Deep Inside invites you into the lair of a taxidermist in its escape game... We've tested it, and we'll tell you all about it!

An adventure on the edge of death in the lair of a taxidermist... Deep Inside, an escape game in Paris's 19th arrondissement, has been offering a macabre escape game/story room, Le Taxidermiste, since February 19, 2025. The adventure was voted best new game and best room at the Escape Game Awards 2025. We've tested it, and we'll tell you all about it!

Here's a very curious escape gale/story room... Deep Inside, anescape game located in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, has been inviting you to plunge into its basements to discover a very creepy adventure since February 19, 2025. Entitled Le Taxidermiste, it invites you to enter the lair of a most peculiar character, answering to the gentle name of Martin Joly... This adventure won a prize at the Escape Game Awards 2025, in the "Best New" and "Best Room" categories!

A room that's a little more than a simple escape game, since it's a"Story Room", as Deep Inside explains on its website:"Beyond the riddles, you'll be plunged into the heart of real show scenes. The story is the central element of the experience, and it's essential to follow it carefully to get the most out of it", it says. The idea: you are the actors in your own story, for an unprecedented immersion experience.

Le Taxidermiste : on a testé l'escape game bien glauque chez Deep Inside — ©Deep Inside

Synopsis of The Taxidermist experience at Deep Inside:

"Beneath the cobblestones of Paris lies the Cité des Martyrs, an underground city full of dark secrets. It is in the heart of this buried city that Adèle, the governor's daughter, has mysteriously disappeared. Seen a few days ago in the company of Martin Joly, better known as the taxidermist, no one has heard from her since. The governor has promised a reward to anyone who can find his daughter. Your mission is to descend 30 meters beneath Paris, in the Cité des Martyrs, to the taxidermy store and pose as buyers. You'll need to find a way to be alone in the store, and explore it from top to bottom, in the hope of solving the mysteries of this disappearance and finding Adèle".

Le Taxidermiste : l'escape game bien glauque chez Deep Inside — ©Deep Inside

Stuffed animals, strange objects of all kinds... enough to give you the shivers! On the restrictions side, here's a bit of information too: the experience is not recommended for people with medical sensitivity to stroboscopic effects (epilepsy), smoke effects, people afraid of the dark, people who have undergone recent surgery or any other condition likely to be aggravated by the experience, pregnant women, and it's forbidden for people in a state of inebriation.

The experience is also not recommended for people under 14 (but not forbidden: if underage, an adult must be present), is currently not accessible to PRMs (crutches and leg in plaster included) and is not recommended for blind or hearing-impaired people.

Please note, however, that this is by no means a horror theater... So you can go in quietly, without fear (zero screamer announced, just creepy and confusing). And if not, you've got a good hour and a half to solve the puzzles and complete your mission in the heart of the City of Martyrs.

Our review of Le Taxidermiste at Deep Inside :

One Friday evening, we let ourselves be tempted and pushed open the doors of the Cité des Martyrs, in search of young Adèle, in the Taxidermist's store... The puzzles are neither too simple nor too complex. The idea is to best serve the story being told, while immersing visitors in their own narrative... And it works! The puzzles are very accessible, even for the youngest visitors.

The decor is faultless! Everything is meticulous, from floor to ceiling, and the mechanisms are well hidden, so you'll forget you're in an escape game... Quite simply, it's like being there, and the interaction with the actors is no small part of the experience.

And that's what makes this adventure so appealing: as you enter the Taxidermist's store, you're greeted by the "Salesman", a colorful character, elegantly masked and gloved, with a mix of oriental influences and sci-fi fantasy. It's beautiful, it's good.

You'll have to chat with him about the pretty stuffed animals in his store, while trying to turn him inside out to gain access to other areas. We'll leave you to discover the rest, so as not to spoil the experience for you, but you'll also meet the famous taxidermist, also in costume, gloved and masked, in a therianthropic style that perfectly fits the image of a taxidermist. In short, a master stroke.

Add to this a host of special effects and wow moments, an extremely well-written story and a very touching, universal moral at the end, and you've got an experience that's simply right up there. Probably one of the best escape games in Paris to date... (and we've tested a bunch of them). And a special mention to the martyr who welcomed us, who was very, very funny and also participated, in her own way, in the experience. Go for it without a moment's hesitation!

Note that the room is also playable in English. And in view of the room's success, Deep Inside has extended its booking times for this adventure, which is sold out every day... So hurry up and book!