Mazeoffeara guide to escape rooms and horror attractions

An independent guide to escape rooms and horror attractions. This is not the website of any escape room or attraction; we run no games and sell no tickets. Check rules and age limits with the operator.

Guide sections

Guide sections

The guide is divided into four topics based on what you are trying to do: understand the formats, prepare for a game, look after your safety and well-being, or organise an evening for a group. Each topic has cards linking to articles and a tip on where to start if you are short on time.

Fear in an escape room is an invitation, not an obligation. The better you know the format and the rules, the more calmly you can decide how deep to go.

— Editor's note

Selection criteria: the question is one an ordinary person would ask when going to an escape room or attraction alone, with friends, family or colleagues; the answer can be checked against operators' rules, encyclopedic sources or guidance from specialist organisations; the advice requires no paid services and does not promote specific escape rooms, venues or franchises.

Formats

Escape rooms, immersive shows with actors, horror quests and haunted mazes: how they differ and who each one suits.

  • Glossary of formats

    What an escape room, immersive show, horror quest and haunted maze are, and how they differ in the way they work.

  • How to choose a format

    The first step of the step-by-step guide: what you expect from the evening and how that relates to the genre of the game.

  • Escape rooms without horror

    A reading list for people who love puzzles but don't like being scared.

Preparation

What to read, what to ask and what to wear before the game, so that inside you think about the puzzles rather than the small stuff.

Safety and well-being

The safe word, contacting the game master, the emergency exit, flashing lights, and how your body reacts to a scare.

  • Safety terms

    Safe word, camera monitoring, emergency exit, the consent-to-contact rule, strobe lights.

  • Fear and well-being

    What the fight-or-flight response is, why your heart races, and what to do if you feel unwell.

  • Guide archive

    All articles by date and topic.

Groups and roles

How to build a team, agree on ground rules within it and share out roles so that everyone stays engaged.

  • A group with first-timers

    A reading list for anyone bringing friends who have never played before.

  • Team roles

    A step of the guide on who searches for items, who collects the clues and who keeps track of time.

  • "During the game" answers

    Hints, arguments within the team, and what to do if someone wants to leave.

  • Practical guides

    How to choose and play a horror escape room, step by step, plus a catalogue of upcoming articles.

  • Questions and answers

    Short answers on what to do before the game, during the game, and how to cope with fear.

  • Reading lists

    Reading lists: your first escape room, a group of first-timers, escape rooms without horror.

Sources

  • SCRAP / Real Escape Game: history of the format
  • Encyclopedic sources on the physiology of stress
  • Epilepsy organisations' guidance on photosensitivity
  • Escape room operators' visitor rules

Information is current as of the date it was prepared. Rules, formats and age limits for escape rooms and attractions change, so always check them directly with the operator, on their website and in their visitor rules.