We didn’t have room for this in the print version of Haunted Attraction Magazine so we thought we would share it with you here. To read the story and see the great photos from ESP, order a copy of Issue #51 today!

1

In 2008, TBTW was ranked the “Number one haunted house in America” by AOL City Guide.

5

TBTW features five haunted attractions within the 11-acre penitentiary complex. In 2009, the attractions will be Intake, Lock Down, Infirmary, The Experiment in 3D, and Night Watch.

14

It takes 14 makeup artists about 3 hours to prepare the cast for each night’s show.

50

The TBTW crew is like a second family for many performers.  Over 50% of the cast returns each season.  Special recognition awards are given out to actors that complete 3, 6 and 10 seasons.  To date, three couples that met at TBTW have been married and the first TBTW baby is due in August 2009.

100

Terror Behind the Walls is run entirely in house by Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc. a tax-exempt charitable organization as described in Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  100% of the proceeds from TBTW are used to support public programming and historic site preservation at the National Historic Landmark.

150

Despite competition from the economic crisis, the presidential election, and Phillies World Series run in 2008, for the third year in a row the TBTW media campaign resulted in more than 150 print stories about Terror Behind the Walls and dozens of television and radio stories.

200

It takes a true team to run a nationally recognized event on this scale.  Our cast and crew now number over 150 performers each night, with an additional 50 contract workers.

300

During the century following Eastern State Penitentiary’s construction, more than 300 prisons in South America, Europe, Russia, China, Japan, and across the British Empire were based on its radial floor plan, making it one of the most influential buildings in the world.

450

The presenting sponsor of Terror Behind the Walls is Lukoil.  Each fall, over 450 Lukoil branded gas stations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York display TBTW promotional materials and distribute TBTW coupons.

1829

When Eastern State Penitentiary opened in 1829 it was an architectural marvel and the world’s first true penitentiary.  The original seven cellblocks spread like the spokes of a wheel and had running water and central heat before the White House.

1971

The penitentiary closed in 1971 and was abandoned.  During its 142 years in operation, over 80,000 men and women served time at Eastern State Penitentiary.

1991

The first Halloween fundraiser at The Eastern State Penitentiary took place in 1991.  The first year, the event was held just on Halloween night, and tickets were only available as part of a dinner package through neighborhood restaurants. The event consisted of actors telling ghost stories in the abandoned prison. A few hundred people attended that first year, and attendance increased each subsequent year.

1994

In 1994, Eastern State Penitentiary opened to the public for daytime prison tours.

1997

Eastern State’s Halloween event was rebranded as Terror Behind the Walls in 1997 to distinguish it from the growing daytime prison tour program.  That same year, the event was transformed into a high startle, low gore walkthrough haunted attraction, which it continues as today.

2000

Because of the poor condition of the building, the City of Philadelphia required all visitors to wear a hardhat, including those attending TBTW, while on the property.  In 2000, stabilization efforts, completed with funds raised from TBTW, eliminated the need for hardhats for people visiting the Halloween event (although they were still necessary for day time tours until 2003).

111,516

The number of unique visitors that attended TBTW in 2008.

5,300,000

The current TBTW logo, which debuted in 2007, appears on over 5.3 million printed pieces annually.

EVENT FACTS

Event Name:

Eastern State Penitentiary’s TERROR BEHIND THE WALLS, presented by LUKOIL

Website:

www.TerrorBehindtheWalls.com

Email:

Terror@EasternState.org

Phone:

(888) 763-NITE

Event Location:

Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site

2027 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA

Just five blocks from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Ghost Bus Parking Location:

The Philadelphia Zoo

3400 W Girard Ave

Philadelphia, PA 19104

(about twelve blocks from the Penitentiary)