On a cold fall night in Deer Lodge, Montana, the Old Montana Prison glows softly from the inside out. You can’t help but notice the enormous brick structure, sitting directly on Main Street in a small town of only 3,000. A chill greets your spine as you bravely enter the front gates, welcomed by late night staff and storytellers who pass around flashlights and unfamiliar equipment. After a brief demonstration on the investigation of the paranormal, you’re brought to the prison yard, where a scary evening awaits.

First, the guides direct your attention to the watchtower. Here, the first notable tale is that of the prison guard. Stuck in the watchtower, he is often seen wandering around in the night, on a never ending patrol of the grounds, ‘walking the wall’. Even though the prison closed its doors in 1979, he is still seen looking down from above, identifiable by his uniform and the rifle strapped across his back. Keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble, he is perfectly positioned to see the large red OUT OF BOUNDS signs spray painted throughout the grounds.

Then, you and a group of 15 other strangers move together toward the next hot spot for ghostly activity—off the courtyard, down a small set of stairs and into a notably cooler area, aptly named the freezer. A quick break from the hot Montana summer heat, the comfort doesn’t last long. Soon, you find your teeth chattering in the dusty basement. Whether the chill exists due to structural reasons, or as a result of paranormal activity, you’re sure to feel it the deeper you get into the space. Here, inmates were held in isolation, an unimaginable torture in the winter time. One of the guides gestures into the blackness of a cell, inviting you to step inside. Even with the door open, the darkness is almost unbearable, and as the guide closes the door behind you, you find yourself shrouded in nothingness, unsure of which way you just came from. The terror only lasts for a moment, as the door is reopened and the floodlights shine back on the floor, saving you from the same fate that many prisoners faced.

Then, the real horror begins. With an EMF (Electromagnetic Field) reader ready to use, you pan left and right, left and right, eyes searching, hands shaking. You’re on the watch for any activity that may be deemed unusual or unnatural. Single file, you and the others begin a long ascent up the stairs, towards the Death Tower, where a significant amount of paranormal activity has been reported. Typically off limits to the public, exceptions are made when you’re on the hunt for ghosts. Collectively, the entire group holds their breath as a dry voice is heard somewhere in the distance, but somehow still inside the tiny top of the tower. Scratchy, scared, the voice asks for something, begs, but the harder you listen the further it strays, until it returns to silence, as if it never even spoke at all. Here, the notable riot of 1959 ended, and took with it the lives of three men. The return to quiet sends fear into your stomach, and you eye the spiraling rickety staircase, unsure of how you’d all escape if necessary. In the dark, flashlights scan the floor, and you swear a blood stain appeared, disappearing by the time you shine your light back to that spot. As you make your way back towards the courtyard, the fresh air relieves a tension you didn’t know you had. The stuffiness of the tower only adds to its fear and mystery, reminding you of a Goosebumps book you read as a child.

Equally as scary and historically enriching is the inside of the cellhouse. After the prison’s closure, many inmates left behind personal items and artwork, hanging on the wall to this day. Slowly, you make your way up the metal stairs to the upper-tier cells, an area also usually off limits. Inside many of the cells, walls are carved with ominous messages and eerie markings. You step inside one extra dark and dreary cell only to feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up and, at the same time, hear the scream of your EMF device. Backing out, you decide it’s best to take a look from the outside in, rather than the inside out, as the prisoners would have.

Inside the administrative room, most of the historical items are on display, like the guns used in that pivotal riot, or the 20-pound concrete boots used on the flightiest of prisoners. Alongside the items in the glass case are less noticeable things: desks with old papers scattered about, and buzzers, to go from one room to the next, untouched and unused for years. This room has varying activity, a hub for guards and workers during the prison’s busy years, now empty and lifeless, in a state of abandonment.

Finally, the tour guides let you go, free to explore the prison on your own terms, allowing access until 3 a.m. You find your way to the church, one large room with a cross and some benches. You wander to the mess hall, where meals were served and eaten. Your EMF device buzzes and beeps randomly, sending your heart racing, and forcing you to keep your back close to the cold, bumpy walls. You continue on your way, excited to learn about the history of the place, but afraid of things that go bump in the night. You keep an eye out for the gags and jokes that staff have placed carefully throughout the prison in an attempt to lighten the mood and scare a laugh out of you.

The final scare is a shocking scene encountered as you enter the W.A. Clark Theatre, located inside the prison. Here, bands played, sermons were held, and plays were performed inside the walls of the dysfunctional prison. And standing center stage, awaiting its next victim, is a scary secret—one you’ll have to check out for yourself at The Old Montana Prison in Deer Lodge.