For years, Halloween at Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary meant one thing—45 minutes of intense, in-your-face scares. Today, the National Historic Landmark’s signature screams remain, although at a more sustained, manageable pace—an evening with five haunted houses, live performances, and food and drinks.
The shift from Terror Behind the Walls to festival-style Halloween Nights came after a year-long pandemic pause in 2020. The nonprofit historic site began seeking new ways to engage visitors while continuing to raise money for preservation and year-round educational programming.
Here’s how Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary transformed a quick trip through the scares into a full evening out.
The Operational Pivot
Now in her 16th year with the event, Halloween Nights Director Erin Davis helped expand what was a 45-minute haunted walkthrough into a festival spanning nearly all of Eastern State Penitentiary’s 10-acre site.
“We wanted to create a style of event that could grow and become bigger,” she says.
Halloween Nights now includes five haunted houses, themed bars and lounges, live performances, local food vendors, and historical experiences, giving guests more reasons to visit and linger longer.
The pandemic shutdown gave Davis and her team time to rethink the format and how it connected to the nonprofit’s mission.
“Having more to do than just the haunted houses have been really great,” Davis says. “It’s really opened up the show to many more people.”
Three Levels of Scares
Halloween Nights’ predecessor built its reputation on intensity with traditions that continue in new formats. Guests seeking even more intense, unique scares wear glow necklaces, allowing actors to touch them, separate them from their groups, and send them into hidden passageways, a signature of Terror Behind the Walls that continues at Halloween Nights.
“The haunted houses are very scary,” Davis says, explaining the difference between the former event and the refreshed focus. “I think the difference is that you’re not forced to go into them.” Davis is clear that this shift does not mean the attraction has become more family-forward; it remains an attraction of terror and, simply put, “We do not encourage families to come, although we do have families.” The event is recommended for ages 12 and older.
For guests who find the scares overwhelming, Davis says they can say the phrase “Monster be good,” which signals staff to back off.
Supporting the Mission
The seasonal event is the non-profit's flagship fundraiser and supports its mission to preserve the historic prison and educate the public about the criminal justice system and the people it affects.
The organization’s mission also shapes its seasonal operations. Many local food and beverage vendors, along with the event’s partners, are fair-chance employers—companies that provide living-wage jobs for people who have experienced incarceration.
Davis is also enthusiastic about how preservation drives every design decision. The team builds walls within walls to avoid damage and must continuously adapt concepts to the building’s limited electrical capacity. “We exist to protect this incredible building,” she says.
Halloween Nights succeeds by adding reasons to linger, offering three levels of control over scare intensity, and letting the mission guide operational decisions.
