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.
In honour of mystery and romance, a favourite combo here at our Vancouver escape game, we take a look at five of the sleuthiest, mystery solving-est couples from pop culture.
5. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling
There’s no way FBI agent Clarice would’ve caught serial killer Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs without some sage—albeit creepy—advice from Hannibal. It may be a bit controversial to call them a couple, but there are definitely some sparks between the two—and they eventually share a smooch in the 2001 sequel, Hannibal.
4. Nancy Drew and Ned Nickerson
A pure and innocent counterpoint to Lecter and Starling, Nancy and her sometimes beau Ned solve many a low-stakes crime together throughout the book series. Although Nancy takes the sleuthing lead, Ned never fails to be nearby when a rescue from a life-threatening situation is in order.
3. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully
It may take them seven seasons to finally lock lips, but the X-Files’ Mulder and Scully prove that extraterrestrial mystery solving and romance can go hand in hand. And who knows where the reboot (currently being filmed right here in Van) will take the duo’s love affair!
2. Daphne Blake and Fred Jones
Though their relationship isn’t always clear in the original cartoon (are they? aren’t they?), there’s no doubting the love between Scooby Doo’s Daphne and Fred in the 2000s live-action franchise. Yes, Fred may not always pick up on Daphne’s advances, but it’s clear she’s always his number 1 when it comes to busting faux ghosts.
1. Special Agent Dale Cooper and Audrey Horne
While all of the mystery-solving couples on this list seem intent on keeping their romantic feelings at bay, it’s Twin Peaks’ Agent Cooper and Audrey who may go to the greatest lengths. Nevertheless, their chemistry is undeniable, as is their shared desire to solve the mystery of Laura Palmer’s death, at any cost.
Are you a Vancouver-area single? Are you on the quest for that special someone, or perhaps looking to get back in the dating game? Ever thought to yourself: “I wish I could find the guy/gal of my dreams—but I really need to know how they react in an emergency situation first?” Well, haven’t we all.
We’re all about the real, live experience here at Krakit. Instead of sitting you down in front of a video game or a scary movie, we drop you right in the action. It’s no different with our Singles Nights: instead of matchmaking online, getting you to fill out an endless form about your likes and dislikes, we throw you all in a room (two, actually) and give you a chance to mingle—while attempting to save the entire group from getting their brains eaten by zombies.
There’s nothing like a ticking clock and a bit of life-or-death pressure to bring out people’s true personalities. Will you fall for the hero? For the clever-clogs who cracks the first clue? Maybe it’s the lady who brings much-needed comic relief who’ll take your heart—assuming the Butcher doesn’t get it first, of course.
It’ll make a much radder story for the grandkids than showing them your matching dating profile checklists, right?
Krakit’s Singles Dating Events take place for the next four Wednesdays:
July 22, July 29, August 5 (LGBT), and August 12 (postponed until further notice)
Play two 25-minute games and meet 6 or 7 likeminded possible dates. Groupings are done by age: 19–24, 24–30, 31–38, 39–45, 45–58.
Pre-registration is necessary; there’ll be no walk-ins allowed, folks. Call 604-484-6552 to register a spot, or to find out more info.
You may have heard about some heinous happenings taking place near the border of Burnaby and Coquitlam. A few unlicensed surgeries and some mystery meat being served here and there.
Luckily these diabolical events in Metro Vancouver are happening in the safety of Krakit Escape Game’s loving arms. We’ve captured some of the suspenseful—and bloody—moments on film for your viewing pleasure. It’s just a little taste of what awaits adventure-seekers in Krakit’s four escape rooms:
If you dare take on our Butcher room, you’ll find yourself locked in a meat cooler with an insane knife-wielding butcher itching to get you on his chopping block. For those who find the idea of a lobotomy less than appealing, our Asylum room will give you the right motivation to solve the clues and make your escape.
Maybe you’ve been planning for the Zombie Apocalypse since you were a child (who hasn’t, right?). If so, then our Zombie room provides just the chills and thrills you’ve been hoping for.
For those who like to have the bejeesus scared out of them minus the gore, we’ve created the perfect stomach-dropping moment in our One Night Stand room: figure out what happened last night before the game is up.
No matter which challenge you choose, you get 45 minutes to crack Krakit’s escape rooms. Escape games require a mix of ingenuity, smarts, and determination to solve. Put together the perfect team, and you just might have a chance of escaping the clutches of a bloodthirsty maniac or your own drunken decision. Only time will tell.
Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our next room theme, which will be ripe for cracking closer to September. After all, we just want to keep you on your toes at Krakit Escape Game—and maybe get a scream or two.
