Fright Night Ready: Old Joliet Haunted Prison Tickets On Sale

JOLIET, IL — Tickets are now on sale for the newest haunted house attraction in Joliet, one that promoters with Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group say has world-wide appeal. In less than three weeks, The Old Joliet Haunted Prison will open at 401 Woodruff Road in Joliet.

This marks the first redevelopment at the property that had been known for decades as the Joliet women's prison. On the west side of Collins Street is the massive limestone fortress where the movie "Blues Brothers" was filmed. That property, now called Old Joliet Prison, is managed by the Joliet Area Historical Museum for daily walking tours.

Sept. 18 will mark grand opening night for The Old Joliet Haunted Prison. Haunted house tours will mostly take place between 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

According to the current calendar, The Old Joliet Haunted Prison will be open on three dates in September, 23 different dates in October and two dates in November.

The Old Joliet Haunted Prison will feature two different attractions for guests. One is called the Ghost Chamber, and the other is called The Forsaken.

"A ticket gets you in for both attractions," remarked Bryan Kopp, senior general manager with Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group.

Kopp told Joliet Patch on Monday that there is plenty of parking space on the property at Woodruff Road. Signs on where to park will be placed near the entrance, which is along Collins Street.

"It will be impossible to miss," Kopp said. "We're so happy to be at Joliet."

The women's prison building, built in 1896, had remained in a state of disrepair since the Illinois Department of Corrections closed the entire prison in 2002.

Promoters are planning to have a gift shop on the site to sell merchandise and as well as an area offering "food and drinks."

What does Kopp have to say about opening The Old Joliet Haunted Prison for the Halloween season?

"It will be one of the premier locations in the world run by Thirteenth Floor for haunted houses," he told Joliet Patch during Monday's interview. "We've had two years to fine tune and craft unique custom characters for this location. These characters are just unique for The Old Joliet Haunted Prison."

Kopp urges as many people as possible to purchase their tickets online. That way, people can be assured a specific time and date. He expects The Old Joliet Prison Haunted House, especially since it's new, to be in huge demand for tickets during these next two months.

To purchase your tickets on the website, go here.

Thirteenth Floor operates about 15 haunted houses across the nation, including the popular 13th Floor Haunted House in Chicago.

Thirteenth Floor includes the following disclaimer on its Old Joliet Haunted Prison website: "WARNING: EVENT MAY BE TOO INTENSE FOR CHILDREN 12 & UNDER."