The Old Joliet Haunted Prison Review (2024)

A majority of the actors we saw were inside the first attraction, the prison itself. The majority of the actors here are prisoners, guards, and hospital staff, which makes sense given the building and theme. Most of the actors provided jump scares as they hid away inside literal prison cells.

We had some great interactions with some of the actors. One actor, in an attempt to get us moving faster, told us they would “get the Warden on us,” to which I replied, “Do you know what happens to snitches in a place like this? Snitches get stitches!” and of course, they needed the final word and snapped back how the Warden wouldn’t appreciate such an idea. One of the creepier interactions we encountered would be the prisoner in the wheelchair. The movement they would make, and timing worked well for a good moment. It felt super last second until movement happened, but the way the wheelchair was being dragged while they sat was unusually unsettling. The actors during the riot scene were also well taken. There was tons of movement throughout as the actors needed to cover a great deal of ground yet they didn’t seem to miss a beat.

During the second attraction, the actors here varied from scene to scene. The idea here is an interactive zombie shoot-out. We received a 1:1 scale rifle and got to play laser tag. The actors here are more efficient at popping out; however, they get capped pretty easily (aim for the head always). Most of the interactions here are quick with little to no actual dialogue, however, they are zombies! That’s kind of the point. It was easy to tell they were having fun and enjoyed re-dying in a new way. Whenever we would overkill, they would play along which made for that much more of a good time.

The third attraction is a maze of sorts with plenty of chainsaw-wielding maniacs. Due to chainsaws in the mix, there is hardly any time to stop and say hello as you would rather run for your life! There are a few popup actors here as well which made me realize sitting in the dark for the right moment is a talent. One of the more difficult portions of walking through is the inclined room. As hard as it may be to walk in there, the actor shaming us while trying to added to the mood.

Between all three attractions, the actors hit the hardest in the first attraction, but the gimmicks of the other two still make the experience a good time.

Costuming made sense throughout the prison and worked well with respective scenes. Sometimes, costuming accessories from monsters end up on you as well. String Cheese, a known convict for crimes against humanity, can and will end up smearing blood on your face from their mouth. Thankfully, I’m up to date on my shots, so no worries. Their outfit altogether includes a straight jacket and some bloody cool makeup. Another great costume floating around the queue is a Sparky, classic black and white striped outfit fitted with an older-looking officer hat; the makeup applied here gives them a very aged feel, as though they have been stuck in the confines of the prison for a long while. The Warden’s outfit is battle-ready at all costs. The character has a manhole cover as a shield and a taser ready at all times. With rusty sheet metal placed as a vest (assumed to protect from potential shanks) and a helmet, it is not their first day here. The mask, of course, gives depth to the character with a very weary and scarred face.

Inside the main attraction, actors are wearing pretty standard jumpsuits and have some well-applied makeup to give them a grimmer look. Blood is tattered on some of the uniforms, for example in the riot scene. Other interesting costumes included the nurse’s and doctor’s outfits as well as some correctional officers. All of it felt appropriate considering the attraction. You wouldn’t find a clown character or a witch here as it wouldn’t make sense to the prison background.

The other two attractions have a variety of costumes. In attraction two, there are plenty of different scenes that require different kinds of costumes, and all seemed to fit well. One example of this is the ghillie suit inside a more jungle-like area. It blends in well, and the idea of attraction two is a shoot’em up style area, so it’s well-hidden and makes for a surprise pop-up. Inside the old west town scene, there are some cowboy-style zombies, which is fun.

Overall, we have appropriate costuming all around that helps keep the show flowing.

OJP has all of the popular social media accounts available which will lead to their website. All important information could be found there as needed. Keep in mind different dates have different prices, so there may be a certain time/date that works for you and your party, and then the visit will cost less (more on pricing in the Entertainment and Value section).

There is security at the gate with metal detectors to ensure no weapons are brought inside by guests. There were plenty of staff all around to answer or help with any needs you may have. The team here has a really good hand on things and provides a safe night for all to enjoy.

