Room 13

Room 13 is running at Battersea Arts Centre from 16 October to 1 November, a horror experience that takes about 35 minutes. It's produced by the experiential theatre company Immersive Octopus and directed by Tom Maller, and it's built around a real bit of the building's history.

Back on Friday 13 March 2015, a fire ripped through the centre, and during the subsequent work, builders uncovered a sealed chamber in the original stone structure. The renovation reportedly ground to a halt when they found something inside that was too disturbing to leave open. Eleven years later, that door is being unsealed again. The show blends local history with the paranormal, and you're brought in to meet the Circle of the Veil, a secret society of paranormal investigators.

It's a theatrical horror experience rather than a scare attraction, so it leans on jump scares, a prolonged stretch of complete darkness, and optional audience interaction. The build-up starts before the show itself: after a welcome speech and a reminder to switch off your phone, you pass through a passageway lined with gas masks and mesh veils, with a warning not to speak or risk being 'sucked away'.

Tickets are £20 standard and £24.50 for peak times, with a £2 transaction fee on all orders. The show runs from 16 October to 1 November at Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TN, and lasts around 35 minutes.