The Case Of The Haunted Dollhouse Week #5 Review – November 2017

The Case of the Haunted Dollhouse is a 5-week subscription to an interactive mystery game, from the creator of Letters from Dead People. 

An utterly unique experience awaits within The Haunted Dollhouse. Original designs and antique objects weave a gorgeously immersive puzzle, imagining an alternate history of New Orleans played out across a tiny stage.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

The Subscription Box: The Case of the Haunted Dollhouse

The Cost: $175 for five boxes. (This works out to $35/box.) Shipping is $19.99 within the US for a box containing all five parcels or $49.99 to have a box sent each week as the mystery unfolds. 

The Products: 'Each mysterious parcel contains 10–30 pieces: word games, puzzles, simple DIY projects and various miniature & antique objects.'

Ships to: Worldwide

Check out all of our Letters From Dead People reviews and the Subscription Box Directory for more mystery and crime-themed boxes!

This is the fifth and final installment of a subscription that tells a story about an old building in New Orleans that was the site of a mysterious death and that is also said to contain hidden treasure.

Since this is the conclusion to the story, there are more spoilers than usual in this box. I'll show most of the items, but I'm leaving a few secrets for subscribers who want to be surprised. If you want to catch up on the story, check out my earlier reviews of this box.

This newspaper scrap contains interesting information, but my favorite part was the advertisement for the related Letters from Dead People subscription with 'to-morrow' written at the top. Maybe if the internet had existed a hundred years ago and people needed to advertise websites, the ads would have looked like this.

This letter explains a little about the dollhouse itself. I like 'Dear Lady' as an opener. 

The final chapter! I didn't really want the story to end, but it was exciting to see those words on the envelope. 

The envelope also contained one final paper item to cut out for the dollhouse, but I will leave this final discovery for subscribers. I'll just say that it's not what I expected, and made me laugh even if it's a little sad at the same time. 

Of course, I can't give away the contents of the final chapter, but I will say that it is still part of the tale and doesn't simply expose the solution to the mysteries. 

I almost forgot about this matchbox when I was going through everything, and opening it was a delight. Each item has significance in the story. 

I was surprised to see this base for the first floor of the house! This helped me figure out which room went on which floor, which is something I wasn't sure about.

Since this is the final box and the dollhouse is now complete, I'd like to show the three rooms:

Here's the bedroom from the first box, with a few items from later boxes added in. I still love the reflection of the figure in the dresser mirror – I bet I can guess who that is now!

Here's the library, though I forgot to put up the ladder. I love the desk with all the papers that are really miniaturized versions of documents from this box. 

And finally, what appears to be the scene of a gruesome murder. Is that something written on the floor?

One of the clues in this box leads to a website that goes through each box in the subscription and explains the puzzles in each box. I felt proud of myself for solving quite a few of them, but there were some big ones that I'd missed completely. I really appreciated the inclusion of the website – it made me go back to past boxes and rethink parts of the story.

Verdict: The ending does not disappoint! With new revelations and a thorough explanation of all the boxes in this series, I found this to be a satisfying conclusion.

As for the subscription as a whole, I recommend it if:

• You enjoy reading a good story. This narrative is the best thing about this subscription. It's not just a collection of props!
• You're great at solving puzzles. Each box has at least one puzzle, and the clues can be subtle. They usually involve finding hidden messages. 
• You like making stuff. Every box has paper items to cut and assemble. 
• You have time – this subscription has many hours of entertainment value. 

I don't recommend this subscription if:

• You don't have the time or patience to really sit down and work through the clues in each box. You will get out of it what you put in. 
• You think the dollhouse is cool but don't care about the story. (You can buy nicer dollhouses for $175 if that's all you're looking for.) 
• You're buying it for a child – this subscription is definitely for adults and is not suitable for young children. Several characters meet unfortunate ends, and the delicate pieces won't hold up to rough play.

I believe this subscription runs once or twice a year, so if you miss it this time, there'll be a chance to do it again. However, sign-ups are still open on their website.

What do you think of this fifth installment of The Case of the Haunted Dollhouse?