Last post we paid homage to the most intense, most inescapable captors of cinema who are “Alien, Beastly, or Supernatural.” Now we turn our attention to those kidnappers, hijackers, and general captivity-lovers who could be any one of us—and are all the more terrifying for it.
These big screen bad guys don’t have the excuse of being a hell-sent demon or an alien incapable of empathy: they are all-too-human. Ah, well, at least they give us some excellent inspiration for our escape rooms here at Vancouver’s Krakit! (Warning: spoilers ahead) 10. The kids from House Arrest
It’s everyone’s worst nightmare: kids who think they know better than you do—and have access to padlocks and a basement where no one can hear you scream. Worst of all: they want you to talk out all your problems. Ugh!
Sure, he seems all shy and sweet, but really he’s just waiting to make his (psychological) problems your problem. Also, has a disturbingly large supply of blue contacts.
Here’s a captor who makes no bones about his sociopathic tendencies. Hitman Vincent (Tom Cruise) holds Max (Jamie Foxx) hostage in the man’s own taxi while he goes around calmly offing people in LA. It’s Vincent’s indifference that chills here.
7. Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs Completely the opposite of Collateral’s Vincent is Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb: he’s a ball of anxiety when it comes to his captivity obsession. He also uses a decidedly more terrifying deep dark well to hold his victims, as compared to the comforts of a cab.
Though a relatively minor character in Interstellar, Matt Damon’s Mann gets props for trying to entrap his fellow spacepeople on a far distant planet with no hope of returning to earth. He’s got vision, if not the ability to pull it off.
A complete icon in the horror-captivity genre, Jigsaw not only holds his victims in the creepiest of traps (dirty subterranean bathroom, anyone?), but forces them to play the worst “Would You Rather” games in the history of … ever.
There’s a reason Kathy Bates won an Oscar for this role, and it has a lot to do with that deadened stare that says: “I really don’t want you to die, but I also don’t want you to ever walk again, either.”
Max, from 2013 low-budget indie In Fear, is a stunning combination of insane and vindictive, yet still cunning and resourceful enough to turn a simple country road into a labyrinth even Theseus couldn’t escape.
“Mother” and “Father” from Wes Craven’s 1991 flick feature so high on our list for their captivity commitment: they keep several children under their stairs (and in their walls) for years. That’s like a full-time job.
The people that imprison Dae-Su make an entire business out of holding people captive—for decades at a time. If someone’s willing to pay them, they’re willing to make sure you never see sunlight again. And, y’know, go stark raving mad.
You can’t have a great escape without a
great captor, now can you? You need a really good reason to jump off that
too-high cliff or claw your way out of a subterranean cave.
As much as we may loathe them, we at Krakit
have got to give big screen terrorizers props for creating the escape situations
that thrill and inspire us. First, we start with the 10 best beastly and
supernatural captors, and next post we’ll look at those captors who are,
despairingly, all too human.
He’s gigantic, he’s got a weird-looking
nose, and he cocoons people like a massive spider. But ultimately he’s just
trying to get home, so he’s at the bottom of our list.
No one can argue that Jabba is a captor
without style. He chooses fashionable items for his captives, though his love
of chains gets a little out of hand.
While man plays a part in the terror of the
unfortunate souls held captive in a Barcelona apartment building in REC, ultimate responsibility lies with
the ruthless virus that lands them in quarantine in the first place.
You probably didn’t expect to see a Disney
film on this list, but here we have a captor who manages to induce Stockholm
Syndrome through song and dance. It’s inspired.
An alien lifeform that’s come to earth both
to study mankind and to gorge herself on manflesh, The Female (Scarlett
Johansson) has the most impressive captivity chamber of them all: a pool of
immobilizing, flesh-liquefying goo.
Forget trapping people in a building: the
demon in The Exorcist jumps right
into poor Regan’s body and takes up residence there. So much for feeling at
home in your own skin.
What do you do when the super smart computer
that runs your spaceship turns your tin-can home into a series of traps? Hope
you’re really good at holding your breath, mostly.
Unlike Cooper from Super 8, the creature in The
Host uses its den like a tank at a seafood market, with its unlucky human
snacks stuck in a deep sewer with very smooth walls (terrible for climbing, you
see).
Why terrorize people by trapping them in,
say, a haunted house, when you can instead turn the entire world into a nightmare that requires constant escape? The
presence from It Follows can’t think
of a better alternative.
Combining the tactics of the demon from The Exorcist and the presence from It Follows, Freddy knows the best way to
keep someone under lock and key is to turn their very mind into a terrifying holding
cell they can’t escape. Well done, Freddy. Well done.
