THE BASEMENT: A Live Escape Room Experience - "THE ELEVATOR SHAFT"

LOCATION:  Sylmar, California, USA

Photo above is property of THE BASEMENT - A Live Escape Room Experience

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: The Elevator Shaft
📅 DATE PLAYED: April 23, 2024
🎬 GENRE: Horror
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 7/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-4 ppl (ages 12+)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 45 Mins.
💰 PRICE: $38.00 - $42.00/ pp
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

You've made your way out of the basement of Edward Tandy's house of horrors. Unfortunately, it led directly to the bottom of the elevator shaft, where Edward liked to crush his victims beneath the elevator in order to drain their blood. The unwilling engineer who was forced to create this monstrosity had the foresight to include a secret way out, in hopes of providing future victims with a chance of escaping. You quickly discover that the heavy door is unmovable. You'll have to do some serious engineering in order to make your way out of the base of the shaft and into the house proper. Hopefully your group has the technical chops necessary to activate the escape hatch before you’re all crushed beneath the elevator itself.

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

The set is intensely minimalist in terms of actual decoration, while also being heavily industrial. At first glance (and first smell), there is very little to work with, which creates an immediate feeling of foreboding and sets the tone.
Are you claustrophobic? Don't worry, you will be soon enough! There are several elements that heighten the tension and put you into unusual situations, increasing your sense of being in that elevator shaft.
To add to the realism, every task you have to perform feels like something you'd have to do if you were stuck in the situation. Additionally, odds are good at least one or two of them will be tasks you've never done in an escape room before.
The nature of the tasks and events in the room made it easy to wonder 'wait, are we really supposed to do that?' and sometimes 'oh boy, I hope that is supposed to happen!', all part of a truly immersive experience.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

Most of the effects were employed in a way that enhanced the feelings of terror and claustrophobia. However, there were a couple of elements that seemed less necessary and could be annoying.
This is a small room that is also mostly linear. So, while our group of three was well-suited, even the maximum of 4 could be a bit much.
A warning of 'Open toed shoes are not recommended' would be helpful.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

This was an intense experience, part horror and part 'grit your teeth and go'. It is best suited for smaller groups who want to test their ability to focus on details while under pressure, with many distractions. There is a lot of searching as well; given the environment, that aspect is more difficult than usual and the discoveries more rewarding. While not for the faint of heart (or those aiming for a super puzzle-heavy game), if you’re ready to test your mettle under the pressure of possibly being crushed, take on this unique elevator shaft challenge and celebrate your triumph - if you emerge alive…

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Free parking available right in front of the building, which was easy to find, just next door to the adult store.
The entrance itself is right on theme! The lobby has a number of fun touches, like the subtly detailed numbers on the lockers, a bloody mannequin, and story-specific decorations to flesh out the backstory.
They have merch available, as well as drinks. All four of their rooms comprise a single, larger adventure, so they have some background info to introduce you to a couple of the main characters.
To facilitate this, they have special immersive experience packages for playing all four in one day! However, you don't have to play them in order (we played the fourth chapter, and then the second), as each room stands on its own as an experience and no knowledge of the other rooms is needed to be successful.
Even the GMs have a slightly peculiar, yet welcoming, nature. The owners and GMs were kind and generous about reassuring us that the goal is to have fun, not to terrify everyone.
There are panic buttons in each area if someone is overwhelmed, and they were happy to chat with us about points of concern ahead of time.
From start to finish you are in for a spooky experience with unexpected surprises lurking everywhere.

🔎 HINT

Look all around you, especially during moments when you are only focused on what is ahead of you.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

BOOK NOW

(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)

Disclosure: We thank THE BASEMENT: A Live Escape Room Experience for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.