Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Campbell.
Brian, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Crooked Cottage Escape Rooms began with a spark — one of those ideas that arrives quietly but refuses to leave. I’ve always loved storytelling, mystery, and immersive experiences, and for years I dreamed of creating a place where people could step out of their daily routines and into fully realized worlds. The idea grew until one day I realized: This is it. This is the next chapter.
What makes Crooked Cottage truly special is that it didn’t start with corporate plans, investors, or prefab room kits. It started with imagination. Every inch of what we built came from scratch — handwritten notes, hand-built sets, hand-designed puzzles, and a vision for something different, something more intimate and personal than anything a franchise could offer.
And the perfect home for this dream?
A historic building in the heart of Delaware, Ohio — a structure with character, charm, quirks, and stories of its own. The moment I walked in, I knew: this was where Crooked Cottage needed to live. You can feel the history in the walls, the energy in the floors, the way the space breathes. It was never meant to be another cookie-cutter attraction. It was meant to be an experience.
We opened with our very first escape room:
The House in the Woods.
A lonely cabin deep in the forest… whispers in the dark… the sense that someone is always just out of sight. What started as sketches on scrap paper became a full cinematic environment that people immediately connected with. They didn’t just play it — they felt it. The screams, the laughter, the adrenaline, the teamwork… it was everything I hoped it would be.
The community response was overwhelming, and that support lit the path forward. From that foundation, we expanded Crooked Cottage into a multi-room destination, each experience hand-crafted, lovingly designed, and built by our team — no outsourced companies, no corporate designers, no generic puzzles. Just creativity, innovation, and passion.
Today, Crooked Cottage Escape Rooms features:
• The House in the Woods
The original room, still evolving, still shocking guests, and famously transformed every winter into our holiday overlay Twisted Tidings — where a Christmas cult known as The Order of St. Nicolas returns to reclaim their sacred cabin.
• Laboratory 43015
A chaotic scientific facility filled with strange energy, failed experiments, and puzzles that make you question what’s real.
• The Mayan Temple
A fully immersive ancient ruin with hidden chambers, shifting stonework, and secrets buried in the dark.
• Crabtree Manor: Death & Greed
A Victorian mansion steeped in mystery, betrayal, and decades-old family secrets waiting to be uncovered.
• Paranormal Investigation: Joyce’s Dollhouse
A chilling supernatural experience inspired by a woman named Joyce Babcock and the unsettling doll she left behind.
Each room is more than a game. It’s a story — one built by hand, piece by piece, inside a building that has lived many lives before us. And I think that’s why people feel something different when they’re here. This isn’t a franchise. This is a labor of love woven into the bones of a historic structure.
Over time, one part of our brand emerged as a symbol of who we are:
From seasonal overlays like Twisted Tidings, to countless upgrades, story expansions, and handcrafted props, we continue to evolve — not because we have to, but because we love what we do. Every year brings new ideas, new stories, and new ways to immerse our guests.
Looking back, it’s incredible to see how far we’ve come — from one room built out of pure passion to a full multi-experience escape room built into a historic cornerstone of downtown Delaware. And yet, in many ways, I still feel like we’re just getting started.
Crooked Cottage Escape Rooms isn’t just entertainment.
It’s a story you step into.
It’s a world we built by hand.
And with every team that walks through our doors — every star that shines — the story continues to grow.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Relatively smooth road, with the challenges of putting escape rooms into a historic building being forefront. We have two full server racks and hundreds of feet of Ethernet cable in the building. Escape rooms are very much a technology heavy build out and without a lot of technical knowledge, it can be a challenge.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Crooked Cottage Escape Rooms?
Crooked Cottage Escape Rooms is an independently owned, fully immersive escape room experience built inside a historic building in the heart of downtown Delaware, Ohio. We create cinematic, story-driven adventures where guests step into living worlds filled with mystery, atmosphere, and hands-on exploration. Our rooms aren’t corporate-built or franchised — every wall, puzzle, prop, and storyline is handcrafted by our team from scratch. That artistic control, paired with the character of our historic building, creates an experience you simply can’t get anywhere else.
We specialize in deeply immersive narrative escape rooms. While most escape rooms focus on puzzles alone, we focus on storytelling. Each of our rooms feels like stepping into a movie set: the lighting, sound, props, hidden spaces, and atmospheric details all work together to pull guests into a world that feels real. From the eerie isolation of The House in the Woods, to the supernatural tension of Joyce’s Dollhouse, to the treacherous traps of The Mayan Temple and the Victorian secrets inside Crabtree Manor, our experiences are designed to make you forget you’re in an escape room.
One of the hallmarks we’re known for is our seasonal overlays, especially our holiday fan-favorite Twisted Tidings — a dark Christmas cult takeover of The House in the Woods. It transforms the entire experience with new storylines, sets, and surprises every winter. No franchise does anything like it, and our guests return year after year to see how the room evolves.
What sets us apart is our commitment to authenticity, creativity, and craft. Because we’re not a corporate escape room, we’re able to pour genuine artistry into every room. We’re constantly upgrading, reworking, enhancing, and innovating — not because we have to, but because we’re passionate about creating unforgettable, atmospheric experiences. Our players feel that. They often tell us that each room feels like a living, breathing environment with a soul.
Brand-wise, we’re most proud of our identity as the Shining Star of immersive entertainment in Central Ohio. The “Shining Star” represents the heart of who we are: a place where people shine together — families, coworkers, couples, and friends — sharing real moments, real adrenaline, and real memories. It symbolizes craftsmanship, imagination, and the magic that happens when people step out of everyday life and into adventure.
For readers discovering us for the first time, here’s what we want you to know:
Crooked Cottage Escape Rooms offers more than an activity. We offer an experience — a chance to escape into a story, to challenge yourself, to connect, to scream, to laugh, and to feel something extraordinary. Our rooms are created with care, built with intention, and designed to leave a lasting impression. Whether you’re an experienced gamer or brand new to escape rooms, our adventures are crafted to surprise, thrill, and delight you.
We are proud to be locally owned, hand-built, and rooted in the history of our building and community — and we can’t wait to welcome you into the world of Crooked Cottage Escape Rooms.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My dogs, my partner, cooking, oil painting and my businesses. I love to cook, if I could do anything any day, it would be to cook. I get energy from making other people happy!
Pricing:
- $35 – $42
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.escapecrookedcottage.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crookedcottageescaperooms
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/escapecrookedcottage/
