26 October 2026
INTRODUCTION
Room 13 is a brand new immersive horror experience for Halloween 2026! Found at Battersea Arts Centre on Lavender Hill, near Clapham Junction, it transforms a single room at the front of the building into the setting for a bold new story, inspired by the building’s own unique history.
In the days following the devastating fire at Battersea Arts Centre on Friday 13th March 2015, a team of builders uncovered a sealed chamber in the original stone structure. What they found was so disturbing that the renovation came to an immediate halt. Now, 11 years later, the door is being opened once more.
You are invited to join the Circle of the Veil, a secret society of paranormal investigators, to unravel the mysteries of the building. With live performers, special effects and immersive design, the experience lasts around 35 minutes, making it a short, intense burst of horror.
Room 13 runs from 16th October to 1st November 2026, with tickets from £20, or £24.50 at peak times. Please note, the experience is recommended for ages 16+, and under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.
Take a look at what the 2026 season has to offer…
KEY INFO
Location – near clapham junction, battersea, london
Operational Dates – selected slots between 16th oct – 1st nov
Opening Time – 12pm first slot
Closing Time – 9pm last slot
Cost – from £20 per person
Attraction Count – 45 minute experience
Time Spent – 45 minutes
Top Tip – arrive early or stay after and have a drink in the bar / cafe area
About our experience…
Room 13 caught our eye as a top experience not to miss out on in London this Halloween. Any show specifically designed for Halloween and using a mix of gameplay, storytelling and special effects was going to be very different. Created by Immersive Octopus, who has a history of creating immersive experiences alongside the Battersea Arts Centre, which is home to many unique shows, Room 13 was designed with the right people behind it.
Our experience began before we turned up, with an email being sent explaining more on the story, along with a custom made website explaining more about the circle of the veil and the backstory of the tragic fire that took place in 2015. From here, it explains your presence is required to help confront the scar breaking through, which is the strongest they have ever faced.
On the day, we made our way to Clapham Junction station and after a short walk, we found ourselves at the Battersea Arts Centre. Here there was a check in desk for Room 13, where you have your tickets checked. We were then given a coloured ticket to hold onto, which we would need later. We were asked before our start time to go sign a waiver and check out the waiting room, which had more on the story with some photos and video playing.
Before long, we were then being taken to the experience itself and were called by the coloured tickets we were given earlier…
Room 13
WOO – storytelling | WOO – audio | BOO – screams
Room 13 has an incredible and realistic story which is brought to life even more as you start the show. You are taken to a pre-show where you meet one of the characters who goes further into what to expect and what is going to happen. You are then guided through a number of themed rooms before standing outside Room 13 itself. A dark, terrifying door which we were about to step through. We were then guided to our table, which could seat about 8 people but there was only 4 in our group. We were told to be silent and start solving the puzzle boxes on our table. They were simple to solve but added a really fun, mysterious element. Once everybody was in, we could start the paranormal investigations.
The story then played out over the next 30 minutes of showcasing 5 tokens of fires that have happened. Each fire had a different dark entity that supposedly caused it, from the Great fire of London through to the Battersea Arts Centre itself. These tokens were also figures on our table and required our interaction to open the circle and bring the darkness into the light. With the flickering lights and some very cool special effects, the story became more intense and terrifying.
As a show, it was more scary for the story side of things instead of actual scares. However, there was many times during the show we felt pretty scared, with horrifying moments that happened in the dark. They had some clever sections of the show that shocked us and did create a terrifying paranormal investigation. Whilst it wasn’t the strongest element of the show, it certainly wasn’t missed.
One of the best uses of audio this Halloween came from this show. Whilst it was dimly lit, the audio really worked from start to end. They had some horrendous sounds which sent shivers down our spines. From high-pitched screeching to realistic bones cracking to high tempo tension music. This on top of the narration of the story really creates that extra layer you need for a show like this. Everything was timed to perfection and it delivered spectacularly.
Overall, Room 13 delivered in creating a unique show that had scares and story all wrapped together in a 30 minute experience. They managed to implement gameplay, interactions and shock factors all the way through the performance. We were left stunned at the end after witnessing the performance and as a limited run show, it’s crazy the level of details that have gone into making this happen to the standard its been produced to.
A huge thank you to the Immersive Octopus and Battersea Arts Centre for inviting us to visit and watch one of the shows this Halloween. They did provide us complimentary tickets for 2 in return for our honest feedback and review. We weren’t allowed to film or take photos of the main show, so everything behind those doors is a secret to those brave enough to step into the darkness.
This is a limited time show and with not many days left this October to go experience this, we urge you to go support this fantastic show which you won’t be disappointed to see!
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