The clock is tick-ticking away. Everyone is
chattering at super speed, each with a different idea, a different plan. The
pressure is on in a big way, but you know you’ve got to pull it together: if
you don’t, a zombie is going to eat your face.
Unfortunately, we can’t all stay as
pathologically calm as Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock in the face of stress (or zombies).
But you’ve only got 45 minutes to escape
Krakit’s game rooms—which is definitely not enough time to have a nervous break
down before getting on with it. So what are you going to do?
Master the fine art of staying calm under
pressure, of course.
Easier said than done, but here are a few
tips to get you started before your next Krakit adventure.
Breathe
“Just breathe.” Obvious, right?
But more than a way to slow down your heart
rate and blood pressure, a few minutes of focused breathing provides a steady
sound to concentrate on. You can use this sound to pull yourself out of a
stress spiral and block out distractions, allowing you to concentrate on
solving the task at hand
Create an Anti-stress Trigger for Yourself
When the clock is ticking down the seconds,
your thoughts can start racing faster than you can process them. Honestly, who
can take time to breathe when you’ve got a mad doctor to escape? Before you
find yourself locked up in Krakit’s Asylum, take time to develop an anti-stress
trigger for yourself.
This could be a certain song lyric or a
specific memory of a place, or even a scent, that you use to force-stop your
racing thoughts and gain back control, like placing a finger on a roulette
wheel.
Visit Your Mind Palace
When you know ahead of time you’re going to
be overwhelmed with too much information, take a page out of Sherlock Holmes’s
book and setup a Mind Palace (learn how here).
By being prepared, you can break down and
master information before it even has a chance to stress you out.
The sun is out, it’s warm and Burnaby is your oyster. The more you have in terms of options for leisurely activities, the more you’re going to attract people around you and improve your social life this summer. Let’s start with the basics of getting yourself out there.
STYLE: Metropolis at Metrotown has over 300 shops to choose from to get you fresh; make sure you have a great bathing suit and a good cologne or perfume. Lougheed Town Centre Mall has 175 shops, Brentwood Mall has 110, but if you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind shops, head over to traditional street-front shopping at The Heights with over 350 unique storefronts.
ENTERTAINMENT: Have you ever played an escape game? What an experience. While many people are looking for pure leisure with a bottle of their favourite beer or wine in Burnaby park they may head to Barnet Marine Park (which has a swimming beach!), Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park, Deer Lake Park, or Burnaby Lake Regional Nature Park; others are looking for something more unique and edgy like Krakit. Krakit is a real-life escape room challenge that will help you grow and challenge your instincts. A perfect date should be unique, build trust and friendship, while showing your intelligence. Smart is sexy.
FOOD: You might need to replenish some brain cells now that you’ve cracked some codes and emerged victorious from Krakit’s escape room. You’re date might be hungry, too. Burnaby boasts awesome seafood and elegant choices for your adventure. Whether you’re looking for seafood, Italian, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, dine-in, take-out, or something quick, hundreds of delicious restaurants are around each corner ready to serve you.
5 of 7: Helpful Hints to Prepare for the Apocalypse
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 assemble your ranks daily in the school’s gymnasium following indoor and outdoor training exercises, evaluating their progress based on systems created by a team of your subordinates. This is their, and your, daily life; there is no weekend (although there are also some things to do in Burnaby). A binding agreement of saving the human race dictates a no-days-off policy. You look at them, full of pride having brought so many together under a common umbrella of causes. Their rag-tag appearance ignites a sense of honourwithin-rebellion and currently has no deteriorating affect on the morality of the group. But, how did we get here? Why are we alive while the rest of the world has departed or is suffering? Who are we? What happened that has left The Righteous as leaders of saving the human race.
COGNITIVE NEEDS: You must know why this has all happened and the books in the school’s library aren’t doing it as they are all set within the past, within mythologies and sciences since debunked. You have no clear understanding of yourselves or the enemies that, daily, surround the walls of your stronghold. You assemble a team of medical and spiritual professionals with experience from ‘the times before’ the apocalypse to further explore the inner and outer workings of the situation. The medical team dissects captured enemies of the Righteous in conjunction with the spirit team who, in cooperation with the psychological team, explores the inner workings of the ‘demons’ and ‘zombies.’ They work day and night, making breakthrough after breakthrough, before making an epic discovery: these beings were engineered from a central source with specificscientific and divine knowledge: ones seeking to expel the human race and acquire the planet for themselves. But who or what could do such a thing? You continue your explorations and find the root-source of the problem. An artificial intelligence that has surpassed human knowledge, has begun to exist as a megamind, absorbing life energies of life, both physical and metaphysical, from planet to planet.
