Escape Room review – this time, the terror is real

This was inevitable the rise in popularity in escape rooms, a horror film was bound to follow. I was skeptical at first, but Escape Room could be the best horror film of the year.

Long time residents of Elm Street know my love for Wes Craven, and Scream in particular. The film for me was like being reborn. If I was putting it in familial terms, Skeet Ulrich would be my father, Neve Campbell my mother, David Arquette and Matthew Lillard my crazy uncles that help me get into shenanigans. So it should come as no surprise than when I found out Ulrich is in a new horror film I jumped all over it.

It’s been a while but Skeet Ulrich’s return to horror in Escape Room is brilliant. The film revolves around Brice (Ulrich) who owns a failing escape room attraction named Deranged. In a visit to a little shop he finds something to spice up the attraction and bring in new customers, a wooden box carved by a skull.

Opening night comes, and four friends enter the Deranged escape room. Too bad for them, one of the four opens the box and unleashes a demon who then possesses the actor playing the killer in the room. Now the friends have less than an hour to escape a legitimate killer.

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I know it sounds weird. How could a movie be worth anything with four people locked in a room with the killer? Well I’m not going to spoil it but there is a way that makes it compelling. Escape Room is a pulse-pounding suspense thriller that will leave you breathless.

It has been some time since I cared about characters so much, perhaps as far back as Scream itself, however I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting to see who would survive. Speaking of Scream, two of the male characters resemble Billy and Stu, but they’re not killers. Perhaps a more accurate comparison would be Chainsaw and Dave from Summer School. However one of them makes a rookie mistake. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what that is.

Ulrich is phenomenal in his role of Brice, the owner of the escape room that is willing to ignore things to keep his business going. However he’s not all that bad of a guy. You will actually be sympathetic to his desperation.

If you like the attractions themselves, Escape Room is a must see film of the year. You can find it now on video on demand services. It may just make you think twice before participating in that particular activity.