Mike Schnurr
- Oct 22, 2021
- 5 min read

Intruder Escape™ Black Light Entertainment© - "The Clown Academy"

Updated: Apr 9

LOCATION:  Los Angeles, California, USA

Photo above is property of Intruder Escape ™Black Light Entertainment ©

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: The Clown Academy
📅 DATE PLAYED: October 22, 2021
🎬 GENRE: Horror (Interactive Haunt)
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 2/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: Up to 4 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 10-15 Mins.
💰 PRICE: $25.00/ pp
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

Keep reading till the end for the exclusive interview with the co-creator, Cameron Cooper!

📖 THE STORY

The Clown Academy sought to bring clowning into the mainstream. Back in 1901, it was founded and the first students entered, the school quickly started to expand after that. It spread throughout the US and was quite the prestigious academy for fifty years. Then in 1951, the "Clowning Act" was passed and started shutting down these schools' locations due to “malpractice'' and “disappearance” rumors; now in 2021 only one building remains in Southern California. They have shortly opened their doors to the public to show all that they have changed their ways...or have they...

👀 THE EXPERIENCE

The Clown Academy is a self proclaimed Interactive Haunt. Where most haunted houses have you walk through each room getting scared by an actor and proceeding to the next room. TCA seeks to have you get scared through not only those jump scares but through actor interactions that take place in each room your small group of people encounter. You and up to three others will embark on this journey together and it is up to you to make it to the end of the maze. This is not a haunted house where the actors can touch you, but you, as a group, are expected to talk to them and play their little games. The games are fairly simple but under the pressure of a creepy clown staring you in the face, even the most tough of your group might get goosebumps and slip up.

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

The set's design and atmosphere adds very well to the overall story and creepiness one can experience while making their way through the school. There are a lot of different types of rooms to convey during the walkthrough attraction and each was distinctly unique.
Interacting with the actors is a wonderful experience. Each actor does their best to introduce you to the games they want you to play while staying in character and scaring the daylights out of your group.
Escape room enthusiasts will be pleased to know that at portions during the game, there are puzzles to solve. None of these are hard puzzles but when you work under pressure or under the guise of a clown, tripping up on the simplest of solutions may be your downfall.
Waiting in line can be the most annoying part of any haunted house but thankfully TCA has a bunch of distractions to keep your group occupied. Some of these included magicians, carnival games, and movies to watch.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

Going through with a group of one, I finished the house in five minutes. Black Light advertises the experience to take 10-15mins. This does run on the short side but with the actor's interactions in larger groups I believe the time limit to make sense. It is a very fast haunt and which could make the price point a little high but the work and quality involved justifies twenty five dollars per person.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

ESCAPETHEROOMers seek to bring not only honest reviews of escape rooms but other attractions that an escape room enthusiast might enjoy. The Clown Academy was created by a couple escape room junkies who blended what they saw in rooms and things they could add from haunts and gives an extremely unique haunted attraction. The more you interacted with the creeps in the maze, the more you would get out of the haunt. Each room you went into was very well created and there were even some creative effects that added to the tension of the haunt. The largest issue of the experience was the length. I blinked and it was over. It does not mean I did not have a blast while being led around in the clown school. Black Light put on a wonderful production where those who lived around the LA area could have a scary and new type of haunt.

Photos above are property of Intruder Escape ™Black Light Entertainment ©

🎙️ Exclusive Interview w/ the Co-creator, Cameron Cooper

Mike (ESCAPETHEROOMers):

How long have you been producing these experiences?

Cameron (Intruder Escape):

I have been producing these attractions for around four years now. This is the most unique experience as our others usually take place out on a ranch where intruders capture you as your group performs tasks. We are currently working on something special for the springtime!

Mike (ESCAPETHEROOMers):

How long has this haunt been in the works?

Cameron (Intruder Escape):

The idea for The Clown Academy has been around since February. Throughout that time we worked hard trying to produce a venue and create the world that would be scaring guests. Breaking ground started in June and working really hard for the next four months, TCA came together into the experience it is today.

Mike (ESCAPETHEROOMers):

What can victims' guests expect to experience during their time in the Clown Academy?

Cameron (Intruder Escape):

During their visit, guests can expect to have an entertaining time while still feeling completely safe. We are looking to give the public a fun experience, we don’t want to terrify them. This is not an extreme haunt, the actors cannot touch you but you can/(and have to) touch the scenery and sets to make your way through.

Mike (ESCAPETHEROOMers):

What do you classify this experience as and what makes it stand out from other haunts currently in operation?

Cameron (Intruder Escape):

TCA is first and foremost a task-based experience, calling it an interactive haunted attraction. This is similar but not as extreme as 17th door, located here in LA. There is no shock, bugs or drowning. A lot of these rooms, actually, came from inspirations found in escape rooms. One room in particular was taken directly from an escape room and made even more creepy and “deadly”.

Mike (ESCAPETHEROOMers):

What made you want to design an interactive haunt?

Cameron (Intruder Escape):

The idea came from escape rooms and mixing my worst fear. I am truly terrified of being home and having someone break into the house and encountering that situation. I figured that I might be able to marry the two ideas together. Part of that came to fruition with The Intruder Escape app that we created, as well as our previous endeavors. As escape rooms became more popular, mixing puzzles and interactive elements seemed to be the next best idea.

Mike (ESCAPETHEROOMers):

Why clowns? What was the inspiration behind the storyline to the maze?

Cameron (Intruder Escape):

Believe it or not, I actually love clowns and the circus. I always thought they were intriguing and I am very familiar that not everyone feels the same way I do. With the interactivity for the idea I had this fall, I wanted to design something that I both love and would work well in the medium.

Mike (ESCAPETHEROOMers):

What are your top Escape Rooms?

Cameron (Intruder Escape):

My favorite room is Elevator Shaft at The Basement here in LA. The puzzles and design they did in that room is astonishing. My second favorite has to be Oz from Mind Trap. I love a good Wizard of Oz story and they nailed it (Unfortunately Oz has been retired).

*** We regret to inform this company has closed its doors ***

(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)

Disclosure: We thank Intruder Escape ™Black Light Entertainment © for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.