Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary Review (2024)

Eastern State is positively huge, and as such, they have an equally big cast; although, they are distributed unevenly. Nightmares and Machine Shop are far and away the two most populated attractions, featuring multiple actors each in several scenes, while Big Top and The Crypt are a little lighter throughout. Delirium features the lowest number of actors, although I suspect this attraction is less about actor driven scares, and more about the visual elements.

Each attraction varies in its theme, and thus its characters. Delirium is more abstract, featuring characters such as a living statue, a clown, zombies, and a few others that act more in service of adding to the visual aesthetic, rather than being fully fleshed out characters in a story. Big Top Terror brings more tangible characters to life, primarily showcasing clowns acting out as such, and an assortment of other circus-like entertainers scattered about. One is the knife thrower, who brought me up onto his stage to act as a new target, as his previous one was no longer alive.

Machine Shop takes us to where all of the workers are either undead, or lingering spirits. They embody hard working industriousness, and they all need body parts for “the machine”. One character, named Reeces, pulled us aside to give us a quest. He told us that he was working on a project and he can’t complete it because Nightmares came and took his stuff. He needed us to head over to Nightmares and tell them “Reeces needs his machine parts!” As previously established, this probably means body parts.

Nightmares introduces us to nightmarish oddities that use a nice balance of verbal and physical interaction. Many of the actors here use dialogue in their scares and interactions, while several use physical touch for those who opted in with a glow necklace, and movement in their roles. The various characters play into common fears, and lean into stereotypical haunted house characters such as the scarecrow, the butcher, and the dentist. This is the widest range of character types in any of the attractions, although they do seem to fit nicely within the overall theme.

Finally, inside The Crypt, we meet an assortment of vampires and other gothic characters. The interaction is primarily verbal, although we do see some actors using gestures and movement, as a large part of their scares. Physical touch is used a bit less here than in other attractions, although I think increasing that particular element in this attraction would work very well in service of the story and theme.

Consistency is key in haunts, and Eastern State has hit the nail on the head. Every attraction has incredibly talented actors, and it’s hard to find variances in performances, as they’re very well played.

Makeup is primarily used on the majority of actors, although Nightmares and The Crypt did rely on masks a little more than the others. Nightmares features stilt walkers in very abstract costumes, and masks that surely came from somebody’s nightmare. In a later scene, we encountered a surgeon wearing blood soaked operating scrubs, carrying a hacksaw, and in another, there is a wood elf sort of monster, who wore a sort of druid robe, antlers, and a very good looking facial prosthetic, or half mask, that moved with the actor’s face.

The Crypt shows us vampires and creatures of the night. Many of the costumes here are black robes like a cult member might wear, following the theme of the vampire lair. We also see more facial prosthetics that give more depth than makeup, but allow for more movement and expression than a regular mask. Also lurking in the darkness, are actors not quite wearing a costume, but rather all black outfits with black facial coverings, allowing them to blend seamlessly into the shadows and provide totally unexpected scares.

In Big Top Terror and Machine Shop, we find makeup on actors, some airbrushed. There are some seriously talented artists on this staff, as the depth shown in the airbrush work is astonishing.

Machine shop characters mostly wear coveralls with name badges sewn in, making them unique to the character. This is exactly the sort of thing I would expect to find in a real machine shop, making them feel very at home inside the attraction. Big Top Terror is exactly what it sounds like, and there are clowns galore. We also find other circus themed costumes, such as the knife thrower, and even the ringleader ticket taker. On one or two occasions, I noticed a mask rather than makeup, but they fit well within their scenes and scares, and it helps to add variety.

Delirium takes us to a world of bright colors and black lights. The costumes here all pop under the lights, and work well within their scenes. The living statue blends in well with the line of mannequins, the clowns fit into their scene, although their costumes didn’t pop under the blacklights as well as some others.

Queue actors are scattered about, and they all fit into various vignettes around the grounds. The opening ceremony introduces us to a character wearing a sash with the word “mayor” on it, letting us know what role he plays. He also has a comically large pair of scissors that was used to cut the ribbon, and release the masses into the show. I picked up a lot of Mardi Gras style pizazz from the actor’s big personality, and the gold, French inspired accents on the costume.

The mayor is joined by a pumpkin-headed creature with a fancy neck ruffle, and a sleek, black business casual outfit. The detail on the pumpkin mask is very intricate, and it stands out in a crowd. We also meet “Tree”, or at least that’s what this character was called by the mayor. The costume uses a Groot-esque mask, along with a top and bottoms, that use faux fur and wood texturing to really bring the character to life. Many times, I’ll see the mask and gloves that go with it, but this time, I see the entire costume, and it really is fantastic for a queue actor, as people will want to take photos with them.

