Metal Insider is getting into the Halloween spirit this year with something a little different. Throughout October, we’ll be sharing the history and eerie tales behind venues across the world known for their hauntings and paranormal activity. Enjoy!

Introduction

Day 1 brings the infamous haunted location, the Ohio State Reformatory, now the central site for the Inkcarceration Festival.

Also called the Mansfield Reformatory, the prison was constructed between 1886 and 1910 under the vision of architect Levi Scofield, blending Victorian Gothic, Richardsonian Romanesque, and Queen Anne styles. Opening in 1896 as the “Intermediate Penitentiary,” it aimed to rehabilitate inmates through religion, education, and trade skills. Over time, however, the facility shifted into a high-security prison, housing increasingly violent offenders. With overcrowding and understaffing, riots became common, and punishments grew more severe, including confinement in the notorious “Hole,” a tiny, pitch-black cell used to discipline inmates.

The prison remained in operation until 1990 and carries a brutal history filled with violence, suicides, and tragedies. It later gained worldwide fame as the filming location for Frank Darabont’s 1994 classic The Shawshank Redemption, based on Stephen King’s novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.

Today, this historic maximum-security prison has been transformed into a 3-day music and tattoo festival, held annually in July. Loudwire even created an entire series based on the venue, titled Paranormal Prison.

Festivalgoers at the Ohio State Reformatory get more than live bands and tattoo culture; they have the opportunity to get lost in the paranormal atmosphere. Tickets include the opportunity to stroll through the historic halls, explore cell blocks, and visit the filming locations from The Shawshank Redemption. Guests can also take self-guided tours with an audio wand, uncover the prison’s layered history, and conduct their own ghost hunting investigations.

Inkcarceration originally debuted in 2015 as Ink in the Clink, blending tattoos and heavy music inside the prison walls, with acts like Mushroomhead headlining. By 2018, the event rebranded as the Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival, joining Danny Wimmer Presents’ roster alongside festivals such as Rockville, Sonic Temple Fest, and Louder Than Life. Since then, the festival has evolved into one of the most unique events, featuring major acts such as Slipknot, Pantera, KoRn, Bad Omens, and Megadeth.

Facts

Location: Mansfield, Ohio, USA
Venue Type: Historic prison / Outdoor Festival 
Year Built (and key dates): Construction 1886–1910; first inmates arrived in 1896; prison closed in 1990.      
Status: Year-round tours, the seasonal Blood Prison haunted attraction, and the annual Inkcarceration festival.
Capacity: Outdoor three-stage festival featuring over 60 bands. 

Music Cred

Slipknot, Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Coal Chamber, Rob Zombie, Mudvayne, A Day To Remember, Mastodon, Silly Goose, Volbeat, Hatebreed, In This Moment, Motionless In White, Slaughter to Prevail, Lamb of God, Bush, GWAR, Wage War, Disturbed, Evanessence, Black Veil Brides, Lacuna Coil, Avatar, Nothing More, I Prevail, Three Days Grace, Butcher Babies, Jelly Roll, John 5, Sick Puppies, Born of Osiris, Breaking Benjamin, Sevendust, Marilyn Manson, Five Finger Death Punch, Falling In Reverse, and many more. 

Reported Hauntings 

Hauntings of the Ohio State Reformatory

The Basement: It is said to be home to two entities. One is the spirit of a 14-year-old boy beaten to death when the prison was still a reform facility for minors, often seen as a flickering shadow. The other is believed to be his murderer, a darker presence.

The Hole: One of the prison’s most infamous punishments, this tiny, pitch-black cell has become a hotspot for paranormal activity. Inmates were locked here for up to 72 hours, many never making it out alive. Visitors today report cold spots, nausea, and the sensation of someone breathing down their neck.

The Chair Room: A small, windowless space with a lone chair facing the door. Considered one of the darkest areas in the prison, visitors who provoke the entity said to dwell here have left with unexplained scratches on their bodies.

The Cellblocks: Overcrowding, violence, and suicides occurred around these halls. Especially the East cellblock with its horrifying past, where James Lockhart set himself on fire to escape his cellmate’s threats, and Larry Haymer, who hanged himself days before a scheduled transfer.

Hundreds of Deaths: While more than 200 deaths were reported during the Ohio State Reformatory’s years of operation, one of the deadliest prison tragedies in Ohio history occurred elsewhere. At the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus, built in 1834, a devastating fire in April 1930 claimed the lives of 322 inmates.

Since its closure in 1990, the Ohio State Reformatory has become a magnet for paranormal investigators, with reports of cold drafts, apparitions, physical scratches, and an oppressive energy. A quick scroll through YouTube reveals countless videos from ghost hunters, enthusiasts, and the simply curious who’ve documented eerie activity inside its walls.

Visit Info:

Inkcarceration: Festival passes include self-guided OSR tours.
Year-round: Day tours via the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society.
Fall: Blood Prison haunted attraction takes over select areas.
To explore more of Ohio’s haunted history, check out author Chris Woodyard, who has written the Haunted Ohio book series (see website).

Interested in horror and the paranormal? Metal Insider is teaming up with the newly resurrected site Dizarranged, which is also running a haunted countdown to Halloween, featuring 31 haunted places from around the globe. 

Zenae Zukowski

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