This July House of Horrors makes a welcome return to Brentwood, with a revised name and a new twist. Returning as House of Horrors Escape Rooms, you now have the option to take on one of 13 different horror themed escape rooms which have been designed with different levels of horror, ability and age certificates.

Ahead of the grand opening today, I got an opportunity to participate in the first test run with a carefully selected team (anyone who was available at very short notice). The room which we were given was ‘Escape Room 2 – Exorcism’ an exorcist themed escape room which has a 1 hr time limit and designed for 2-8 People.

Young Freya needs your help, she is possessed by a demonic entity. The last priest died halfway through his exorcism, you must finish off what he started, or she will be lost to the demons FOREVER.

I don’t want to give too anything away because entering the unknown is what makes it such a unique experience. However, I can confirm that like the previous House of Horror experience, once again a lot of effort has been put into creating an authentic look with the room. The Exorcism room has a classic antique look to it, which encompasses you into the eerie scene as soon as you enter. So, as soon as you hear that door close you are immediately immersed in the game and fully aware that time is ticking.

We were not alone during the experience and you could feel that someone or something was watching you at all times. One of those eyes watching was our host, who we had the option of asking for assistance. He may not always give you an answer you want, and courtesy doesn’t come into it, but when we were slightly lost the rather disgruntled voice did enough to get us back on track.

It is an interactive experience so expect a few jump scare moments and plenty of surprises, but for the most part it is about deciphering the clues and making sure you follow the instructions carefully. A few times we went off track with the clues and had to keep coming back to finally work it out. The best advice I can give is take your time and make sure you read through the questions carefully.

I am not sure how we done it, but with a frantic scramble at the end we managed to work together and finish the tasks with seconds to spare. Which considering the chaos we had earlier on is a miracle we manged to get it back on track.

House of Horror Escape Rooms is a brilliant fun, bringing together an interactive horror experience with escape room puzzle solving which work together perfectly. I am looking forward to taking on the remaining 12 rooms which includes the notorious Room 13 which will be available for 32 days around Halloween. Be warned Room 13 is the UK’s 1st and only real-life horror and torture escape room. When it returns it will be bigger and better than last year, so this time it won’t be so easy!

You can find out more about House of Horror Escape Rooms and book events on the website www.houseofhorrorescaperooms.co.uk

Philip Rogers

Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!