Helpful Hints to Prepare for The Apocalypse: 2 of 7

This is a seven part series outlining survival techniques based on Maslow's hierarchy (beginning with physiological needs). In the final segments (self-actualization and self-fullfilment) I'll work my way into team building culture, role diversification/intelligent responsibility-delegation, and, above all, leadership techniques.

You’ve barricaded yourself into a recently-abandoned, private school: a Victorian-style building six stories tall on about 2 acres of land. 

Leaning your back against a wall in a classroom on the highest floor, you look around and start piling soft objects you’ve found, like hooded sweatshirts and gym mats, upon one another in order to get some rest. You wake up an hour later from a black sleep, your cracking lips and a purring stomach reminding you of what’s happening; you’ve only temporarily escaped from the perils surrounding you. You’re thirsty, famished. Luckily, the school’s cafeteria stock loads your solitary base of operations with a temporary cache of vending machine beverages, cans of food, and various dried goods. 

You’re alive. You’ll remain alive as long as you can stay safe. But, evil is around every corner and you’re unarmed.

• SAFETY: You must use your ingenuity to ensure your immediate vicinity is not susceptible to imminent attack. You break the head off of a mop from a supply closet to immediately arm yourself with this sharp, pointed object while you look for the groundskeepers quarters. Upon finding the tool shed, you load a canvas bag found within with stock of wire, tools, and sharp objects. You return several times. Using a combination of lessons from survival television shows and boy scout training to arm the halls with home-made traps; you arm any possible entrance leading to your base location with trip wires. To further secure yourself from the ambitions of rock demons and diseased walking deceased lurking about the region, you’ve dug a series of narrow, deep holes and furtively covered them with sticks and brush. It’s now impossible to hear your oafish foes fumbling as they occasionally attempt to ransack your base. The first of many wire traps leading to where you sleep proves only partially effective, so you’ve improved and upgraded each part of them until you’re 100% sure you can get a full eight hours of sleep before waking up to put the morning intruders out of their misery. 

Ten Escape Lessons Learned from Horror Movies: Part One

It might surprise you to learn that those horror movies you've been watching since you were old enough to stay up past midnight have been laying the groundwork for a valuable education in escape theory. "Pardon?!?" you say. Well, while your parents were spending thousands on tutors, math camp and post-secondary institutions, they could have just sat you down with an armful of horror Bluerays, DVDS or VHS tapes.

Fact: Horror movies contain all the lessons you need to survive in a dangerous environment. We treat them as entertainment, but they are actually a how-to-succeed guide for escape rooms. Here are the ten most important lessons we’ve learned from the horror genre:

10. Never leave the group.

• This should be a given, but it seems to be the most broken rule of survival in the horror movie canon. Desertion leads to death. Stick with the group and survive, at least a little bit longer. For escape room enthusiasts, you're already trapped together. So it should be pretty much near impossible to break this rule.

9. Get your hormones in check

• The heavy petting can wait until you're safely home. Any couple who stops for a quickie will be mutilated. Monsters, killers and random acts of nature hate fortification. Jason Vorhees should be the post boy for abstinence. Keep your pants sipped and your mind clear. This goes double for the escape challenge.

8. Be aware of your surroundings

• Everything seems sped up in a nightmarish scenario. But fight the urge to freak out. Take your time and examine your environment. "Oh, there's a light switch there." Or, "Oh, I guess that dark shape in the corner is the killer." Observe and report.

7. Avoid the bathroom

• You can hold it - at least for 45 minutes. Anyone who has ever stopped to use the facilities in a horror film has been threatened by death. Never shower. Never wash your face. And avoid mirrors. Especially when repeating the names of murderers.

6. Listen to the locals

• When locals warn you about the haunted mansion on the hill - there's a reason. IT"S HAUNTED! If a random doctor whispers a clue in your ear… TAKE IT!

The One-Night-Stand

The One Night Stand

Waking from a blurry fog you slowly open your eyes. Your head spins, as you look around an unfamiliar room. You seem to have slept in your clothes, on a stranger's bed. You slowly spread your arms, feeling no one. There is evidence of another, but they have left the scene. 

You reach for your phone. You check your pockets and nothing. You check the nightstand and come up with the same result. You pull yourself up on one elbow and spot your coat, draped across a chair, on the far side of the room.

On all fours, you crawl across the room at a snail's pace and recover your jacket. No phone.

Feeling defeated, you turn your body over and sit, legs spread out, on the floor of the alien space.

The questions come quickly: Where is your phone? What happened last night? Whose room is this? Why are your pants still on? Was this a one-night stand?

Yes folks, your friends at Krakit have a designed a new theme room for all you miscreants that have woke in a semi-state of amnesia, forced to piece together the events of the previous night. The "One-Night-Stand" is our most recent creation that pits wits against odds in a humorous scenario of 'where am I and how did I get here.' Players need to be 18 and over to attempt this Vancouver escape room because of the adult nature of the theme.

