Fall means a lot of different things to different people, but for Philadelphians, it means gearing up for Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary. Not only is Terror Behind the Walls the largest and one of the best haunted houses in America, but it is held within a real life, haunted, abandoned prison.
Built in 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary was abandoned for 20 years before being opened again for tours in the 1990s. Each year, roughly 60 paranormal investigation teams visit the prison and capture evidence, including several television shows: Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, Paranormal Challenge, Most Haunted Live, World’s Scariest Places, America’s Ghost Hunters and FEAR, making it one of the most visited haunted sites in the country.
For 21 years, Eastern State Penitentiary has held Terror Behind the Walls, which opens at night and features many heart-pounding, startling and scary attractions. In several sections of the 11-acre prison, visitors are thrown into different scenarios, where chaos reigns supreme. This year, several fan-favorites are coming back:
- Break Out: try to keep your cool as the inmates escape in a prison breakout
- Detritos: navigate your way through an original 1800s cellblock in complete darkness
- Infirmary: walk through the prison hospital and see for yourself the unspeakable things that happen there
- Machine Shop: go deep within the prison cellblocks to a long-forgotten machine shop where evil pervades
- Quarantine 4D: lose grasp on reality as you experience hallucinations and blurry vision through mind-altering effects
But that’s not all! In addition to the classic attractions, Terror Behind the Walls is unveiling a new one called Lock Down: The Uprising as well as a new immersive experience called The Hex Challenge. In Lock Down: The Uprising, you’ll walk through the abandoned cellblock 12 as agile, ruthless creatures have taken over, and they are hungry for flesh. The goal is to make it out of the loud, chaotic scene alive. The Hex Challenge is found at the beginning of each attraction. Thrill-seekers can become a larger part of the story, taking on challenges and becoming a part of the action.
Terror Behind the Walls kicks off its season on Friday, September 16 and runs until Sunday, November 5, so check it out! And if all that fright has made you work up an appetite, unwind with any of your favorite sandwiches at Geno’s Steaks!