Once inside our Vancouver escape room, you have 45 minutes to get out. You will need brains, guts, and nerves of steel to make it out - before it's too late.
The island prison in San Francisco Bay imprisoned some of America’s most notorious criminals during its 29 years of operation. A great deal of them were mobsters, many of them were murderers, and all of them were tougher and scarier than any of the spooky characters that haunt the halls of Krakit Vancouver Escape Game.
While the most famous men to ever have the misfortune to sleep within its walls are undoubtedly Al Capone, James “Whitey” Bulger, and Robert Stroud, aka the Birdman of Alcatraz, they also have something else in common—they never attempted to escape Alcatraz.
That distinction belongs to just 36 of Alcatraz’s inmates. Here are the most notorious of the bunch.
Clarence “The Choctaw Kid” Carnes
Alcatraz’s youngest ever inmate was also involved in one of its most notorious inmate-guard standoffs, known as the Battle of Alcatraz. Clarence Carnes and several other prisoners seized weapons and held guards captive in their attempt to escape. It went horribly wrong, resulting in the death of three prisoners and two guards.
Frank Morris
Immortalized in the film Escape from Alcatraz and played by Clint Eastwood, Frank Morris was the mastermind behind arguably one of the most notorious prison breaks in history. He and two other inmates literally used a spoon to help dig their way to freedom, which in itself is impressive enough. The trio was never tracked down, but it’s unclear whether they perished in the Bay or made it out alive, possibly to Brazil.
Arthur “Doc” Barker
Though held in Alcatraz’s most secure unit—D-Block—Doc Baker and four other inmates managed to escape the prison and reach the island’s shore, where they began constructing a makeshift raft. The escape was foiled when the guards spotted them and, after Barker refused to surrender, opened fire, killing him and wounding one other.
John Paul Scott
John Paul Scott has the sole distinction of being the only Alcatraz escapee to make it to the San Francisco shore by swimming. He was also one of the last prisoners to escape from the infamous jail, along with Darl Lee Parker, after cutting through bars with a makeshift saw. Both were captured and re-incarcerated shortly after escaping.
There’s no one right way to put together a team for your experience at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game. But after seeing hundreds of folks pass through our halls—some more successful, others less so—we’ve got a good handle on what makes for a crack escape room team.
Since the game play requires a lot of different skills, a diverse team is where it’s at. A group of people with different knowledge, different experiences, and different areas of expertise will be able to come at a room from all possible angles.
Here are some of the key players you’ll want to consider.
Someone to take the lead
This player has no problem delegating, and knows the best strengths of each member of their team. More than anything, this person gets everyone to put on their “game face” and keeps motivation up.
Someone to think out of the box
Escape games require many different types of knowledge, so having someone on your squad who can see what others might miss is always a bonus.
Someone to calm down and refocus everyone
Hey. Things can get a little hectic when the clock is ticking down, you’re out of hints, and the bad guy is banging on the door. This team member is good at pulling everyone back to the task at hand, while also settling nerves.
Someone who’s really hands-on
Although an escape room is about using your brain, there’s still a physical aspect to it. Every team needs someone who will investigate every nook and cranny, looking for the clues that everyone will then piece together to win freedom.
Someone with an organizational brain
When you’re uncovering clues left, right, and centre, someone who is good of taking stock of everything laid out before them and mentally rearranging it into a logical solution will always be an asset.
Someone to lighten the mood
Every class needs a clown, and an escape room is no exception. When stress levels get a little too high, it’s good to be reminded that is, after all, just a game. Which means it’s supposed to be fun!
At Krakit Escape Game, our rooms have a maximum of between six and eight players. Find a slot for your crack team here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s true: this month, the ever-popular film Labyrinth turns 30 years old. Unsurprisingly, it’s an old favourite with the folks here at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game.
Starring a very young Jennifer Connelly, the film follows the somewhat tempestuous teenager Sarah as she attempts to rescue her brother back from Jareth, the Goblin King (the unforgettable, late, great David Bowie)—who she sort of accidentally maybe gave her baby brother away to.
