Welcome to a nightmare: Escape rooms open in Carlsbad
Owner comes up with scary themes
CARLSBAD — An odor of rotting flesh enveloped the room.
As the freezer door of a refrigerator opened, a disembodied head was discovered along with its stench.
Blood streaked across the walls, and the face of a strange clown peered down from the wall.
Genia and Sandy Hood were trapped.
The mother and daughter anxiously searched for clues that could help them escape from the basement of serial killer Eddie “Hambone” Hamm.
They made it with seconds to spare, and left with an experience they’ll never forget.
“When you first get in there, they’ve got locks on everything,” said Sandy Hood, 55. “You’re just wondering, ‘How am I going to get out?’ ”
That question is the driving force behind Entrapment Escape Rooms, one of Carlsbad’s newest entertainment options.
Players are locked in the room where they must find clues and solve puzzles to get out.
The rooms are themed based on narratives created by 25-year-old business owner Destini Palen.
She wrote the story of Hambone, and her father created an introductory video to show players before the game begins.
“I’ve always been into horror,” she said. “I can picture the room and make it happen.”
It was earlier this year when Palen, who is also a supervisor at a frac sand company, was inspired by her parents’ enthusiasm for escape rooms after they visited one in Kentucky.
She always wanted to start her own business, and the escape rooms proved a perfect opportunity to combine Palen’s entrepreneurial spirit and taste for the gothic.
“They’re addicting,” she said. “Once you do it, you can’t stop.”
After months of research, and visits to escape rooms in Roswell and Albuquerque, Palen began renovating a vacant former thrift store on South Canal Street.
The business hosted its grand opening on Sept. 7, and Palen said since opening about 30 groups of all ages have taken on the challenge.
She prides herself on making the gory special effects and makeup look as realistic as possible, but maintains the game is family friendly.
Still, it can be stressful. Palen said a teenage girl suffered a panic attack during the challenge and had to leave.
“I want to do something everyone can enjoy,” she said. “I just can’t see myself only working at a desk.”
Aside from family bonding, Palen said the escape rooms can provide a venue for team-building exercises and friendly competition among coworkers.
If all goes well, Palen said she hopes to open a second location in El Paso.
“It can keep kids out of trouble and give them something creative to do with their mind,” she said. “We don’t have anything here but the movie theater. This will draw a crowd.”
Such a crowd can expect to encounter a corpse somewhere during the challenge. Palen was vague in describing the story itself, so as not to ruin the plot for future attendees.
But she did confess that her grandmother is “the body” for many of the challenges.
George Anna Stockton, 65, first started helping with supervising younger customers, but she soon wanted to do more.
Now Stockton is a regular performer among a team of actors that interact with players during the game.
“I think it’s awesome for the kids,” she said. “There’s nothing in Carlsbad for them. There’s nothing like it here. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Stockton recalled terrifying two men during a challenge, pointing out that it isn’t just for kids.
“I’ve had grown men that have almost killed themselves trying to get out,” she said. “They tripped all over each other.”
The Hood family took a more methodical approach, using teamwork to calmly solve the puzzle leading to escape.
They did struggle, but in the end evaded whatever tortuous acts the killer had in mind.
“You have to work as a team to get out,” said Sandy Hood. “You can’t just do it on your own.”
Anyone interested in taking on the challenge can make a reservation on Entrapment Escape Rooms’ Facebook page, or by calling 575-689-1999.
Games are $25 per person and are available Thursday through Saturday, but Palen said she can make schedule adjustments if a group needs to reserve a day earlier in the week.
As of about a few weeks ago, the serial killer room was the only option. A nuclear lab-themed room is in the works.
Palen also plans to add an exorcism-themed room, hopefully in time for Halloween.