Halloween in Paris: 6 Spooky Escape Rooms With an Immersive Story

The door clicks shut behind you. You have sixty minutes, a stranger’s secrets to uncover, and a game master who just told you he will come back… but never does! Welcome to my favourite way to spend spooky season in Paris 👻

Let’s be honest, Halloween in Paris isn’t the full-blown affair it is in the US. There are few carved pumpkins on doorsteps and barely any trick-or-treating. But for those of us who love Halloween folklore, the city has its options: immersive escape rooms with dark, gothic atmospheres that set the mood all by themselves.

How I built this selection:

I’m a seasoned escape room player, but what I look for is the right balance between the puzzles, the story & the decor. Two of the venues below go even further, since their rooms are linked by a bigger narrative, and each game reveals a new chapter of an ongoing mystery. That’s what hooked me. 

Other criteria you might want to know to understand this selection:

• I usually play in teams of six, with friends I’ve been escaping with for years, so we’re a well-oiled team.
• I like actors in small doses. A few well-timed appearances can make a room unforgettable, but I don’t enjoy having actors constantly interacting with us.
• Every room below can be played in English.

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So without further ado, here are 6 of my favourite spooky escape rooms in Paris:

Le Donjon: the Count’s stories, immersive rooms near République

I’m starting with my favourite (why wait?). It’s not just one room but a whole series: Le Donjon’s eight adventures are all connected by the story of one mysterious Count. You don’t need to know the whole narrative to enjoy a single room, but piecing it together from one game to the next is half the fun. I also love that the story is set explicitly in Paris.

Le Donjon tops my list because it is incredibly immersive. Every single scenario I’ve played there made me feel transported to another world. The attention to detail and consistency are remarkable across the board, and it’s not just the sets: the game masters who welcome you are brilliant at setting the mood, and the actors appear just often enough to raise the tension without ever taking over the game. Don’t joke with them!

#1 The Cursed Lovers

The pitch: A medieval village ravaged by the Black Death is still haunted by a White Lady: a woman once accused of witchcraft, condemned to wander in search of a medallion her lover gave her. Slip past the plague doctors prowling the streets and find the lovers’ jewel. And why does this legend seem to touch the Count so deeply?

My take: I really loved this room. The sets are extremely well made, and the whole route is complex, not just three rooms in a row like most escape rooms. It’s full of surprises and has a fun interactive side that, I must admit, left me breathless for a moment!

Vibe: Mysterious, guaranteed chills – Fear level 3.5/5 – 60 min

#2 The Crypt

The pitch: Grief-stricken since the death of his beloved Léa, the Count has a new obsession: spiritualism. In his second home, the Folie Saint-Martin, he has set up a strange boudoir above his family crypt, hoping to reach her beyond the grave. Join the séance… but nobody knows who, or what, might answer.

My take: The puzzles and the sets were great, and going down into the crypt gave me chills because the atmosphere is really dark. The interactions are genuinely scary. The layout is a little less spectacular than The Cursed Lovers, but I loved the vibe.

Vibe: Spooky – Fear level 4/5 – 60 min

#3 Witches!

The pitch: The Grand Inquisitor has declared a witch hunt and seized the Black Stone, the source of all magic. Without it, the world of witches is doomed. But an ancient prophecy speaks of travellers from afar who could save it. Could that be you? Your quest follows the trail of Léa Belladone, the Count’s mysterious beloved.

My take: I really loved the story and the ambiance of this adventure. It isn’t horror as such, though it has its dark twists. I had a lot of fun with the enigmas, the attention to detail… and it truly felt like travelling to another world.

Atmosphere: Adventure – Fear level 1/5 – 75 min

These are my top three, but I’ve played other rooms here (check out my Instagram), and I still have a few I haven’t tried. “The Asylum”, Le Donjon’s other horror room, comes highly recommended.

Crack the Egg: immersive quest for a mysterious Egg, near Gare de Lyon

Another escape room venue I love, with immersive rooms and strong puzzles and plots. Since 2017, Crack the Egg has been building escape rooms in the 12th arrondissement that look unconnected at first: each has its own mission, era and setting. But there’s a super cool twist in every room… which you’ll discover if you finish your scenarios!

One quest links all the rooms: the hunt for the mysterious Primordial Egg. Here are my top recommendations.

#4 The Unsettling Professor Tychsen

The pitch: Berlin, just after the First World War. Hans, the brightest student in your year, has vanished. Ever since, his mentor, the eminent archaeologist Professor Tychsen, hasn’t been himself: blank stare, strange murmurs, a light burning in his office all night. Convinced something is wrong, you sneak into his office to investigate. But some truths are better left buried.

My take: This is the first room in the Egg series. I really loved the spooky decor and atmosphere, and a couple of twists throughout the game make it well worth it. It’s also where you start learning the story of the Egg, so it sets the mood for the rest of the series if you enjoy the narrative side.

Vibe: Gothic spooky – Fear level 3/5 – 60 min

#5 The Shelter: a zombie escape room

The pitch: Melting permafrost has released ancient pathogens, and a failed experiment by a powerful corporation has turned most of humanity into zombies. Decades later, your elite unit must reach a lab hidden in an abandoned bunker and synthesise an antidote, while the dead pound at the door. Thankfully, the turret still works…

My take: Honestly, this is one of the most complete escape rooms I’ve ever done. There are loads of puzzles, and you need good teamwork to get through. The activities are extremely varied and you’ll have to split into mini-teams, which made it feel very different from other games. Be warned: some players may never see parts of the game at all.

Vibe: Pressure and zombies – Fear level 3.5/5 – 70 min

As I said, these rooms are part of a series. Between the two, play Chinatown in the Clutches of the Triad. And if you want to go even deeper into the story, there’s a spin-off: The Black Egg (fair warning, the venue describes it as particularly disturbing).

My wildcard: L’Antichambre, for pure puzzle lovers

#6 Ghost

This one is a standalone room, with no grand saga and no actors. But it earns its place as one of the hardest rooms I played. So if you care a lot about the challenge, this is your Halloween pick.

The pitch: An elderly woman obsessed with the occult was murdered in this apartment over 40 years ago. No one knows what really happened, and no one who went in has ever come back. Rumour has it the only way out is to name her killer. The entrance has been walled off for safety… but they’ll open it if you really insist.

My take: This one had genuinely difficult puzzles and just the right amount of chill to keep us on edge. It’s a very efficient room and we felt properly challenged, which is why I recommend it. I remember being very satisfied when we finally got out.

Vibe: Slow-burn dread rather than jump scares.

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So, which games will you play?

Whether you want a cosy magical quest, a séance gone wrong or a bunker full of zombies, Paris has a story waiting behind a locked door this Halloween! 

My advice: pick your fear level, book early (October evenings fill up fast). Now tell me which game you’d dare to try!