Lurching zombies. Fugitive werewolves. Masked maniacs. Matt McAllister tries to avoid winding up as lunch at the London Bridge Experience & The London Tombs...

“Firstly, we’ll be giving you all a tour of some of the historical artefacts from the history of London Bridge,” begins our genial host, as he greets the assembled guests. Sounds harmless enough to me. “After that, we’ll take you down into the tombs to see a caged werewolf. But don’t worry folks, it’s perfectly safe!”

As any self-respecting horror movie fan knows, it’s always a bad sign when someone assures you that anything will be perfectly safe. My companion gives me an alarmed look. I give her an alarmed look in return.

We’re at the London Bridge Experience & The London Tombs, a double attraction that originally opened its doors in February 2008. The initial part of the attraction is, as suggested, a tour of the various exhibits that reflect the area’s Roman and Viking history. But it’s the latter part of the tour, beneath the tombs beneath London Bridge, that will be of interest to fright-junkies, and it’s an attraction which has gone on to nab the enviable position of ‘UK’s Top Scare Attraction’ at MostHaunted.com (and that was before the addition of werewolves). As we take the tour ourselves, it isn’t difficult to see why.

Naturally, the first part of the attraction is sedate enough, as our tour guide fills us in on the rich history that surrounds the bridge. But what’s that static emerging from the guide’s walkie-talkie? Was that a scream we heard?

We descend into the tombs and are instructed to position ourselves on a set of benches. Suddenly someone screams, the lights cut out briefly, and a zombie staggers forward. The guide then ushers us into a dark, winding maze in which groaning zombies (and the occasional masked maniac) leap out from behind boxes, from the ceiling, from the walls. The ensuing shrieks from many female participants – and, yes, most of the men too – is enough to shatter bulletproof glass.

It’s scary stuff, but like the recent movie fright-fest Drag Me to Hell, you’ll be shaking with laughter even as your heart is pounding. Though even on emerging in the gift shop you can’t quite shake the feeling that something horrible is about to jump out at you...

From 3rd to 5th July, the attraction has the added twist of the werewolf element – the show’s amusingly subtitled ‘American Werewolves in London Bridge’ – so you get twice the creature for your cash.

After the event, I get talking to one of the show’s actors. He’s still coated in his rotting flesh make-up, though thankfully the fellow is rather less intimidating when not encountered in a murky tomb. So, I ask him, have any participants ever freaked out during the show?

“Well, it’s called Britain’s scariest attraction for a reason!” he laughs. “But, yes, occasionally it’s too much for some people. I could see a woman was panicking once, so I stopped and asked if she was alright. It took a while to convince her that I wasn’t about to bite her neck, but once she believed me she took my arm and I escorted her out!”

Suffice to say that no unaccompanied children under 11 are allowed into the event, and those who suffer from a weak heart should probably stick to the Natural History Museum. But for monster-loving kids and adults alike, the show is an absolute blast – a sort of zombie and werewolf equivalent of the Alien War show for those who remember that attraction. And remember: in the tombs beneath London Bridge, no one can hear you scream...

‘American Werewolves in London Bridge’ at The London Bridge Experience & The London Tombs will run from 3rd July – 5th July 2009.

For more information on the event and The London Bridge Experience visit www.thelondonbridgeexperience.com