Room 401 is an American reality television series created by Rico de la Vega and Chris Gongora of Magic X and executive produced by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg. It is named after the room Harry Houdini died in at Detroit's Grace Hospital in 1926.
Room 401 takes unaware victims into the centre of mini horror movies that play out live. From the reanimation of the dead, to chain-saw mishaps, each episode contains four 'scares' or pranks.
The series originally premiered in the USA on MTV on 17 July, 2007. There are eight half-hour episodes in the first season.
Room 401 premiered in South Africa on DStv's MTVbase channel on Sunday 8 June 2008, at 23h30.
Synopsis
Are you ready to be scared out of your mind?
Join us in a place where your senses may betray you; a place where reality is not exactly what it seems; a place where you'll question everything you've ever known to be true. Welcome to Room 401.
What happens inside appears to be very real to the people it's happening to, and the fear they feel is also very real. Now, the only question is: Are you ready to step into another dimension and face what's inside Room 401?
From executive producer Ashton Kutcher, Room 401 is a mind-blowing journey through the weird and shocking world of illusion. Unsuspecting victims are swept into the middle of a real-life horror movie that's playing out right in front of their eyes.
From the dead rising from the grave to messy chainsaw mishaps to electrifying salon encounters, these onlookers won't believe what they're seeing. Or will they?
Each eerie episode of Room 401 contains four frightening situations that are sure to send some serious shivers down your spine: a man scratches himself until bugs burst from his skin; a toiling factory employee is accidentally cut in half by a clumsy co-worker; a passenger on a bus complains he's not feeling well, only to have his head fall off and roll down the aisle.
How will onlookers, passersby and innocent bystanders react? How will you react?
Room 401 features some of the most talented, up-and-coming illusionists in the world - they'll make you scream, squirm, jump and, yes, even laugh.
And what you see is exactly what happened - there are no digital effects employed or altered images shown. What happens inside Room 401 unfolds live and, while the term "reality" may be loosely defined, how the onlookers react is not fabricated.
It is often said that fear comes from facing the unknown. Are you ready to step into a dimension where everything is unknown?