PENNHURST ASYLUM – Intensive Scare Unit
By CHRIS ALEXANDER
Haunt hero Randy Bates’ companion creep shack Pennhurst Asylum is the equal to—if not, dare we say, blood-curdlingly better than—his Bates Motel, both co-owned by real estate developer Richard Chakejian. It’s also far more controversial: The Philadelphia-area horror house was once a functional facility, originally dubbed theEastern Pennsylvania State Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic, where the disabled and mentally ill received care. Opened in 1908, the building was ordered closed in 1986 and quickly became a ramshackle squat for partying teens and vandals.
Until Bates got his mitts on it, that is, as he explains…
FANGORIA: There was some local debate over the merits of turning a real-life location with such a tragic history into a haunted attraction. When did you enter the picture and decide to do this?
RANDY BATES: When I first laid eyes on the property in 2009, it was overgrown and decayed beyond belief, but I knew it would be the perfect setting for what we now believe is one of the greatest haunted houses in the country. First, we wanted to utilize the eerie feel of the place, so we designed the walk from the parking lot to go between the old hospital and medical dorms, down a narrow walkway with four-story buildings on each side. Then we designed the Pennhurst Asylum attraction with a twisted hospital theme, and a Dungeon of Lost Souls with medical experiments gone horribly wrong. We were able to harvest many unique props from the surrounding buildings that add to the realism: We found a vintage 1940s electroencephalograph that used tube technology, huge operating-room lights that still work and a host of other unique items that we use throughout the attractions.
One amazing feature of this property is that most of the buildings are connected with subterranean tunnels. We were able to use these to great effect in our Tunnel of Terror attraction. It’s a 1,000-foot-long walk-through area filled with catacombs, caves and special effects. Our fourth section is called the Ghost Hunt. For years, paranormal crews have investigated many of the buildings here, most notably the Mayflower dormitory. We received hundreds of e-mails from fans stating that they wanted to see the real Pennhurst, as it was when abandoned, so we opened a 45,000-square-foot building and allow our guests to roam the halls armed only with flashlights. Rusted beds and tables litter the dorm rooms and day rooms. This is reportedly the most haunted place on the campus, and it does not disappoint our guests. We’ve had several people completely freak out in Mayflower, and they had to be escorted back to their vehicles. Others have posted photos of what they believe to be spirits.
FANG: Is there any thematic crossover with Bates Motel?
BATES: Pennhurst’s themes are completely different from those at the Motel. Although having excellent scares and high action, Bates Motel is more geared toward families. The crowd at Pennhurst is usually older, and includes haunt enthusiasts as well as those who are interested in the paranormal aspects of this property. We have had customers come to both locations from all over the country, and some from as far away as the UK and Hong Kong.
FANG: Have you ever gone too far and pushed a guest past the brink?
BATES: When you decide to open a haunted attraction, you need to define yourself. Am I going to be kid-friendly? Am I going to be gory? Am I going to be theatrical? I like to describe Pennhurst Asylum as high-startle and semi-gory, with a combination of great acting and custom-designed props and sets. When we design a new room or add new elements, we always ask ourselves, “Where is the scare?” We want to terrify our guests; that’s why they come here.
A few weeks ago, I went through the incident logs from 2012 and saw that there were a number of people who had been treated for anxiety attacks. That means our actors and staff are doing their job! We have had people break down in the Mayflower dorm, claiming they had been touched—when there was no one near them—or seen apparitions or movement that appeared, then disappeared. In fact, one of our build crew dropped his tools, ran to his car and left for three days. When he returned, he would not talk about his experience. So although we do not allow our staff to manhandle guests or push them to the extreme, we do want them to scare decisively. Our patrons come here for that amazing adrenaline shot you get when your body perceives an imminent threat to your safety. This is how we have defined our role at Pennhurst: If you come here, you will get scared.
FANG: Is it exhausting running two haunts? Do you ever feel you’re competing against yourself?
BATES: Running two attractions is mindboggling. The easy part is that you duplicate your efforts for the same cause: Marketing, ticketing and website updates are pretty much the same, except you have different information to deal with. Fortunately, I have a great staff at both locations who can pick up the slack and get the job done. The most important equation is to have competent people who can design, build and run a world-class haunted attraction. I’m very fortunate to have employees who can run every aspect of the business: hire actors, build sets and custom props, train new employees and run the show the way I want it to be run.
There exists a great competition between Pennhurst and Bates Motel, but only in the creative aspect. They are two completely different kinds of haunted attraction, and they complement each other. Even though they are only 45 minutes apart, they are so distinct that they attract plenty of customers. Many of our guests attend and have a great time at both.
FANG: Tell us about the FX: Who does them, and do you closely supervise every illusion?
BATES: The effects for Bates Motel and Pennhurst are all created in-house. Starting in January, we brainstorm about the upcoming season. Most of the effects are designed and built by our talented crew, so they’re fresh and original. We want to have custom, one-of-a-kind effects that you won’t see anywhere else. This has been the cornerstone of Bates Motel, and carries over to Pennhurst Asylum. It’s a bar we set for our competition.
Our creative managers—Ben Bates, Shawn Sieger, John Walsh and others—oversee all the effects installed at both locations, insuring there will always be a scare involved with the scene. There are two types of scenes: “Wow, that’s cool,” and “Holy shit, that scared me!” The most important thing to remember is that if you don’t get scared, one of your friends will, and that’s entertainment.
Learn the facility’s secrets on-line at www.pennhurstasylum.com.
