A new escape room founded by two stuntmen offering "immersive experiences" is set to open in a Huntingdonshire town at the end of this month.
After years working in the film industry on Hollywood blockbusters including Mission Impossible and Gladiator II, Oliver Norfolk and Ben Noble have opened their very own escape room in St Neots.
The Escape House, which officially opens this weekend, promises parties of between two and six people thrilling mysteries, cryptic clues, and mind-bending puzzles when it opens on August 31.
The pair, who met on the set of Gladiator II, said they have tried a number of escape rooms themselves and decided to take their "shared passion" to the next level after finding a former antiques store for sale.
Mr Norfolk said: "Working on set, we spent a lot of time chatting and realised that we both liked escape rooms and puzzles, and that's really where the seed of the idea started to grow.
"When meeting each other we realised that we had a passion for escape rooms and after spending time in Morocco and Malta soon we were said ourselves: 'why not set up our own escape room'.
"Everything we did together and the experiences we shared really fuelled our passion to drive the business idea forward."
With a combined decade of professional experience as stuntmen for the film and television industry, the pair are still working, dedicating weekends to running the Escape House's first room open for bookings: Spellbound.
Centred around the theme of medieval fantasy, Spellbound is the result of what the pair say they like most about the escape rooms they've tried across the world.
Visitors are pitted against the curse of a malevolent wizard and his "fearsome dragon", Grimfang, and must locate the "Spell of Unbinding" to break the enchantment that grips the "Kingdom of Eldermist."
While Spellbound is the only room currently open for bookings, there are already plans in place for two more exciting experiences.
Mr Norfolk said: "We we want to encourage that feeling people when get out and they feel that camaraderie with their team and that excitement for what they've just done.
"If people are struggling with some puzzles - because people interpret things differently - we can given them little hints and nudges along the way, but never without breaking the fourth wall."
The pair explain that they searched for a number of properties in and around Cambridgeshire before settling on their current premises in St Neots.
Mr Noble added: "When we walked into this place it was like a rabbit warren, it was amazing. There were so many different rooms that seemed to go on forever and you don't truly realise how big the building is. We knew as soon as we walked in that this was the one.
"It's perfectly situated in a town which doesn't really have an established escape room business and St Neots is a massive development area itself. With efforts to reinvigorate the high street we hope to be brining more people in."
The Escape House can be found in Fishers Yard just off Market Square.
The experience can be booked for all kinds of events, such as birthdays and team building, and costs £30 per person.
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