Judge: Haunted House Can Open in Ex-Asylum Pennhurst

A suburban Philadelphia judge has refused to stop the opening of a haunted house attraction at a long-shuttered asylum.

Chester County Judge Robert Shenkin on Friday denied a request filed on behalf of the local historical society to stop the opening of the attraction at the former Pennhurst State Hospital in East Vincent Township.

The historical society tried to stop the attraction from opening Friday evening, saying developers violated zoning rules.

The owner of the site, Richard Chakejian tells The Philadelphia Inquirer he's pleased with the ruling.

Pennhurst was closed in 1987 in the wake of a lawsuit alleging years of abuse and neglect. The suit claimed residents had been found beaten by nurses, strapped to beds, left naked or alone and drugged into stupors.