>> AND NOW WE CHECK BACK IN WITH
AMANDA WHO SPENT THE DAY IN JOL
WRET AS PART OF OUR "IN YOUR
NEIGHBORHOOD SERIES".
>> SPENT THE DAY BUT NOT YET THE
NIGHT.
I AM JUST OUTSIDE OF THE OLD
JOLIET HAUNTED PRISON.
ONE OF OUR LOYAL VIEWERS SAID IT
IS A HAUNTED HOUSE OR PRISON,
THE HAUNTED BIG HOUSE.
THERE WE GO.
WHICH IS JUST OPEN WE CAN HEAR
SCARY NOISES GOING ON AND I'M
JOINED BY BRYAN KOPP.
THE SENIOR GENERAL MANAGER.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US FIRST
BEFORE WE GET TO THE SCARY STUFF
ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE PRISON
BEHIND US?
>> IT WAS BUILT IN THE LATE
1800'S AND THE ANNEX FOR THE
WOMEN'S PRISON SEPARATE FROM THE
MAIN JOLIET HAUNTED PRISON
ACROSS THE STREET THE BLUES
BROTHERS SIDE.
IT WAS A WOMEN'S PRISON UNTIL
THE 1920s.
AND THEN OVERALL, CLOSED UP IN
2002.
>> SO ACROSS THE STREET THERE
ARE PARANORMAL TOURS GOING ON.
WITHOUT GIVING SECRETS AWAY WHAT
GOES ON FOR THOSE WHO DARE
ENTER?
>> WE HAVE TWO ATTRACTIONS.
ONE IS GHOST CHAMBERS IT IS
INSIDE AN OLD CELL BLOCK.
THERE IS NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT
AROUND.
THE ONLY PLACE YOU GET TO GO TO
A HAUNTED ATTRACTION INSIDE THE
PRISON.
YOU WILL SEE THE OLD CELLS IT'S
POPULATED BY OUR TERRIFYING
INMATES.
IT IS A PARANORMAL RESEARCH
FACILITY.
AND OUTSIDE IN THE PRISON YARD
WE HAVE A MORE INTERACTIVE
ATTRACTION WHERE YOU HAVE AN
ASSAULT RIFLE AND DO BATTLE FROM
THE RESEARCH FACILITY.
>> YIKES.
AND THEN SOME PEOPLE THAT
PUSHBACK AGAINST THIS NOTION OF
HAUNTED HOUSES OR PRISONS IF YOU
WILL THAT THEY ARE PLAYING ON
STEREOTYPES OF THOSE
INCARCERATED, GUNS HOW DO YOU
RESPOND TO THAT?
>> I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
TO TRY TO BE COGNIZANT OF MODERN
SENSIBILITIES.
THE LAST THING IN THE WORLD WE
WANT TO DO IS UPSET, OFFENSE
ANYBODY.
WE ARE HERE TO CREATE AN ESCAPE
SOMEPLACE FOR PEOPLE TO ENJOY
AND GET AWAY FROM EVERYTHING,
THAT IS THE IDEA.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, LIKE IT OR
NOT, PRISONS ARE A PART OF THE
WORLD WE LIVE IN.
AND THEY ARE SCARY AND THAT IS
WHAT A HAUNTED HOUSE IS SUPPOSED
TO DO.
WE ARE SHOWING A PLACE THAT YOU
DON'T WANT TO GO.
IT IS A BAD PLACE.
IT IS A SCARY PLACE.
SO...
>> AND PERFECT FOR HALLOWEEN.
WHAT DO YOU DO THE REST OF THE
YEAR?
>> WE HAVE HAUNTED HOUSES ALL
OVER THE COUNTRY.
WE ARE THE ONLY HAUNTED HOUSE
COMPANY IN EXISTENCE.
THE REST OF THE YEAR WE WORK ON
OFF SEASON EVENTS AND WORK ON
WHAT THE ATTRACTIONS ARE GOING
TO BE NEXT YEAR SO EVERY YEAR
THE SHOW IS BIGGER AND BETTER
AND MORE TERRIFYING.
>> YIKES AGAIN.
SOMETHING THAT MAY BE A PROBLEM
FOR YOU IS THAT WE TALK ABOUT
STAFFING SHORTAGES IS THAT
SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE
EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW WITH
THOSE WHO WANT TO GO BOO, THOSE
WHO ENTER?
>> YES, VERY MUCH SO
UNFORTUNATELY.
LIKE SO MANY OTHER BUSINESSES.
SO WE'RE TRYING EVERYTHING WE
CAN TO TRY TO GET THE PLACES
STAFFED.
WE HAVE PLENTY OF SPOOKY
MONSTERS INSIDE AND STAFF AND
SECURITY BUT I'M ALWAYS LOOKING
FOR MORE TO MAKE IT BIGGER AND
BETTER.
>> DO YOU NEED SPECIAL SKILLS?
>> NO, WE DO ALL THE TRAINING.
GO TO HAUNTED PRISON.COM.
>> THIS IS NOT THE ONLY HAUNTED
EXPERIENCE IN JOLIET WHAT MAKES
JOLIET FERTILE GROUND FOR
TERRIFYING ADVENTURES.
>> JOLIET HAS A LOT OF HISTORY
AND WITH HISTORY COMES SPOOKTY
THINGS.
AND I THINK THE OLD JOLIET
PRISON IS PART OF IT, TOO WHERE
THERE'S HISTORY THERE'S GHOSTS.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH NOT SURE IF
WE'RE GOING TO TRY IT OUT AFTER
THIS SHOW WRAPS.
FOR NOW, THANK YOU IN ADVANCE
FOR NOT SCARING US AND FOR
SHOWING UP WITH US HERE.