Halloween is well on its way and the scares of Philly are out to play! Last Friday, I went to the Eastern State Penitentiary’s Famous… Terror behind the Walls! I went with a group of eight at 10:30 at night.
Tickets
I got my ticket the same day that I went to the show, but I highly recommend buying them in advance either from the box office at the penitentiary or online. This is because the shows (which I will go into detail about later) sell out very quickly. The tickets are a bit pricey especially on weekends and Fridays. The Friday and Saturday tickets are $30, the Sunday tickets are $25, and the weekday tickets are $20.Trust me, though, the show is well worth it!
The Line
Now on to the fun part! I arrived at the Eastern State Penitentiary at about 9:30, even though my show was at 10:30. I am so happy I did this because the line is almost as scary as the show! The line is very long, but quite frankly; it doesn’t matter where you are in line as the system is quick, efficient, and scary! While in the line talking to your group and staring at the looming walls of the penitentiary, the actors, known as monsters, come out to play. They go through the lines, sneak up behind you, and whisper things in your ear, but they are also very friendly. If you have young children, or you are very scared, and you tell them, they are more than happy to take a picture with you or have a nice conversation. While in the line you are required to sign a waiver for entry. This waiver states that it is an old building, and that if you are injured it’s not their fault, and the monsters will not touch you so you cannot touch them, blah blah blah, but when your show is ready the “monsters” will escort you to the front gate where you will go into the haunted house. First you will go through security check, and then into another line. This line, however, is constantly moving. They also have television shows on in the line about the actual haunting of the old building. Once the line is over they will ask you how many are in your group, and put you in a roller coaster style line. When your gate opens, there is no turning back!
The Haunts
Please be aware that this is not for the faint of heart! The haunted houses, are high intensity and include smoke, strobe lights, electricity, and loud noises. They also include sections of running, crawling, and finding a key to get out of a certain section. I would not recommend this for seniors or children under 10 years old and with a brave soul.
I cannot give away any information about the actual haunted houses, but I can tell you that one includes 3D glasses, neon lights, and in another there are no lights and you are provided with a small key chain light that is designed to flicker. The Terror behind the Walls crew, are very professional and consider the haunted house as a show, which adds a very nice and unique aspect to the performance. The show runs about 45 minutes to 1 hour and ½ depending on how fast your group is moving. There are breaks in between each of the six zones of the show, each zone being a different haunted house. The animatrons were extremely impressive and realistic beyond belief. The methods of scaring are also very unconventional, so instead of turning a corner and the monsters are hiding; the monsters will drop from the ceiling or crawl from under a prop. At the end of the show there is a museum and a gift shop which explains the history of the penitentiary.
The End
country and I am glad that it is in Philadelphia.
For more information visit http://www.easternstate.org/halloween
