The idea of spending a night playing detective and trying to figure out a murder is always appealing. So when the well-known Edinburgh Dungeons announced their newest show Deadly Dungeon Murder Mystery, I was delighted at the idea of spending a night running through its horror maze-like rooms, surveying evidence to find a suspect. Little did I think this murder mystery wouldn't involve the audience as much as I would've liked.
It must be said the cast and the scenery do a great job in delivering some spine-chilling moments.
The night began with great anticipation and nervousness as we were welcomed to the Secret Society of Scottish Scoundrels where torturers, cannibals and drunks gather. Judge Mental, an incredibly creepy and intimidating character, lead the meeting where we began to discover the dynamics between each character. After a long introduction (perhaps longer than needed) we began to move through the dungeons where we witnessed Judge Mental perish, in the most unrealistic of deaths: playing with torture instruments after swallowing a drink of unknown origins he dies.
From there we were given the duty to observe the rest of the characters to find the murderer. In theory we expected to gather evidence, but in reality it turned into a normal journey through the Dungeons, with the occasional character chitchatting about Mental's death to raise suspicion in us.
It must be said the cast and the scenery do a great job in delivering some spine-chilling moments. From frightening screams, to sudden splashes of water and seats that play tricks on us, I and some of my elderly companions couldn't help but scream and laugh, while we enjoyed each fright. Of course the foul language of Auld Reekie was not forgotten, and many of the humourous moments included sexual references. Although funny at the beginning, this becomes repetitive later in the show. Ultimately, however, all of this still became far more interesting than solving the mystery.
When by the end of the ride we were asked: 'Who do you think murdered Judge Mental?' many had no clue as to what to ask the suspects and the vast majority chose a murderer based on how much or how little we liked their acting. The script fails to build an interesting case and the plot is too intricate to keep our attention. As a result the murder mystery lost our interest to the scary bits of the ride. By the time we left the room to be hanged, we were more delighted at the fun frights and jokes than at the idea of being part of a confusing murder mystery.
