For journalists & media
The most immersive horror escape rooms in America.
THE BASEMENT is a live, immersive horror escape room attraction where guests step inside the home of Edward Tandy, a sadistic serial killer with a twisted love for games. Across our locations in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Kansas City, guests search for clues, solve puzzles, uncover hidden secrets, and work together to survive before time runs out.
Unlike traditional escape rooms, THE BASEMENT is designed to feel less like a game and more like stepping into a horror film. Our experiences combine cinematic set design, live performers, practical effects, sound, lighting, story-driven puzzles, and one connected narrative that pulls guests deeper into Edward Tandy's world with every room.
Overview
THE BASEMENT: A Live Escape Room Experience is an immersive horror escape room brand operated by Dark House Entertainment Inc. What began as a single horror escape room in Los Angeles has grown into a multi-city attraction with locations in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Kansas City.
Every experience at THE BASEMENT takes place inside the same larger story world. Guests are not simply locked in a themed room; they are active participants in a dark, cinematic narrative where teamwork, communication, observation, and courage determine whether they survive.
THE BASEMENT is known for its live actors, detailed environments, practical effects, hidden passageways, and intense but story-focused approach to horror. The result is a private, interactive experience built for horror fans, escape room enthusiasts, tourists, date nights, birthday parties, corporate team-building groups, and anyone looking for something more memorable than a typical night out.
At a glance
The experience
Many of our rooms feature live actors who are integrated into the story and gameplay. They are not just there for jump scares. They make the experience feel unpredictable, reactive, and alive.
THE BASEMENT is built around highly detailed environments, practical effects, lighting, sound, movement, and atmosphere. Every room is designed to make guests feel like they have stepped into a horror film.
Each room reveals another piece of Edward Tandy's world. Guests can play one room as a standalone experience or continue deeper into the storyline by playing multiple rooms.
Standard bookings are private, meaning groups are not paired with strangers inside the room. This creates a more personal, intense, and comfortable experience for friends, families, couples, and corporate teams.
THE BASEMENT is intense and suspenseful, but the focus is not cheap jump scares or gore. Our experiences are built around atmosphere, tension, story, teamwork, and puzzle-solving.
THE BASEMENT appeals to horror fans, tourists, locals, first-time players, escape room enthusiasts, team-building groups, birthday parties, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and guests looking for a one-of-a-kind night out.
Where to find us
Sylmar, California
12909 Foothill Blvd, Sylmar, CA 91342 Get directions
Our Los Angeles location is the original home of THE BASEMENT and our largest location. It features multiple interconnected horror escape room experiences, live performers, cinematic sets, and practical effects.
Experiences available:
Near the Las Vegas Strip
3440 Polaris Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89103 Get directions
Located just minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, THE BASEMENT Las Vegas brings the world of Edward Tandy to visitors from around the globe. This location features a polished, story-driven horror experience built for locals, tourists, and private events.
Experiences available:
Downtown Kansas City, Missouri
1612 Grand Ave, Kansas City, MO 64108 Get directions
THE BASEMENT Kansas City is located in the actual basement of a historic building in downtown Kansas City. This location features original Kansas City-exclusive experiences that expand the Edward Tandy storyline in a new direction.
Experiences available:
Spoiler-safe
Guests wake up trapped in the dark, dingy basement of an old house. There are no windows, only a few doors, and the sound of screaming coming from another room. To survive, teams must search carefully, communicate under pressure, and connect clues hidden throughout the space.
Guests find themselves trapped inside a serial killer's study, surrounded by old furniture, strange objects, an upright coffin, and a ringing rotary phone. The experience blends atmosphere, logic, hidden passageways, and the unsettling feeling that something is waiting in the dark.
Guests are trapped at the bottom of an old elevator shaft as the elevator begins descending above them. Water starts to enter the room, the environment shifts around them, and the room itself becomes part of the threat.
Guests finally make it outside, only to find themselves surrounded by a tall fence, strange structures, and the feeling that something is watching from the shadows. This actor-driven outdoor horror experience leans into suspense, exploration, and survival.
A reimagined version of the original Basement experience, built exclusively for Kansas City. Guests are separated inside Edward Tandy's grungy basement, forced to crawl through tight spaces, search for clues, and work through a game that feels rigged from the start.
Guests arrive as part of a SWAT team responding to the Tandy house, but Edward knew they were coming. The Aviary is built around darkness, disorientation, communication, and the fear of the unknown.
Dead and Breakfast is THE BASEMENT's VIP multi-room experience. Instead of booking one room at a time, guests play through multiple experiences back-to-back as one continuous Edward Tandy storyline, with extended gameplay time, breaks between rooms, access to a private event space, and light refreshments.
For editorial use
Approved photos, logos, and video assets are available for editorial use. Please do not publish images, clips, or descriptions that reveal puzzle solutions, hidden mechanisms, behind-the-scenes operations, employee-only areas, or other spoiler-sensitive elements of the attraction.
Use these images for articles, event listings, interviews, tourism guides, and editorial coverage.
Download official THE BASEMENT logo files for editorial use.
Formats: PNG, SVG, EPS
Download Logo Files (coming soon)Approved b-roll is available for TV segments, online video, social media coverage, tourism features, and editorial stories.
Leadership
Kayden Ressel
Founder & Creative Director
Kayden Ressel is the Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Dark House Entertainment Inc., the company behind THE BASEMENT: A Live Escape Room Experience.
As the creative force behind THE BASEMENT, Kayden has helped shape the brand's signature blend of escape room gameplay, horror storytelling, live performance, cinematic set design, and practical effects. His work focuses on building immersive experiences that feel less like traditional puzzle rooms and more like stepping into a living horror film.
Under Kayden's direction, THE BASEMENT has expanded from its original Los Angeles location into a multi-city horror escape room brand with locations in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Kansas City. Across each location, the goal remains the same: create intense, story-driven experiences that guests remember long after they escape.
Kayden is available for interviews on immersive entertainment, horror experience design, escape room operations, live-actor attractions, local tourism, and the evolution of interactive entertainment.
Pitch ideas
In the news
The Basement in the news, TV segments, podcasts, articles, and escape room reviews.
Get in touch
For interviews, media visits, photography requests, b-roll, press assets, or fact-checking, please contact:
Kayden Ressel
Founder & Creative Director
THE BASEMENT: A Live Escape Room Experience
Dark House Entertainment Inc.
For deadline-sensitive requests, please include your publication, story topic, preferred location, deadline, and the type of assets or access needed.
The full press kit includes company information, founder bio, location details, approved photos, logo files, and spoiler-safe b-roll. For additional assets or custom requests, please contact our media team.
