A&E’s ‘World’s Biggest Ghost Hunt: Pennhurst Asylum’ Breaks Record as Longest Televised Ghost Hunt Ever

A&E is putting its most spookiest foot forward with its latest bout of programming. In the vein of its cutting-edge hit, Ghost Hunters, the network announced a two-hour special set to air later this month that is already breaking a record for the longest televised ghost hunt ever recorded on film. Set to premiere Oct. 30, the World’s Biggest Ghost Hunt: Pennhurst Asylum is taking viewers on one of its most ambitious paranormal investigations ever. And you will want to buckle up for the wild ride!

“From 1908 to 1987, Pennhurst Asylum in Pennsylvania had more than 10,000 residents, mostly children, confined in the most brutal conditions,” a press release from the network reads. “In this chilling special, five fearless investigators will lock themselves inside the legendary asylum for two weeks to document unexplained reports of paranormal activity.”

They additionally share that “with reports of full-body apparitions, physical attacks, mysterious noises and more, the owner has granted the team unprecedented access to the entire 110-acre property, including areas that have never been investigated, in the most ambitious investigation Pennhurst has ever seen.”

The team of five will use progressive technology and their varied expertise to investigate the institution’s haunted grounds for television’s longest ghost hunt yet.

The chilling new two-hour special will be followed at 10 p.m. ET by the season finale of A&E‘s Ghost Hunters revival — a show that first introduced the world to authentic paranormal investigation when it hit the scene in 2004.

The Ghost Hunters finale will follow team leader, Grant Wilson and his hand-picked team of paranormal investigators taking on some of the most haunted places in the U.S. as they explore aggressive supernatural phenomena and create a safe space for those struggling with unheard of experiences. Wilson and his team, led by co-lead investigators, Daryl Marston and Kristen Luman exclusively told PopCulture.com earlier this summer that though they’ve been on their fair share of explorations this season, there’s just one thing that makes it all creepy at the end of the day — and it’s not what audiences might assume.

“Well, to me, none of it’s really creepy because living people are creepy,” Wilson laughed with PopCulture.com. “The paranormal usually means entities are reaching out and people usually, they’re nicest when they need help. But some locations are creepy.”

Wilson goes on to add that one of the creepiest locations the Ghost Hunters crew visited this past season was at the Madison Seminary, a historical landmark in Madison, Ohio that has a reputation for paranormal activity that dates back to eerie tales from the 1800s.

“We went into it — and it’s seen better days, but part of it was an asylum, so all that can get in your head,” Wilson said. “But we’re trying not to think that way, but with graffiti everywhere and strange symbols… But you do get situations — we get pushed and or you know, what people may think is an attack. But honestly, a lot of the actions we take as living people is taken out of context [and] can be seen as aggressive, when it’s really not.”

World’s Biggest Ghost Hunt: Pennhurst Asylum premieres Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the season premiere of Ghost Hunters at 10 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: A&E Networks