Location

Inside Eastern State Penitentiary at 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue

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#1 Rated Haunted House in America by AOL

Terror Behind the Walls was just rated the country's best haunted attraction for 2008 by AOL City Guide.
 

Perfect for Halloween

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

The event has been ranked one of the nation's Top 5 haunted attractions by America Online, and called "perfect for Halloween" by The New York Times. It is now in its 17th year.

For 2008, the Penitentiary has expanded one of its best attractions: Intake. At Intake, you will board a creepy bus that takes you to the Processing Center, where you will go through finger printing, mug shots and your frightening first meeting with the Warden.

Intake is one of five separate haunted houses within the 11-acre complex. The other attractions are Night Watch, Lock Down, 13 Rooms and The Experiment (in 3-D!).

Designed to be high-startle and low-gore, Terror Behind the Walls includes Hollywood-quality special effects and lighting, digital sound, animatronic creatures and custom props.

Visit Terror Behind the Walls for detailed schedules and ticket prices.
 

Watch Video

Click here to watch a video of a tour of Eastern State Penitentiary during the day.


Date Night at the Penitentiary

Looking to make a romantic night of it? Try "Fright and a Bite," a dinner package offered by six 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, and your Terror Behind the Walls pass arrives with dessert.

And if your date doesn't end there, check out the special Halloween hotel packages available this fall.