Can’t Escape Sherlock: Sherlock Holmes’s 5 Best Moments

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed character in movie history—and that’s not even counting his appearances in literature, television, and even popular music. It’s no surprise that he’s one of our favourite characters at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game. He’s more of an inspiration, really.

5. Sherlock’s first appearance

In 1887, the first Sherlock novel was published. Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories would go on to be popular for 130 years (and counting), beginning with A Study in Scarlet, which includes the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes, his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson, and even his archnemesis, Moriarty.

4. Basil Rathbone dons the deerstalker

What does Sherlock Holmes wear? A deerstalker hat and a cape, of course. This image comes courtesy of Basil Rathbone, who, beginning in 1939, played Sherlock Holmes in 14 films and over 200 times on radio. If there’s one man responsible for really searing the image of Sherlock into the pop cultural imagination (and launching 1,000 Halloween costumes in the process), it is definitely Sir Rathbone.

3. Sherlock gets a full-time secretary

Despite the fact that Sherlock’s address of 221B Baker Street, London, is completely fictional—and, more to the point, so is he—it turns out he gets a lot of mail. So much mail, in fact, that in 1932 the Abbey National Building Society, located at 219–229 Baker Street, had to employ a full-time secretary to answer Sherlock’s mail.

2. Sherlock dominates the BBC

There’s one reason why Millennials are obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, and that reason has everything to do with BBC, Benedict Cumberbatch, and really, really long wait times in between seasons. The most recent TV version, Sherlock, premiered in 2010, and in those seven long years, there have been only 12 episodes and one Christmas Special. This tactic of always leaving the fans wanting more really seems to be working.

1. Sherlock gets serialized and hits the big time

“A Scandal in Bohemia,” the very first short story to be serialized in the Strand Magazine, was published in 1891, and it didn’t take long for fans to go gaga over the character of Sherlock and his exciting exploits. It was Sherlock’s presence in the easily available newspaper that really led to his enduring popularity. Conan Doyle continued writing about his beloved character until 1927—just three years before the writer’s death.

Try on your Sherlock hat in one of Krakit Vancouver Escape Game’s four themed escape rooms by booking now. 

History’s Great Escapes: Napoleon's Escape from Elba

Napoleon greeted by the 5th Regiment at Grenoble after his escape from Elba (Charles de Steuben)

On February 26, it will be exactly 201 years since Napoleon Bonaparte made his great escape from the island of Elba. Being one of the most famous exiles of all time has really got to put a damper on your chances of making a prison break, which is why we at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game consider this one of the greatest escapes of all time.

It’s true that a lot of negative qualities are associated with Napoleon—being overly aggressive as a way to compensate for a lack of height being just one of them—but no one can argue that he wasn’t also a great strategic mastermind. This is precisely what led him to seize power as the new leader of France following the Revolution.

Unfortunately for him, people eventually tired of his antics, which mainly included invading other European countries. After ten years, his enemies finally got the better of him and ousted him from his position as Emperor of France, exiling him to the island of Elba in the Mediterranean Sea.

Napoleon lived on Elba for the better part of a year, at which point he caught wind that his rivals planned to move him to an even more remote location—an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. So, on February 26, 1815, Napoleon made his escape.

Taking advantage of in-fighting among the European powers who had placed him on Elba in the first place, Napoleon managed to slip past his guards who were otherwise preoccupied. He and his 1,000-man army—which he had amassed on Elba using his undiminished powers of charisma—boldly marched aboard a French ship and sailed to Provence. A regiment was sent to overtake Napoleon and his army, but instead, these men simply joined his ranks.

Two days later, Napoleon returned to Paris—and to his former title of Emperor. This wasn’t fated to last very long, however, with Napoleon’s power lasting just two days before he was exiled again. This time, to a new island a thousand miles off the west coast of Africa, where he would be unable to duplicate his Elba escape. He died on St. Helena five years later.

