Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Pennhurst Asylum
Website: www.pennhurstasylum.com
Location of Attraction: Spring City PA
Date of Review: 9/22/2017
Total Number of Attractions Available: FOUR
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating (scale of 1-10): 8.5
Entertainment and Food Rating (scale of 1-10): 8
Overall Makeup and Costume Rating (scale of 1-10): 9
Overall Actor Rating (scale of 1-10): 8.5
Overall Props Rating (scale of 1-10): 9
Overall Scare Factor Rating (scale of 1-10): 8
Overall Feedback: Review #3 on the season was easily one of the most looked forward to reviews of our season by many of our squad members. Voted one of the top attractions from our 2016 review season we were eager to see if Pennhurst could once again live up to the hype. We arrived at Pennhurst on their opening night of the 2017 season and they had a pretty large crowd already on hand. Right off the bat you are immersed into the eerie atmosphere from the dark, bumpy and straight up creepy drive to the parking lot.. Then from there you have about a ½ mile walk in practically complete darkness to the ticket booth. Once in the central entertainment area you are swarmed by various actors roaming about the grounds tormenting the customers before you even enter an attraction. Nothing better than sipping on a soda and munching on french fries while watching other customers be startled by the actors roaming about. Pennhurst Asylum offers FOUR attractions that all each offer their own unique experience. Three of the four attractions are walk through style haunts and the fourth is completed at your own pace. Across the board in the walk through attractions you will find some of the most detailed and realistic scenes that you’ll encounter anywhere in the industry. The acting is also some of the best that you’ll find anywhere in the area featuring sinister skits/performances and zero use of the popular “get out” and “what are you doing here” lines so commonly heard in other haunts. High quality makeup and costumes are also encountered really leaving you to question what’s real and what’s not and if the actors could truly be demented. The props utilized throughout the attractions do wonders in helping to portray the overall storyline and really add a scare factor of their own. We remember questioning multiple times if certain things were real to eventually find out it was fake… that’s how you know the props are phenomenal. Customer and client interaction is something that we love most about Pennhurst. You aren’t just walking through the attractions… you truly feel as if you are a part of the attraction. We definitely feel that Pennhurst has nailed the right combination of scares and laughs to provide a spooky fun night for all in attendance. Pennhurst Asylum and Dungeon of Lost Souls both provided top notch performances leaving us in awe. The new attraction for 2017, Containment, didn’t quite provide the same thrilling experience as the other attractions but with a few small tweaks it could easily become a top notch attraction. Mayflower After Dark wasn’t designed to make someone pee their pants but it surely does give you the chills and heebie jeebies. Overall Pennhurst Asylum once again provided another excellent performance that we have come to expect from them. We strongly suggest all haunt lovers to pay Pennhurst Asylum a visit sometime during the 2017 haunt season! We have no doubts that you’ll have a SPOOKY FUN time when you pay them a visit!!
Individual Attraction Review:
Attraction Name: Pennhurst Asylum
Overall Attraction Rating (scale of 1-10): 8
Actor Rating (scale of 1-10): 9
Props Rating (scale of 1-10): 9
Attraction Scare Factor Rating (scale of 1-10): 8
Likes & Dislikes: This attraction is a “Hospital” themed walk through attraction. A walk through attraction that gives you flashbacks to what it must be like to walk through a real asylum. This attraction featured tons of crazed actors, detailed and realistic scenes and lots of screams! The building itself gives of a real eerie vibe and they do a perfect job playing off of that. The actors were fully immersed in their roles which made the scenes believable and lifelike. We enjoyed the interaction between actor and customer. We also loved the incorporation of various items and artifacts salvaged from the Old State School, it added a really unique touch. Overall a perfect combination of props/animatronics and crazed actors made for a truly fun and spooky experience.
Attraction Name: Dungeon of Lost Souls
Overall Attraction Rating (scale of 1-10): 9
Actor Rating (scale of 1-10): 9
Props Rating (scale of 1-10): 9
Attraction Scare Factor Rating (scale of 1-10): 9
Likes & Dislikes: This attraction is easily one of the most forgotten at Pennhurst because it’s in the middle of two other attractions. Dungeon of Lost Souls was voted BEST ATTRACTION of the night by our Squad. Everything about this attraction was on point! They have perfected the elements of being in a basement of an old building. From start to finish your heart is racing with fear and anxiety of what lurks around each corner. The actors nailed it with flawless and sinister performances. Each scene featured more detail than the next leaving us in a state of awe. Many screams were heard from both our members and the other customers maneuvering through the dark hallways and maze like walls. Long story short, this attraction was nothing short of excellent!
Attraction Name: Containment
Overall Attraction Rating (scale of 1-10): 6
Actor Rating (scale of 1-10): 6
Props Rating (scale of 1-10): 9
Attraction Scare Factor Rating (scale of 1-10): 6
Likes & Dislikes: Containment is a brand new attraction at Pennhurst Asylum for the 2017 season. Formally known as the Tunnels we were hoping Containment would provide the same thrilling experience as the Tunnels has over the past few years. Unfortunately we did not receive that top notch experience we were hoping for. Containment featured believable scenes and props but left us confused on what the attractions plot/story line was. The acting also fell short compared to the high quality acting in Pennhurst Asylum and Dungeon of Lost Souls. There seemed to be a lot of “grrr” and “shriek like” sounds from the actors this year which became somewhat unamusing after a few scenes in. The lack of a skit/performance left us questioning what some of the actors roles/parts were which overall made it tough to understand the entirety of the attraction. There were moments that the air was tense and filled with suspense and then others that left us confused and completely removed from the eerie atmosphere. Something we liked were some of the scenes that they kept in from when the attraction was known as the Tunnels (long foggy strobe hallway and the catacomb like areas come to mind). We definitely give the Pennhurst team credit for going big and completely changing things up but unfortunately this attraction just fell a tad short. In our eyes the scenes were amazing but the acting fell short of the Pennhurst standard. Fingers are crossed in hopes that as the season goes along this attraction will up the ante and offer the same thrilling experience as Pennhurst Asylum and Dungeon of Lost Souls!
Attraction Name: Mayflower After Dark
Likes & Dislikes: This attraction is without purposeful scares or actors. Mayflower After Dark is an adventure on its own where you are able to explore the Mayflower building where residents used to live. It is reportedly the most ghostly active building of all the locations on campus (has been featured on Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters). This attraction can be completed at your own pace and you are actually encouraged to take photos and attempt to catch anything that may choose to present itself. In the beginning of this attraction they have a mini museum which contains some left artifacts, images, and items from the state school. There was actually an individual whom worked at the state school for years available in the museum for customers to ask questions about the history of the state school. There is two things we feel that could better ones experience inside this attraction. The first would be less lighting… it would most definitely up the creepiness. The second would be less foot traffic inside the attraction. It didn’t take long for it to be a bit overcrowded and noisy which took away from that creepy atmosphere we love. But overall, the experience itself is truly unique and something you don’t find at many other haunts.