# Escape Room



## hhh (Mar 1, 2012)

we've done a couple escape rooms as part of the halloween party.
http://www.halloweenforum.com/party-ideas-experiences-and-recipes/140276-lovecraft-puzzle-room.html
http://www.halloweenforum.com/party...recipes/146622-escape-room-theme-ideas-2.html

they're fun, though make sure to budget time for them. we've had ours span multiple days for everyone to get to do it.

As for your specific question, having things kinda dark is good for the atmosphere. you can also just add some floor lamps if you need more light.

Of the rooms we've done, we actually only locked people in once, and no one noticed the difference. It's also totally reasonable for the goal to be 'get the antidote' and not 'escape the room' as long as you make it clear what people should be working toward. it's satisfying to complete the puzzle whether the last thing you find a is a key or a bottle.

you could also get a small piece of chain and a lock and wrap it around the doorknob. it won't actually lock anyone in, but it's intent is clear enough. people should have some suspension-of-disbelief going into these.


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## Tvling (Aug 6, 2016)

Thank you hhh for the information. I wondered about having the room dark because the guests will need to be able to see to solve the puzzles.


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## hhh (Mar 1, 2012)

Sure, amount of light needed will depend on the puzzles and how good you think your participants' eyesight is, but you shouldn't need a really bright room.

If there's a certain puzzle you think will need more light, you could always hide a flashlight in the room!


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## TheEvilTwin (Aug 26, 2016)

Also music will help with the atmosphere and can help to up the tension or impose a time limit (if you need one). Think of people screaming as they die or a count down of some kind.
I think keeping it dark will be okay, maybe use spot lights or black lights to point to areas for people to look, or give everyone flashlights?


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## ANC2684 (Jun 9, 2015)

I did one last year on a budget, and i used a friends house, so i couldn't exactly put up doors and walls where i needed them lol. I used large Styrofoam pieces and painted them to look like doors. Held them up with 3M Velcro and told them all that they needed to consider it a real door and not go through it until they find the key for the lock on it.
As for the lack of light, i also had this issue. I went to the dollar tree and picked up a bunch of flashlights. I positioned them around each "room" so they would light it up as much as possible. I also made sure that i pointed a few at a mirror to bounce the light and make it brighter. I picked up a few of those "tap lights" too, and placed those by the ground where i had parts of the game that needed to be seen.
Hope this helps!


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## Tvling (Aug 6, 2016)

Thank you ANC2684, eviltwin and hhh for all the hlepful information. Im looking forward to it and am goin to try to run my security cameras into the basement to have videos of the guests going through the room. If it works Ill post the best ones. Thanks again!


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## Kerimonster (Sep 10, 2009)

I agree with what everyone else said too! I've done a billion rooms now (both participated & created) and so long as you tell the group the end goal (if it's not to get out of a locked door) they will still be very happy and excited to completely the room by finding that antidote. You could even have a special box of some sort that they have to put it in as the final task. "You must get the antidote and return it to the cooler to save human kind". They could even see the box at the very beginning and they'll know the whole time that it has to go in there.. and then once they find it, there's that mad dash to get it in it's final place. 

On the dark room note, if budget is a problem, you could also try using the "finger lights" that most dollar stores sell. They typically come in a 4 pack with different colors and they totally help set the mood of the rooms for super cheap. (They batteries don't always last the longest, but you can easily get a good 6 hours from them - just buy a few packs to replace them!) Amazon has a few super huge packs for pretty cheap. They also work great inside of certain props to light them up. You could also have a glow stick or two for them to find/crack to help them light their way. Or, if you're going for a "spooky" sort of look, you could also use the fake candles from the dollar store and throw them in a few clear jars to help set the scene. 

As far as the blankets, that will totally work to help separate the space. If you warn them (or even have a little sign) not to go under them/move them) i'm sure they'll respect it. For the science lab theme we created, we used a few clear plastic table cloths and cut them into strips and hung them between two walls to help create a doorway. We also made some fake "chains" out of duct tape and had them coming from each side of the wall (taped on really good with packing tape) and then had them locked shut. We just made sure to tell everyone "don't cheat by going under or over something if it's locked up, you have to solve the code first to be able to continue on." The only thing with that is they could see into the other side of the room before getting in there, but that was fine with us! 

Let us know if you need any help creating puzzles!


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## Tvling (Aug 6, 2016)

Thank you kerimonster those are great ideas. Our antidote is actually going to be travel size liquor bottles so they will have to drink it to save themselves. I do like the idea of the cheap tea lights in jars. I have tons of mason jars that will finally be put to use!!! I have some puzzles but welcome any ideas you have!!


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## QueenHalloween (Oct 9, 2013)

We're doing an escape room this year too! First time having one at our party. Any advice for where to get puzzle ideas?


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## Tvling (Aug 6, 2016)

I had to do some easy n some hard because of the variety if guests. 
I did a word search with halloween words. The letters that arent circled have to be unscrambled to find a clue.
I did a maze that has letters throughtout. Once the chose the correct path it gives them another clue.
I also did a Rebus puzzle. Had fun creating that one.
Im going to have two rooms. They will hv to get the combination to the lock to get into the second room which will have the antidote. Im going to have dice laying in different areas of tge first room that give the combination to the box with the antidote thats in the second room.
Im also going to have a container that cant be moved witg a key on a floating keychain in the bottom. Guests will have to fill the container up with water to get the key out.


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## Tvling (Aug 6, 2016)

Here are some websites you could try. Nowescape; escapehour; pinterest


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## JustaBunchOfHocusPocus (Sep 17, 2007)

Just a suggestion but you could get put puzzles in the room or someone dress in worn clothing still stuck inside the room acting frantic. Strobe lights would be a nice touch and wall panels for a added effect. Good luck and share with us photos once your done!


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## Tvling (Aug 6, 2016)

Thanks thescary_jackolantern. I had thought about having someone in the room but we will have the room open the night of our annual party and no one wanted to be in the room during the party.... I like the idea of the strobe light. I could have it in the second room where the antidote is going to be. Thanks.


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## JustaBunchOfHocusPocus (Sep 17, 2007)

Tvling said:


> Thanks thescary_jackolantern. I had thought about having someone in the room but we will have the room open the night of our annual party and no one wanted to be in the room during the party.... I like the idea of the strobe light. I could have it in the second room where the antidote is going to be. Thanks.


Your welcome. Once I have my own place, I plan to do this. Love helping others out though cause I go to lots of haunts and admire the decorations, props and make up. Good luck with everything!!


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## QueenHalloween (Oct 9, 2013)

Tvling, great suggestions with the different websites! My problem is that I need the "escape" to only last about 20 mins, so I need to make it simple, yet still challenging. I am doing 3 groups of 10 in each session, which is why I don't want it to take up a ton of time.

We're swapping out the Murder Winking Game this year because we have a few guests that cheat by refusing to make eye contact with anyone the entire night, and as a result they "win." It's annoying so we're not doing the game this year. Instead, we'll do the escape room and Tempt Your Fate.


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## Tvling (Aug 6, 2016)

Yeah that would be frustrating to have people cheat during a light hearted party. Some people are just competitive to a fault.


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