JoshC.
Strata Poster
Forgive me for starting a new thread about an obscure foreign scare attraction, but certainly something that I think requires mentioning... (It's also more of a review than a general discussion thread, so mods feel free to move to Trip Reports if you want!)
In the heart of Krakow, Lost Souls is very tucked away and easily missed. We heard about it whilst researching for things to do in Krakow, and it's got excellent reviews on Trip Advisors (at time of writing, over 1600 reviews, almost 1400 are 5*). Marketed as Poland's "first interactive museum dedicated to fear", with inspiration from horror films. We thought it was very much like an in-house, scarier Merlin dungeons attraction, mixed in with an escape room that lasts 20 minutes. Check out their website - http://m.lostsoulsalley.com
We were wrong.
After more digging, we found out that there were three extreme levels - two of which involved "pain". Okay then. Undettered, but slightly concerned, we went to the attraction to find out what the deal was.
Upon asking, we were told there are now 4 extreme levels:
Pink - Newly added. Actors won't touch, no pain involved
Green - Recommended. Actors will touch you lightly, but no pain.
Amber - Actors can use tasers to mildly shock you, and there will be some pain.
Red - Not recommended at all. Tasers set to full level, you could be separated from your group, no hold bars, no rules.
After discussing what touching was allowed in Green (arm grabs, gentle pushes, nothing that would hurt you), we decided to go for Green and booked a slot for a couple of hours later.
We returned, had the rules explained. It operated like an escape room - each room requires a key, find it, actors are there. They may touch you, etc. If you attack the actors, they have permission to either remove you from the attraction, or up the scare factor to Amber. If you personally wish to leave, tell an actor 'stop stop stop'. The group can carry on as long as there's two people.
We entered the first room, and escaped quite quickly. Next room was inspired by Hannibal. Actor is behind a door, encourages one of our group to come closer, and then swipes at their face. They're then encouraged to grab the key from a hole, but his hands are then cable tied extremely tight.
What then follows is a blur. We had the key, by the actor had "escaped", attempted to put members of our groups in choke holds, swiped at our faces, pulled us very vigorously. This was more than mild touching.
We made it into the next room, but I felt uncomfortable. For me, this had gone beyond what we were told was allowed, and this was only two minutes in! So I approached the actor, said stop stop stop', and left the remaining two members of my group to it.
I thought they were okay with the experience. Understandably scared, but in a good way. A couple of minutes later, they both came out. Despite only being the Green level (which, to add, was suitable for 14+), the other two had actors clasp their hands over their heads, and chased into corners by an actor with a live taser. That was too far, as their was no trust any more - what level intensity did we actually have?
After speaking with the receptionist, she looked into it, and apparently the Hannibal actor had gone a bit too far. Why was unclear, but it happened. Despite this, the other stuff - being grabbed pretty roughly, being chased and threatened by tasers, etc - is all green level. Wow.
In fairness, we were given a full refund and assured something like this wouldn't happen again, and offered a free go later in the day. But sadly, the trust had gone. It's too much of an off-putting experience for us to want to go again.
All of us like scare attractions, and aren't afraid of a little roughness. None of us had ever said a safety word / stopped a scare experience before. And equally we know our limits. Physical pain is a line we draw at, and there seems to be a very blurry line with where that is at this attraction.
For those who are ever in the area, I definitely think it's worth a look if it's your thing. And I'd love to read another's experience, especially someone who goes all the through (which a lot of people did, I assume under the pink version). But proceed with caution - it is EXTREME, it is INTENSE, there are no waivers, and I don't know what people are thinking when they go for anything higher than Green...
In the heart of Krakow, Lost Souls is very tucked away and easily missed. We heard about it whilst researching for things to do in Krakow, and it's got excellent reviews on Trip Advisors (at time of writing, over 1600 reviews, almost 1400 are 5*). Marketed as Poland's "first interactive museum dedicated to fear", with inspiration from horror films. We thought it was very much like an in-house, scarier Merlin dungeons attraction, mixed in with an escape room that lasts 20 minutes. Check out their website - http://m.lostsoulsalley.com
We were wrong.
After more digging, we found out that there were three extreme levels - two of which involved "pain". Okay then. Undettered, but slightly concerned, we went to the attraction to find out what the deal was.
Upon asking, we were told there are now 4 extreme levels:
Pink - Newly added. Actors won't touch, no pain involved
Green - Recommended. Actors will touch you lightly, but no pain.
Amber - Actors can use tasers to mildly shock you, and there will be some pain.
Red - Not recommended at all. Tasers set to full level, you could be separated from your group, no hold bars, no rules.
After discussing what touching was allowed in Green (arm grabs, gentle pushes, nothing that would hurt you), we decided to go for Green and booked a slot for a couple of hours later.
We returned, had the rules explained. It operated like an escape room - each room requires a key, find it, actors are there. They may touch you, etc. If you attack the actors, they have permission to either remove you from the attraction, or up the scare factor to Amber. If you personally wish to leave, tell an actor 'stop stop stop'. The group can carry on as long as there's two people.
We entered the first room, and escaped quite quickly. Next room was inspired by Hannibal. Actor is behind a door, encourages one of our group to come closer, and then swipes at their face. They're then encouraged to grab the key from a hole, but his hands are then cable tied extremely tight.
What then follows is a blur. We had the key, by the actor had "escaped", attempted to put members of our groups in choke holds, swiped at our faces, pulled us very vigorously. This was more than mild touching.
We made it into the next room, but I felt uncomfortable. For me, this had gone beyond what we were told was allowed, and this was only two minutes in! So I approached the actor, said stop stop stop', and left the remaining two members of my group to it.
I thought they were okay with the experience. Understandably scared, but in a good way. A couple of minutes later, they both came out. Despite only being the Green level (which, to add, was suitable for 14+), the other two had actors clasp their hands over their heads, and chased into corners by an actor with a live taser. That was too far, as their was no trust any more - what level intensity did we actually have?
After speaking with the receptionist, she looked into it, and apparently the Hannibal actor had gone a bit too far. Why was unclear, but it happened. Despite this, the other stuff - being grabbed pretty roughly, being chased and threatened by tasers, etc - is all green level. Wow.
In fairness, we were given a full refund and assured something like this wouldn't happen again, and offered a free go later in the day. But sadly, the trust had gone. It's too much of an off-putting experience for us to want to go again.
All of us like scare attractions, and aren't afraid of a little roughness. None of us had ever said a safety word / stopped a scare experience before. And equally we know our limits. Physical pain is a line we draw at, and there seems to be a very blurry line with where that is at this attraction.
For those who are ever in the area, I definitely think it's worth a look if it's your thing. And I'd love to read another's experience, especially someone who goes all the through (which a lot of people did, I assume under the pink version). But proceed with caution - it is EXTREME, it is INTENSE, there are no waivers, and I don't know what people are thinking when they go for anything higher than Green...
Each to their own, I guess.
