If you are a player, after watching any of these movies, you will identify with the characters: locked and having to escape using brain before something between bad and horrible happens. In this post, we enumerate some titles that, because of their similarities with escape rooms, will create complicity with the passionate escaper. Pay attention, some of them can’t be missed!

Cube (1997)

Winner of the best movie and best screenplay awards in the Sitges festival, this Canadian horror, suspense and science-fiction movie had a huge impact and success. Without knowing how, six people appear locked in a complex labyrinth of cubical rooms that hide mortal traps. Several escape rooms are based and set on this film, one of the essentials of this list. The sequel Cube 2: Hypercube (2002) and the prequel Cube Zero (2004) complete the saga.

Saw (2004)

All began with an Australian short film in 2003. This 9-minutes piece was the starting point to build the plot of the first of the 9 titles of the Saw saga, famous for its intrigues, gore images and an overwhelming psychological suspense. With puzzles having a lot of prominence, it inspires several escape rooms recreating its stages and riddles. Even if you are not a fan of the genre, we strongly recommend watching the first film of the saga: simply a masterpiece.

La Habitación de Fermat (Fermat’s Room) (2007)

Written and directed by Luis Piedrahíta (a famous Spanish comedian, magician and producer), in this movie four mathematicians, who don’t know one another, are invited by a mysterious host to a retired place with the excuse of solving a big enigma. But, once there, they find out that there’s something more. A good movie, very recommended.

Breathing Room (2008)

All of a sudden, a young woman appears in a strange room with twelve more people. They are part of a game, in which they will have to use their wit to escape. A decent movie.

Exam (2009)

In this British thriller, a group of candidates compete in one exam to get a juicy job. If they leave the room, they lose (just as in real escape rooms!). It maintains very well the spectator interest. They have 80 minutes…

Don’t Breathe (2016)

Three young people break into a house with the intention of robbing. Once inside, they realize their mistake. The spectator lives from the screen the real concept of escaping a room (or better, as in the best escape rooms, a house) taken to the extreme. A good movie that, in fact, inspires one of the probably best escape room experiences in the world (Don’t Take a Breath, from Verone Escape Rooms, in Athens).

Escape Room of Peter Dukes (2017)

First movie of this list that actually takes place in a real escape room. In fact, in a typical one with a chained zombie. The owner fancies a peculiar wooden box to complete the decoration and buys it despite the warning of the seller. The box turns out to be cursed and possesses the actor during a game. Being honest, it’s not a good movie. At most, it just aims at entertaining the audience.

Escape Room of Will Wernick (2017)

Six friends decide to test their intelligence in one escape room, but the game takes a dark turn and they have one hour to solve all puzzles and escape the room alive. Don’t be fooled by the premise, it is actually a very bad movie, probably the worst of this list. Criticized for the bad interpretations of the actors, not being that enough, the end doesn’t explain anything. Not even the killer identity. Unless you’re curious about how bad the movie is, don’t waste your time watching it.

No Escape Room (2018)

This time, father and daughter are the ones deciding to try an escape room. During the game they will realize, alongside other three players they are joined with, that they are actually playing for their lives. Again, a bad movie, at least able to entertain.

Escape Room (2019)

First decent (very decent) movie taking place in an escape room. Six players, who don’t know one another, are individually invited and economically motivated to achieve exiting on time. In this case, there is an actual plot to discover and a proper end, where the sequel Escape Room 2 (2020) continues.

Bonus track: Race to Escape

We include it in this list, even if it’s not a movie, because it clearly shows the boom of the phenomenon. It’s a Science Channel (of the American’s Discovery TV) series where two teams compete in identical rooms, at the same time, for 25.000 dollars each chapter.

Bonus track: Big Bang Theory 8×16

Finally, we share the famous scene of The Big Bang Theory in which Leonard, Amy, Rajesh and Emily go to an escape room (and, of course, they break the record). It’s priceless.

After this review of escape rooms in the big and small screen, in case you’re encouraged to watch any of the movies, we hope you’ll enjoy!