It’s the time of year when scary stories surround us, and the ever-present staple of the Halloween genre, the haunted house, continues to capture our imaginations. The Haunted House is a compelling idea in fiction because it plays on our fears of being trapped and secluded from everyone, unable to escape.
So what happens when you take this idea and apply it to a place whose entire purpose is to be inescapable? That’s what historic Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia asks during its annual Terror Behind the Walls event, where the normally-quiet museum turns into an interactive walk-through haunted house, set in an actual prison.
Terror Behind The Walls
From the moment you enter the massive stone walls of Eastern State, thought to be one of the most haunted places in America, you’re walking into what is essentially a horror movie set. As you walk along the path, every detail has been thought of, and it feels genuinely terrifying. More than 140 Terror Behind the Walls actors is on hand, hiding in corners, darting in and out of crowds. The actors play different characters, from evil doctors to zombie inmates to a murderous barbers. The performers are 100% committed to their roles and don’t break for a second.
Terror Behind The Walls takes you through different rooms with different ways of scaring you, so you never have the same fright twice. The first rooms take you through being admitted to this prison of the damned, where guards and inmates and doctors taunt the “fresh meat” arriving at the prison. (That’s you.) One room may use bright lights and loud noises to make you jump, while another may have you walk straight through thick fog, terrifying you by taking away your sight. My favorite room is the 3-D room, where Terror Behind The Walls’ version of Nurse Ratchet dispenses 3-D glasses, and you wander through a labyrinth of bright colors and black lights, which make the walls pop out at you, which is good because sometimes the walls DO pop out at you. As any good horror film fan understands, the key to scaring someone is creating the proper atmosphere. Terror Behind the Walls takes an already creepy premise and creates a scenario that is the scariest fun imaginable.
I got the opportunity to go behind the scenes at Terror Behind the Walls, where I met Makeup Artists, Costume Designers, and an Acting manager, who was the friendliest, most knowledgeable undead inmate I’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking to. One of the most impressive things about Terror Behind the Walls is how professional everyone is at their jobs. The makeup artists come straight from film sets, and many have been working together for several seasons. The crew was proud that they even had their own customized Terror Behind the Walls makeup pallet, an honor generally reserved for movies or Broadway shows. All of the costumes for the actors are designed and maintained on the prison grounds themselves by a costume designer and apprentice who not only make the clothes but props and a few of the terrifying puppets that are dispersed along the way.
However, my favorite part was learning about the training the actors go through to prepare for their roles. These men and women are trained to be masters of body language, which means they will know when you aren’t paying attention. So don’t try to play Mr. Tough Guy and pretend that you can’t get scared, these people are professionals, and they will get you. Oh, and heads up: Don’t think you’re safe because you’ve walked past someone. Terror Behind the Walls takes full advantage of the fact that you’re on their turf, so you might as well relax and enjoy the fright because it will happen.
Terror Behind The Walls runs every year from the last week of September through the first week of November. If you’re looking for the ultimate in fright, the site offers private flashlight-lit tours of the facility, including Al Capone’s cell and underground punishment cells prior to the main event as part of their VIP tour package. You can also go through the whole night, with you and up to three other people– by yourselves.
