Halloween at The Deacon's Cabinet Escape Room

Escape The Past is running The Deacon's Cabinet throughout October, from 1 October to 1 November, at their basement on Nicolson Square. It's a Halloween-themed escape room built around Deacon William Brodie, the real-life Edinburgh figure who served as the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

The room is set in October 1788 and follows the condemned Deacon, who designed the very gallows he was to hang from, and the mysterious cabinet he left behind in his workshop. You enter that cabinet at the back of the room, where the master craftsman has left a trail of riddles and a certain glint in his eye. It's the kind of thing that works best if you've got a few friends to pull your head together on the puzzles.

Escape The Past blends interactive escape games with immersive theatre, combining authentic historical settings, puzzles, captivating stories and live actors. The Deacon's Cabinet isn't their only room, either. They also run The Anatomist, where you descend into the basement study of a 19th-century anatomist, and A Trail of Burke & Hare, an outdoor experience that follows in the footsteps of Edinburgh's most prolific murderers. The attraction is rated five stars across TripAdvisor, Google Reviews and Facebook.

Each session lasts an hour and costs from £25 per person. You'll find them at Escape The Past, Basement 1, 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh South, EH8 9BX.