Exclusives
‘The Haunting of Pennhurst’ Exclusive Clip Trains Scare Actors For Historic Haunt in Tribeca Doc
The past and present collide in haunting, poignant ways in the genre documentary The Haunting of Pennhurst, which sees a Halloween haunt serve as a reclamation of true historic horrors.
Ahead of its world premiere at the 25th Tribeca Film Festival, we have an exclusive clip that sees scare actors in training for the Halloween season. The catch? This haunt is opening at the historic Pennhurst State School & Hospital site, a facility that caused immense harm to its disabled patients over decades of its operation.
In the documentary, “For over seventy years, Pennhurst State School & Hospital was called a place of care. What happened inside killed over half its population. It closed in 1987, leaving behind unmarked graves and an unresolved history. Today, on those same grounds, disabled performers – many living with the same conditions that once sent people to Pennhurst – put on their makeup, pull on their costumes, and prepare to scare people for a living.
“Through grit, compassion, and buckets of blood, the eclectic performers of the Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction are wrestling with a space that is at once a lucrative business and a gravesite.”
The upcoming documentary hails from directing trio Nathan Stenberg, Mike Attie, and Katarina Poljak, who explore their socially-relevant subject through archival footage, first-hand accounts, and an immersive verité.
“Pennhurst has haunted us since we first passed through its dragon-tooth gates; the horrors of the institution echo through the site today. We are so grateful to bring this film to the Tribeca Festival, particularly the Escape from Tribeca section, which feels right for a story where past and present bleed together. We hope audiences leave unnerved and asking the same uncomfortable questions we did,” Attie, Stenberg, and Poljak said in a statement.
Watch the clip below that sees disabled and neurodivergent scare actors learning the ropes of a Halloween haunt, reclaiming the site’s grim history in the process.
Tribeca Screenings:
- Public 1 (Premiere) Screening – Friday, June 5 at 9:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 2 Screening – Sunday, June 7 at 3:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 3 Screening – Tuesday, June 9 at 6:15PM at Village East by Angelika
A sword-wielding woman confronts a young man in the depths of the Yucatan jungles in our exclusive clip from Wetiko.
The Mexican psychedelic jungle thriller hits Digital next Tuesday, June 9, via Dekanalog.
It follows Aapo, a young Maya man trying to survive the modern hustle without losing his roots. When he takes a quick-cash job for his family-owned pet store, delivering hallucinogenic bufo toads to a remote jungle ceremony, it feels like an easy score. One trip in, one trip out.
What begins as a promise of transcendence inside a shady eco-village quickly reveals itself as something far more dangerous. Led by a smooth-talking, bloodthirsty shaman who feeds on belief, fear, and control, the ceremony peddles enlightenment to Western spiritual tourists and new age seekers. But as the powerful drugs kick in, reality fractures — time bends, the jungle pulses, and Aapo is trapped in a hallucinatory war zone.
As paranoia spikes and alliances collapse, Aapo realizes Wetiko isn’t a myth but a sickness — greed, consumption, and spiritual rot spreading fast. Hunted, high and unraveling, he must choose whether to become another casualty — or break the cycle before the jungle swallows him whole.
Juan Daniel García Treviño, Neil Sandilands (“Sweet Tooth”), Dalia Xiuhcoatl, Carlos Emilio Báez (Apocalypto), Jordan Barrett, and Bárbara de Regil (“The Accident”) star.
Kerry Mondragon (Tyger Tyger) writes and directs, in addition to producing with Michael Hoff. Terry McGraw serves as executive producer.
