Granny - our most challenging escape room yet

We have given 'Granny' a difficulty level of 4/5. 

We have seen that no matter the size of the group, people are still racing the clock in order to complete all the puzzles. There are 7 interconnected rooms with a large variety of  games and challenges for you and your group to complete.

No hand-holding. No clue-drops. If you crack it, it’s because you earned it.

Also...watch where you tread, there are some surprises that may slow you down 😉

Because the experience begins the moment you arrive.

We don’t believe immersion should be something you switch on after a safety talk. Being gathered together and told “this is a game, here’s how it works” immediately pulls you out of the world we’ve spent years building.

Instead, Granny starts without announcement. There is no pre-show performance, no out-of-character explanation, and no moment where someone tells you what’s about to happen. You’re not entering a game — you’re stepping into a situation.

Everything you need to know is communicated naturally, in-world, as events unfold. This allows tension, curiosity, and atmosphere to build without interruption, and lets you discover the experience for yourselves rather than being instructed how to play it.

It’s a deliberate design choice.

We trust our players to adapt, explore, and work things out together — just as they would if this were real.

Granny isn’t a single-room escape game — it’s a multi-room, live, overlapping mission designed like a haunted house you can actually play. Instead of 18 people crowding around the same lock, the experience spreads you across multiple interconnected spaces, with different objectives happening in parallel.

That means everyone stays involved from start to finish. With a mix of logical and physical challenges, there’s something for every type of player — so no one is stuck waiting their turn to shine.

Yes — but not a traditional one.

There is no button to press, no camera to look at, and no out-of-world voice telling you what to do next. All information is delivered in-world, as part of the environment itself.

Guidance may appear through phone calls, printed materials, background interruptions, service messages, or systems embedded in the house. Some of it is useful. Some of it is partial. Some of it only makes sense later. Occasionally, it raises more questions than it answers.

This is intentional.

We give our customers a 15 minute check-in window, which starts 10 minutes before the start time of your mission and ends five minutes afterwards. For example, if you have booked a 13:30 time slot, we would expect you to arrive at 13:20, which will give you ample time to scan your tickets and receive your briefing. 

All of our systems — including safety checks, consent recording, data protection, and in-world personalisation — assume that once this window ends, the experience is already underway and no additional people will enter.

Allowing someone in after that point would place them outside those systems, which we’re legally and operationally unable to do.

For this reason, even if you let us know you’re running late, we can’t admit anyone once the check-in window has closed.

We strongly recommend arriving early and reading the pre-show information we send you. Doing so ensures a smooth check-in and allows the experience to run exactly as intended.

ScreamWorks events are designed to be enjoyable even for non-horror fans. That having been said, Granny creates fear, paranoia and anxiety in its participants and has been given a fear factor of 3/5, so if you really don’t enjoy feeling afraid, then we recommend that you book the 'No Live Actor' version, which is identical in terms of puzzles but without an unhinged geriatric lunatic hunting you down.

ScreamWorks’ productions are unique, so don’t expect Granny to be like a traditional escape room or anything you have done before. You need to enter with an open mind leave all expectations at the door. If you are the kind of escape room player who likes to ask for clues, then this is not a good choice for you. Remember, its a non-linear open-world adventure so Granny is not designed to be solved on a room-by-room basis; some of the puzzles require you to move around the house or to be in different rooms at the same time to solve them.

You will not be intentionally touched by Granny (or anyone) and you must not touch Granny.

The age restriction is 13+, but under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Yes. Granny might be ancient, but she ain’t dead yet.

You can purchase a No Live Actor version of the experience if you want to enjoy the fun without the scares.

Yes, there are secure lockers inside the experience and you shall retain the key.

Yes — but with a few important conditions:

If you choose to bring your phone (or any other personal items) into the house and lose it during the game, we can allow only five minutes for retrieval before the next group must begin. After that, you’ll need to schedule a separate appointment to return and collect it.

The house is large, dimly lit, and filled with places where items can be easily misplaced. For that reason, we strongly recommend the following:

• Keep your phone on loud (not silent or vibrate)

• Enable voice activation (e.g., “Hey Siri” / “OK Google”) so we can help locate it quickly if needed

We’ve never had a guest permanently lose an item at Granny, and we’d like to keep it that way. But please remember: if you bring valuables into the experience, you do so at your own risk — and we cannot delay other guests if you’re unable to keep track of them.

There is one toilet available during the experience — but it’s Granny’s bathroom, and you’ll need to find it first. Once the game begins, you can use it at any time… if you’re brave enough to enter. We strongly recommend using the bathroom before you arrive. Many guests stop at Mother Kelly’s nearby for a pre-show drink — they are happy for you to use their facilities and if you show them your Granny ticket, you’ll receive 10% off your bill.

The minimum cost to reserve a timeslot is 4 tickets. If you’re planning to visit Granny with a group larger than 4 and want others to pay separately, just purchase 4 tickets in one transaction to secure your slot. You’ll receive a confirmation email with all the instructions — including a booking link and password — so your friends can add themselves to your timeslot later.

The experience takes place on a single level and does not involve crawling. However, due to the layout of the building, it is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible.

Some areas have uneven surfaces and low or intermittent lighting, so there is a degree of physicality involved that may make the event unsuitable for those with limited mobility or balance concerns.

If you have accessibility needs, we require you to get in touch with us before booking, so we can discuss your specific requirements and advise accordingly.

If you’re registered as needing a carer (e.g. via DLA or equivalent), we’re happy to provide a free carer ticket. Just email us at  info@screamworks.co.uk

The experience may involve moments of physical intensity, startle effects, and an unpredictable environment — all of which make it unsafe during pregnancy.

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes with a good grip – trainers are perfect. Please avoid high heel shoes or any shoes which have a smooth leather bottom, like formal wear.

Granny lives behind Thorne's Bookshop at 261 Paradise Row, E2 9LE. It is a two-minute walk from Bethnal Green underground station (Central Line) and a twelve-minute walk from Bethnal Green overground station. Click here to see a map.

Avoid using Google Maps or City Mapper as these third-party apps can be unreliable.

We do not have a customer parking facility. However, there are plenty of parking bays on adjacent streets.

A public timeslot is a shared game.
You book the tickets you need, and other small groups can also book into the same session until it’s full. You’ll still all play together in one game.

A private timeslot is an exclusive game just for your group.
As soon as you’ve booked the required minimum for a private slot, we block that time off so no other groups can join. The room is yours.

Can I add more people after I’ve booked?
Yes. Whether your booking is public or private, you can add extra tickets later:

1. Go to “My Orders” on our website

2. Find your booking

3. Click “Buy More Tickets” and complete checkout as normal

Any extra tickets will be added to the same game and linked to your existing order.

After attending the event, you can log in using the email address you used at check-in and access your footage via the Attendee Dashboard. Please note: this system is currently in beta and is provided as a gesture of goodwill — we cannot guarantee availability, functionality, or technical support. Access is only granted if all members of your group check in and no one has opted-out of peer sharing.