Each year, Philadelphia’s most ghoulish landmark lends its natural creepiness to Terror Behind the Walls, the yearly theatrical haunted house that has consistently been at the top of Halloween lovers lists nationwide.

Featured on such appropriate shows like SciFi’s “Ghost Hunters,” MTV’s “Fear” and “Most Haunted Live” on the Travel Channel, Eastern State Penitentiary (2027 Fairmount Ave.) could stand alone as a haunted attraction.

There have been numerous reports of ghost sightings and weird events within the walls of the prison, which has been, for all intents and purposes, abandoned as a jail since 1971. There are even reports of famous inmates like mobster Al Capone claiming to be haunted during their stays.

While visitors can freak themselves out during the day with historical tours of the penitentiary, the nights during the Halloween season belong to the Terror Behind the Walls cast and crew who devote their fall months to being the scariest they can be. Terror Behind the Walls gets better and better with each year.

For 2009, the penitentiary welcomes a new attraction of horror: Infirmary. Victims…er, I mean guests will experience what the inmates of old may have had to endure in the prison’s hospital wing. Complete with operating rooms, recovery wards, sterilization chambers and the morgue, Infirmary puts the ideas explored in the Saw franchise to shame.

Members of the Campus Philly staff and friends were lucky (?) enough to be a part of one of the earliest nights at the penitentiary this year. They share some of their individual experiences below. Some were horrified. Others wished for something more. But in the end, it was a great CP outing further solidifying Eastern State and Terror Behind the Walls as a Halloween must-do.

Eastern State Penitentiary has always been a historic site in the area I’ve wanted to visit...in the daytime.

I have gracefully avoided the massive haunted house during October for five years. But when Campus Philly received press passes, before I knew it, I had signed on for the scare.

The press party was in the courtyard of the old prison. There we were: having Halloween fun where prisoners spent the worst years of their lives. It was creepy to say the least. My stomach sunk when it was tour time. I’m not going to lie. I was scared.

People jumping out, pitch-black rooms and the entire play on guards/prisoners, combined with the historic backdrop, was unbelievably spooky. I scooted along as quickly as I could and demanded my hand be held the entire way. Dear Jai, I apologize about the nail diggings.

It was a constant scare from start to finish.

-- Stephanie S.

My experience at Eastern State Penitentiary was probably much different than the rest of the group. I gotta say: Terror Behind the Walls, not so terrorizing. The overall production was pretty good. The make-up was excellent; the construction of the different zones was remarkable. The acting, however, left something to be desired.

I realize the importance of getting into character and giving it your all (I work in the film and television industry), but there can come a time when you start giving too much. The awkward glares of the inmates, the random shrieks from the corner of the room, and the TERRIBLE puns from the prison guards had me wondering: was this a haunted prison, or just a prison to keep bad comedians away from the rest of society?

Now, don't get me wrong, Terror Behind the Walls was an experience, but lets face it, I’ve seen scarier places in North Philly. Hell, I’ve seen scarier sights in Center City. Nothing says scary than seeing a man dressed as a ninja running down Fifth street at 2:30 in the morning and suddenly vanishing. Scary or awesome, I can’t decided, but I guess that depends on what end of the sword you’re at. But I digress.

I say, go see Terror Behind the Walls, but don’t expect to die of fright. You may bust a gut laughing though.

-- Jai R.

Eastern State Penitentiary is one of this nation’s oldest, most notable prisons, having housed such infamous criminals as Charles Yerkes. In a rational world, my first visit to the Penitentiary would have been a relatively benign, though intellectually fulfilling historic tour of the institution—a little emotional, maybe a bit disturbing, but all told, nothing too scarring.

But no, my first ESP experience was Terror Behind the Walls: zombie inmates lurking behind every other corner and smoke screens galore. I’ve never been into haunted houses, or anything created to frighten, and my 25 minute envoy through ESP hasn’t changed that.

My entire walk through the prison was spent squeezing the arm of a friend while trying to keep myself from looking like a “scare target.” I found myself looking straight ahead, smiling occasionally at the players, and even making a crack or two at them in an Australian accent—coping mechanism much?

That all said, I’ll admit that an entire prison transformed into a psycho-trippy, creepy play house with monstrous character-players that get within centimeters of your face makes for a memorable experience. And, sick as it sounds, I did find a few characters that were pretty attractive—leave it to ESP to find hot zombies.

I don’t think I’d do Terror Behind the Walls again, but I certainly don’t regret it. If you’re thinking about going this month, I say do it… if you’re into that sort of thing.

-- Kara A.

I remember getting so excited during my grade school and high school years when I would hear Y-100 (R.I.P.) begin its advertising for Terror Behind the Walls. The now defunct Philly radio station would always broadcast from the haunted house a night or two during the season, which got me in even more of a mood to go.

The last time I was at Terror Behind the Walls, I was sophomore in college and I left with indents up and down my arm from where my one friend had held on entirely too tight. It was awesome.

I don’t know why I was MIA for so many years, but when the opportunity to go to ESP fell on my birthday, I just couldn’t say no.

Partying in the courtyard of a haunted prison at twilight was both picturesque and ideal. As night feel, I got antsy and couldn’t wait to let myself scream and run inside the haunted house. I’ve always loved spookiness, especially during Halloween, but I’ve found that I let my brain take over inside haunted houses and anticipate everything to the point where I don’t get scared. Well, this time it was going to be different.

I shut my rationality off and let my emotions and imagination get the best of me. While there were a lot of laughs on my part, there were a lot of screams, too. Not being able to see what’s coming after me is where my fear truly lies and there was a whole lotta that this year, especially in Night Watch. But my favorites sections would have to be Lock Down or the new attraction, Infirmary. I had chills the entire walk through.

To be honest, my favorite part of the entire night occurred before we technically even entered the haunted house. An inmate was hiding underneath a sign in the middle of the walkway and scared one of our party so bad that we thought she fell over! It was priceless and definitely set the mood for the rest of the night.

Yes, lots of things in any haunted house can be predictable and laughable. But if you let your deducing mind go for an hour, you might actually have some fun, and ESP and Terror are the perfect place to do so. It’s a Philly tradition!

-- Cara D.

With its historical significance and eerie façade, Eastern State Penitentiary offers an appropriate backdrop for the annual Terror Behind the Walls Halloween attraction.

Forget what you know about haunted houses, mazes and hayrides; if you want to visit something that is truly unique and offers a dozen thrills, Eastern State Penitentiary is the must-visit exhibit of the Halloween season. This isn’t your average cheap scare courtesy of actors dressed to showcase B-rated horror movie characters. Instead, you find yourself amongst previous prison guards and inmates who never left.

As a longtime Philadelphian who has an interest in Halloween and learning about the paranormal, Eastern State Penitentiary is by far the best Halloween exhibit I’ve experienced. The setting is hauntingly eerie—it’s history unforgettable. The actors, costumes and make-up lend to the spine-chilling experience, transporting you to a whole other world.

This year’s addition of the Infirmary attraction will leave you screaming long after you exit. And while Terror Behind the Walls is by far my favorite Halloween pastime, I urge you to go on a weekday afternoon anytime during the year, particularly on a rainy day. It is then that the penitentiary’s frightening story really comes to life.

-- Brittany S.

Terror Behind the Walls runs though Nov. 7.

For tickets and more information, please visit easternstate.org/halloween