Behind the Screams · an hour backstage · lights on · no actors
SEE HOW WE BUILD THE FEAR.
An hour-long, lights-on tour through the sets, props, and animatronics of Northern Nevada's largest haunted house, led by the people who built it. No scares. No actors. Cameras welcome. Free t-shirt and sticker for every guest.
Tours start at 4:30 or 5:00 PM, before the gates open. Haunt admission sold separately.
Lights onNo actorsCameras welcomeFree t-shirt and stickerOne hourBefore the gates openLed by the buildersLights onNo actorsCameras welcomeFree t-shirt and stickerOne hourBefore the gates openLed by the builders
The calendar
FIVE TOURS. ONE HOUR EACH. BEFORE THE CROWDS ARRIVE.
One tour per date, one hour long, kept small so everyone can see and ask. Pick a date, then grab a haunt ticket for the same night if you want the full experience.
Haunted house admission is separate. A signed waiver is required for every guest.
Free gift · every guest
A DARK PRISON T-SHIRT AND A STICKER, ON US.
Every tour guest walks out with both. Wear the shirt into the haunt later in the season and see how the actors treat someone who has already seen the morgue with the lights on.
Included with every tour ticket
Add the haunt
SEE IT WITH THE LIGHTS ON AT 5. COME BACK IN THE DARK AT 7.
Tours end before the gates open, so you can do both in one night. General admission is $34.95 online and VIP is $74.95. Both are separate from the tour.
The security office where the Warden made his last stand, the license plate factory, the cafeteria, the laundry, the chapel, the morgue, the sewers, and the Institute's new wavy walls and dorm room. All of it with the work lights on.
The props and animatronics
BUILT IN-HOUSE, INCHES AWAY.
Every prop and set piece is built by our own studio. On the tour you get close enough to see the brush strokes. Hands stay off. Eyes don't.
The makeup and costume shop
WHERE 60+ MONSTERS GET MADE.
The chairs, the prosthetics, the blood that has to last a whole night. VIP guests get twenty minutes of this between scares. You get the whole story.
The tricks
HOW A SCARE IS TIMED.
Where the actors hide, what the fog is for, which corner is built to make you turn the wrong way. Once you know, you never unsee it.
The history
THE 1862 STONE.
Real cellblocks quarried by the men who were locked in them. The builders know which walls are original and which ones they added last spring.
The people
ASK ANYTHING.
Ryan and Holly lead every tour. There is no question they will duck, including the ones about what went wrong.
A tour stop in the prop shop, lights on
Cameras welcome, everywhere on the tour
Your guides
ASK THEM ANYTHING. THEY KNOW EVERYTHING.
They built it, they run it, and they will tell you which scare took three weeks to get right. Ryan and Holly lead every tour themselves.
RYAN LOETSCHER
CSO · Build Lead
Ryan runs the build. Every set, prop, and animatronic on the tour went through his shop, and he knows which ones fought back.
HOLLY SPAHR
Co-owner · CEO
Holly runs the haunt. Ask her how sixty actors get through makeup every night, or which room she still won't walk through alone.
Read this before you book
THE PART MOST PEOPLE GET WRONG.
Pro tip
THERE ARE NO ACTORS ON THIS TOUR.
Two kinds of people book Behind the Screams: the scaredy cats who want to see the prison without anything jumping out, and the people who love haunted houses so much they need to see every corner of one. If you want the full experience, buy a real haunted house ticket too. This is not the VIP tour. VIP gets a twenty-minute look at makeup and costuming between scares. This is the whole hour, everywhere, with the builders.
Before the crowds
YOU'RE INSIDE BEFORE THE GATES OPEN.
Tours start at 4:30 or 5:00 PM. The first haunt ticket gets scanned at 6:00. For an hour the prison is yours, and the only other people in it are the ones who built it.
Cameras welcome
TAKE PICTURES OF ANYTHING YOU SEE.
Phones, cameras, all of it. Inside the haunt on a show night, recording is banned. On the tour it's encouraged. Tag @darkprisonhaunt and we might steal it.
What to bring
COME READY. LEAVE THE COSTUME.
Closed-toed shoes. Required. The pavement is uneven and the site is a working prison yard.
Your camera or your phone. Charged.
A flashlight. Some corners stay dark even with the lights on.
A signed waiver for every guest. Parents sign for minors. Do it online before you arrive.
A layer. October evenings in Carson City turn cold fast once the sun drops behind the wall.
Your ticket, on your phone, 15 minutes early.
Where to meet
THE FREE PARKING LOT, 15 MINUTES EARLY.
Park in any of the three free lots, walk to the gate, and check in. Nevada State Prison is a weapons, tobacco, and vaping-free property.
The crew lighting a set
Before you book
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK WITH THE LIGHTS ON.
Is it scary?
No. No actors, no scares, lights on. If you want to be scared, buy a haunt ticket for the same night and come back after the tour.
Is this the VIP tour?
No. VIP tickets include a twenty-minute look at makeup, costuming, and a few historic spots between scares. Behind the Screams is a full hour, everywhere, led by the people who built it, with no actors in the building.
Do I need a haunted house ticket too?
Only if you want the full experience. The tour ends before the gates open, so you can do both in one night. Haunt tickets are sold separately.
Can kids come?
Yes, with a waiver signed by a parent or guardian. There are no scares on the tour, so it is the calmest way to see the prison.
How long is it?
One hour, one group, one guide team. Arrive 15 minutes early in the free parking lot.
Can I take pictures?
Yes. Anything you see. That rule is the opposite of a show night, when recording inside the haunt is banned.
What if it rains?
The tour runs rain or shine. Parts of the route are outdoors, so bring the layer.
Refunds?
No refunds, no exchanges. Pick your date carefully.
Behind the Screams · 2026
SEE IT WITH THE LIGHTS ON. THEN COME BACK WITHOUT THEM.
Five dates. One hour. A free shirt. Every question answered.