It’s hard to say what’s most memorable about the film. Is it Sarah’s insanely gigantic ball gown, the Goblin King’s many song and dance numbers, or perhaps the image of one dog using another dog as his steed? When it comes down to it, it’s really the Labyrinth itself that sticks in the brain: the sprawling, constantly changing, dangerous and tricksy maze that dominates the entire story.
Here are some of the best wrong turns the Labyrinth has to offer.
The Oubliette
Though she just wants to get away from the creepy hands that compose the walls of the hole she has fallen into, Sarah never should have instructed them to send her downwards.
The Fireys’ Forest
After she becomes separate from her gigantic furry friend Ludo, Sarah unfortunately runs into the domain of the Fireys, who are convinced her head can come off just as easily as theirs.
The Bog of Eternal Stench
An act of kindness—kissing her reluctant helper Hoggle after he saves her—lands Sarah and company quite suddenly in the Bog of Eternal Stench. Luckily, Sir Didymus and Ambrosius are there to help them get back on track.
The Junk Yard
For a split second, Sarah gets to think her experience in the Labyrinth has all been a dream. Until the walls of her room come crashing down, and she realizes she is, in fact, in the middle of a trash heap.
The Escher Staircases
It all comes to a head when Sarah finally confronts Jareth in his castle—and finds herself in a vertigo-inducing mishmash of staircases straight out of an M.C. Escher drawing.
Canada is kind of a scary place. No—really. We’re not all polite mounties and adorable moose. Our country is vast, and full of dark corners. This place is mysterious! All you have to do is look at Canada’s film legacy to know that our countrymen have got a seriously dark edge—and a fear of getting stuck in any number of terrible situations.
Have you seen The Revenant? Sure, it’s not set in Canada, but we all know it is Canada (Kananaskis Country in Alberta and Squamish, BC, to be exact). Need we say more? It’s a scary place.
In fact, this entire country could be considered an escape game, given the right situation. Whether thriller, horror, or drama, the Canadian films below certainly have escape on the mind. It’s simply an anxiety that comes with living in a sprawling, unknowable, unpredictable country.
Krakit’s Five Favourite Canadian Escape Thrillers
1. Cube (1997)
What began as a Canadian Film Centre First Feature Project has turned into one of sci-fi’s most beloved cult films. Six strangers wake up in a maze made of a series of interconnecting cubes. Unfortunately, some of the cubes are death traps just waiting for some unlucky soul to crawl into their centres.
2. Backcountry (2014)
Here is Canada in all its glory: the great outdoors. But in this case, the outdoors ain’t so great. Two campers—who come from the city, of course—get lost in one Canada’s many provincial parks. Unfortunately, the bear that’s tracking them knows the woods a whole lot better than they do. Even better: Montreal-born director Adam MacDonald based his film on a true story.
3. Silent Hill (2006)
The video game may not be Canadian, but the creepy, nightmare-inducing film version is the work of Flin Flon’s own Roger Avary (who also works a lot with Quentin Tarantino). In the search for her daughter, a woman enters the deserted town of Silent Hill—then finds herself desperately trying to escape it.
4. The Captive (2014)
Vancouver-born Ryan Reynolds—currently the darling of both Hollywood and the Internet in general—stars in fellow Canadian Atom Egoyan’s recent crime drama. A little girl goes missing, locked up against her will and unable to escape. It’s eight years later, and her father, Matthew (Reynolds), begins to experience strange events that suggest she’s still alive.
5. Prisoners (2013)
Celebrated Quebec director Denis Villeneuve helms this offbeat thriller, which sees a troubled cop (Jake Gyllenhaal) and an anguished father (Hugh Jackman) go head-to-head as they try to track down the man’s missing daughter and her friend. Things quickly spiral out of control as desperate men take desperate measures. This film is not advised for people afraid of small spaces.
