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YesHepton Mallet Prison in Somerset is the oldest prison in the world. It is also said to be one of the most haunted. Between its opening in 1625 and its closure in 2013, it saw hundreds of inmates, from Victorian street urchins to wayward American soldiers and the Kray twins. Now a tourist attraction, it occasionally opens to paying guests who wish to spend a night behind bars. Some are paranormal investigators, some are brave tourists, and others are video game journalists with a silly idea: how scary would it be to play five recent horror games all night, locked in a haunted prison?
With just a flashlight, an electromagnetic field (EMF) detector, and a laptop, we wandered around the prison looking for chilling locations to play these immersive supernatural masterpieces. This is what happened…
Exit 8
Location. b wing level 3. The largest of the Victorian prison wings at Shepton, designed to house 94 prisoners in small cells which had no toilets until 1998. Cell 30 is said to be haunted by an inmate who is known to punch guests on the shoulder unprepared
The game: A cult psychological thriller from indie developer Kotake Create, it has you walking through the seemingly endless tunnels of a Japanese subway station, trying to find your way out by detecting anomalies in your surroundings. The visual realism makes it incredibly unnerving, especially when the lights flash and other lost passengers begin to silently pass by.
Fear factor: More disconcerting than terrifying, but playing in a prison wing, which has an equally raw, soulless and municipal feel, definitely increased the sense of liminal anxiety.
in my head
Location: execution shed. This was where condemned prisoners spent their final days before facing the noose, under the supervision (if they were lucky) of the famous executioner Albert Pierrepoint.
The game: Designed to look like an old VHS horror movie, this terrifying adventure requires you to explore a dark, gloomy building in the woods where you’ve been told there is an ancient relic waiting to be discovered. Ruined gothic interiors and constant sounds of radio static and crying children are familiar horrors, but this game evokes an incredible atmosphere thanks to its detailed locations and soundscapes. Not suitable for squeamish people.
Fear factor: In My Head would have been pretty scary at home, but this location had such a heavy, doom-laden atmosphere that we were honestly only able to play for a few minutes. Just before we escaped, we ran into ghost hunters Darren and Jay from DS Hampshire Haunts. We’re told that on his last visit, Darren saw two disembodied legs pass by. We apologized and left.
Panicore
Location: exercise yard. Reportedly built over a mass burial pit and haunted by Captain Philip William Ryal, who was imprisoned at Shepton during the First World War. He threw himself from the roof overlooking the courtyard and the people saw a ghostly figure lurking there.
The game: You are a paranormal investigator exploring a series of abandoned buildings and solving puzzles while being chased by monsters with artificial intelligence that respond to any sound you make. Yes, it’s Blair Witch Project meets Alien Isolation, and it’s as scary as it sounds. We played solo, but you can opt for cooperative mode, Phasmophobia style, which would have been preferable under the circumstances.
Fear factor: The fact that the game’s ruined institutional buildings resembled Shepton Mallet Prison, with peeling paint on the walls, rubble everywhere, and doors leading into complete darkness, made this a truly terrifying experience.
The complex: expedition
Location: he entrance door. Built in the 17th century, this is one of the oldest surviving parts of the prison, and nearby you can access two cells left from the period. As expected, it is a hotbed of paranormal activity. There is a ghost named Bob, the doorman, who apparently runs his fingers through the visitors’ hair. It’s not right, Bob.
The game: The Complex is another current indie trend of horror games set in “backrooms”: endless tunnels and hallways. You are part of a research group sent to the titular facility to investigate a strange occurrence. For much of the time you wander through a maze of huge empty rooms and hallways, viewed through the lens of a VHS camcorder, giving the game a kind of strange and unsettling hyperrealism.
Fear factor: The stark modern architectural setting made this feel strangely calming while playing in a haunted 17th century dungeon. We didn’t want to leave.
Chuxie
Location: do to the. The women’s wing of the prison is famous for one figure in particular: the white lady who was convicted of murdering her fiancé and who was asked to wear her wedding dress the night before her execution. She has been seen on the stairs of the wing and visitors have also smelled her perfume wafting as they pass by.
The game: A viral hit on TikTok and Twitch, Chuxie is effectively a J-horror horror machine. You are a paranormal investigator exploring an abandoned hospital full of ghosts, including a scary woman in a white dress. Ringu anyone? Creepy figures appear behind you or appear for a few seconds in dark hallways, and the images are detailed enough to make your gloomy surroundings seem very real.
Fear factor: Out of scale, frankly, it’s not helped by the fact that this wing is almost in complete darkness and has a white lady mannequin suspended above the ground floor. When passing by a particular cell, our EMF reader went crazy recording a maximum reading for several seconds. We couldn’t wait to get out of there.
Conclusion: Walking through the silent Victorian wings at 3 in the morning was the closest we would want to get to being in a survival horror game. Did we see any ghosts during our night behind bars? No. Can we scare ourselves completely by playing horror games in dark cells and corridors full of echoes? Absolutely yes. Also, when I returned home, I tried again to get the maximum reading on the EMF meter. I held it up to my smartphone, held it next to my microwave on full power… It wasn’t even close.