Yesterday I found myself in a variety of situations I never imagined I would ever be in; my hand hovering just above a garbage disposal, my arm reaching deep in a toilet, my entire body lying flat inside one of those cold chambers morgues use to store dead bodies. It was all part of The Purge: Breakout, an immersive escape experience that draws fans into the world of The Purge franchise.
The premise is simple. Survive.
It’s the eve of the Purge, an annual event where for 12 hours all criminal activity becomes legal, and you have been kidnapped by a sick and twisted killer. Locked in his demented house, you have 30 minutes to escape captivity before the Purge commences and he tortures you to death. Can you survive the night?
The experience was akin to a live action version of those “escape from the room” video games. If you’ve never played one, you basically have to search a room for clues and solve puzzles that ultimately lead to a key that unlocks the door to freedom.
You’re not alone in your attempt to escape. I was paired with two fellow member of the press, but the experience will have up to six people working together to solve the puzzles of the murder house. You’re also joined by another girl who has been kidnapped by the murder who somewhat guides your group in the escape, banging on walls and pointing to where potential clues can be found. She doesn’t make the puzzles any easier to solve, though.
Many of the puzzles task you with finding keys or the numbers to a combination lock. All the rooms are dimly lit so it’s difficult to see let alone unlock a padlock. We improvised and use our cellphones to shine some light on the situation, but afterwards we found out that patrons won’t be allowed to bring in any devices. It’s difficult, but not impossible.
There were a few instances during our experience that felt somewhat cheap. At one point we had to call a phone number and enter a PIN, but the phone itself had trouble registering the numbers when dialed, resulting in precious minutes lost redialing the number multiple times. Another time a lock wouldn’t budge even when we had the right combination. These were both fixable offenses, though, so they shouldn’t have any problem in getting things right. We were, after all, one of the first groups to go through it.
The whole Breakout experience takes place within two semi-trailers and they’ve done an excellent job at disguising them as a murder’s home complete with dimly lit hallways, a disgustingly unkempt bathroom, and a blood-soaked bedroom. It definitely has that Purge feel to it, especially when the warning alarm goes off every five minutes warning you of the fast approaching Purge hour.
There are also plenty of little Easter eggs scattered throughout to give it a more authentic look and feel. The security system you have to disarm, for instance, is named after Ethan Hawke’s character from the first film. There isn’t much time to appreciate it all, though, as you’ll be in quite the rush to escape. 30 minutes may seem like a long time, but there are a lot of rooms full of puzzles to get through.
Our group managed to make it through the majority of them before the sirens went off, signaling the start of the annual Purge and our imminent deaths. If you do manage to complete the experience and survive, you’ll be rewarded with an “I survived the Purge” t-shirt. Those that are butchered into tiny pieces don’t walk away empty handed either, though. We were told that there will be a camera set up to take a picture the moment before your “death” that you can then get framed afterwards.
The Purge: Breakout is a fun and thrilling experience that accurately captures the spirit of the films. It isn’t exactly scary, but that’s the point. The experience is meant to be interactive and not just some walk through haunted house. It puts you in the world of the films and challenges you survive.
Fans can experience The Purge: Breakout for themselves in Atlanta through June 1, 2014. Details and tickets are available through the official website. Use the promo code PURGE10 to get $10 off your ticket.The tour will continue to travel to Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles up until the release of The Purge: Anarchy on July 18, 2014. Be sure to also check out our interview with star Zach Gilford in which he tells us about his own experience with The Purge: Breakout!