1. What subject often appears in Edgar Allan Poe’s stories?
A. fear of being buried alive
B. escape rooms
C. historical mysteries
D. tragedies
2. A “claustrophobe” has an extreme fear of …
A. germs and contamination.
B. death or dead bodies.
C. being shut in a small place.
D. clusters of small holes.
3. What is the game named after?
A. a city in Spain
B. a medical condition
C. a famous writer
D. a form of phobia
4. How long do participants have to escape from the coffin?
A. slightly more than 10 minutes
B. exactly 20 minutes
C. less than 40 minutes
D. more than an hour
5. How do participants communicate with each other?
A. through text messages
B. using hand signals
C. by drawing on a wall
D. via loudspeakers
6. What happens if one player decides to leave the game?
A. The game difficulty increases.
B. It game continues for the remaining player.
C. The game is stopped for both players.
D. Nothing happens.
7. Which word can replace “coffin” in the podcast?
A. casket
B. funeral
C. death
D. burial
8. Who watches over the players during the game?
A. the game’s creator
B. a gamemaster
C. other players
D. nobody
9. If you “demonstrate” something, you …
A. find a way to make it better.
B. point out an issue it has.
C. say how you feel about it.
D. show how it works.
10. Based on your understanding of the podcast, at which point of the game did Castella feel a bit scared?
A. beginning
B. middle
C. towards the end
D. information not given
11. What can players customise while booking the game according to the podcast?
A. the difficulty level of the experience
B. the actors portraying mourners
C. the type of coffin
D. the location of the “funeral”
12. What is “taphophobia”?
A. It is a fear of enclosed spaces.
B. It is a fear of being buried alive.
C. It is a fear of dark areas.
D. It is a fear of being left alone.
13. When is the cause of taphophobia during the 19th century?
A. the Great Depression
B. the rise of escape rooms
C. the invention of modern coffins
D. no one knows
14. What were emergency devices in 19th-century coffins designed for?
A. allowing the “corpse” to signal they were alive
B. enabling doctors to confirm a person’s death
C. preventing grave robbers
D. ensuring proper burial rituals
15. Based on your understanding of the podcast, why might someone be interested in playing “Catalepsy”?
A. to learn about burial practices
B. to find out how coffins are made
C. to experience a thrilling challenge
D. all of the above
The game takes place inside a coffin, simulating the participant’s funeral and trying to escape from it by working to solve puzzles and tricks. Photo: Reuters
Answers
1. A
2. C
3. B
4. C
5. D
6. C
7. A
8. B
9. D
10. A
11. C
12. B
13. D
14. A
15. C
Script
Adapted from Reuters
Voice 1: Edgar Allan Poe often explored the fear of being buried alive in his writings. His stories have now inspired the world’s smallest escape room, according to reports. However, beware: the escape room’s mortuary theme is not suitable for claustrophobes.
Voice 2: The live-action puzzle game developed by Spanish company Horror Box is called “Catalepsy”, a reference to a medical condition that is easily mistaken for death. It is characterised by a sudden loss of voluntary movement and muscle rigidity. In the game, participants have 30 minutes to free themselves from inside a coffin by solving puzzles with their partner in a neighbouring casket, communicating via loudspeakers.
Voice 1: According to Horror Box’s website, there must be two people in the room at all times, and the game is stopped if one player decides to leave. They are monitored over CCTV cameras by gamemaster Aurora Alvarino, who defined escape rooms as a gym for the mind. She said the attraction aimed to recreate a situation that sooner or later we’ll all experience: our own funeral.
Voice 2: Miriam Castella is a 22-year-old actress selected by the company to demonstrate the game. She acknowledged that she felt a little bit scared after the coffin’s lid closed. Her partner in the demonstration, 39-year-old dancer Carlos Granedo, said he had taken part in about 15 escape rooms before but described this experience as unique.
Voice 1: While booking their tickets, players can customise several aspects of their pretend death, including the type of casket or whether they want to be cremated in a blaze of virtual flames and artificial smoke. Participants can also pick out the music they’d like playing throughout the funeral.
Voice 2: Catalepsy draws inspiration from the fear of being buried alive – or taphophobia – that was widespread during the 19th century. Coffins at the time could be equipped with emergency devices to allow the corpse to call for help if they turned out to still be living. Scientists, however, are still not sure what caused the widespread panic. In response to society’s growing fear of being buried alive, Edgar Allan Poe wrote The Premature Burial, which was adapted into a film in 1962.
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