City says no more Old Joliet Haunted Prison, but entertainment company wants to return – Shaw Local

The Old Joliet Haunted Prison is not likely to be back in 2026.

The city of Joliet has not renewed a lease with Thirteenth Floor Entertainment, which has staged a haunted house at the prison since 2020.

A representative from Thirteenth Floor Entertainment said Tuesday that the company wants to continue running the haunted house but has been informed by Joliet that its lease will not be renewed.

Joliet leases the site of the former Joliet Correctional Center from the state and has sublet the former women’s prison to Thirteenth Floor Entertainment for the annual haunted house.

A representative for Thirteenth Floor said Tuesday the company was surprised to learn that it would not be welcomed back in 2026.

“The Old Joliet Haunted Prison has grown into a fall tradition that brings tens of thousands of visitors to the city each year, creates meaningful jobs for local residents, and supports local businesses throughout the season, so the news came as a surprise to us given the conversations we’ve had over the past two years about continuing the partnership,” Samantha Beranek with Thirteenth Floor said in an email.

Beranek added that it is “our hope is that we can work with the city to find a way to keep it here.”

The city, however, is working on arrangements to have Thirteenth Floor move out what equipment and props it has in the building, said city spokeswoman Ann Sylvester.

Sylvester, who also is director of cultural affairs and special events for the city, said the removal of the haunted house is related to a new lease that Joliet negotiated with the state last year.

She said in an email that “under that agreement, all activities at the Old Joliet Prison now require state approval. At this time, Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group is not an approved use under the terms of that agreement.”

Sylvester said that the city notified Thirteenth Floor in January that its agreement with the city has expired “and that it must remove all of its property and equipment from the site. The city is currently working with Thirteenth Floor to coordinate the removal process.”

The women’s prison is located on property that is across Collins Street from the main prison, which is managed by the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

The city in 2020 sought a contractor to run a haunted house at the women’s prison after interest was shown by a local group.

Thirteenth Floor, a national company headquartered in Colorado which also runs a major haunted house site in Elgin, eventually got the contract and opened in Joliet for the first time for the Halloween season in 2020.

This is a developing story. Check for updates.