The Preston School of Industry had many youth inmates that went on to become famous. Grammy-winning recording artist Merle Haggard, Mike Connors who went on to play Mannix (1967) a prime time TV detective actually escaped the school, and comedian Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson co-star of The Jack Benny Program (1950).
Mena Suvari's body and stunt double was also a paranormal investigator and arrived on set with a binder full of clippings and details about the castle and it's haunted history. Within the castle, there is a basement pool once used to "disinfect" the juvenile inmates by dipping them in chemical-laden water. The pool was filled with water for the first time since the School was shut down; and, according to the stunt-double the remaining spirit inmates "were not happy."
Two scene-stealing sons are in the film; In Ricky Bobby, roi du circuit (2006) Grayson Russell is Will Ferrell's "we're all hopped up on Mountain Dew Daddy!" son and Jon Abrahams holds his own against The Irishman (2019) Robert De Niro as his son in Mon beau-père et moi (2000) and its sequels.