Epic Washington Post “The Haunted House” puzzle, including a cryptic

[Mark Iredell]

Today’s Washington Post Halloween special Sunday crossword by Evan Birnholz is a monsterpiece. It is actually eight successive minipuzzles, each purportedly in a different room in the haunted house and each with a different twist. The puzzle in the crypt room is a cryptic crossword, naturally! You have to solve all eight to get to the final metapuzzle: to identify the monster living there and collect two sets of items to defeat it. Beware it took my daughter and I four relaxed hours over a video call yesterday to complete the whole thing.

I don’t think one needs a subscription to access the crossword but there will be ads...
- Go to https://www.washingtonpost.com/crossword-puzzles/sunday-evan-birnholz/
- Click on “The Haunted House” 31 October 2021
- Read the NOTE that highly recommends printing out the two-page PDF
- Click the Print option in the banner above the first puzzle “Room 1: Entrance Hall”
- You may need multiple color writing implements, especially for the last puzzle, and also sustaining refreshments by your easy chair, but have spooky fun!

Happy Halloween!
Mark