Room Escape Artist

The Haunted Theater is one of the best escape rooms in Eastern Pennsylvania. Here are our recommendations for great escape rooms in the Eastern Pennsylvania area.

Someone left the ghost light on…

Location:  Bethlehem, PA

Date Played: July 25, 2021

Team Size: 4-7; we recommend 2-6 (though the current minimum booking is 4 players)

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $28.50 per player; minimum of 4 players

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: One step, not necessary for all players

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Captured LV’s latest game at their Bethlehem, PA location might be new, but the game itself is a spooky time capsule taking you back to the 1920s. The designers of The Haunted Theater clearly wanted to evoke the creepiness inherent in an abandoned and possibly haunted location. I believe they achieved that through a mix of sound, lighting, and possibly some supernatural help.

The Haunted Theater was an entertaining room to be in, and I would have liked to have played longer. Admittedly, our team of three set the top time for escaping, but we did this without trying for it. This isn’t an attempt at a humblebrag; it’s just to point out that there was some more time and underutilized space to incorporate another puzzle or two.

Not only were most of the puzzles very on-theme for a spooky theater back room, but every puzzle in The Haunted Theater was fun to work through. Each team member went back to a device that had been used already just to play with it. The experience as a whole was very enjoyable. There were almost always multiple puzzles open to solve at any time, allowing each player to stay busy and engaged in the game. If you’re in the area, this is a game worth checking out.

Who is this for?

• Story seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Musical theater fans
• Any experience level
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Story

While taking a tour of downtown Bethlehem’s historic Ritz Theatre, we had made an unplanned stop in the haunted dressing room of Lily L’Amour, an actress who had mysteriously disappeared many years ago. Now strange things were happening there, and it was up to us to break the curse.

Setting

The Haunted Theater took place in more of a haunted dressing room/ backstage area than a theater itself. The decor was period-appropriate for the 1920s, the time period of the story’s background. In addition to the set dressing, Captured LV did a good job with creating a spooky atmosphere using light, sound, and props.

Gameplay

The gameplay was based around puzzling, making connections, and some searching. The puzzles in The Haunted Theater were mostly themed around what you would find in the backstage area of an old theater.

Analysis

➕ The Haunted Theater started off with a strong opening set piece, setting the mood and introducing a character.

➕ Many elements of the set were designed to create an atmosphere with a haunted vibe, and they work well together.

➖ One puzzle when completed had no audio cue announcing what had happened, which was notable in its absence compared to other puzzles.

➕/➖ Two separate audio puzzles were distinct from each other and not easily confused, but audio puzzles are not typically near the top of anyone’s favorite puzzle type and it was a bit too much of one style.

➖ Because most puzzles felt like they belonged in the space, the very few that did not stood out and we questioned whether Captured LV Bethlehem could have created a more on-theme puzzle.

➕ The Haunted Theater had great lock mapping; there was never a question about which lock would open with a key we had found.

Tips For Visiting

• Parking: Captured LV is in downtown Bethlehem and there is plenty of metered street parking as well as a parking lot behind the building off of West Broad Street.
• Food: Main Street and the surrounding area has plenty of options to choose from.

Book your hour with Captured LV’s The Haunted Theater, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.