In other areas, we find equally detailed queue actors like the ice cream man, and his friends. The ice cream man is certainly one of the more detailed, wearing the classic white suit and cap, with zombie or ghoul makeup on his face. Looking back, this might be a Fallout reference. His friends are a little less detailed, but unique nonetheless, while fitting into the zombie theme of the area.

Customer service is an area where Eastern State is at the top of their game, and it’s no secret as to why. During the rest of the year, the penitentiary operates as a museum, hosting groups of people all day long. The website goes above and beyond as a resource, giving us everything we need before visiting, plus some things you didn’t know you needed.

We’re able to easily find a map of the grounds with attractions clearly labeled, a calendar with dates and times, a link to easily buy tickets, along with pricing shown up front, and an FAQ section. The FAQ gives us all the typical information such as recommended ages (12+ is recommended, under 7 is not permitted), parking, rainout information, touching policies, as well as information about where the money goes, prohibited items, and information about ghost hunting. About that last one, you can’t.

Parking is located at the Philadelphia Zoo, and it’s a breeze to get parked and find the shuttles to the haunt. The shuttles pull up right in front of the main gate, and it’s obvious where to go. Heading inside the walls, you’ll move around the main building in one direction, making it very easy to find attractions, lounges, and additional entertainment. A nice touch around the outdoor areas are projections on the walls, showing which way to go when exiting attractions, and the names of different areas, as you approach them.

Inside the attractions, it’s easy to move at a reasonable speed and not get lost, although there were one or two spots where it was dark, and I needed to check left and right when making a turn, to make sure I was headed the right way. Safety is also taken very seriously here, and there were no places where bumping into a wall would become a major problem, as well as stairways being very well lit, and free of actors to eliminate any falling risks. Outdoor spaces are very well lit, and free of any tripping hazards.

The staff here are all incredibly helpful and kind. No matter where you are, there’s going to be a staff member nearby to help answer questions, point you in the right direction, or to assist with anything you may need. Queue actors are very helpful and friendly, although they may take you on a detour through the ice cream truck first. This staff overall is absolutely phenomenal at what they do, and they clearly have a lot of fun putting on Halloween Nights, making everyone’s visit, one to remember.

In the pre-haunt area, there’s a general creepy industrial sort of vibe, provided by the stone walls, and the repressive feeling that comes with being in an old prison. This works better for Machine Shop, and Nightmares, than it does for Delirium and Big Top Terror. The Crypt is in an area with the Bloodline Lounge, helping to add to the gothic vibe, and the red lighting around gets us a little more in the mood for the attraction.

Exiting from each attraction also brings us levels of immersion. The exits of Delirium and Nightmares take guests back out to the main walkway and queue area, minimally keeping the spooky vibe alive. Machine Shop does the same thing, however the industrial sort of vibe outside helps to ease the transition.

Big Top Terror exits directly into Bizarre Bar, an outdoor lounge with colorful lights, performers, and a general party atmosphere that keeps the fun times going, and the vibe of Bizarre Bar meshes well with the circus theme of Big Top Terror. The Crypt also does a fairly good job of keeping the gothic vibe going, by bringing guests out towards Bloodline Lounge, a vampire bar with indoor and outdoor seating areas, and performers on a stage.

The names of the attractions are the biggest giveaway of what each theme is about. Machine Shop stays in theme with machinery, tools, and metal objects throughout. A number of actors said the phrase “one mind, one machine” which helps to give us a bit of lore about what kinds of machines they make or use in this shop. Near the end, the decoration and scenery felt very “dropped in place” with set pieces distributed somewhat sparsely along the corridor, to the exit. I understand that this is a historic building, and the resources to fully transform every inch would be an astronomical cost, but the 4×7 board with gears attached to it along a hallway lined with cells, pulled me out of the immersion.

Big Top Terror, and The Crypt are circus and vampire themed respectively. Big Top gives us bright colors and flashing lights, like you might find at a real circus, along with old fashioned banners for side shows, and the clowns populating the attraction pull the immersion together. The Crypt fits in quite well for the building as it is quite cavernous, and the theme leans in to that. The story tells us we’ve found an ancient vampire lair, which conjures up stone walls and shadowy darkness in my mind.

Delirium and Nightmares are a bit more abstract in their themes, although they do pull us into the story quite well. Delirium is doing it best, as just about every inch of the attraction space has been transformed, and the bright neon colors glow under the black lights.