Pull a Napoleon and make your own escape when you book one of our four Vancouver escape rooms here: http://bookeo.com/krakit

Can’t Escape That Feeling: 5 Best Horror Love Stories

Zombies need love too (Photo: Kenny Louie)

Love Valentine’s Day but don’t love sappy rom coms? Neither do we here at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game.

We’re completely sure that celebrating love doesn’t require red roses and sparkling wine, goopy rain-drenched kisses, or even chocolates (though that’s never really bad is it). Why are we so certain? Just take a look at these equally horrorific and lovey-dovey couples.

5. Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas

They may not be perfect—he has no flesh and hers keeps falling apart—but they’re perfect for each other. Despite Dr. Finkelstein’s attempts to keep them apart, the pair end Tim Burton’s beloved Claymation classic by declaring their love in lovely, romantic graveyard.

4. Edward and Kim from Edward Scissorhands

While there is no rain-filled kiss scene in yet another creepy romance from Tim Burton, there is a snow-filled dance that even Belle and the Beast would envy, when Edward makes it snow by carving an ice sculpture in Kim’s likeness. Like Belle, though Kim finds Edward super weird at first, she ends up falling for her very own beast—though things turn out rather less happily.

3. Oskar and Eli from Let the Right One In

Is there anything more precious than first love? Even if it’s with a vampire? Oskar, from the dark and moody Swedish indie flick, doesn’t let Eli’s penchant for killing human beings ruin his feelings for her. In fact, it makes him like her even more.

2. Buffy and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

A tortured love story to rival Romeo and Juliet’s—only with a whole lot more dying. Could their tale be any more tragic, guys? There are probably some people out there still hoping that Buffy and Angel get back together. Fingers crossed.

1. Eve and Adam from Only Lovers Left Alive

We’re starting to sense a theme here. Despite some franchise doing their best to ruin it, there really is something romantic about vampires, despite their unsettling bloodlust—it must be that whole immortal thing. No film portrays this better than Jim Jarmusch’s quiet film, which tells the story of a devoted vampire couple through the ages. Eve and Adam are really just a great couple to aspire to this Valentine’s Day, whether you’re a vampire or not.

Take your own eternal love on a Valentine’s date to remember at our Vancouver escape game. Book here: http://bookeo.com/krakit

Escape Your Brain: How Optical Illusions Work

We can all agree that the clues and riddles that lead to escape room victory make you do some serious brain gymnastics. Why? Because by twisting your expectations, they force acrobatic thinking.

This is basically the same principle that optical illusions work on—except they are all the more frustrating, because we can never exactly solve them.

When we take in data about the world—through our eyes, for example—we make assumptions about that world. But these assumptions are not always true to reality.

Ponzo illusion

Take the Ponzo illusion: It looks like the horizontal lines are different lengths when, in fact, they are the exact same. The angled lines trick our brains into using our depth perception. And, just like that, four simple lines will outsmart us, every time.

This is why optical illusions can be incredibly frustrating: they’re so simple, and yet they trick our brains so effectively.

 

Grey squares illusion

We all know the illusion above: The squares with the two dots are the exact same shade. But none of us actually sees it that way, do we?

The only way for our minds to process all the information around us is to take shortcuts. These help us to make quick work of what we’re sensing—but it can get us in to trouble. This is the same principle both pickpockets use to distract you while they steal the watch right off your wrist. They misdirect your attention by messing with our sensory shortcuts.

Perceptual shortcuts like the ones that make us susceptible to optical illusions and pickpockets are the same ones that can thwart us when we attempt to solve riddles. That is, we fall into familiar patterns and come to the same old conclusions. Usually this is great—but not when a mystery is afoot!

Slowing down, and seeing what’s really in front of our faces, is the only way we can work against this natural shortcoming.

It’s like Sherlock says: “You do see, you just don’t observe!” The trick is to try and do both at once. 

See how well you can master your perceptual shortcuts in one of Krakit’s four Vancouver escape games. Book here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.