The Phantom of the Opera Escape Room I Couldn’t Escape: Review

As the title suggests, this review details a Phantom of the Opera escape room operated by Over the Moon Escape Rooms in Corona, California. Before I share the story of my experience, here are some facts about me which you may wish to consider….

I’ve been performing in the haunted attraction industry for ten years. When tallying a list of immersive horror attractions I have visited or worked on, I stopped at one hundred. I’m also a historian, with a repertoire of published works relating to themed entertainment and film history. When it comes to classic monster film history, my chosen field of study is the Phantom of the Opera. I’m grateful to say I once visited the 1925 Paris Opera House set within Stage 28 on the Universal Studios backlot; I’ve also read Gaston Leroux’s novel, produced a podcast about Becky Laff’s graphic novel adaptation, and even worked on a forthcoming feature film titled Phantom, reimagining the classic story for the big screen once again.

And yet, somehow… I couldn’t escape this Phantom of the Opera-themed room.

Is that a good thing, or a word of warning? Depending on who you are, dear reader, it could be both. If you are a seasoned escape room expert with a team of fellow puzzle masters by your side, Over the Moon Escape Rooms might just be the challenge you’re looking for. With top-of-the-line production value and seemingly never-ending puzzles, guests are successfully immersed within the mystery of the Phantom of the Opera in a way no other attraction I’ve experienced has offered. With a reported 70% ratio of teams escaping successfully, it seems many amateur detectives may agree.

Perhaps it’s important to mention that I took on the Phantom room alone, when its puzzles are designed to accommodate groups of 2-6 guests. If I had been provided more time to compensate for my lack of teammates, I likely would have escaped eventually. My friendly attraction host did remark that I made it farther than some groups do, however, and that I came uncharacteristically close to reaching the solution as a solo player. Challenge accepted! With your team working to solve several puzzles at once, you’ll likely fare even better than I did with my two hands and singular brain.

For everyone’s sake, I won’t be sharing any spoilers from my experience, aside from story-related details that may convince uncertain horror fans to visit the attraction. The official Over the Moon Escape Rooms website describes the room’s setup like this:

You are on a backstage tour of the famous Paris Opera House, the site of many strange accidents and legends – the most popular of which is THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Over thirty years after the famous tale these dressing rooms are still experiencing strange phenomena, but by what? Can you discover the secrets hidden within and far below this iconic venue? Can you escape in time, or will you too become another victim of the Opera Ghost?

As the backstory suggests, your experience begins within a dressing room once occupied by the famous Christine Daaé. If you are familiar with the classic Phantom of the Opera story, you may already know a thing or two about the significance of this particular location. Your objective within the context of the game is to unlock several items (such as cupboards and trunks) to advance your position. In true escape room fashion, the keys or combinations needed to unlock said items aren’t exactly acquired easily. Perhaps rummaging through the Opera’s supply of cloaks, dresses, and tutus will uncover helpful secrets… or misleading red herrings.

If you need additional information along the way, Over the Moon’s creative hint-giving system may provide a supernatural helping hand. (I unashamedly opted to use these hints on more than one occasion, as some of the exceptionally difficult puzzles were restricting access to the story’s progression.) Set to the tune of well-chosen classical selections, including Mozart’s Requiem and Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, the mystery intensifies as your timed hour-long quest ticks away. If you’re clever enough to find them, notes from Christine and the mysterious Madame Giry periodically drive the story to a chilling subterranean showdown.

The intellectual property-based rooms at Over the Moon seem to be written to accommodate audiences with little-to-no outside familiarity of the original stories or themes therein. That being said, “Phans” will appreciate the inclusion of more than a few references to familiar Phantom of the Opera characters and props (look closely at my commemorative photo taken within the room). As a haunted attraction professional, I was also pleased to find one or two specific “scary” story points included in Over the Moon’s interpretation of the Phantom’s playground. Whether or not you’ll have the same experiences I did depends on how far you’re willing to go to unmask the mystery of the Angel of Music….

With the quality of a Southern California theme park attraction, Over the Moon Escape Rooms offers an exceptionally rewarding experience for Phantom of the Opera enthusiasts and escape room experts alike. While I personally felt some of the puzzles were too difficult for small groups or restricting to the overall story, I had a great time discovering what this talented team of theatre-based artists put together in the relatively small town of Corona. Finding affordable year-round entertainment outside of the usual seasonal hotspots can be refreshing – and in my opinion, crucial to growth as a storyteller. I’ve always enjoyed experiencing a variety of attractions, especially once I discovered the subgenre of classic monster-themed escape rooms. That’s a longer story for another time.

I’ll be back to Over the Moon Escape Rooms soon, heading down once more to tackle the rest of the mystery. Gather your crew and visit https://www.overthemoonescaperooms.com to face off against the Phantom of the Opera today.

– AJ Danna