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.
As time passes, more travellers arrive at, what has now become, your base of operations. You’ve been reading more books everyday from the school’s library and have taken a particular shining to psychology books, supplemented by books about warfare tactics. By positioning yourself as the founder of the resistance camp, a new name has emerged for the survivors: each person allowed to pass through the gym lock-up test has become a full fledged member of “The Righteous.” Endowing each Righteous leader with a title, rank, and position within the camp, a flow of responsibilities has emerged by way of an established, merit-based chain of command. You write a constitution outlining a larger goal for The Righteous allowing for input, change, and assimilation of knowledge.
ESTEEM: “Everyone within The Righteous, a name chosen to give hope and esteem, has a responsibility to one another,” you tell your colleagues in a group forum led by a round-table panel of contributors representing each part of the camp, witnessed by the ranks of Righteous who now live in the school’s dormitories. “We are part of a world wide network fighting not only for humanity’s survival; together, we are part of a larger cause that unites us under circumstances allowing us to use these challenges to grow, thrive, and, above all, evolve.” The panel listens patiently as you speak aloud this formal, introductory speech to the meeting. Each word you deliver from the speech is deliberate and emphasized accordingly in a rhetoric and cadence which has set precedence for your benevolent leadership a unifiable justification for peace and growth. As you have brought people into your home with hope of vigilant safety, fulfilling their primary needs, and incorporating them into a circle of trust and acceptance, you have become the esteemed leader of leaders within The Righteous’s headquarters.
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.
It’s been days, weeks, months since Satan has waged his war on humanity and you’ve finally become accustomed to your daily routine: it’s a never-ending daily cycle: you wake up to the cacophonous screaming of demons dispensed from the depths of hell and the walking dead bereaving their miserable souls within the traps you’ve placed, then you dispense heavenly justice and re-set each trap tripped and carry on. You’re well armed now, having escaped to loot a local gun shop and an abandoned grocery superstore store loaded with caches of food. You have found a fresh water spring by plowing through a wall in the basement of your school and are supplemented by a large supply of bottled water. But, you've become depressed from the sounds and situations around you and you’re dreadfully lonely. One day, having followed the dim glow from the your high nesting ground, a mother and her child arrive, chased by a small hoard of living dead.
LOVE AND BELONGING: After vanquishing their pursuers with your small arsenal of defences, you, cautiously, examine the couple’s physicality. You prod them both with a series of questions you’ve prepared for such a situation, determining to a small extent that they are actual living humans. Nevertheless, you request they both remain in detention for a time until you can be absolutely sure they pose a minimal threat. On the first day of their arrival, you prudently lower food into their gymnasium cage via a rudimentary pulley system you’ve crafted referencing library books; you include within this exchange a change of clothing from the lost-and-found, clean blankets from the school’s dormitory, and a book. The mother expresses she’s broken her reading glasses and cannot read on her own; her young daughter is terrified. So, you read them a book aloud, daily, from the school’s library and observe calmness wash over their faces with each word you speak. After a week, you’ve developed a rapport with both of them, and release them from their lockup. The previous looming feeling of emptiness has disappeared. For the first time in months, you feel hope. Suddenly, the morning screaming doesn’t seem as bad.
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.
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.
The disease has been let loose and it’s raining fire. Flesh-eating elephants have escaped from the zoo and herds of cattle are running rampant through the city streets. Michael, the archangel, appears from behind a cloud and sounds his trumpet—all of a sudden the ground opens up to reveal a furnace of torture instruments as an icy breeze swiftly blows from the flames of hell, biting your face and numbing your hands. Stop what you’re doing: this is invariably the end of all that is. The following is a worst case preparation scenario for the impending apocalypse.
REFUGE: The first action you must take is to find a place of refuge where you can recharge, catch your breath, store your gear, and organize your thoughts. Any secluded area will do, such as a penthouse in an abandoned high rise condo building, an empty bank vault (as long as you have means to not become locked in), or a small school. Be sure to limit the amount of entrances and exits in order to face your diseased, mutated foe head-on. If you have the option to barricade yourself in at night, then do so as the lack of visibility is your enemy, hoards of starving brain-suckers, will be sniffing you out with canine-like intensity. Be assured: they can smell your fear. Furthermore, you are not only protecting yourself from the perils of death sweeping through the streets, but also from those survivors who mean to undermine your efforts to redeem the human race. You will face deception from foe posing as friend. Remember: trust no one. Anyone who has not otherwise proven themselves as an ally to defend your mortality is an enemy to which you must always be ready to swiftly remove from their plight. Find water. Find Food.
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.
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!
