The Mothman '66 Escape Room: A Joey Madia Signature Escape Room Experience

Some things are just meant to be.

In August of 2009, my wife and I decided to take a trip to Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where there was a museum dedicated in part to the Mothman Prophecies--a book by Fortean researcher John A. Keel, which had been adapted for the big screen, starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney, and Will Patton in 2002. 

We loved the movie and had gotten the book on which it was based. When we bought 3 acres in a WV "holler" in 2007, one which we built a house for our family of five, my wife Tonya asked me if I wanted to go to the Mothman Museum, which was only two and a half hours away.

It took me two years to say yes. 

What we experienced that weekend in July in the so-called TNT area--a former WWIII munitions factory area which features about 100 concrete "igloos"--was truly life changing and we have talked about our 2 and a half hours of missing time in our books and others, and during countless radio interviews, podcasts, and conference and festival appearances.

We immediately fell in love with the town and I was compelled to write a play about it. Since then, I have written a musical and incorporated both Point Pleasant and its fictional "mirror" counterpart Pleasant Acres, Ohio, home of the Kitchener County Menace.

I am currently writing a a trilogy of novels about Mothman, using material from the play and musical.

Four years ago, I received a text from Jeff Wamsley, owner of The World's Only Mothman Museum, asking me if I would be interested in designing an escape room in the space above it. 

Later that day, I submitted my proposal, which was quickly accepted.

I then embarked on an intensive period of research, revisiting a stack of books I had read over the years and using lots of other research materials and interviews with other researchers.

While I developed the narrative and puzzles (based as much as possible on the Mothman and MIB lore and UFOlogy), Jeff and his team gathered authentic props and furniture from the mid-1960s and built three custom rooms (I design my escape rooms using the 3-act model).

While we were working, the museum was ranked in 2023 by USA Today as the 5th most popular pop culture museum in the country:

https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-pop-culture-museum-2023/

The setup is that a longtime researcher, MothmanResearcher1166 (based on and portrayed by me in a four-minute found footage piece the players watch before starting in room one, has gone missing while exploring Igloo 2. 

Replicas of the hat, t-shirt and backpack I wore in the found footage can be purchased at the museum.

Room 1 is a replica of the office of Mary Hyre, who wrote extensively about the Mothman, UFOs, and Men in Black for the Athens Messenger. She was also a colleague and eventual friend of John Keel.

(the escape room entrance)

The second room is the Conspiracy Room, where the players spend the bulk of the hour they have to solve the mystery and nearly 20 puzzles. 

This room celebrates researchers like Keel, Gray Barker and Rosemary Ellen Guiley (who was my mentor for 10 years). 

The third room is hidden and a well-kept secret.

Mothman '66 has been open for nearly a year and has received high praise from veteran players and all 5-star reviews. 

To learn more and book your experience, visit:

https://www.mothmanescaperoom.com

https://www.mothmanmuseum.com

I am currently designing a second room for my clients at Arden Holiday Cottage in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, with a World War I theme. 

In 2023, we won two Thistle Awards from the Scottish Tourism Board.

I am due to begin a new Escape Room, with a mobster/vaudeville theme at a historic theatre/performing arts center this spring and I am designing a series of immersive experiences with Escape Room elements for the Centennial of Route 66.

I have begun incorporating elements of magic, other aspects of game design and even VR and AR into my designs. 

I would love to talk with you if you are in search of a designer or consultant for your next Escape Room or immersive experience project.

joeymadiawriter@gmail.com