR is unmatched in its ability to safely invoke fear while maintaining a playful psychological frame."
According to Scrivner, that's exactly what sets free-roam VR apart from other horror formats. "The very best scary games blur the line between fiction and reality," he said. "Immersive VR pushes that boundary and opens up a whole new way to play with fear. I have never experienced a horror game as immersive as Haunted or Outbreak, both of them were scarier, and more fun, than I could have imagined."
"We've had over eleven years to perfect the jump scare, and it turns out you can't fake it. The science backs it up," said Tim Ruse, CEO of Zero Latency VR. "If you're not leaving Outbreak with a slightly elevated heart rate, or leaving Haunted a little rattled, we haven't done our job. It's nice to finally have someone with a PhD confirm that's a good thing."
Zero Latency has two special Halloween double-features this spooky season; guests can experience Haunted and Undead Arena, the post-apocalyptic zombie shooter game show, or combine Outbreak with Outbreak 2: Mall Mayhem for a full hour of adrenaline-filled zombie survival that will truly get the blood pumping. Book now.
ABOUT ZERO LATENCY VR:
Zero Latency VR is the global pioneer in immersive entertainment, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in location-based experiences. As the largest free-roam VR network on the planet, with 150+ cutting-edge venues across 34 countries, Zero Latency is where thrill-seekers come to live out their wildest fantasies.
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