Did we mention that OJP is within an ACTUAL prison? The entire area, including the queue, merch, bar, and other entertainment (bags and a mini escape room), are all located within super high fences and barbwire. There are seats you can rest on that were used during outdoor recreation. Waiting in the queue alongside the back of the building with a good fog and actors roaming adds to the immersion in the outside portions of the haunt. The team here did a good job of creating an atmosphere and setting a tone for the main event!

Inside the haunt, the suspension of disbelief happens pretty fast. The team at OJP has a solid foundation in the prison setting. They have done a good job building around that base and creating scenes that make sense such as a medic area and office. Walking upward past open cells follows the obvious theme. There is an eventual part on the upper level where we can view a chaotic mess on the levels below. The idea is we are walking into a prison riot (there was indeed a riot within the Joliet system in 1975). The riot can leave one feeling weary with so much going on and all the back and forth needed to proceed forward. The inmates won at this point and highlighted victims throughout.

With a great backdrop for attraction one, OJP has a head start on great sets while maintaining a dark and gritty atmosphere. Walking inside the prison is one thing, but building some extra rooms, such as the office or chamber area, seems to fit in nicely. The office has a typical 50s office look and adds effects such as the spirit leaving the newly deceased warden hunched over his desk. Further, we have a few other areas with great effects that make the scene look like souls are being trapped. It makes for a storyline from the past seasons but remains a great portion of the walk-through. Other common effects here would include strobe lights and props inside cells that are triggered when walking by.

Attraction two uses the laser gun needed for participation, so we will count that in for SFX. Attraction two has some effects inside but is mostly scenes and occasional pop-ups from actors. Attraction three also uses strobes and fog to create vision impairment, which is effective. There are a few scenes here worth mentioning in SFX, such as the slanted room. This room has about a 20-25-degree slope and is difficult to walk on/through. It looks like many folks struggle here as they are not aware of how to navigate through properly. There is also an enclosed section towards the end that is quite unpleasant due to heavy fog, flashing lights, and disturbing music. This combination disorients the senses of sight and sound.

OJP does a good job at keeping things creepy and terrifying, leading to some awesome scares. Actors tend to use jump scares as a pretty common method of scaring, and they are pretty effective due to the amount of dark space inside the prison. The cells are open, so there are non-lit rooms all around. We were forced to walk by, and this made us easy prey. If not filled with an actor, these rooms are filled with props and strobe lights. There is almost an equal split between actors/props in these portions. During the riot, tensions are a bit higher and, therefore, a bit scarier. Overall, there is still plenty coming together inside the haunt and the actors are coming along well to provide some fairly good scares.

Inside attractions two and three are gimmickier than the main attraction. For attraction two, scares are a bit more scattered throughout, however, it doesn’t take away from the experience. There isn’t too much other than jump scares to speak of, but it makes sense as these zombies need to pop out of different spots to get shot up by guests. The scenes here vary as well, but there is plenty of open space, and it is fairly easy to determine where actors may be hiding. Attraction three may provide just as many scares as the first attraction but more than the second attraction. Attraction three is the maze, and there are several times we dead-ended and had to reverse only to be cornered by chainsaws. Once the maze portion ends, there are a few dark areas where actors hide and wait for their moment. Overall, we did receive a good amount of scares throughout all three attractions as a whole, and it made for a great evening.

Between all three attractions, our walkthrough time was a combined 36 minutes. Ticket prices vary in cost depending on the evening you may be planning to visit, but the average price seems to be $29.99 for general admission. This would bring our Minutes per Dollar value to 1.6. This is a great value for an evening of entertainment inside of a legitimately haunted prison.

Given the fact that there are three attractions for one ticket price, it is a no-brainer to make this a stop during the Halloween season. Don’t forget to head to the bar and purchase a glow stick. There is a hidden bar inside the second attraction where you can hang out, called the Neon Cowboy. We had good times all around! OJP keeps getting better each season, and we are excited for next season!