By now, you’ve no doubt seen mention of Chris + Creative.

We’re excited to share a deeper look at the story behind the custom attraction design brand that powers Escape Authority!

For those who don’t know me, I’m Chris, the founder of Escape Authority. I’ve often described myself as someone who wears many hats: reviewer – of course, passionate fan of the attractions and escape game industry – obviously, but perhaps you didn’t know that the one I wear for my day job is that of attraction designer! In fact, I’ve been involved with the industry for just over twenty years, branded as Chris + Creative. During that time, I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved with projects across the spectrum of the entertainment industry.

I led the design of a major, officially licensed Pacific Rim attraction that was the world’s first dark ride + immersive theater hybrid experience for a theme park client overseas. Elsewhere for that same client, I implemented the world’s first escape game pre-shows for a another major dark ride. I’ve been involved with interactive attractions for museums and corporate welcome centers – my favorite of which being Hershey’s Chocolate World (and not just because it always smells like chocolate!) I directed the creative for a multi-season haunted house at SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream Halloween event. But out of all of it, my main focus for the past decade has been custom escape game design. In fact, my love for this genre also led to a little side passion project that started nearly a decade ago – perhaps you’ve heard of Escape Authority? I’m proud to have grown this site into a respected industry resource.

When it comes to escape game design, I’m obsessed with keeping my concepts fresh and unique – from both puzzles to overall themes. After personally playing something like 1000 different games at this point, my goal is to always create things that I’ve never seen before; it’s a challenge but one I love tackling. I’ve produced everything from standard-style escape rooms, games hosted by interactive puppets (including custom designed, purpose-built 3′ tall characters which I also produce) and complete hybrid attractions that blend scripted actor-driven immersive theater with escape game-style puzzles to truly draw guests into the experience. Between them all, there’s truly something to fit any venue.

Let’s take a look at just some of the outside-the-box escape game designs available now from Chris + Creative:

The Zombie and the Witch Doctor

My newest concept, The Zombie and the Witch Doctor, invites guests to become the helpers to an adorable, funny and friendly 3’ tall zombie named Roofus. As the old adage goes, “You are what you eat,” and with a strict diet of only brains, zombies make the perfect apprentice every Witch Doctor needs; they never forget their chores! The problem is Roofus isn’t very good at being a zombie, and he lost his brain. Now he’s counting on his new helpers (and a few of the disembodied spirits you meet along the way) to help him remember the one thing the Witch Doctor asked him to do – or we’re all cursed! This game is both replayable and expandable into the future with the addition of multiple new spirits, each of whom bring along their own distinctly themed puzzle tracks back from the afterlife! A complete preview of The Zombie and the Witch Doctor is currently fully built (as pictured) and fully playable for prospective clients by request at my home in Orlando, Florida!

Professor Bleehall’s Odditorium Emporium & Pie Shoppe

One of my most popular existing IPs is Professor Bleehall’s Odditorium Emporium & Pie Shoppe. “OddPie,” as it’s known for short, has been recognized by several respected industry awards, including multiple TERPECA nominations and Best of Morty status. It’s a new genre of interactive attraction that I created which embraces escape game puzzles for a score-based race against the clock. OddPie is a completely replayble, scalable, expandable attraction with over fifty different puzzles currently available, and more in the works! Professor Bleehall’s Odditorium Emporium & Pie Shoppe has had several locations on both the east and west coasts dating back to 2019, with the newest just outside of Detroit, Michigan, and the next opening soon near Phoenix, Arizona.

Big Maw Bertha’s Fussin’ & A’ Feudin’ Moonshine Hill Hootennany

Perhaps my most popular “traditional” escape game is Big Maw Bertha’s Fussin’ & A’ Feudin’ Moonshine Hill Hootenanny. Since opening the original in 2017, this cartoony comedy adventure has consistently been the #1 most talked about game any time someone mentions they’re planning a visit to the popular Smokey Mountains tourist area of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Bertha, now estranged, has set out to steal Small Paw Sampson’s prized moonshine recipe, and she’s fixin’ to launch it tonight at a big Hootenanny up in her shack on the hill. Paw’s called in back up – his 9th cousins 13 times removed who will never be recognized in their big city folk-type disguises!  Now it’s up to you cousins to blow up her moonshine still before it’s too late. (There’s also an even more absurd sequel game available to continue this story in the future with the most unique of extra-terrestrial twists.)

