Review of Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary: Is it Worth Your Time and Money?

When I told some friends I was going to visit the Terror Behind the Walls attraction Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA, I received mixed reactions. The half who have never been there rolled their eyes and asked me why I would trek two hours to walk through a cheesy, touristy Halloween activity. The other half who have been there before kept telling me what a great time I would have.

I had my doubts. Sure, the idea of walking through a 170+ year old penitentiary is creepy, but I was certain that I would not so much as jump. I have been through several Halloween attractions before in other locations. The actors made a half-hearted attempt at scaring people but it was more amusing then anything else. Those that actually tried to make an effort failed and it was disappointing, especially when I paid as much money as I did for tickets at some of those places. I have been to some attractions where people walked through with their arms crossed while snarky twelve year olds proclaimed, "I'm not scared of you" to the actors that approached.

Terror Behind the Walls was quite different then what I have been used to. When we arrived, we parked in a parking lot and waited in line for a trolley that was going to take us to the prison. The line was quite long when we arrived, but between the two trolleys that were running it was a surprisingly short wait. The guide on the trolley was charming, even when the typical people rebuffed her claims that we were going to get freaked out.

The aesthetics of Eastern State Penitentiary takes your breath away. It is beautiful, spooky and intimidating at the same time. Everything that you need to do, from buying tickets to signing a waiver, is set up out front of the Penitentiary. If you want a hot dog, there is a cart outside as well. The lines moved incredibly fast, even for the portable toilets, which I was surprised about considering it was a Friday night. When I went to previous attractions at other places, I literally stood for more than an hour sometimes just to get tickets. This is not to say that if you were to go that the lines will move as fast as when I went, however, they seem very efficiently run.

When you give in your ticket, you are directed into Eastern State Penitentiary's rec yard. There are "blood" and "scar" covered "guards" and "prisoners" walking around as guests stand in lines waiting to enter. TV's show clips of when the penitentiary was featured on various shows, which is quite interesting to watch. Normally, when I see the actors walking around, I am one of those people that just stands there as they try to scare me. I chuckled as the "guards" and "prisoners" walked around the rec yard scaring people and making them jump, but I was still sure I would not be one of them. While standing on line, an actor who was playing a prisoner essentially flung himself several feet in our direction and onto the rail that separated us into lines. Everyone in my section jumped and some turned absolutely white. This type of dedication to scaring the guests was not uncommon throughout the attraction.

Without giving too much away about the attraction, I have no doubt that the majority of people that attend Terror Behind the Walls will get freaked out. Grown men screamed like girls, some guests were attached tightly to whomever they came with (I would be one of them) and many were visibly freaked out. I am not ashamed to admit that actors I saw coming at me still managed to scare me just by their great acting.

From when you enter the building to the end of the attraction, it takes about forty-five minutes to get through. There is an opportunity to walk through the museum at the end and purchase some souvenirs. If you are hungry, food is also available at the end. Outside, we stood in line waiting for the trolley, which, again, did not take long. Unfortunately, it started to rain and there is nowhere to stay dry, so I recommend bringing an umbrella with you if you go.

I highly recommend going to Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary. It is a good time whether you go in a group or with one other person. The creepy atmosphere combined with the great acting will make it a fun experience.

For more information: http://www.easternstate.org/halloween/
Disclaimer: This was about my personal experience. This is not necessarily exactly how your experience will be.