Haunted house at Old Joliet Prison opens Saturday with 2 attractions

The Old Joliet Haunted Prison is set to open at 7 p.m. Saturday and run at select times through Nov. 6.

“We can’t wait to show it off,” said Bryan Kopp, senior general manager of Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group.

Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group runs the Old Joliet Haunted Prison and other haunted houses.

The Old Joliet Haunted Prison has two attractions and one ticket gets patrons through both, Kopp said.

“Ghost Chamber” takes place inside one of the cell blocks of the former women’s prison, he said. Patrons will explore “a paranormal research facility an eccentric billionaire started inside the old prison,” Kopp said.

During the exploration, patrons will encounter “horrors beyond human comprehension” and “spirits from the most sinister entities the world has ever seen,” which are seeking revenge, according to the Old Joliet Haunted Prison website.

“The Forsaken” takes place outside in the prison yard and incorporates the old weights and basketball hoops the former prisoners used. The mood is “post-apocalyptic, dark and gritty,” Kopp said. The website said the “queen of the damned rules over the most infamous and violent prisoners” and they have launched an attack on the living.

Both attractions are intended for individuals over 12 but the final decision is left up to the families, Kopp said. The website also said pregnant women and people with asthma, epilepsy and/or heart conditions should not attend.

The haunted prison is accessible, the website also said.

Facemasks are required for staff and attendees while inside the prison, Kopp said. The size of the groups will be limited, too, Kopp said, although not necessarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Traditionally, we don’t make groups any larger than eight to 10,” Kopp said.

Kopp said it’s rare for haunted houses to be located in old, abandoned prisons and that came with a few challenges, such as bringing the building up to current life safety standards.

“Prisons are designed to keep people in, not let them out in an emergency,” Kopp said. “So we needed to completely overhaul the life safety system and added emergency exits.”

A Sept. 12 Herald-News story said the Old Joliet Haunted Prison is the first commercial venue at the city-leased prison property. In that story, Kopp said the venue could attract an estimated 30,000 to nearly 150,000 people through early November, with estimates based on attendance at Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group’s other haunted houses.

Wait times may vary, especially closer to Halloween, and the waiting area is partially outside, so dress for the weather, the website said.

To see a trailer and event times, purchase tickets and for information, visit hauntedprison.com.