*Trigger Warning: mentioning of fictionalized kidnapping and murder*

“The Basement LA” is an escape room with amazing live actors who interact while groups of families and friends communicate hoping to make it back out “alive”. Knowing this, people willingly take that risk with adrenaline pumping through their veins.

Having live actors helps unfold the backstory of a psychotic cannibalistic serial killer, Edward Tandy. Each room in “The Basement” is a trilogy using hints and puzzles that he has made into his own sick and twisted game. When entering the first room, the story Chapter 1; The Basement, the group is told by the game master they are his lab rats to test humanity. If the subject fails to please him the subject “dies”.

The live actors are either people that have been kidnapped along with the subjects or they are part of the masters game incorporated with his life. This goes from surviving one room by saving one of the victims to finding a way out with the clues they give for the subjects to live. With including these live actors’ frightening screams, and terror it sets a sense of thrill through a person’s body. Tandy’s petrifying voice will check in a couple times to throw people off of their tracks and hear their shrieks through the horrifying walls.

Since talking about the background this helps understand the customers’ perspective of their experiences. The escape room’s manager was contacted to give some insight on how it is like to work there, but unfortunately never gave a response back. However, based on personal experiences interviewee, Josh Navalta, a junior at Golden Valley High School, explains “It was a fun and immersive experience unlike other escape rooms, the best one I’ve been to so far”

While there are many pros to this escape room, Navalta expresses “I think they could offer more escape rooms, but their establishment focuses more on quality over quantity”. Other than what has been communicated, all of the opinions from Navalta have a positive note such as him stating “I loved how it felt more of an experience rather than just a business, from the entrance being a secret door to the actors that made the rooms much more immersive.” This said secret door involves the lore of the escape room and the person that has kidnapped his victims.

This thrilling experience helps family and friends bond with each other by making their “stomach drop” and their screams filling the room. Not only does this escape room help with bonding, it opens one’s mind to shocking surprises. These factors grab the attention of their next “victims”. One bonding activity right before entering is how to even get in. When trying entering the premises, there is only one very unique way of finding the escape rooms; figuring it out with friends and family.

While people think that the escape room is the only thing to enjoy, the employees make the experience top tier. People would walk through all the rules and how the escape rooms work. Not only do they have a welcoming personality, they also try to keep character while working with your group. Depending on what room that is chosen to escape the employees tell the backstory of that specific room so people don’t go in there blind sighted.

The Basement LA has many locations but the closest to Santa Clarita Valley is located in Sylmar. Even though the manager of the escape rooms could not be reached , it is known from most of the reviews by others who have experienced it that this place has many unpredictable turning doors to dark rooms that are amazing to witness. From the employees to the spine chilling escape rooms, this establishment is one of the best places to go to if people want to have a little twist to the night. To find out more, visit https://basementescaperoom.com/los-angeles/.