Halloween Haunted Attractions

Eastern State Penitentiary Presents Terror Behind the Walls

Oct 8, 2009 Karen Stephenson

Dozens of paranormal investigation teams have declared Eastern State Penitentiary haunted. This 180-year old facility is the perfect haunt for a Halloween attraction.

Eastern State's massive, medieval façade stands in abrupt contrast to it’s church-like interior. Opened in 1829, this was the world’s first true “penitentiary,” a prison designed to inspire penitence in the hearts of convicts. The seven cell blocks spread like spokes on a wheel and had running water and central heat long before the White House. Alphonse “Scarface” Capone spent eight months there between 1929 and 1930. This historic prison shut down in 1971.

Actual Hauntings

There's a plethora of stories from staff and hundreds of visitors to Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) who claim if this penitentiary isn't haunted, it is haunting. Walking through the eerie, somber cell blocks in broad daylight has transformed many paranormal skeptics into believers. Many men and women died in Eastern State over the 142 years of operation.

Author Charles Adams III has written about ghost sightings at ESP. In an audio file at ESP's web site, Adams claims, “In my opinion there's not one ghost not three ghosts it's a stew of souls, restless spirits that swirl for eternity here at Eastern State Penitentiary.”

Actor Steve Buscemi stated on the same audio file with Adams that: “If ghosts exist anywhere, they must be here.”

Behind the gates at ESP are untold tales of anguish and horror. Charles Dickens visited ESP in 1842. When he returned to England, he was quoted as saying, “I hold this slow and daily tampering with the mysteries of the human brain to be immeasurably worse than any torture of the body.” Hundreds of prisoners went mentally insane, many died and some murdered.

ESP's Halloween Attractions

Terror Behind the Walls was ranked #1 haunted house in America by AOL City Guide. No haunted house attraction can provide the bone chilling fear that ESP delivers to the fright-seeker.

“The Experiment” volunteers step into the psychotic mind of a mad doctor with a pair of chromadepth 3-D glasses, where reality becomes illusion and the illusions are a terrifying reality.

“Lockdown” takes the fright-seeker into cellblock 12 (constructed in 1911), where most of the real hauntings occur. In dense fog, the inmates take over. Digital sound and brilliant lighting effects illuminate the horror that awaits.

“Intake” has mutated prison guards to ensure that visitors are frightened into a memory they'll never forget. This attraction has custom-built animatronic props, high-tech effects, digital sound and large props from the movie Transformers 2, Hollywood's blockbuster which was filmed at Eastern State Penitentiary.

Some visitors have dubbed “Night Watch” as the ultimate test of bravery. Armed with only a flashlight the fright-seeker self-guides through the darkest area of this penitentiary. Noises in the distance just might be real.

New this year, the “Infirmary” will take fright-seekers on an eerie bone-chilling journey to fear.

Behind the Scenes

A highly-talented theatrical team puts together the best in animatronic props, digital sound effects, lighting effects and Hollywood-quality make-up and costumes. Auditions for this annual event start in August so that the selected elite team of 140 actors can effectively prepare for their roles. On show night, make-up and costumes take almost three hours of preparation. The setting for “Terror Behind the Walls” plays a large role for this production.

It's worth a trip to Philadelphia to experience the haunt of a lifetime. Full schedule and pricing details are available at Eastern State online. Be sure to check ESP videos at You Tube.

Additional Reading:

Top 10 Halloween Haunts in the U.S.

The copyright of the article Halloween Haunted Attractions in Vacations & Leisure is owned by Karen Stephenson. Permission to republish Halloween Haunted Attractions in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.