This Halloween, if you’re a Rocky fan in Philadelphia, you can plan on a spooky event out at Laurel Hill Cemetery.
Dubbed “Soul Crawl: Haunted Halloween History Tours”, Laurel Hill will be hosting a flashlight tour of its famous Philly graveyard, best known to Rocky fans as the final resting place of Adrian Balboa and her brother, Paulie Pennino.
“Experience the enchanting art and landscape after dark, as an experienced tour guide leads you along winding, dimly-lit pathways,” the cemetery’s website says of the special event this fall. “The extended nighttime walking tours will focus on the cemetery’s rich history, and of course, some of the liveliest spirits buried within. Tours will last approximately two hours, and will be followed by seasonal refreshments and cocktails aside blazing fire pits.”
Laurel Hill hasn’t yet determined whether Adrian’s headstone, used during the filming of Rocky Balboa and again in Creed, will be highlighted on the ghost tour, but Rocky fans are welcome to pay their respects to Mrs. Balboa. You can find Adrian’s headstone near the cemetery’s main office. Click here to read all about Rocky’s filming at this cemetery.
The green-moss covered grave marker which lives permanently at Laurel Hill is made of actual stone and is now displayed in its own special area. It was created by the studio prop department and was first placed on the grounds for the 2006 filming of Rocky Balboa.
Ultimately, the stone was left behind by the film crew and in the years since Balboa, scores of fans on Rocky filming location tours have visited Laurel Hill to see Adrian’s grave in person.
Paulie’s headstone, on the other hand, is no longer on the grounds. The prop headstone – made of lightweight styrofoam – was placed among the cemetery’s genuine headstones for the early 2015 filming of Sylvester Stallone’s touching scene in Creed where we first learn of Paulie’s death. An additional deleted scene was filmed here but is included on Creed’s DVD bonus features.
Adrian’s stone was moved from its usual spot on the grounds back to the grass to sit next to Paulie’s prop for the scene. After filming, the Creed crew took Paulie’s headstone back with them to Hollywood.
Soul Crawl events are scheduled for Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15 at 7:00pm. Tickets are priced at $20 per person and can be purchased online (click here to buy) or at the door. The cemetery recommends bringing a flashlight and wearing comfortable clothes as you go ghost hunting among the headstones.
