Ten Escape Lessons Learned from Horror Movies: Part Two

Horror recap:

Stay with your friends, keep it in your pants, take in your surroundings, hold it for another 40 minutes and always…always listen to the helpful advice of the locals (even if they only have two teeth and three strings on their banjo).

Now for this week's gems.

5. Stairs to anywhere equate to death

• If you run upstairs, you'll be suddenly trapped in little Suzie's posterized bedroom with your only option being a jump from a second-story window. Hint: two broken ankles makes for a slow escape. If you head downstairs, you'll be trapped in Kevin McCallister's worst nightmare. Hint: the undead love the basement. Closer to the ground and full of creepy crawlies. The good news: there is no stairs at the Krakit escape rooms. 

4. Two Taps

• One ain't gonna do it. Countless innocent screamers have been killed because they didn't finish the job. When taking down the main antagonist, always remember two bullets/strikes/stabs to the head. One only stuns; two will finish what you started. This rule also applies to puzzles. Never do anything half-ass. See the job to the end.

3. Bargaining Power (or the Strip-To-Live principle)

• Leverage is key in any bargaining situation. You're going to have to give up something to get out of this blood bath, so try to amass as much power as you can while in the game. The last card to be played is your clothes, ie: strip-to-live. Stripping is a distraction for any creature, killer or no-gooder. It shows you will do anything to survive. Note to escape fans: keep your clothes on. The strip option should only be used when death is an actual possibility. We're sure you have lovely underwear, but we don't want to see it and it won't get you any extra clues. 

2. Be intolerant of bad ideas

• "No! We are not going to take that short-cut." People under duress panic and make poor decisions. Be the levelheaded one and take the reigns. That being said, if all your friends tell you that your idea is bad, it might be worth a rethink. Check the ego, restrain the ridiculous, and keep your head.

1. Teamwork trumps all

• Multiple tasks can be accomplished in a shorter amount of time if everyone works together towards a common goal: escape. Solo missions end in slaughter. Remember that first rule…? Always stay with the group.

Good Luck!