
Anyone who has been to an Escape Room knows just how fun they can be! Usually adopting certain themes, the game requires you to solve a series of puzzles within an allotted time in order to escape from the room. If you manage to decipher the clues before the time runs out – you win. If not – you lose. Sounds like the ideal premise for a horror movie, right? Writer Lizze Gordon would agree!
Synopsis
Omar Gooding (Barbershop) and Nicholas Turturro (BlacKkKlansman) feature in this summer’s most terrifying enigma of frights, Escape : Puzzle of Fear!
Hot-shot Hollywood agent Matthew Blake (Tommy Nash) has a dark past. He thinks that he is on his way to a double date with his oldest friend to a new Escape Room in Los Angeles. When the couples are locked into the Escape Room, Matthew quickly finds himself at the center of a revenge plot meant to right the wrongs of his past, with deadly results.

Starring Aubrey Reynolds in a pivotal role, the story plays out as you’d expect it. Unsurprisingly, the Escape Room turns out to be more sinister than initially thought. What follows is a series of trials that gradually uncover Matthew’s sinister past. Now, to be honest, this was predictable from the first flashback scene and I don’t think it was meant to be a jaw-dropping bombshell when the secrets are uncovered. However, that being said, there was a nice twist at the end which was satisfying enough to finish the movie on.

Lizze Gordon is definitely a Writer/Director to keep an eye on and certainly making her mark on the horror industry. We recently reviewed her spellbinding feature Coven and this latest feature shows just how versatile she can be. But, as with any upcoming filmmaker, there are always issues with budget. Escape: Puzzle of Fear would definitely benefit from a financial injection to rectify some of the disappointing effects that are used. For instance, whilst the electric shock scene provided a nostalgic trip to the days of yore, the blue lightning effects tend to detract from productions made in this day and age.
Overall
Overall, the movie was enjoyable with quite a good storyline. Think Saw without the gore, combined with a milder I Spit On Your Grave storyline and you’ll be close. Cinematography was great for the majority and the acting was pretty good as well. Aubrey Reynolds in particular delivered a stand up performance and was certainly well cast for the role.
Check out the trailer!
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You can check out the Escape: Puzzle of Fear IMDB page here