Tribeca 2026: The Haunting of Pennhurst

The Haunted Attraction at Pennhurst Is Linked to a History of Abuse and Rape. Can Performers With Disabilities Redeem It?

The Pennhurst State School and Hospital was a state-run institution for people with disabilities from 1908 to 1987A 'The Haunting of Pennhurst' production still.Credit: Courtesy of Tribeca FestivalNEED TO KNOWThe Pennhurst State School and Hospital was a state-run institution for people with disabilities from 1908 to 1987Residents suffered years of abuse, including pulling out teeth as punishment and rapeIts current operation as a haunted attrac…

The Haunting of Pennhurst Tribeca 2026 Educates and enrages

The Haunting of Pennhurst In Pennsylvania, a looming brick building stands as a testament to a dark past. Today, artists create enormous monster builds, finely detailed costumes, and eerie sets inside the rooms of a former institution for individuals with disabilities. Part stark horror story and part empowering revisionist, filmmakers Nathan Stenberg, Mike Attie, and Katarina Poljak‘s The Haunting of Pennhurst lives up to its title every frame.…

Tribeca 2026: The Haunting of Pennhurst

Rating: 3 out of 5. Who doesn’t love a good horror documentary? The Haunting of Pennhurst certainly functions at times like one, especially when it airs live walkthroughs of the terrifying haunted house at its center. But here, the horrors run deeper than one would assume. The complicated legacy of the infamous Pennhurst State School and Hospital gets unearthed. Once a real institution for people with disabilities, “Pennhurst Asylum” has been re…