Blood Prison
America's Top Rated Haunted House
Unleashes Its 2026 Season At
The Historic Ohio State Reformatory In Mansfield, Ohio
September 25 - November 1, 2026
Opening Weekend, September 25-27, Is FEE-FREE
Plus Guests Save $10 On Tickets For Entry At 10:00 PM Or Later
Mansfield, Ohio – August 25, 2026: The world famous Blood Prison immersive haunted attraction returns to the historic Ohio State Reformatory for its ninth season on Friday, September 25, opening its 2026 season with a limited-time offer for the season's first weekend. Blood Prison will operate every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening from September 25 through November 1, 2026. Regular-season tickets start at $35 (plus fees).
From September 25-27, opening-weekend ticket purchases are FEE-FREE. Guests who choose 10:00 PM admission or later for September 25, 26 or 27 will also receive $10 off their tickets. Time slots are limited, and advance purchase is strongly encouraged.
Blood Prison is known worldwide and was nominated as one of America's 20 top haunted attractions in a 10Best poll from USA Today. Blood Prison features a cast of more than 100 characters, led by the 6 foot 7 inch tall Warden’s Widow, who has over 1 million followers on TikTok and was featured in People.
Check out Blood Prison 2026 video highlights here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tWQmgZVrk8
Blood Prison is a haunted experience that can’t be replicated. It’s not built inside a warehouse or temporary Halloween venue. It unfolds inside the historic Ohio State Reformatory, the massive former prison in Mansfield, Ohio known around the world as a filming location for The Shawshank Redemption.
The Ohio State Reformatory opened in 1896 and operated as a prison for nearly a century. Its steel cell blocks, stone corridors and imposing architecture give Blood Prison something no fabricated haunted house can reproduce: the atmosphere of the real thing.
For the Halloween season, the imposing institution becomes something entirely different. Authentic cell blocks, corridors and darkened spaces are transformed into an immersive haunted experience filled with detailed environments, special effects and live performers. Returning guests will notice enhancements throughout the 2026 experience, while first-time visitors will discover why horror fans travel to Mansfield each fall to step inside the prison after dark.
The Reformatory is an internationally recognized destination for its history, paranormal reputation, connection to The Shawshank Redemption and events including the Inkcarceration Tattoo + Music Festival. Each fall, Blood Prison adds another chapter to that legacy through scenic design, original characters, lighting, sound, effects and live scares created specifically for the prison.
Blood Prison Founder and Haunt Manager Vic Amesquita said, “We're excited to get things going for 2026! We have a lot of new sets in the haunt at Blood Prison this year, along with new audio, lighting, and visuals that we have never done before. The Warden's Widow also returns in a new costume!”
Here’s some of the media praise for Blood Prison:
“Taking place in the Ohio State Reformatory, the state’s notoriously haunted prison, Blood Prison features encounters with the warden’s widow, brings you face to face with maniacal inmates and deformed guards, and sends you into the ‘suffocating blackness’ of The Hole. This haunted attraction is not for the faint of heart.”
“one of the top haunts in the country” – Mansfield News Journal (Mansfield, Ohio)
“a massive, modern haunt…set on the sprawling grounds and inside the towering walls of the gothic former Ohio State Reformatory” – Richland Source (Richland County, Ohio)
Dates and times for the 2026 Blood Prison season are as follows:
OPENING WEEKEND
September 25-27, 2026
FEE-FREE TICKETS
$10 off tickets for 10:00 PM or later
SEASON DATES
September 25-November 1, 2026
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening
TICKET PRICES (not including service fees)
- General Admission: $35
- Ultra Lightning Pass: $55 (Cuts wait time by more than half by allowing passholders to bypass the general admission line.)
- Instant Access Pass: $80 (VIP front of the line access. No reserved time slot needed. Optional free Touch Pass upgrade.)
- Touch Pass: $7 (Add-on available with GA and Ultra Lightning Pass that allows contact with haunt characters for a more intense experience that amps up the scares.)
Advance purchase encouraged at BloodPrison.com
LOCATION
Blood Prison at the Historic Ohio State Reformatory
100 Reformatory Road
Mansfield, Ohio 44905
In addition to the nighttime haunt experience, Blood Prison also offers the Beyond The Scare Tour, a daytime / lights on tour for people who don't like to be scared, but still want to see the set decorations and learn more about them and the history of the Reformatory. Attendees have the opportunity to see areas of the Reformatory including the sub-basement, “Jesus Room,” and more. This tour is open to ages 8+ and the set and props include “blood,” gore and disturbing scenes. The 1 ½ hour Beyond The Scare Tour is offered daily from September 25 – November 2. Tickets are $40 (plus fees) and are available here: https://www.mrps.org/tours/#haunt
Blood Prison is only open during Halloween season and Christmas season, one day in May during the Ohio Halloween and Haunters Convention, and for a limited engagement for festival attendees during the 3-day Inkcarceration Tattoo + Music Festival at OSR in July. Blood Prison passes always sell out, so advance purchase is recommended.
Watch for news about the annual Blood Prison holiday haunt—called Blood Prison Christmas Incarceration--in the coming weeks.
Blood Prison is located at The Ohio State Reformatory, 100 Reformatory Road in Mansfield, Ohio. Mansfield is less than 90 minutes from Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio.
The Blood Prison haunt was created by and is managed by Vic Amesquita, who got his start in the special effects realm working with fellow Ohio native Robert Kurtzman, a film producer, director, screenwriter and special effects czar.
(Warden’s Widow with the Blood Prison Elite Guards)
(“Terry The Maintenance Man” at Blood Prison)
All photos by Jake Hageman/Raven Realm Media.
Blood Prison isn’t all make-believe. It’s built on real stone, real steel, and real suffering.
The Ohio State Reformatory locked up the worst of the worst for nearly a century, and the walls still remember. Every cell, every bolt, every shadow has a story. Some of them never stopped.
The Warden’s Widow still stalks the tiers, her grief boiling into rage.
Malformed guards, twisted, broken things, lurk in the dark, faces warped into nightmares.
Inmates long dead still pace their cages, waiting for you. You’ll walk under the looming weight of the world’s largest free-standing steel cell block, then drop into the hole, where the screams never stop.
This isn’t just a haunted house. It’s history that won’t stay buried.
Website: https://bloodprison.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloodprisonohio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blood_prisonohio/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bloodprison_ohio
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@BloodPrison/
About Blood Prison
Blood Prison is an immersive haunted attraction located inside the historic Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. Each Halloween season, the former prison is transformed with live performers, detailed environments, special effects and original characters to create one of the region's most distinctive haunted experiences. Blood Prison welcomes Halloween and horror fans from throughout Ohio and beyond to experience the historic Reformatory in an entirely different way – after dark, when the “inmates” take over.
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This info is for media use and is not for publication:
Media Resources
High-resolution 2026 photography, promotional video and B-roll are available for broadcast, print and digital editorial use HERE.
Interviews, additional photography and other media materials are available upon request.
Blood Prison Publicity Contact
Kristine Ashton-Magnuson / Ashton-Magnuson Media, kristine@am-media.net
