Don’t end up here: These 9 prisons we see in shows can give you nightmares

TV shows and movies often depict prisons and prison life in the storylines that are terrifying to watch most of the sometimes. Sometimes, these scenes give us a glimpse of how horrifying being in prison could be due to various reasons, such as the presence of terrifying criminals.

The fictional stories often make us see the characters suffer due to the chilling environment of low security in the prisons. They sometimes end up getting bullied, assaulted, and even in some cases face death due to the torcher, resulting in a horrific nightmare inducing scene for the viewers.

In this article, we have listed 9 such prisons from TV shows that have left viewers with nightmares.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer’s opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

The 9 prisons we see in shows can give you nightmares

9) Prison Break

Scene from Prison Break | Image via 20th Century Fox Television

Prison Break was a popular show premiering in August 2005, which depicted Wentworth Miller’s Michael trying to free his brother Lincoln from the prison as he was wrongfully accused. He hatches a plan to break him free from the inside of the Fox River State Penitentiary.

Although not extremely horrifying, the series still depicts the harsh realities of the prison and judicial system as Lincoln, who was innocent, had to live with dangerous criminals. The show also depicts numerous deaths, ranging from s*uicides and executions in the prison, making it a horrifying scene depicting prisons.

8) American Horror Story: Freak Show

Sarah Paulson in AHS: Freak Show | image via Ryan Murphy Television

American Horror Story has shown numerous terrifying scenes over the years, from brutality in a mental asylum to chilling encounters with aliens.

In season 4, Freak Show, there is a heartbreaking scene in a prison when Meep is wrongfully accused by Jimmy’s father of murdering a detective. He is taken into a Florida prison, where he is beaten to death by several other inmates in a chilling scene. The scene was heartbreaking as Meep made the scene a part of the list of prisons shown in the TV shows.

7) Criminal Minds

Matthew Gray Gubler in Criminal Minds | Image via Lionsgate Television

While catching dangerous serial killers, the members of the BAU often find themselves in life-threatening situations.

For instance, in season 12, Dr. Spencer Reid is sent to prison in Mexico for drug trafficking. While the BAU tries to save Reid and get him out, he suffers several situations such as bullying and assault by other inmates, showing how brutal prison life is where every moment appears to be dangerous and one has to always be guarded up.

Due to the struggle Reid had to go through, the fictional prison show in Mexico has to be in the list of horrifying prisons from TV shows.

6) Gyeongseong Creature

Ongseong Hospital from Gyeongseong Creature | Image via Netflix

Gyeongseong Creature tells the story of Ongseong Hospital in Gyeongseong, where the Japanese conduct secret biological experiments that make a formidable creature that they hide in the underground prison with other prisoners.

Other than normal threats, in the Korean series, the prisoners also fear for their lives due to the experiments and the anthrax spores that the creature exhales, which could kill them. The life-threatening experiments going on in the Ongseong hospital make the underground prison one of the most horrifying prisons on this list.

5) Bad Girls

Simone Lahbib in Bad Girls | Image via Shed Productions

The British series Bad Girls provided a raw and graphic look at a South London women’s prison, Larkhall. It dealt with numerous subjects, such as bullying, s*xual assault, drug use, and miscarriage, to name a few issues.

For instance in the first season, the character Rachel Hicks is bullied and tortured for having an affair with a senior officer who is already involved with the formidable inmate Shell Dockley from the G Wing. Dockley tortures rachel so much that she commits s*uicide in season 1 of the series.

4) Wentworth

Danielle Cormack in Wentworth | Image via Fremantle Australia

The Australlian series Wentworth follows the story of Bea Smith, who is accused of attempted murder of her husband and is sent to Wentworth.

Bea faces many challenges in prison due to being at the bottom of the hierarchy. The show depicts numerous instances of bullying and violence, such as Allie being brutally stabbed in the shower scene. Furthermore, fights and assaults like Reb being assaulted in the prison cell also make for horrific prison moments from the popular show, giving it a well-deserved place in this list of horrific prisons from TV shows.

3) Castle Rock

In the popular horror series named after the fictional town created by Stephen King, the mysterious activities taking place in the Shawshank State Penitentiary alarms the residents of the town in Season 1.

After a s*icide, the new sheriff opens an abandoned cell block and encounters an inmate locked in an underground cage. Known as The Kid, he brings new mysteries that plague the small town in horror, linking it to the existence of multiple realities. The prison is an important place in the series where several horrific events take place, such as Dale Lacy’s s*icide and Zalewski’s hallucination about the kid slaughtering many prison guards. This makes the prison in Castle Rock one of the prisons from TV shows that might give you nightmares.

2) El marginal

Juan Minujín in El marginal | Image via Televisión Pública

The first season of the popular Argentine crime drama follows Juan Minujín’s Miguel Palacios, who infiltrates a prison to find out about a gang that might have kidnapped the daughter of a judge.

The show offers a brutal depiction of prison life as Miguel tries to hide his true identity and survive living with numerous violent inmates who are also helped by some officials of San Onofre prison. The show depicts brutal fights, other types of violence through which Miguel survives. This makes San Onofre prison one of the most violent and terrifying prisons across TV shows.

1) Oz

One of the most popular HBO shows, Oz, revolved around an experiment conducted by unit manager Tim McManus to put members of different social and racial groups in balance to let them learn to take responsibility and adjust to their surroundings.

However, his plan does not work as the inmates of the wing Emerald City of the maximum security prison, Oswald State Correctional Facility, are involved in various violent activities, such as gang fights, s*xual assault, and murder. The show follows McManus as he tries to control and change the criminals but fails several times, as many inmates end up dead. Some inmates take part in these violent or criminal activities while others only want to survive as that is the only difficult task in Emerald City, making it one of the scariest prisons in this list.