When it’s stormy, snowing and dark outside, it’s better to stay at home. An escape room movie and puzzle movies are just the thing. What do we mean by that? Now that the cozy season is here again, when you want to spend cosy evenings in front of the TV, real escape room fans naturally browse the various video streaming providers specifically for films where it’s fun to guess along or where you can get a little spooky at home in the comfort of your own home. To make your search a little easier, we have compiled the best-known puzzle films in this blog article and provide you with a little information about the content and reviews that these films have received.
Rating scale 1-10: 1 means terrible (and terribly weak), 10 means terribly good.
Escape room movies – “instant classic” or so-so?
Escape room movie 1: Escape room
The film with the simple title “Escape Room” from 2019 must clearly be described as the “father of all escape room films”. This American box office hit (production costs: $9 million, box office takings: $155 million!) is about a macabre game of life and death. One participant after another tragically dies. Definitely not recommended for the faint-hearted! Our rating: 7 out of 10
Escape Room Movie 2: Escape Room 2: No Way Out
As was to be expected after the sensational success of “Escape Room”, the sequel “Escape Room 2: No Way Out” followed in 2021. Here, the two survivors from part 1 try to avenge the death of their former teammates. Not really a good idea, as the gruesome game starts all over again with new players in a completely different environment. If you liked part 1, you won’t be disappointed here either, the film is even more fast-paced and is currently still showing in cinemas worldwide. Our rating: 8 out of 10
Escape room film 3: Escape Room – The game goes on
A little confusing in terms of the chronology of escape room films, as this one was made in 2017 and is considered the weakest compared to the two escape room films mentioned above. There is also a lot of death here and a desperate attempt is made to combine suspense with horror. Genre fans criticize not only the weak dialogue and mediocre acting performances, but above all the unsatisfactory ending, which leaves the viewer perplexed and with many unanswered questions. Our rating: 3 out of 10
Escape room movie 4: Follow Me
The director of “Escape Room – The Game Goes On” was not discouraged by the consistently poor reviews and also made a follow-up film in 2020 with “Follow Me”. However, this does not follow on from the plot of the first film and is also a lot better than the first attempt. Many critics noted that the film is strongly reminiscent of the torture horror films “Saw” and “Hostel”, as it is also quite bloody and brutal here. In any case, this escape room movie is solid fan fare with a surprising twist at the end. Our rating: 6 out of 10
More puzzle films and series
Here are a few more movie tips that don’t deal directly with the subject of escape rooms, but which will keep you guessing and excited.
Sherlock Holmes
Between 2010 and 2017, 13 episodes were produced, each 90 minutes long. In this series, the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. John Hamish Watson are set in modern-day London. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock Holmes has an above-average intellect, a phenomenal memory and solid hand-to-hand combat training. However, he is a rather unsympathetic loner who is more interested in his cases than the suffering of the victims. He repeatedly denies his psychopathic traits and characterizes himself as a highly functional sociopath. Absolutely worth seeing entertainment with very unusual cases. Our rating: 7 out of 10
Elona Holmes
This 2020 Netflix production is about the 16-year-old sister of Sherlock Holmes. The action of this 123-minute feature film takes place in London in 1884. Elona is brought up by her mother Eudoria in a remote country house and learns science, literature, martial arts and chess from her. On her sixteenth birthday, Elona’s mother disappears without a trace, but leaves her money and a message in which she advises her to take her fate into her own hands from now on. Her brothers Mycroft and Sherlock want to look after her, but she runs away to look for her mother and has all kinds of adventures as a result. Very entertaining and never boring for a second. Cinema for the whole family. Our rating: 6 out of 10
Outer Banks
A feel-good series about a group of teenagers who go in search of a gold treasure and have exciting adventures in the beautiful setting of the Outer Banks archipelago off North Carolina. It is completely incomprehensible and annoying that the role of a supposedly 17-year-old is played by a 28-year-old actor who looks 30. The logical errors also increase from episode to episode. If you can ignore all that, you’ll be served entertaining popcorn cinema that is definitely exciting, but is so clichédly American that it sometimes really hurts! Our rating: 4 out of 10
Unsolved Mysteries
This true crime series, which mainly deals with spectacular unsolved criminal cases, has been running since 1987. To date, 557 episodes have been published. Since 2017, 20 seasons have been available free of charge on YouTube via the official Unsolved Mysteries channel. Netflix produced twelve more episodes in 2020. Fortunately, the series is not just about unsolved cases. The crimes that have been solved are of course much more interesting for escape room fans than the many unsolved crimes that leave you baffled. Our rating: 5 out of 10
Squid Game
A mysterious organization gives indebted people in South Korea with no prospects the opportunity to take part in a game and win billions. The big catch is that the winners of each round of the game are determined in a brutal knock-out process – the losers are killed. Of the 456 participants, only 201 are still alive after the first game. Each round of the game of life and death is based on a different Korean children’s game. At the end, a single participant who has survived all the murderous tasks will win the prize money. The nine-episode season was produced by Netflix and has become the streaming service’s most successful series launch. A nerve-wracking thriller with socially critical elements. Our rating: 8 out of 10
Conclusion: Escape room film and puzzle films
An escape room movie and puzzle movies offer an ideal opportunity to experience entertainment with suspense, horror and guessing fun in your own four walls, especially during the time of inclement weather; sometimes in better quality, sometimes with a touch of trash. Whatever you choose – we wish you lots of fun and good entertainment!
