ESP – Terror Behind The Walls
Philadelphia, PA
October 20, 2009

This is our fifth year at Terror Behind The Walls at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  This year 13 rooms was removed and replaced with The Infirmary.  It takes about 45 minutes to walk through.

As you are purchasing tickets, signing your waiver, and making your way to the entrance of the prison you are greeted by street entertainment that have made their way out of the prison and onto the sidewalk.

The first maze is InTake where you are given a briefing on what is about to happen, get your mugshots taken, get your new wardrobe and then finally locked in your cell in LockDown which is the next maze.  After being teased and taunted byprison guards and inmates you enter the Rotunda.  Now the Rotunda is not one of the attractions, its actually the center of the prison where you can view down most of the corridors which have been untouched since its closing.

After a brief history lesson you have no choice but to enter The Infirmary which this year is the newest attraction.  Dark, foggy, loud and disturbing the new attractions brings something new to ESP.  Animatronics and live actors fill the hallways waiting for your passing.  Leading right into the next attraction, The Experiment in 3-D, you are given 3-D glasses. 

The maze is colorful with splattered paint and crazy attributes.  The 3-D glasses help enhance the experience because you are unaware of the holes in the walls where heads pop out and hands push their way through.  You think that mask on the wall is stationary but just blink and your wrong.

The final attraction, NightWatch is probably the most scariest part.  You are given a tiny flashlight, TINY!  you have to walk through the maze with just that!  The actors play with you, letting you catch a glimpse of them and then they disappear but then you find them again and they are right infront of your light!  There is one point during the maze where the prison guard who is asking for your flashlight, don’t be so quick to give it back because the rest of the maze you will walk through without it!

In my book the prison gets a 10 out of a 10 this year!  You take a real life haunted prison and build five haunted attractions inside the actual prison walls.  Are you serious!  The fact that it is a real life haunted prison is enough to scare the living crap out of me!

Tip - If you like to get in and get out, make sure to go on a weeknight.  There is no line.  We basically walked in and walked out!