Escape the Night

Escape The Night is a fun time, if you have the right season. At this time we only have four seasons, which may I add, are very distinct and different from one another. In this review I will go in depth into each season, in its highlights and falls.

Season One- The first season is the most dark of them all. The season follows more unknown youtubers (Shane Dawson being the most well-known) as they try to navigate a haunted house stuck in the 1920's. The cast consists of Shane Dawson, Sierra Furtado, Matt Haag, Oli White, Andreaschoice, IJustine, Glozell Green, Eva Gutowski, Joey Graceffa, Lele Pons, and Timothy Delaghetto. The deaths, while dramatized, are actually quite frightening and dark. The experience is great and you find yourself really invested in the plot, rooting and disagreeing with different characters. Overall= 9/10

Season Two- The second season is much less dark but a lot more vibrant, less focusing on the natural terror, opposed to the supernatural. This season had much bigger names (Liza Koshy being the largest). The season takes a similar approach to the first, as to being locked in a house, but now they are stuck in the Victorian Era. The cast includes Alex Wassabi, Andrea Russet, Destorm Power, Liza Koshy, Gabbie Hanna, Tyler Oakley, Tana Mongeau, LaurDIY, Jesse Wellens, and Joey Graceffa. The deaths and challenges are much less frightening, but do not underestimate it. The season was full of twists and turns and so far fetched from its predecessor. Overall= 9/10

Season Three- The third season deviates from the shows original roots. Rather than having no idea or objective, the show tells the Youtubers what is going on right from the get go. The cast is subjectively the same popularity as Season 2 (Colleen Ballinger being the largest), but it more includes beauty influencers rather than mainstream. The cast consists of Safiya Nygaard, Manny MUA, Joey Graceffa, JC Caylen, Rosanna Pansino, Guava Juice, MatPat, Nikita Dragun, Colleen Ballinger and Teala Dunn. The show tries to return to its dark roots, but the monsters are so surreal that it makes the season more/less unbearable. Overall= 5/10

Season Four- The fourth season brings back the all star challengers whos lives were lost too soon. The season has no time frame, but similar to season three, it starts with an objective, rather than a never ending cycle. The All-Stars consist of Colleen Ballinger, Alex Wassabi, IJustine, Rosanna Pansino, Gabbie Hanna, Timothy Delaghetto, Joey Graceffa, Tana Mongeau, Destorm Power, and newcomer, Bretman Rock. While the season is interesting on paper, the acting, as well as the sets and monsters leave much to be desired and it is found quite uneventful and boring. Overall= 5/10.

Escape the night has its highs and lows, but as the seasons progress it seems to lose its original dark core.

Overall= 7/10

Please make season 5. i love this show. its the best murder mystery i have ever seen.

Here's the thing: I've only seen one episode, because I saw it was 1920s-themed and I absolutely 1920s-themed things, and it's kind of a murder mystery, so that seemed fun. But. This isn't really a show I would continue watching. If it was scripted, had a reasonable plot, and the actors all stayed in character, this would be sooooo much more fun to watch. I mean, come on - the period fashion, the house, it could all be remarkably well-done if each character was scripted with lines that resembled the lingo they used in the 20s. But in the first episode, one of the "actors" says, "we're YouTubers, not mathematicians," and that was where I kind of lost the joy of watching it. Ditch the whole "we traveled back in time from 2016" theme, give them all a script, add a plot, make sure they stay in character, and you've got yourself a show I would watch in a heartbeat.

I know 9/10 is a strange rating but I have my reasons. A lot of the reviews are calling it out for 'bad acting' except the entire show is unscripted. Minus the side characters and a few planned deaths, they winged everything. Joey didn't choose people based on their ability to act, he chose people who he knew would have great reactions to the things taking place. Also, to y'all saying they're 'breaking character'... they don't have characters. The roles are just meant to sort of enhance the experience. The reason they talk about being YouTubers all the time is because they are and the little character acting they're doing isn't to pretend they aren't.

When I initially watched every season after the first, I was skeptical. The characters in future seasons seem to grow more and more problematic. Despite this, I regretfully say that the show actually made me like some of the people I hate when they're actually on YouTube. It had pretty wicked monster design as well as intense challenges that I would definitely be surprised about if I hadn't been a baby and looked up the deaths beforehand.

The number one example of problematic, 'problematic', or just plain annoying characters is in season 3. I initially hated the inclusion of Nikita Dragun, Roi (a.k.a guavajuice), and Manny MUA, but since watching the season, I've grown a new appreciation for Manny. I like Nikita's character at times, even though she can be a bit much, but I still don't like her IRL. Not to mention the inclusion of some of my favorites. Tyler Oakley in season two and MatPat, Rosanna Pansino, Safiya Nygaard, and Colleen Ballinger in season three.

I'm trying not to include spoilers so that for those of y'all who want to see the reviews before watching can know these pretty simple details. I didn't like a lot of the seasons for the first episode but now I'm absolutely hooked. Especially on season 3 which has some pretty amazing reactions from Colleen who is an absolute queen.

Don't worry about Joey being 'biased' because he helped create the game. He stayed completely out of the puzzle making process and left it up to his awesome producers (shoutout to one of the executive producers Adam Lawson, that dude's the best). He tried to stay as out-of-it as he could so that he could actually be in the show himself. Definitely turned out really great in that aspect. Joey really brings in this element of mystery. Is he evil? Is he not? I don't actually know and it hasn't been revealed.

If you're going into this series completely blind. Keep an open mind and remember that this is an elaborate escape room game with a bunch of influencers who stayed up late to be able to film at midnight.

It works fairly well as a YouTube Red show. It has a lot of star power, and there is some character arc for some of the characters, such as the sorceress in the second season. The deaths can range anywhere from meh to downright terrifying. However while it has star power, I feel it does lack some complexity. Whodunnit, which seems to be a heavy influence on this show, had a lot of complex murders, even though it did lack star power. The budget does seem to increase every season, and I do like giving them personas. I do wish, however, their personas factored into the show a bit more. If you're a fan of shows like "Whodunnit," I suggest giving this one a look. Both of them are fairly similar.