New/Next Review: “The Haunting of Pennhurst”

The Haunting of Pennhurst (Mike Attie/Katarina Poljak/Nathan R. Stenberg, 2026) 4 out of 5 stars

As a haunted house enthusiast, I’ve visited most of the marquee attractions around the eastern Pennsylvania region. I remember when first learning about “Pennhurst Asylum” that I found the idea to be in poor taste. Holding a haunted attraction at the site of a former state institution that was notorious for the awful treatment of its residents and controversial methods to treat disabled folks felt like an insensitive, shameless money-grab. However, the rave reviews of the haunt led me to check it out myself, anyway.

I found it very well done, with phenomenal special effects, exceptional actors, and immersive storytelling. Simply put, it remains the best haunted attraction I’ve ever experienced. Still, I felt guilty enjoying it and rating it so highly knowing the dark history of the location. However, after viewing the new documentary The Haunting of Pennhurst, I feel much better about attending and supporting the place.

What I didn’t know during my two visits to Pennhurst Asylum is that the staff at the haunt is actually almost entirely comprised of individuals with disabilities. Furthermore, there are strict rules that must be followed by the haunt actors: no portrayals of doctor-on-patient violence and no using derogatory terms for disabled people (the “R” word is an immediate fire). Furthermore, portraying a disability can only be done if it is your disability, meaning that mimicking others’ disabilities is not allowed.

What I also learned from this documentary is that the haunted house itself functions as a means to an end. The staff actually has a goal to meet and view the haunted attraction as a necessary evil to achieve it. That goal is the creation of a museum on the grounds to honor those who suffered here and raise awareness about mental health, disabilities, and the treatment of those deemed “different” by society. With the massive ticket sales of the haunt, they look to create this memorial very soon.

The directors do a great job balancing three distinct topics in the documentary: the haunted attraction, the history of the Pennhurst State School, and paranormal investigators’ obsession with the grounds. The film cuts back and forth between all of these seamlessly, never staying on one specific topic for too long.

The history of the institution is covered with various methods, including newspaper clippings, audio recordings of former residents of Pennhurst, and historical tours given by current staff of Pennhurst. I do feel like there could have been even more avenues for exploring the history of the place, such as through interviews with historians, government officials, or even former employees of the Pennhurst State School. Still, the firsthand accounts of former Pennhurst patients are the most powerful, of course, and it’s horrifying to listen to them recount their experiences.

Old commercials for the Pennhurst State School are also used as historical devices.  While they are offensive, hurtful, and severely outdated, they are intriguing to watch and important to see how folks with disabilities were thought of back in the early 1900s. Any disability was viewed as a sort of epidemic, and even deaf and blind people were sent to institutions like Pennhurst. The ads mostly promote Pennhurst in a positive light and are then juxtaposed with newspaper clippings that often claim the opposite of what the commercials state.

The final area that is covered in the documentary is the increased presence of ghost hunters, paranormal investigators and the like that are often exploring Pennhurst. Pennhurst State School is known as a paranormal hotspot and one of the most haunted places in the United States, so the enthusiasts come out in droves. There is even an event called Paracon that was hosted recently at Pennhurst, where ghost hunters attend a convention-like experience and wander the halls through the night.

The Pennhurst staff have mixed feelings about these folks. They acknowledge it’s a great source of money and try to be informative and promote awareness of the horrible things that happened there with the ghost hunters. However, they also know that many paranormal investigators can become impatient, try to provoke spirits, and be disrespectful of the grounds and any spirits contained within. For this reason, the Pennhurst investigations have strict guidelines similar to the ones that must be followed by the haunt actors.

There is one angle that was not explored in this film that I am still curious about: outside perception of the Pennhurst Asylum haunt. Even just the name “Pennhurst Asylum” is controversial, as one employee states in the film that Pennhurst was never an asylum, but a “state school” or “institution.” I would like to see interviews with those like me who, before viewing this film, saw the attraction as being in poor taste, or even interviews with those who know that the haunt is for a good cause but still don’t agree with it.

As respectful and cautious as the haunt actors are, there are still ethical concerns that I’m sure many share. The attraction still sells straightjackets and other paraphernalia that lean into the idea of “crazy” inmates, and many of the scenes featured in the haunt can still be viewed as overdone. There also seems to be a disconnect with the owners of the haunt and the current staff over sensitivity vs. making money.

Overall, The Haunting of Pennhurst is a fantastic documentary about the past, present, and future of the Pennhurst State School. I personally appreciate documentaries that can capture a topic from all angles, and while some intriguing perspectives were not featured, the filmmakers still did a great job covering many different aspects of the location. The interviews with current staff are enlightening, the audio of former patients at the school are deeply saddening but eye-opening, and the history behind the school is equal parts fascinating and disturbing.

Unlike many haunts that border on torture of their guests and function as a way for the haunt actors to let out their aggression, Pennhurst Asylum has a much better cause at its center. After viewing The Haunting of Pennhurst, I feel very good about my decision to visit this haunt twice and will continue to support them in the future over other haunted attractions, especially those with recent reports of employee abuse. There is so much more to explore, however, at Pennhurst. This documentary has inspired me to not only visit the haunted attraction again, but also perhaps take a guided tour and learn more about the history and stories of people who resided at this ill-equipped facility. If and when the museum the staff has been working for opens, I’ll be first in line to visit that, as well.

Matt Patti

Matt Patti has enjoyed voicing his opinions on films from a young age. He has lived in the Baltimore, Maryland, area since 2015 and is a graduate of Stevenson University’s Film & Moving Image program. Matt is currently back at Stevenson University, working as the School of Design, Arts, and Communication's Studio Manager.