Brian May launches two augmented reality apps for Halloween

Brian May serenades a skeleton
Brian May serenades a skeleton (Image credit: YouTube)

Brian May has released two augmented reality apps. The first, Diableries, is a digital sequel to May’s Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures in Hell, a book published in 2013 with historians Paula Fleming and Denis Pellerin. The book was a tribute to Les Diableries, a series of 3D stereoscopic cards published in Paris in the 1860s. The cards depicted scenes of daily life in Hell, starring a series of devils, satyrs and skeletons. The app was developed by May alongside the London Stereoscopic Society and animation company Unanico.

The second app, Diabl-O-Scope, was developed by the same team, and allows users to launch visual and audio effects that make the characters react to their play. Users can also record their virtual experiences, and share the resulting videos on social media.

A statement reads, “The app is a great digital tool for users to create their own AR experiences for Halloween and the Day of the Dead (‘Día de los Muertos’), giving their friends and social community the ultimate delightful scare with realistic demons playing in a rock band with a skeleton guitar, and a table of uncanny characters playing poker.” The app also features a soundtrack by Brian May.

“The new Diabl-O-Scope app is a fabulously devilish toy for those long dusky hours when Ghouls come out to play,” says May.

The guitarist has previously published a book featuring stereoscopic pictures of crinoline petticoats, created an animated film based on Diableries called One Night In Hell, published the book Queen in 3D, launched a virtual reality headset, and collaborated with Google on a Bohemian Rhapsody virtual reality experiment.

Both Diableries and Diabl-O-Scope are available from Apple’s App Store.

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