You know that feeling you get when you find out the previous renter of an apartment was kind of a creep? This gothic, castle-like prison complex was once the (involuntary) home of notorious murder clown John Wayne Gacy and serial killer Richard Speck. There were riots and slayings, executions and other maladies that made this place midwestern Oz between 1856 and 2002, when it closed and sat abandoned for nearly nearly two decades. It’s now re-open for tours (paranormal or otherwise), and sometimes hosts events like movie screenings (Blues Brothers was famously filmed here). Even without the hauntings, this place would be top-tier creepy. Throw in potential serial-killer specters and you’ve got a recipe for nightmares. —AK
science to the paranormal