The story on the website talks about a neon jungle, and fits the bill. The theme is less about telling a story, and more about the eye-popping colors that, when combined with the optional 3D glasses, make the artwork come to life. Nightmares on the other hand, takes us into a world where all things you see in your nightmares, become reality. The long corridors and strange creatures brings this to life, and helps immerse guests into a world of oddities and fear.

Delirium uses 3D glasses and special paint on the walls, floors, and props to make them jump out at you, and give the set pieces another dimension. Lighting is provided mainly by UV lights, making the paint glow even brighter, and the artistic style on set pieces have a comic strip style, similar to artwork seen in the popular video game Borderlands. Sound design is largely relegated to the ambient track playing along with the sound of pneumatic animatronics activating. Scene and set design is easily at the top of the class in this attraction, providing a full transformation of the space from start to finish, creating a truly immersive world.

Big Top Terror may not use 3D technology, but it does employ the use of stage lighting to great effect, being used as a visual effect rather than scene lighting. The set pieces here are things of beauty, from the organ with an air blower hidden inside of it, to the carnival game set piece, to the knife thrower’s stage, and the marionette section filled with string puppets. We also find set dressing in the form of old fashioned circus banners, for sideshows like “the REAL wolfman” and “the most dangerous show on earth”. Ambient tracks playing throughout are that of an organ, like you might hear at a real circus, and the finale features brightly colored streamers hung from the ceiling, while colored lights are projected on the ground, and the sound of laughing is played.

Machine Shop provides a little bit less in the way of eye-catching set design, but still provides some great set pieces. The machinery parts around add a bit of flair, the lighting and sound help draw you into the world, but the coolest set piece is the “flesh room”. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a room with the walls covered in flesh. It’s simple, but it’s also kind of gross, and I kind of love it. Ambient sound here is punctuated by electrical poppers, and the occasional pneumatic cylinder actuating.

Nightmares is a balance of well-built sets, and technology. Right in the beginning, we head down a long corridor with a fog and strobe light that simulate lightning, until we reach the end of the hall that uses projection mapping, to help fill empty wall space. Heading into an outdoor section, we find corn stalks for the scarecrow, and further along we encounter a dentist office as well as a general medically themed section, and a classic butcher shop scene. The ambient sound throughout is as abstract as the theme, and it works quite well. Lighting is used in some cases, as just scene lighting, but also as visual effects in others such as the laser swamp.

The Crypt brings us to various rooms used in the vampire lair, like a torture chamber with bodies hanging by their entrails, and the strongest air blaster I think I’ve ever encountered in a haunt; a ceremonial space that looks like it’s been setup for a feast, a sleeping quarters complete with a very nice casket, and a holding cell area with steel cages. That last one is very apt considering the venue. Red lights are mainly used throughout this attraction to give it a bloody vibe. We find the use of ambient music is prevalent, in the form of spooky organ playing, and a bit of opera in an early scene. Sound also comes from animatronics in various places.

Animatronics run the range of effectiveness at Eastern State. In Delirium, most of the moving props are cool to look at, but are slow moving, and not the most effective. Big Top is much the same in this regard. There are some cool pieces such as the massive rabbit, the cannon, and the caged gorilla, but they are slow moving, and not the most effective pieces to provide scares or realistic movement. Machine Shop doesn’t have a lot in the way of animatronics, but I did see a Gore Galore saw blade in use that fit the scene nicely.

Nightmares, and The Crypt on the other hand, have animatronics that are not only cool to look at, but are also quite effective in providing scares. Nightmares features a leaping animatronic that is very reminiscent of Linda Blair’s character in The Exorcist, as well as an incredible werewolf that springs up out of nowhere to provide a fantastic scare. The Crypt features leaping and wildly moving animatronics as well. The most effective of them being the one that leaps out of the wall, in an early scene.

On the whole, Halloween Nights is on the upper bound of being moderately scary. It’s well beyond family friendly in terms of scares, but not quite the scariest haunt in the world. Many haunts exist in this middle ground, and it’s what provides the industry with variety and creativity.

Delirium is the least scary of the attractions, and I think this is by design as it’s more about the 3D artwork. We encounter some jump scares from actors which are predictable in the sense that you have a good idea of what’s coming, you just don’t know when.

There’s also something that I’ll call “creeps”; they’re not scary, and I don’t think they’re meant to be, but these are performances by actors that are meant to get your attention in some way, and in a spooky manner. An example might be an actor asking if they can take your body parts if you die, or break said body part, or a clown laughing maniacally as you pass. The point is, that we see these sorts of performances alongside bigger scares from actors and props. Scares are provided to each member of the group in varying ways, as the actors are positioned to be able to hit the middle of groups for the most effectiveness. The finale here is somewhat lacking. There’s an actor at the end that makes a loud noise, but there isn’t a big scare to cap off the attraction, or to bring a sense of finality.

