Talk about taking the scare up another level!

Haunted Houses

Haunted houses pop up every year around the Halloween season to serve up some scares. The whole point of a haunted house is for visitors to experience the thrill of a good scare. I was reading an interesting article about haunted houses from the Smithsonian, and while different kinds of haunted houses have been around since the early 1800s, haunted houses really gained popularity when Disney introduced the Haunted Mansion in 1969.

The haunted house didn't become a cultural icon, though, until Walt Disney decided to build one. Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion opened in 1969, nearly two decades after Disney first approved the beleaguered project. The attraction, which was designed in the style of the Evergreen House and the Winchester Mystery House, quickly became a success. In a single day shortly after its debut, more than 82,000 people passed through the Haunted Mansion. (Smithsonian)

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Shortly after the massive success of the Haunted Mansion, haunted houses began popping up all over the country. This is barely scratching the surface of the history of haunted houses, but if you are interested you can read a much more in-depth history from the Smithsonian here.

Illinois' Unique Haunted House in a Real Prison

All over the country, there are many notable haunted house attractions. However, one in Illinois is particularly interesting, because of its unique location. The Old Joliet Haunted Prison is located in Joliet, Illinois.

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Every year around the fall season, the old prison is transformed into a terrifying haunted house attraction.

Experience The Old Joliet Haunted Prison- the only haunted house in Chicago located inside of a real abandoned prison. Halloween lives here!

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According to the Old Joliet Haunted Prison website, they have a few different attractions.

Inmates Row: Guests are trapped in the labyrinthine corridors of the slaughterhouse, a twisted maze created by a deranged inmate of the Old Joliet Haunted Prison. Decorated with the remains of failed attempts, the gauntlet of horrors is further haunted by toxic zombies lurking in the shadows. Can you survive his game?

Carnage in Cell Block 13:Leopold and Loeb, infamous criminals, discovered a hidden paranormal lab in Joliet Prison. Killing Dr. Ryker, they used his machines to reanimate inmates, aiming to rule. The plan backfired as the dead turned into bloodthirsty cadavers. Desperate, the brothers augmented themselves with Ryker’s technology and fought through the prison, battling the undead to prevent an outbreak, turning the penitentiary into a nightmarish battleground.

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The haunted prison also hosts mini escape rooms, and a hidden, haunted bar.

LOOK: How Halloween has changed in the past 100 years

Stacker compiled a list of ways that Halloween has changed over the last 100 years, from how we celebrate it on the day to the costumes we wear trick-or-treating. We’ve included events, inventions, and trends that changed the ways that Halloween was celebrated over time. Many of these traditions were phased out over time. But just like fake blood in a carpet, every bit of Halloween’s history left an impression we can see traces of today.

Gallery Credit: Brit McGinnis