Two crypts, two sets of rules: how Dracula in Perth and Van Helsing in Melbourne each work.
In short: Arrive 15 minutes early for Dracula or Van Helsing and leave phones in the lockers. Dracula is strictly 15+, Van Helsing 13+. Neither takes a wheelchair, both use theatrical smoke, and neither involves crawling or tight spaces.
| Northbridge, Perth · Lake Street | Melbourne CBD · Collins Street | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 48 Lake Street, Northbridge WA 6003 | 259 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 |
| Players | 4–10 | 2–8 |
| Price | Monday – Thursday: $49 Friday – Sunday: $59 | Peak or off-peak session: $59–65 / $45–55 |
| Ages | Strictly 15+ | Strictly 13+ |
| Wheelchair access | No | No |
| Escape rate | 43% | 57% |
| Phone | (08) 6118 0286 | (03) 7078 8118 |
Child = under 16. Holiday pricing differs by venue — see each venue's pricing note.
Dracula is not wheelchair accessible. There is no crawling and nothing tight to squeeze through, so it does suit pregnant players and people with limited mobility; call the venue about anything else.
Van Helsing is not wheelchair accessible. It has no crawling and no confined spaces, so it works for pregnant players, claustrophobic players and people with mobility issues; talk to the team about anything else.
It is a horror room, so yes, a little. Dracula’s crypt is lit by lanterns, with darkness, flashing light, smoke and the possibility of jump scares. Nobody is forced to stay: a panic button opens the way out. Van Helsing keeps its jump scares mild.
They can, but Dracula is best with at least one experienced escaper in the team. Escape This pitches both Dracula and Van Helsing at people who like a challenge. If nobody in your group has played before, a gentler room at the same venue makes a good warm-up.
Sixty minutes in Dracula’s graveyard. Arrive 15 minutes beforehand and leave 15 minutes after to catch your breath and debrief, so the whole visit takes about 90 minutes. Teams that beat the Count finish a little sooner. Van Helsing also runs for an hour.
Never. Every Dracula and Van Helsing booking belongs to your group alone, a policy Escape This has always kept. If you would rather face the Count with people you have never met, you’ll need a different operator.
Dracula is strictly 15 and over, and Escape This may check ID. No younger children may play or watch, even alongside a parent. Van Helsing in Melbourne admits players from 13.
Yes, from 13. Van Helsing is a strict 13-plus room, the same hunt Dracula’s fans know but open to younger teenagers, who pay the young adventurer price until they turn 16. Anyone under 13 cannot play or watch, and ID may be checked.
Not everyone. Dracula and Van Helsing need a moderate level of English reading, and the narration and clues are spoken in English, so the team leans on whoever reads most comfortably. Escape This suggests most of the group be fluent for the best night.
No. Neither Dracula in Northbridge nor Van Helsing in Melbourne can take a wheelchair. Escape This runs accessible rooms at other venues and its team will help you choose one if you call.
Yes. Dracula’s graveyard uses theatrical smoke, and so do Van Helsing’s catacombs, so players with asthma or other breathing conditions should check with the venue before booking.
Dracula has no crawling and no tight spaces to squeeze through, although Escape This’s general warning mentions possible confined spaces and jump scares, so call if you’re worried. Van Helsing states plainly that it has no confined spaces.
Yes. Nothing in Dracula or Van Helsing involves crawling or tight squeezes, and Escape This lists both as suitable for pregnant players and people with mobility difficulties. Smoke and jump scares are the things to weigh up.
Yes, with help from the team. Dracula’s story and clues come through audio, so teammates pass them on, and the puzzles themselves call on all sorts of skills. The same goes for Van Helsing.
Press the panic button. A gamesmaster watching Dracula on CCTV opens up straight away, and the rest of the team can carry on hunting. Van Helsing has the same buttons.
Fifteen minutes before your Dracula session. That leaves time for lockers, the briefing and nerves, so none of the hour before the blood moon rises is lost.
Please do. Dracula and Van Helsing are both set in the not-too-distant past, so come as the Count, as a vampire hunter or in Victorian evening black. Closed shoes are required, and comfortable clothes help.
No. Phones, smartwatches and cameras go into free lockers before you enter Dracula’s crypt, and anyone who has been drinking or taking drugs won’t be allowed to play.
Book Dracula in Northbridge or take up Van Helsing’s relics in Melbourne. One hour, lantern light and a dead hunter’s notes.
