When you hear about subscription boxes, your mind may quickly wander to popular weekly meal kits, global snack boxes, wine clubs, clothing subscriptions, and even home decor. Rarely do we think about having a family game night, let alone a murder mystery subscription box.
Suppose you haven’t heard about Hunt A Killer, an incredibly unique immersive murder mystery subscription experience. In that case, we’re here to let you know that this is one subscription box that you need to add to your must-try list! Or better yet, Buy Now!
What Is The Hunt A Killer Box?
If you’ve got a knack for solving impossible crime, then your inner detective will swoon over this heart-racing immersive murder mystery game. Hone your puzzle-solving skills and dig into an expansive course of six “episodes” or boxes of Hunt A Killer. Discover clues and materials such as forensic files, witness statements, autopsy reports, and much more to help you crack the case and find the killer!
How Much Does Hunt A Killer Cost?
Hunt A Killer offers three convenient pricing options. Please note that your membership can be canceled at any time by logging into your account and selecting cancel or by emailing their customer service team at sam@huntakiller.com.
A monthly option of 30.00 per month plus shipping, billed monthly (or $180.00 in total, plus shipping) – Buy Now!
A six-month option of $165.00, billed upfront with free shipping (with this plan, each box comes out to $27.50) – Buy Now!
A 12-month option of $300.00, billed upfront with free shipping (with this plan, each box comes out to $25.00) – Buy Now!
Is Hunt A Killer Family Friendly?
Hunt A Killer is a great game to play in adult groups of one to six. The game itself is rated PG-13 as some material may not be suitable for children. Hunt A Killer clues contain slightly graphic autopsy reports and crime scene photos that some children may find upsetting.
Aside from its slightly graphic nature, younger participants may also find the Hunt A Killer ciphers and puzzles too challenging.
Hunt A Killer: Our Review
Like with any subscription box, I was thrilled to receive something in the mail because I’m an adult child. It’s the little things folks. I’m already having fun when I see the mailman crossing my lawn with a box for me.
I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I opened our first Hunt A Killer box, but it was mysteriously intriguing as there wasn’t too much to go on with a first glance. For a mystery box, I felt like that was a good sign.
As for what was inside: A pamphlet with the glaring words “Start Here” in blood red, a pin, an itemized list for Curtain Call episode one, our goal for episode one, and a thick purple envelope with the words “Cadence Theatre”, containing our clues.
Both my husband and I are fans of true-crime documentaries and TV shows on Netflix such as Unsolved Mysteries and Mindhunter, so we were excited to put our crime-solving skills to the test. Most importantly, we were interested in knowing if Hunt A Killer was engaging and difficult enough to hold our interest.
The Hunt A Killer design team went the extra mile with impeccable detail to the era of this Hunt A Killer season: the early 1930s.
The cursive alone on the letters in the box was not only a fun test of third-grade cursive knowledge for this proud Millennial, but also showed incredibly gorgeous vintage-style handwriting from several in-house members of the Hunt A Killer team. We discovered that they used fountain pens or pencils simply because ballpoints weren’t invented until the late 1930s and wouldn’t fit the Hunt A Killer story’s timeline. I think that’s amazing, and I probably appreciate that a little more because my husband is a graphic design manager. It’s the little details that make quality go from good to great, and this was one of those things.
Along with the vintage-style handwriting we found in the box, there were other materials to be used as clues. These were incredibly immersive. The style of paper fit the time-period in how it felt in regards to texture. Handwritten notes had ink smudges or were discolored; forensic files seemed to have a very official feeling to them. Throughout the experience, even though the materials were meant for gameplay, they did, in fact, feel official, which made it much more exciting, rather than a cheap Clue box.
Hunt A Killer: Final Thoughts
The adventure itself was fairly reminiscent of an escape room-like experience but delivered to my front door, which was extremely convenient, especially given how 2020 has rolled out thus far.
My husband and I were able to solve the first episode within an hour’s time. According to the Hunt A Killer website, one box typically takes between 90 minutes to three hours to complete. We weren’t incredibly far off from that average time, but given that all boxes, if billed monthly, cost $30.00 plus shipping, we were hoping that it would have taken a little longer to complete.
But, our second box, or second episode of Curtain Call, was very much a different story. After digging into episode two, we felt that episode one of Hunt A Killer is really about dipping your toes and or patting yourself on the back for a job well done, when you haven’t really experienced a full-fledged Hunt A Killer box just yet. The first box was enough to pique your interest and get those detective gears turning before the real challenges arrived.
The second box took about three hours to complete, a striking time difference from the first episode, proving that the more you dig, the more you’ll find. We’re certain that future episodes will hold increasingly more difficult enigmas to solve, making the $30.00 monthly fee a real value.
Aside from the time it took for us to solve these puzzles, we also appreciated the theatrical element of the complex challenge of piecing together the clues and materials included in the Hunt A Killer box. That in itself was enjoyable to take in.
My husband and I also enjoyed spending time with one another. Hunt A Killer offered us an activity that would have us interacting with one another after our daughter goes to bed, rather than sitting on the couch, staring at my phone while he plays video games.
The bottom line, we had fun. Enough fun that we mention the game to our friends and family so that they can have fun too.
I recommend purchasing either the 6- or 12-month subscription plan based on the episodes’ tiered difficulty levels. For example, the 6-month subscription plan of $165 is an excellent price for the Hunt A Killer experience in its entirety. You also don’t have to wait a month to get the next episode if you don’t want to; you have the option to ship it right away. If you have a monthly plan, you can expedite your next episode, but you will be charged. If the $165 is not in your budget, know that the $30 month-to-month is still a value.
It’s all in how you value your fun and your time. How much do you spend on an evening out? Whether it’s to go out to eat, test your wits in an escape room, or go to the movies, Hunt A Killer is a comparable experience on the fun scale to the cost. Plus, you can enjoy it in the comforts of your own home without breaking the bank. You deserve a night away from your phone, and Netflix! Just do it.