Big Top Terror provides multiple types of scares, from jump scares, like the clown in the carnival game set that had a head prop on an elastic string, which they used to “throw” at guests, making them think they might get hit, as the head springs back into the actor’s hands. There are also psychological scares, like the knife thrower who brought me on stage to make me think I’d be his next target, or the puppet master who provides personalized scares by turning some guests into a marionette. The finale is also lacking, although the finale scene does try to draw the attraction to a close. We encounter a small room filled with ribbons hung from the ceiling, while the sound of laughter is played at a somewhat high volume that will catch some people by surprise.

Machine Shop brings intimidation scares into the mix, alongside jump scares. There is a large actor, with a deep voice, that tells us we’re holding up production, we’ve made him late, and we’re the reason everybody is behind. This is a fear unique to people who have worked for toxic managers, and I don’t think getting written up is used in this workplace before they feed you to the machine. The end of the attraction does get capped off with a scare. As we exited, we came face to face with the same actor that blamed us for making everyone fall behind, as he swung a large hammer towards our faces and said “don’t forget to clock out.”

Nightmares steps up the fears and scares offering a wider range of performances. There are jump scares like the scarecrow and some animatronics, there are intimidation scares from the stilt walkers, and there are creep scares like the dentist, and the doctor. We also find trees that have come to life, with clawed creatures reaching out at us from inside. The finale is an animatronic that slowly moves forward, and opens its arms to try to catch whatever might be close to it; although this is an interesting animatronic, it’s not very scary, and not the strongest end to an attraction.

The Crypt delivers psychological scares, such as the vampire asking if we want to live forever, implying that we could become immortal by turning into vampires. Or the cult-like scenes, that hint at sacrificial rituals, taking place right under our noses. There are jump scares, like the actor in the cage area that attacks from above, and the actor at the bottom of the stairs that remains incredibly well hidden, until they come to life and deliver a huge jump scare. These scares are positioned well to affect the most number of people, and actors have a range of where to scare inside of individual groups. The finale features a big jump scare, as well as a crescendo of music, noise, and animatronics, barraging guests from multiple angles.

So now here’s the big question: is it worth the money? This reviewer says yes! On the night of my visit, a GA combo ticket costs $59. It’s important to note that depending on which day of the week you visit, this price may be less. For that $59 we get a bit over thirty minutes of time in attractions, giving us an MPD of 0.51. This doesn’t account for all of the additional entertainment that can be found, which helps to raise the value of that combo ticket. All guests will have access to all five haunted attractions, several bars and lounges which feature entertainment, access to the free self-guided audio tour in a non-scary section of the facility, queue actors to interact with, and access to Kaleidoscope Hall which is a state of the art light and audio show featuring an actor that wears a suit covered in mirrors, and dances to the music.

The light show showcases projection mapping as well as lights and lasers synchronized with music to provide an absolutely mesmerizing show that is fun for the whole family. There is also a space with several fire pits where guests can purchase a s’mores kit and enjoy them on site.

For an additional $12, the hospital flashlight tour is an option for guests who want a non-scary, but slightly creepy experience in a historic building, and if the Bizarre Bar, Fair Chance Beer Garden, and Bloodline Lounge aren’t enough to quench your thirst, VIP ticket holders will gain access to the Speakeasy at Al Capone’s Cell. This is a lounge inside the cell block that houses the cell of notorious gangster Al Capone. Guests receive one complimentary beverage with their ticket, a look inside the cell that Capone told reporters was “very comfortable” as well as a 1920s themed stage show.

Venturing down another corridor of cells, guests will find an exhibit of items found at Eastern State, as well as a cell that holds an actor who plays blackjack for pieces of candy, and if you’re lucky, a card magician might show you a trick or two.

There are also three places for guests to purchase gift shop items. One is the permanent gift shop, selling Eastern State Penitentiary memorabilia, while another is specific to Halloween Nights, selling all sorts of spooky apparel, keychains, coffee mugs, and more. The third is more of a shop stall in Pumpkin Plaza. Guests will find a smaller selection of items here as they enjoy a snack or beverage while watching dance performances.

Capturing memories of your visit can be made around the corner from Pumpkin Plaza, where a picturesque backdrop can be found for all of your selfie-taking needs.

It’s hard to capture just how much there is to do while visiting Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary, and it is absolutely worth a visit. I would have stayed much longer just to see every last little thing if I could, but we managed to spend approximately three and a half hours onsite, and I feel like I only got the chance to “see” everything, rather than fully “experience” it all. Time flies when you’re having fun, and this is one thousand percent proof of that!