Creator: Immersive Octopus
When Battersea Arts Centre burned down in 2015, amidst the wreckage, the construction workers discovered a room. When they saw what was inside it, they quickly sealed Room 13 up again. But for this Halloween season, the BAC has reopened it so we can experience its horrors.
Of course, Battersea has a fine history of the paranormal. In 1956, a poltergeist made the London neighbourhood famous, and recently, in the BBC podcast The Battersea Poltergeist, Danny Robins re-explored the haunting that drove the members of the Hitchings Family to their wits’ end. The entity in Room 13 appears to have the same modus operandi, except in this case, fire is its deadly penchant.
As with these kinds of experiences, the anticipation of being scared is more effective than the scares themselves. Created by Immersive Octopus, Room 13 is stylishly designed. The audience has been invited by paranormal investigators, The Circle of the Veil, to uncover the truth of what lies within the room. Small groups are led up the BAC’s stairs, and then, guided by a series of increasingly creepy steampunk marshals, deeper and deeper into the very guts of the building. Finally, the door of Room 13 is reached.
What happens in Room 13 will stay in Room 13, but it’s not as terrifying as one would hope. Total blackouts and loud noises are the name of the game here. Some of the shocks are effective, but there’s a lot of sitting in the dark. Only lasting 35 minutes, it’s over in a flash, and it’s unlikely that anyone will be changed forever after witnessing the terrors within, despite the waiver one must sign before entering.
Runs until 1 November 2026
