The entertainment industry has changed a lot over the course of the past couple of years in a way that people need interaction to be entertained. Watching movies and going to the theatre is still popular, and it will most likely stay the number one choice for most people. But what about those who need other types of entertainment to actually be satisfied?
Horror houses and escape rooms have become a popular choice for many in search of a different way to have fun. We’ll talk about what’s different between an escape room and a horror house, and what each of these venues has to offer to the participants.
What Is a Horror House, and What Is an Escape Room?
As escape rooms and horror houses attract more and more visitors, it’s worth saying what’s exactly different between an escape room and a horror house.
A horror house is a venue created to cause fear in people that visit. These venues usually recreate famous places and situations from popular horror films and stories that bring chills to the bones.
These places not only look scary on the outside, but they look and feel scary the moment you step inside. Sound effects, chills, and screams are what you can expect once you enter a horror house.
On the other hand, an escape room works differently. It can be a scary venue, but it doesn’t have to be. What’s different between an escape room and a horror house is that an escape room requires the participants to work together to solve puzzles that will lead them out.
Escape rooms are full of different puzzles that require people to work and think together. Most escape room adventures last for 60 minutes, and all of the escape rooms have different situations the participants get to choose. It all starts with a mission video all the participants need to watch to get the clues on how to start and accomplish their goals.
Situational Immersion
The biggest difference between horror houses and escape rooms is how people experience them. When it comes to horror houses, it doesn’t offer more interaction with the situation than going for a tour. Yes, the visitors will experience exactly what they want, but it’s not by doing something. The popularity of horror houses was fueled by the fact that it helped people realize that some of their worst fears were a figment of their imagination.
When it comes to escape rooms, they not only offer visual interaction with the visitors, but an adventure where all the visitors need to interact with the surroundings they find themselves in. Escape rooms are more than just fun and games. It’s something that brings you to think outside the box and solve mysteries in front of you.
That makes for the biggest difference between an escape room and a horror house. Even though people tend to see them as the same, horror houses aren’t for everyone just as escape rooms aren’t for everyone. They are different even though they can stimulate the same emotions. Horror houses are meant to only cause excitement and fear, while escape rooms create an hour-long adventure that can only be scary, but it doesn’t mean it has to.
Mental and Emotional Stimulation
Both escape rooms and horror houses are really fun, but the reason why they’re so popular is that they stimulate us in different ways. That’s why movies with a strong message do so well, and that’s why people are looking for different types of entertainment that will stimulate them rather than just waste their time for an hour or two.
If you’re looking for mental stimulation, escape rooms are a perfect choice. They’re meant to make you think about situations you usually won’t find yourself in and that will create a fun adventure for you and everyone else involved. It’s meant for people who need more than a movie to be entertained and who like to be challenged mentally instead of physically.
On the other hand, emotional stimulation is caused by horror houses and similar venues. There’s a lot less interaction with props and technology compared to escape rooms. But, it does offer emotional stimulation in a way that different props and effects cause the visitors frights and scares by the very things they’re most afraid of. These kinds of intense emotions tend to change people and realize that facing their fear is the best thing they can do in their life.
Props and Tech Usage
Regarding props and technology, both kinds of venues use various things to improve the experience. The difference between escape room and horror house is the fact that the props are used in a different way.
When it comes to horror houses, the props and technology aren’t something the visitors interact with. The props and technology are used to cause emotional stimulation of the visitors in the best way they can. In the majority of horror houses, touching or interacting with these things is prohibited because they can break and cause the entire thing to malfunction.
Escape rooms, on the other hand, use props and technology that the visitors can interact with. They are meant to be used as clues and activities that will make the entire experience more fun and engaging.
Regarding sound effects, they’re similar but used for different reasons. In horror houses, sound effects increase the intensity of the expectation of something frightening, while in escape rooms, the sound effects could be used as clues or distractions to make the visitors think harder about the meaning of each sound they hear.
Passive and Active Activities
Another difference between an escape room and a horror house is what you get to do inside. Horror houses are all about wandering around and exploring each and every corner of the house. These are only passive activities you can do, and you’ll get to see and experience only the things you go to.
When it comes to escape rooms, they are designed in a way to make visitors actively participate in creating their own experience. By interacting with the props hidden all around, the visitors are forced to think and engage with everything they see so they can accomplish the ultimate goal of the game.
Is an Escape Room Better Than a Horror House?
The answer is both yes and no. It depends on who you ask. As you know, different people like different things, and not one person will have the same answer to this question.
Both horror houses and escape rooms have their pros and cons, but the thing that these venues have in common is the fact that they’re both designed for people to have fun and enjoy themselves. The thing that can make an escape room or horror house bad is the lack of imagination and the use of low-quality props or technology.
If the designers don’t put in a lot of thought into making everything more attractive and exciting, it won’t take long for people to get bored and customers to start flocking to other places. On the other hand, both escape rooms and horror houses can be heaps of fun if designed well and if you’re visiting with an open mind.
