Terror Behind the Walls

Dates:
September 21 – November 10, 2012 (Select days)

Location

Inside Eastern State Penitentiary at 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue

Overview of Terror

The massive Eastern State Penitentiary — a gothic, castle-like structure in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood — is also home to one of the nation’s largest and most ambitious and top-rated haunted attractions, Terror Behind the Walls.

Once the most famous and expensive prison in the country, Eastern State Penitentiary now stands as a living ruin with long empty cell blocks and remnants of the past. Now in its 21st year, Terror Behind the Walls has optimized this frightening setting to create one of the country’s top-ranked haunted attractions.

Designed to be high-startle, Terror Behind the Walls includes Hollywood-quality special effects and lighting, digital sound, animatronic creatures and custom props. Over 200 performers are needed for six separate attractions in the 11-acre complex including: Lock Down, Infirmary and The Experiment (in 3-D!).

Brand new for 2012 is Detritus, an attraction taking you inside a part of the penitentiary that no visitors have ever, ever been before. Detritus takes visitors through an original 1800s cellblock, past the historic prison greenhouse and into an outdoor labyrinth of overgrown plants and twisting vines.

“ALONE” Package: Also new for 2012, Terror Behind the Walls is adding to its VIP Experiences with an “ALONE” package. The ultimate Halloween experience, “ALONE” includes a reserved parking space and an expert tour guide who will be a personal host for the evening. After a “Behind the Scenes” tour of the penitentiary, the visitor will experience Terror Behind the Walls completely ALONE, and enjoy dinner at Jack’s Firehouse afterward.

Visit easternstate.org/halloween for detailed schedules and ticket prices.

Date Night at the Penitentiary

Looking to make a romantic night of it? Try Fright and a Bite, a dinner package offered by eight of the Fairmount area’s best restaurants to complement your Eastern State fright fest.

Enjoy a Halloween-themed meal — think “mummified salmon with Bloody Mary sauce” — at such neighborhood restaurants as Rembrandt’s and Jack’s Firehouse. Your meal includes a Terror Behind the Walls quick pass, which allows you to move to the front of the line after dessert.

Insider Tip

Eastern State Penitentiary, a grim, 172-year-old former state prison, was once home to famous inmates Al Capone and Willie Sutton. Pained former prisoners are said to haunt Eastern State’s dark Gothic halls.