Review of “Hollywood Premiere” at Escape the Mystery Room

You have been selected to take part in a new TV celebrity reality show “Name That Celebrity”. You have 50 minutes to identify a hidden celebrity and if you are really good, go for the Bonus Prize by also correctly identifying which hidden booth they are in.

I generally try to give reviews in a way that let people make a decision on whether or not they want to try a room for themselves. However, with thousands of 5-star reviews that visitors are pressured to leave, you’re not going to get a clear picture of the experience from Google. At the time of writing this review, this is the lowest-scoring room we’ve done.

When it comes to immersion, there’s no such thing. The bedroom of a teenager with a love for movies or a seasonal display at WalMart is more immersive than this. A handful of props litter the room and large decals and posters are stuck to the walls. Several props are aged or broken. The lighting is fluorescent, the walls and floors white, and the sounds from every other room come flooding in. It’s not hard to solve the challenges related to HVAC or fire code limitations – you just need to be willing to try.

There is a theme but there really is no story. There is no reason for you to be there solving puzzles. This was fine years ago when escape rooms were new to North America, but not anymore. The puzzles fit the theme, but there is no logical progression – hints on cards will tell you what to do next.

The customer service was good. The people at the front are friendly and were great to deal with. They did as they were told by their employers – they said “please scan my QR code and give a 5-star review because it helps me out.”

We typically do several rooms at a stop but, even after driving a long way, we just left.