Review: Halloween Season Escape Rooms - Part 1
Our look at some of the best Halloween season escape rooms. This will be a 3-part article. In this review we will look at the some of our favorite Los Angeles area escape rooms which will help you get in the Halloween mood.
Since it is October and our thoughts are turning to Halloween. People ask me all the time if escape rooms are scary…and the answer is…maybe! Some escape rooms lean into to the scare factor and go all in for the terror experience, while others are kinda spooky and not really scary. But the bottom line is – that escape rooms should be about having FUN! So you can avoid scary escape rooms if this isn’t your thing. But if you like a little or a lot of scare factor you can find what you want in the escape room community!
Most escape rooms don’t have any intentionally spooky or scary elements and it is usually easy to identify those that do from the description…if in doubt you can always reach out to the company and ask. For this discussion we like the scale used at www.terpeca.com. This scale goes from (1) Not scary at all (2) Spooky…meaning horror type themes like supernatural or death, (3) Passively scary…meaning there may be dark rooms, loud noises and jump scares and (4) actively scary…meaning there will likely be actors or elements meant to frighten or seriously startle players.
This posting includes some of favorite Los Angeles area escape rooms that trend more towards the spooky side - we did not find these rooms actively scary (our Part 3 of this series will include some of most actively scary - and FUN - moments in escape rooms).
We enjoy scary rooms when the scare elements are organically and skillfully integrated into the puzzles, scenario and set. We don’t get much fun out of scary juts for the sake of scary just like we don’t particularly enjoy technology just for the sake of technology. It all has to make organic sense with the world provide us by the game designers.
Jack the Ripper - Maze Rooms
Thrilling and respectful use of historical figures. Clean puzzles. One of our favorite rooms in the LA area of any genre – the puzzles are varied and the set organically reveals itself to us as we explore this dark mystery. It would be hard to develop a Jack the Ripper experience that wasn’t a little scary. We consider this room to be spooky to build up to passively scary at the end.
They’re Coming - Maze Rooms
So as the name says, “they’re coming for you”. Who is coming? Why it’s the undead! So yes! This is another passively scary room that will give you satisfying Halloween vibes. We like the immersive introduction where you have come for a "simple fun escape room" and then...
Strange Thing - Cinema Escape Rooms
This room is in Los Alamitos - which we realize is in Orange County...but we are including in this list of Los Angeles area escape rooms as it fits the bill of a Halloween season appropriate room. Cinema Escape Rooms builds escape rooms "inspired" by TV and film. They did a nice job with their location and this experience is about the puzzles which are plentiful fun and clean and the customer service is welcoming. This room is a little spooky - we don't think it is scary.
Doctor Psycho - 60 Out
It has been a long time since we played this room – but it has puzzles integrated into a creepy set that has definite Halloween vibes and you will be solving puzzles which will require a little bravery. 60 Out describes this as a "horror" genre room and of the rooms listed on this page we consider this the most scary. We enjoyed it but if you are not into horror you might consider another of their rooms at this location (we recommend Da Vinci's Secret).
We used icons above, find out what they mean:
