Haunted Prison Horror: The Night We Played Games and the Ghost Meter Failed Us

SHepton Mallet Prison in Somerset is the world’s oldest correctional facility. It is also reportedly one of the most haunted places. From its opening in 1625 until its closure in 2013, it housed hundreds of inmates, ranging from Victorian street urchins to wayward American GIs to the Clay twins. Although it is now a tourist attraction, it is sometimes opened for a fee to guests who wish to spend the night behind the bar. Some are paranormal investigators, some are intrepid travelers, and some are video game journalists with a stupid idea. “How scary would it be to be locked in a haunted prison and play the latest five horror games all night?”

Armed with just a flashlight, an electromagnetic field (EMF) detector, and a laptop, we roamed the prison looking for chilling locations to play these immersive paranormal masterpieces. What happened here…

Exit 8

position. B wing level 3. The largest of Victoria’s prison wings at Shepton, it was designed to hold 94 prisoners in small cells that did not have toilets until 1998. Cell 30 is said to be infested with an inmate known for tapping inattentive guests on the shoulder.
game: A cult psychological thriller from indie developer Kotake Create. Wander through the seemingly endless tunnels of a Japanese subway station, spotting anomalies around you and trying to find your way out. The visual realism is incredibly unsettling, especially when the lights flicker and other lost passengers begin to pass by silently.
Fear factor: Although more disturbing than frightening, playing in a prison wing with an equally desolate, soulless, and rural feel definitely increased the sense of marginal anxiety.

In My Head

The place is an execution hut. This was where death row inmates would spend their final days before heading to the noose, if they were lucky, under the supervision of renowned hangman Albert Pierrepoint.
game: Designed like an old VHS horror movie, this frightening adventure requires you to explore a dark, dingy building in the woods where ancient artifacts are said to be waiting to be discovered. The dilapidated Gothic interiors, constant radio static and crying children are familiar horrors, but the game evokes an incredible atmosphere thanks to detailed locations and soundscapes. Not for the picky eater.
Fear factor: In My Head would have been scary enough at home, but this place had a heavy, doomed atmosphere that honestly only lasted a few minutes. Just before fleeing, I met DS Hampshire Horns ghost hunters Darren and Jay. They told us that on his last visit, Darren saw two disembodied legs passing by. We made our excuses and left.

Panicore

position: playground. Built over a mass grave pit, it is reportedly haunted by the ghost of Captain Philip William Lyall, who was imprisoned at Shepton during the First World War. He threw himself off a roof overlooking the garden, and people said they saw a ghostly figure lurking there.
game: As a paranormal investigator, you explore a series of abandoned buildings and solve puzzles while being chased by AI-enabled monsters that react to every sound. Yes, it's a combination of The Blair Witch Project and Alien Isolation, and it's as terrifying as it sounds. We played solo, but you can also choose to play co-op like Phasmophobia. That would be preferable under the circumstances.
Fear factor: The fact that the buildings in the game's abandoned facility look exactly like Shepton Mallet Prison, with peeling paint on the walls, rubble everywhere, and doorways leading into complete darkness, make this a truly frightening experience. I did.

Complex: Expedition

position: of Gatehouse. Built in the 17th century, this building is one of the oldest parts of the prison in existence, and you can sneak into two of its original cells nearby. Unsurprisingly, this is a hotbed of paranormal activity. There is a ghost named Bob, the gatekeeper, who appears to run his fingers through the hair of female visitors. No, Bob.
game: The Complex is another of the current indie trending horror games set in “back rooms” such as endless tunnels and passageways. You are part of a research team sent to the titular facility to investigate strange occurrences. Most of the time, players wander through a vast maze of empty rooms and hallways, viewing through the lens of a VHS video camera. This gives the game a kind of hyper-realism that is strange and unsettling.
Fear factor: The stark modern architectural setting made the game feel oddly safe while playing in a haunted 17th century dungeon. we didn’t want to leave.

Chuksi

position: C Wings. The women’s wing of the prison is famous for one particular person. A white woman was convicted of murdering her fiancé and was asked to wear a wedding dress the night before her execution. She has been seen on the wing staircase, and visitors have even smelled her perfume wafting through the air.
game: A huge hit on TikTok and Twitch, Chuxie is practically a J-horror jump-scare machine. You are a paranormal investigator exploring an abandoned hospital filled with ghosts, including a terrifying woman in a white dress – Mr. Ring, anyone? It may appear for seconds. The visuals are highly detailed, making the terrifying environments feel very realistic.
Fear factor: Frankly, it’s off scale. This wing is in almost total darkness, not least because of the fact that a white female mannequin hangs above the ground floor. When I passed one particular cell, the EMF reader went crazy and recorded maximum readings for several seconds. We couldn’t wait to get out of there.

Conclusion: Walking around a quiet Victorian wing at 3am was the closest thing to actually being in a survival horror game. Did we see ghosts during the night behind bars? No. Could we have played a horror game in the dark cells and echoing hallways and totally freaked out? Exactly is. Furthermore, after returning home, I measured the maximum value of the EMF meter again. I waved it at my phone, held it next to the microwave and turned it on full blast…without even getting close.