For those of you hoping for a Bradley Cooper cameo appearance…we're sad to say that Mr. Cooper turned down our request to reprise his role from "The Hangover." Apparently the third instalment of the 'morning after' trilogy left a bitter taste in the mouths of all those involved.

The new theme room does not have an official release date as of yet. Check back with our website over the next few weeks and continue to follow us on Twitter for more details. We also suggest dialing down your party lifestyle, unless you figure you're up for: "The One-Night-Stand."

Rope Burn: Alan Alan's Legacy as an Escape Artist

A crane suspends a man tied to a rope ten stories above a makeshift stage. The man, hanging upside down, is shackled in a straitjacket. He is madly struggling to get his arms free. 10 feet above him, a section of fuel soaked rope burns, increasing the drama. The man has three minutes to make his escape before the fire burns through the rope, 

dropping him 100 feet to his death.

This treacherous stunt design was the creation of one of the world's leaders in escapology, Alan Alan. A popular escape artist and magician in the 1950s, Alan died earlier this year at the surprisingly old age of eighty-seven. Surprising, because of the amount of times he risked his life in front of a captive audience.

The idol of David Copperfield, Alan was best known for the burning rope trick described above. Alan's stunt of  'suspended shackles' was actually a nod to another famous escape artist, Harry Houdini. Houdini originally did the trick with handcuffs (sans fire).

For Alan's version, the artist freed himself from the jacket and then was lowered by the crane operator, seconds before the rope burned through. But it didn't always go to plan. In one of his his early attempts, the fire burned too quickly and Alan plummeted 30 foot to the stage of the Pavilion Theatre in Liverpool. Once he had failed, Alan upped the ante for future attempts, adding a cage of lions beneath him. His final performance of the stunt, at 52 years of age, was done from a crane that suspended him over the river Thames in London.

Looking to match his own idol, Alan also attempted Houdini's buried alive stunt. Alan barely survived this escape when his assistants were forced to dig him free. Apparently they had packed the ground above him too tightly.

Before his death, Alan was awarded the Maskelyne award from "The Magic Circle" for his services to British magic. Think of it as the Cecil B. DeMille award for magicians.

Krakit, Vancouver's premier escape game, would also like to honour Alan Alan for his pioneering spirit in the art of escape. We don't offer anything quite as death defying in our theme rooms, but we do like to acknowledge the greats that created an early interest in escapology.

Afterword:

When researching this blog entry, our crack team of investigators came across a forum of artists discussing this escape stunt. As you may have guessed, the trick lies in the strength of the rope. Some performers actually use a rope that contains a central core of high-test wire. The variable that offers the most challenge is wind. Wind fuels the fire and creates a swinging motion that makes it harder for the performer to escape their restraints. Another danger is the fuel dripping down the rope on to the performer. Modern stuntmen usually wear a flame retardant suit beneath the straitjacket.

Holiday Party Games

The holidays are a time to come together and celebrate. It's a chance to meet up with friends and family and share some laughs with a few beverages, some good food and a little holiday cheer. Party games are the perfect activity to get the fun started.

This week we thought we would run through a list of our favourite party games. So without further ado, here is a list of the ten best social games for mixing it up this holiday season:

10. Things

One person makes a statement about a certain category of Christmas 'things'. The rest of the group writes down a one-word answer and turns it in. All the answers are read and the guests try to match the answers to the writer.

9. Salad Bowl

A version of character charades with three rounds, where every player provides three names (fictional or real) for the collective bowl. The first round, each contestant can say or do anything except say the name on the paper. The second round is classic charades and the third round is a statue pose. Third round turns into a speed round as everyone knows the characters in the bowl. 

8. Werewolves

This is a bit more of an advanced party game. We like it because it adds a bit of fear to the festivities.

7. The Dancing Chain

Pretty simple. The first person starts with a simple dance move (almost always the "Staying Alive" point) and then each consecutive guest adds a move. Tip: put the more skilled dancers at the end of the chain.

6. Two Truths and a Lie

We've all played a version of this game. Pick a category and one-by-one, ask each guest to give two truths and one lie. The group then gets to decide which is which. Use holiday categories like "worst Christmas gifts you've ever received" to make it seasonal.

5. Christmas Character Karaoke

Fill a bowl full of character names and then fill another bowl full of well-known Christmas songs. Each guest has to pick a name and then a song. They then need to sing the song in the character they chose.

4. Indoor Snowball Fight

You will need two bags of large marshmallows. Let chaos ensue.

3. Christmas Sausages

This is a version of "Honey I love you, but…" The idea is to make the other team laugh. One at a time, players ask a member of the opposite team a question. The other player then needs to respond by saying "Christmas sausages" without giggling.

2. Cards Against Humanity

The best adult card game to date. Download a copy from their website.

1. White Elephant Gift Exchange

Set a theme for the gifts. Be as naughty or nice with the theme choice as you want.

 

Bonus Suggestion:

If you really want to have a memorable holiday game, move the party to Vancouver's favourite escape room, Krakit. Work as a group to solve our holiday puzzle or take on one of our three spooky theme rooms. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you may even save Christmas. Good luck and happy holidays.