523 Broughton St.
Victoria, BC V8W 3E2
Phone: (250) 644-6679

I can only imagine what trying to escape from a haunted room can be like if demons are real. Downtown Victoria‘s latest attraction is Horror Escape and it has a great concept that can get thrill seekers excited for. There’s two themed rooms to challenge puzzle solvers to unlock. They aren’t easy. As the ambient background music gets more intense, that’s when the worry starts to creep in as the clock edges closer to the witching hour.

Being able to immerse yourself into the environment is important to get the total experience down. You’re introduced to the room and its history by the host where next, you’ll be led into the chamber to find the entryway to the next room locked. Nearly every set piece is a clue to how it’ll unlock, and if a magnifying glass was offered, some items might stand out more than others. Having good night vision helps, as most of it is hidden within low light situations. Objects to finding the solution are provided if you know where to look.

Gacy’s Place and The Barn are the rooms that are placed near the already haunted Bastion Square. Very few people will notice the basement suite, and I can see great things if the operation moved to a more noticeable venue than a side-street. I can imagine huge things if only an old home can get rented out and the building was turned into a murder mystery house. The concept for this to become a year-around attraction is going to be a hurdle, but the operators have plans on making it work. Who knows, maybe they will plant various objects to get people hunting for a spooky good time near the area formerly known as Fort Victoria.

Scooby Doo, Fred, Velma, Daphne and Shaggy would have no problems figuring out how to move around. In what’s presented, while I stood there being the candle-stick maker, er, holder, everyone else was peering into holes and flipping paintings around for hidden messages.

Gacy’s place is a tough nut to crack (my group didn’t escape in time), and the fact this clown prince is a well-known American serial killer than Canadian did have me puzzling over why choose this figure in the back of my mind. The space was tight for the six people who made up this group. A better number is four or five so moving around is easier. I noted that the bear rug was a hazard because stepping over the humps or not made it easy to trip over. Some items are bolted down and others are not. I believe a few set modifications are going to be needed.

Thankfully, in speaking to the operator, there are plans to move things around on a seasonal basis so the same room can not be experienced the same way twice. There are plans to change the rooms up a bit for this Halloween and also for Christmas. I’ll have to gather a new crew to come back here to see what’s scared up.