photo by: Alan Olson

The former West Virginia Penitentiary, where nearly a thousand people perished over the course of its lifespan as a correctional facility, will be home to the Dungeon of Horrors through Halloween.

MOUNDSVILLE — The halls of the former West Virginia State Penitentiary, normally stalked by the shades and spirits of the nearly 1,000 convicts who lived and died behind its walls, will see the living pay homage to them through Halloween.

The Dungeon of Horrors opens its doors tonight and will run through the end of October, as the haunted house-style attraction once again returns to the site of the former prison.

Tom Stiles, who serves as director of the Moundsville Economic Development Council, said about 40% of the attraction has been revamped since last year, and that both new and returning guests can expect some new thrills.

“We always change the show — people remember what the show was like last year, and enjoyed it, so they want to come back again because they know they’re going to get a quality show,” Stiles said. “But I don’t want to give them the same show, and the customers know that.

“This year, we made some significant changes, we made some quality changes. The show’s going to be really, really cool. We had our dress rehearsal Tuesday night, and I really feel that in the 21 years I’ve been here that it was the best rehearsal we’ve ever had.”

For years, Stiles said, the Dungeon of Horrors has been themed “998 Ways to Die,” after the number of people who died — from methods ranging from natural causes, murder or execution — within the penitentiary when it was in service.

Stiles wouldn’t divulge all the secrets of the 2022 show, but said the staff was ready to show off new animatronics, as well as several new scenes.

This year, the attraction includes a new and improved gas chamber, cremation chamber, and a slaughterhouse room, in addition to a number of improvements to existing scenes.

“We went to a convention in the spring, bought some new animatronics and props, and we’ve added them to the show,” Stiles said. “We’ve got the crematory room, the upgrade in the old cave system is phenomenal, … we’ve got a new-and-improved boat ride in the Sugar Shack, a riot scene that’s really cool. … We’ve got a great show. We really do.”

The Dungeon of Horrors opens tonight and operates Friday and Saturday through the end of October, as well as Sunday, Oct. 23 and 30, as well as on Halloween.

Tickets are timed, and may be booked online at wvpentours.com/halloween/dungeon.

Stiles advised interested guests that tickets for any date or time can be purchased ahead of time, and that shows get increasingly more crowded the closer to Halloween, so booking ahead is advised.

“The last three weekends, you better get your tickets ahead of time. That’s peak time — people want to come close to Halloween, but they’re timed. We can only sell so many.”