RATING: 6 Keys          RESULT: Win          REMAINING: *not timed

Twenty-seven years later and we’re all still losers. And now we’re gonna have to kill this f*#%ing clown.

Based on Stephen King’s classic novel and inspired by the 2017 and 2019 films starring Bill Skarsgård as a twisted version of Pennywise, Egan Escape Productions have created the ultimate homage by producing two incredibly high end immersive escape games to bring the story of IT to life in the most realistic, tangible way possible. In this review, we’ll focus on Escape IT’s Chapter Two: The Funhouse. If you haven’t already, we recommend beginning with our separate, dedicated review featuring Chapter One: The Sewers to learn about these ultra immersive experiences in their intended order.

Similarly to Escape IT’s Chapter One, The Funhouse takes a refreshing approach by adapting the film’s original narrative to have this adventure become a story more focused on its brave returning guests. Although there are ample amounts of easter eggs that reference the movie’s established main characters: Bill, Richie, Beverly, Mike, Ben, Eddie and Stanley – affectionally more commonly referred to as the Losers Club – this is anything but a book report. The Funhouse offers a chilling opportunity to visit instantly recognizably locales pulled straight from the silver screen, brought to life by multiple live actors and an endless amount of scares. When combined, it organically makes our group of returning friends the star of our own horror adventure about to unfold.

Pennywise hasn’t forgotten how we interfered the first time around, and now, twenty-seven years later IT will stop at nothing to to finish our story.

It’s no secret that we were blown away by the Hollywood-quality of scenic found throughout Escape IT’s Chapter One game, The Sewers. The attention to detail is immeasurable and the tension in the air hangs so thick you could cut it with a knife. Starting there (as one should to experience these adventures in proper order) seems like it would immediately put The Funhouse at a disadvantage. How could it possibly top that?

Well it does. And not only does The Funhouse surpass the Sewers from a scenic perspective, but it far exceeds it with how many iconic destinations from the film are immaculately recreated with intimate detail throughout the more than fifteen different rooms.

Beginning with our reunion at the Jade of the Orient, this multi-room set is of such scale that it could easily be mistaken for a real Chinese food restaurant. Mike’s make-shift home above the town library and Mrs. Kersh’s seemingly innocuous apartment add depth to the storyworld, making it all the more recognizable.

But it’s the more pivotal locales from the film that unsurprisingly provide the strongest emotional connection. Through these faithful recreations, Escape IT allows homecomers to actually step foot inside the Losers’ Clubhouse, and even visit the Derry Canal Days Festival’s midway to enter the actual iconic Funhouse itself. And what return to Derry could be complete without a visit to the chilling Neibolt House, now twenty-seven years further into disrepair than where we left it in The Sewers.

Following in the lofty clown-shoed footsteps of its own Chapter One, The Funhouse once again excels at integrating its challenges in a way so organic to the storyworld that its easy forget they are puzzles in the first place. Every task feels like a natural action one might need to take where they to step into the screen and actually live out IT: Chapter Two firsthand.

The puzzles are the perfect balance of difficulty, keeping experienced gamers engaged while not creating speedbumps so big that they can derail newer players. Each step was both logical and intuitive, creating a satisfying flow of gameplay which never required a hint along the way.

Moreover, the puzzles in The Funhouse are so immersive that they truly become extensions of the world itself. From sitting down to eat at the Jade of the Orient to actually playing authentic carnival games at the Derry Canal Days Festival and a chilling participation with the ancient Ritual of Chüd, The Funhouse checks every box to satisfy all ranges of IT fan, from casual to the most devoted.

Escape IT’s two experiences differ from traditional escape games in that they are structured with a progressive flow – meaning that players are always moving forward as other groups begin the experience behind them, with their paths never crossing. In the past, we’ve had mixed experiences with this type of flow, as sometimes it can cause more seasoned groups to need to wait for the next door to open, or result in more novice players being pushed forward, perhaps without even completing a puzzle at all. We’re happy to once again report that in The Funhouse, the timing of this progressive flow played out seamlessly, leaving us never waiting or being rushed forward. Our small team had such a consistent experience throughout that we would have never guessed there were other groups of volunteers elsewhere in The Funhouse.

We’ve said a whole lot across two full reviews of Escape IT’s games, yet somehow, we still find ourselves at a loss for words. Sometimes the best summaries are the ones that simply get straight to the point: you’ll be hard-pressed to find many other escape game attractions executed to the level of immersion found in The Funhouse (and The Sewers.)

Egan Escape Productions very clearly ‘understood the assignment‘ when sitting down to craft these two games. They’re very evident tributes to Stephen King’s iconic novel, and it’s constantly apparent that they were designed with a deep familiarity with the subject matter. Simply put, each game at Escape IT is a love letter to fans of the book, of the films, of interactive horror and of immersive game-based attractions.

We mentioned before that the sign of a great IP-based attraction is one that crafts its own unique storyworld so solidly that any guest will instantly understand it, without needing to have seen the movie, read the book, or encounter the characters elsewhere before arriving. The best IP-based attractions reward long-time fans with ample easter eggs, without ever alienating more casual – or even first time viewers. The Funhouse does all of that and more. That being said, for maximum immersion we highly recommend watching (or rewatching) IT: Chapters One and Two before playing each respective game. There’s just SO many lovingly recreated details that having a fresh familiarity will take something incredible in its own right and float it up to a whole other level.

As stated in our Chapter One review, we do have a few other pre-planning bits of advice for those brave enough to return home to enter The Funhouse: the only thing greater than the number of missing kids in Derry is the group capacity for these games. The Funhouse is a publicly booked experience – meaning you can, and almost assuredly will be paired with strangers – and it carries a total group size of up to ten players. That’s a lot of people to manage clear communication with if the majority of them are strangers. Luckily, Escape IT does offer a private booking option, which they label a “VIP ticket.”

To make your experience private will require you to bring a minimum group size of four people, and the ticket price will be a bit higher for the perk. We cannot stress enough how highly we recommend you splurge for this VIP experience. Both games at Escape IT are so good that they’re worth the extra cost to guarantee you receive the highest possible quality of experience from them.

Lastly, Escape IT truly is a hybrid attraction that blends escape game puzzles with immersive theater character interactions. For the uninitiated, the most important rule of immersive theater is that you’ll get from it what you put into it. What that means is that the more you’re willing to suspend disbelief, accept that the storyworld and its characters are real and interact with them as such, the more authentic and memorable your time in it will be. This very much applies at Escape IT. Play along with the actors and your experience in The Funhouse will be the real prize.

The Ritual of Chüd is a battle of wills. The first step is our reunion. The Funhouse is the final step. But are you really brave enough to turn light into dark?

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Venue: Escape IT

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

Number of Games: 2

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 10 people

Group Type: Public or Private / You may or may not be paired with strangers depending on your choice of ticket type. (Private upgrade requires a minimum of 4 people.)

Cost: $55.99 – $59.99 per person depending on date and time selected. Groups of 4+ may upgrade to a private experience for an additional $20 per person. Specially priced combo tickets are also available when bundling The Funhouse with The Sewers, located at the same venue.

We thank Egan Escape Productions for inviting us to play this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.