Escape Room is a 2019 American psychological horror survival film directed by Adam Robitel and written by Bragi F. Schut and Maria Melnik. It follows six strangers who are lured into a deadly, high-stakes escape room game run by a shadowy corporation called Minos. What starts as a $10,000 prize quickly turns into a fight for survival as the rooms become lethal.
Plot
Six people from different walks of life receive mysterious black puzzle boxes inviting them to compete in an exclusive escape room with a massive cash prize:
- Zoey – shy physics student
- Ben – dead-end stock boy
- Jason – cocky Wall Street broker
- Mike – blue-collar truck driver
- Amanda – traumatized Iraq War veteran
- Danny – enthusiastic escape-room geek
Once inside the sleek, high-tech waiting room, the doors lock and the game begins without warning. Each subsequent room is elaborately themed (upside-down billiards bar, frozen lake cabin, 70s psychedelic lounge, etc.) and rigged with life-threatening puzzles that exploit the players’ personal traumas and weaknesses. As the body count rises, the survivors realize they weren’t chosen at random—and the people behind Minos will kill to keep their secrets.
Cast
- Taylor Russell as Zoey Davis
- Logan Miller as Ben Miller
- Deborah Ann Woll as Amanda Harper
- Tyler Labine as Mike Nolan
- Nik Dodani as Danny Khan
- Jay Ellis as Jason Walker
- Yorick van Wageningen as the Gamemaster
Additionally, Cornelius Geaney Jr. appears as Zoey's professor while Jessica Sutton portrays her roommate, Allison. Russell Crous portrays Charlie, Jason's assistant; Bart Fouche portrays Gary, Ben's boss; Kenneth Fok portrays Detective Li; and Jamie-Lee Money portrays Rosa, a fake flight attendant who works for Minos. Director Adam Robitel also has a minor role in the film as a character named Gabe.
Release
Escape Room was released in the United States on January 4, 2019, by Columbia Pictures (via Sony Pictures Releasing). It grossed over $155 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its atmosphere, cast, and production design, but criticized the familiar plot and its failure to take full advantage of its premise. It was followed by the sequel Escape Room: Tournament of Champions in 2021.