Escape! First Time Visit to an Escape Room
Recently the Sole Survivors had a chance to experience
Laurel's House of Horror's escape room, "Escape the Movies." It's located just off of I-95 exit 35A if you're coming from the north.
The Arrival
We had a full company of 8 and arrived about 15 minutes early for our session. The venue is an old re-purposed movie theater. The doors to the theater were locked, so the event kicked off with a little bit of a locked door mystery. As we started walking around the perimeter, looking for a way in, someone dressed as a zombie threw open the front doors. That little touch of confusion really started things off on the right note.
The Decor
The lobby is decorated with horror movie posters, classic and new alike. The sitting area decor pushes the horror ambiance with a bunch of old tvs, only one working. That one displays the logo for
Laurel's House of Horror.
Movie memorabilia sprinkles the landscape with nifty items like a Robert Englund signed Freddy sweater, and a literal barrel full of movie props to stage your own photos. While waiting for our time slot, we clustered around a table covered in puzzles, including one that held tickets for the haunted house opening in September. Don't bother asking for hints, the staff doesn't know the puzzle solution - some enterprising patron reset the lock. I can say for sure that the answer is not "asses," nor is it "butts" or "fucks".
Stepping into Haddonfield
When they were ready for us to enter, they asked us to pick a group leader (since this was for my birthday, it was me), and we were given a walkie and a flashlight. You get 45 minutes. After watching the instructional video, we were off. This escape room attraction runs you through four different rooms, all differently themed.
Running for Our Lives
Watch your time here, there is so much to see in each room that you can lose minutes just going over the decor. The first drew from the Michael Myers mythology, the second set the stage for Insidious with Tip Toe (Through the Tulips) by Tiny Tim playing ominously in the background. The third was unmistakably an ode to Freddy Krueger, and the fourth was almost a replica of the room in the original Saw movie.
You don't get any more details. I don't want to give away anything that could ruin the surprise. (Plus, they asked us not to. Be nice.)
As we wove through the maze of rooms, we scrabbled on the floor, climbed on chairs and overturned furniture. There were screams and surprises, and ultimately, satisfaction and victory. We were the first group of the night to escape within the 45-minute time limit (with 4 minutes to spare). And, we were far from the first group through that night. Go Sole Survivors!
Bright Lights and Things to Come!
In two weeks we might have to head back out since they are re-puzzling the rooms. There will be new puzzles and an advanced level escape room (themed Dracula and Frankenstein!) which will definitely bring us back for more. In 2014, they received the online award for Top Overall Attraction from
DCHauntedHouses.com, so when the haunted house opens in September, we'll definitely want to see how they spruce everything up for the horror season!
Things that are good to know: They are wheelchair accessible, they have snacks and drinks, and parking is free. I wouldn't bring your younger children, but they say they are appropriate for ages 10 and up.
- Molly, The Official Chicken of the Sole Survivors