The Harvest

Thrilling encounters with a supernatural cult of scarecrows await those brave – or foolish – enough to enter the old Ample Valley Barn for The Harvest. As townspeople go missing, the number of scarecrows out in the field seems to continue to grow. This local legend has gained enough momentum to attract a reckless group of urban explorers, and now they may become The Provider’s next victims. The Harvest is available in two distinct versions to best suit any venue: a traditional-style escape game or one enhanced with live actors. A sequel story, The Harvest Homecoming, was designed to exclusively be played remotely from home.

The Dollmaker

The Dollmaker’s shop was long thought to be closed, yet recently the lights have begun to flicker back on at night. This is anything but a simple toy store, however; The Dollmaker is bent on bringing his lost love back from the grave, and plans to resurrect her soul into one of his stuffed creations. He’s willing to go to any extreme to once again feel her embrace. Authorities believe he may be stitching together pieces from his victims in an effort to create the ideal doll-version of his bride. You’d better be good at hiding because if The Dollmaker catches you, it’s already too late. Also available is a sequel story, The Dollmaker’s Pitch Black Friday Special, which allows venues to offer two completely different escape games to operate within the same footprint.

Christmas is Canceled: Santa’s Gone Psycho

The holiday’s are the most wonderful time of them all, but this year, Christmas is Canceled. An immersive year-round festive adventure to the north pole takes a turn when it becomes clear that Santa’s Gone Psycho! He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re away, and he’s sick and tired of being under-appreciated by kids the world-over for his boundless generosity. Santa is out for revenge, and even his overworked, mistreated elves can’t fix it! Can anything stop this merry menace, or will this Christmas be your last?

The Circus of SLaughter

It’s been years, but the old circus has rolled back into town. The Circus of SLaughter isn’t quite as you may remember it though; its red and white striped canvas freshly soaked in blood. Performing live in the center ring, Kernel the Clown is ready to showcase the ultimate feat: it’s the debut of his “perfect clown” – hacked together by the severed limbs, teeth and dismembered eyeballs. After all, you know what they say: “You can’t spell slaughter without laughter!”  So hurry, hurry, step right up, but only if you’re of age; this bloody Big Top is rated R.

Storm Cellar

A quaint little family home in the picturesque heartland of Taylor County has just been ravaged by a sudden tornado outbreak. With the structure on the verge of collapse, the family must frantically clear the debris path and make their way to the Storm Cellar, and fast! Long-range tracking shows an even bigger monster tornado that’s already showing signs of EF-5 level damage barreling straight toward Taylor, and there’s no way anything will be left standing.

The Haunting of Hyde House

A visit to the old Hyde House Historical Site leads unsuspecting tour groups to surprise encounter with the ghost of Isabella, the little girl who once lived here a century ago. This playful spirit just wants to make new friends, and hopes to be reconnected with her lost doll to finally free her spirit from the mortal realm. The Haunting of Hyde House is a touching supernatural adventure that proves that even ghost stores can sometimes be heartwarming.

The Boogeyman

As kids, we all had the same fear, but our parents never believed us. “It’s just your imagination,” they’d say. “Go back to bed!” But we were right. The Boogeyman IS real, and now, all these years later, it’s gotten even more powerful. It’s time to stand up to your greatest childhood fear, travel through the closet into The In-Between and save a whole new generation of terrified kids in a face to face(less) battle with The Boogeyman itself! Teddy bears and nightlights can’t protect you anymore, and growing up is no escape from your greatest fear…

Separately each year, for fun in my spare time, I produce a ridiculously elaborate haunted attraction for our Orlando-area community to enjoy for free. Known as Peachstone Scream!, each year’s completely unique show blends story-driven immersive theater-style actor interactions with escape game puzzles throughout a massive footprint typically spanning 1500 square feet. These attractions usually have a runtime anywhere between 90-120 minutes per show, and are intended to evoke the sense of stepping through the screen of a live movie to become the hero of its story. It’s long been my belief that this hybrid style attraction is a direction the industry has been trending, and some of my actor-driven game concepts have used Peachstone Scream! as their own testing grounds in years past. Last year, we celebrated our the 10th anniversary show with Creations!

I look forward to sharing more of the cool stuff I’ve been fortunate enough to create soon! Always happy to connect and chat with like-minded individuals, be it to discuss design, consulting, or just our passion for the industry! Please feel free to reach out directly to Chris@Chris.Plus to learn more about any of the attractions featured here, or to inquire about your own personalized custom project.