Spooky season is upon us, and Halloween is less than two weeks away. Personally, my favorite part of October is all the horror events. Haunted Houses, hayrides, and mazes are the highlight of the fall for me.

So, naturally I wanted to check out the Eastern Penitentiary in Philadelphia. This old retired penitentiary is thought to actually be haunted, and around Halloween they use the old corridors as a series of haunted attractions, each with a different theme.

The only turn off for most people when researching the event is the intense price of the ticket. They change their prices based on the day, dates closer to Halloween or on weekends are much more expensive than a ticket for a weekday. When I went this past Friday, I paid $35 plus a $5 service fee, which rounded up to $40, plus parking (which was $15).

For just an hour or so of scaring, that’s very expensive. If a mother wants to take their family of 4 out for some Halloween fun, they would have to pay up to $191 just for one night. And that’s not even the most expensive night they have! Saturdays are $45 per ticket without the service fee.

Why is it so expensive? There are other haunted houses similar to this one are not as much money, does that mean that they aren’t as scary or fun?

Well, I went last year and I remember having so much fun with my friends. However, we went after Halloween on the closing weekend, so it was much cheaper and not as crowded. So, I went with two of my friends on October 19th to see if the quality of the haunted house changed at all.

There are six different attractions, and for each one you’re sent with a big group of people through the hallways and corridors while paid actors or fake decorations scare you as you walk along. One section is even 4-D, where everything is painted in neon colors with a black light. You’re given a pair of glasses that make things jump out at you.

Also, there’s the option to to wear a glow stick, which allows for a scarier experience. If you wear the glow stick, the employees can touch you and will lead you down special hallways, separating you from your group.

I appreciate how they give you the option to not be touched, because small children and people who are scared easier can still enjoy the different sections of the penitentiary without being too scared.

I believe that it was a very fun experience, but I also believe it did NOT need to be that expensive. It was one of the scariest haunted attractions I’ve been to, but also it went by pretty fast and it seemed like it was understaffed compared to when I went last year.

I personally did not have the best time, because there was group of about 20 middle schoolers that we were sent in with. The whole time, they were pushing against us and overall just being obnoxious. The close proximity to other people, especially these little kids, made it harder to be scared and I ended up being more annoyed.

When I went last year, there were less people, so my group was sent in by ourselves to walk through the different attractions. This time, we were all bunched together. So, if you do not like crowds and want a more intimate scaring experience, then I advise that you don’t go on a weekend, which is their busiest time.

I believe part of the reason why it is so overpriced is because allegedly the penitentiary is still haunted from the prisoners that died there while it was still open. It’s said to have large amount of paranormal activity, and people can tour the prison during the day year round.

They probably spiked the prices because they knew that people will pay more for the “haunting experience.” Do I believe it’s haunted? Yeah, I believe it. But, I don’t think that it’s an excuse to break my bank for one night of people dressed up in scary makeup and jumping out at me from behind corners.

It’s still one of my favorite Halloween-themed places to go, I just advise those who want to go, to go on a day that it not as busy or expensive because you will just overall have a better experience.