Bad News For Haunted House At Old Joliet Prison

JOLIET, IL - In late January, Evil Intentions, one of the scariest haunted houses in the Chicago area, proclaimed that a second Halloween-theme haunted house would open this fall at the world-famous Old Joliet Prison property. Thousands of people shared the good news on social media, tagging their Facebook friends and agreeing they would pay a visit to Joliet this fall. Although Evil Intentions expected to open by September 1, that apparently will not happen, Joliet Patch has learned.

City of Joliet Inspector General Chris Regis told Patch that he has been in regular talks with Evil Intentions representatives over the past several months. Regis said the city remains supportive of their plans and wants to see Evil Intentions open its haunted house theme attraction in Joliet, hopefully next year.

"We are continuing to work with them, and we trust that they will put out a good product in the end," Regis said.

Evil Intentions, in all likelihood, will be looking for a long-term lease with the city of Joliet, he noted.

"And we'll want to see their long-term business plans," Regis added.

As it stands, the lease agreement approved by Joliet's City Council in early February was only good for one year, but it included a provision to renegotiate the deal after a year.

The contract stipulated that Evil Intentions would use the two-story limestone building at 401 Woodruff Ave., at the northeast corner of Collins Street and Woodruff Avenue. This property is commonly called the women's prison.

Additionally, Evil Intentions, at its own expense, would be responsible for the costs to restore and maintain essential services such as plumbing, electrical and HVAC, the city's agreement stipulated.

On Monday, Evil Intentions representatives were notified that Joliet Patch was writing an article about the delay in their haunted house plans for Joliet, but Evil Intentions opted not to contact Patch.

In any event, the Evil Intentions website still proclaims the same message that it posted in late January: "Evil Intentions is opening the doors to the terrifying Old Joliet Prison. Walk the hallways of Chicago's most notorious killers like John Wayne Gacy, Richard Speck, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. Descend into the hellish basement where inmates were left to die in pitch-black cells ... Opening Halloween Season 2018."

It's important to note that even if the Evil Intentions project fails to materialize in Joliet, that project has no bearing on the soon-to-be starting Old Joliet Prison bus tours geared for tourists visiting Joliet and the Route 66 corridor from across the globe. The limestone fortress on the west side of Collins Street is where the classic movie "Blues Brothers" was filmed with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.

In less than two weeks, the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Great Joliet Prison Break-In. The Saturday, Aug. 25 party inside the prison yard includes tributes bands featuring the music of the Blues Brothers and Johnny Cash. The major city of Joliet special event aims to raise several thousand dollars for ongoing restoration efforts at the Old Joliet Prison property, notably the administration building.

And beginning this fall and lasting through the end of October, the Joliet Area Historical Museum plans to start selling Joliet Prison admission tickets. Shuttle buses will take visitors from the downtown museum to the world-famous prison on Collins Street. Guided tours of the Old Joliet Prison will last about 90 minutes.

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Main image via YouTube