Shirley Jackson's "Hill House"...

The subject of haunted houses is a staple of ghost stories. Usually they are structures old and rundown. They always seem to have a history of despair and death, past events leaving their imprint on the physical structure. They can be rundown and abandoned, or rundown and inhabited, the potential haunts lying quietly still in the deep shadows and dark recesses. 'Still', that is, until something ‘wakes’ them up.

Haunted houses are by far my favorite main component of a good horror tale. You can have your films about Freddie, Jason, and Leather Face. I prefer stories in a paranormal vein. Mysterious bumps and bangs. Random disembodied voices. Doors swinging shut on their own. Cold spots. What scares (and intrigues) me are things heard, but not seen. Felt, but not seen. Then there are the manifestations we do see, but usually out of the corner of our eye. Mists, orbs, apparitions. If science can’t explain it away…fascinating.

The above paragraph is the very first of the masterful haunted house novel, “The Haunting of Hill House”. Of the haunted house variety of ghost stories I have read, it is by far the best. An absolute classic. At the center of the story is ‘Hill House’ (as much a participant in the story as the human characters), an 80 year old mansion, built by the rich Hugh Crain.

After a search and sorting process, anthropologist Dr. John Markway, selects a couple of individuals to accompany him to ‘Hill House’ for an investigation into the paranormal. Theodora, a psychic, and Eleanor, a young woman who has had some poltergeist experiences. The house is said to be extremely haunted, and Markway hopes to prove whether or not ghosts exist. A fourth person is added to the team in the form of the current owner’s nephew, Luke Sanderson (he hopes to one day inherit Hill House).

(Shirley  Jackson)

It is a riveting read from start to finish. Jackson wove a perfect spook tale. Not only does the reader get to know each character and the ‘chinks’ they possess, we get to experience the house right along with them.

For me to give a broader critique would be a disservice to any potential reader(s) of the story. There have been film versions (which I will get into in just a second), but I strongly recommend that you read the novel whether you have seen the film(s), or not. It is only 154 pages in length. I was able to find a PDF copy online, so all you need is a PDF reader (you can download one for free).

You can find the PDF here: http://1800homechat.webstarts.com/uploads/Jackson__Shirley_-_The_Haunting_of_Hill_House.pdf

The first (and best) movie production of “The Haunting” was directed by Robert Wise.  If the name rings a bell, he has quite an impressive list of directing accomplishments. Here is a short list of some of my favorites:

“The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951)
“West Side Story” (1961)
“The Sound of Music” (1965)
“The Andromeda Strain” (1971)
“Audrey Rose” (1977)

Wise would produce and direct, “The Haunting”, in 1963. He chose to film it in Black & White, a decision that really paid off. It adds to the eerie quality of the piece. The sets, lighting, and camera angles are masterful. The scary sounds used are also perfect. I heard an interview with some of the actors talking about how Wise would play the various sounds (previously unheard by them) on set to add to the creative mood.

As for the setting for the film, the exterior shots of “Hill House” were shot at a home in Warwickshire, England. Built in 1858, Eatington Park (now known as Ettington Park) is a neo-gothic Mansion near Stratford Upon Avon.

Photos above: The earliest photo I found was the house as it looked in 1946 (top); the photo in the middle is taken from the 1963 film; the bottom photo is how Ettington Park looks today, as a working hotel.  

Like a number of mansions, Ettington Park has its own stories of ghosts. There have been accounts reported of phantom children playing on the grounds, and the manifestation of a mad woman roaming through corridors.

(Left to right:  Bloom, Tamblyn, Harris, Johnson)

“The Haunting” (1963) does not have a huge cast. The prominent players are as follows: Richard Johnson as “Dr. John Markway”; Claire Bloom as “Theodora”/”Theo”; Julie Harris as “Eleanor Lance”; Russ Tamblyn as “Luke Sanderson”. None of them disappoint. Watching the strangers come together for a common purpose, within an environment they know nothing about (except the Doctor, of course). They all are affected by what transpires, but none more so than Eleanor, the weak and naive member of the team who spent years taking care of her dying mother.

Again, I am reluctant to share further as I don’t want to ruin things for any that haven’t seen it yet. It is a prime example of a good ‘haunting’ story that had the luxury of being produced prior to the advent of CGI. The advances in the special effects of today have made movie going a disappointing experience in many cases. Hollywood is relying on the “bells and whistles” rather than the plot and story at the core. Are there effects in the 1963 adaptation of “The Haunting”? Yes, but they act as a story enhancement…they don’t take over like many films of today.

1999 would see a second adaptation, also called “The Haunting”. This is a prime example of what I mentioned about “bells and whistles”. Is it a good looking film? Gorgeous. The set decoration is really beautifully done. The effects are…well, some are good, others are ‘cheesy’. Jan de Bont directed this mess. I have heard that he has a habit of rewriting scripts during filming, and that could explain what happened here. It came across like a bad “Scooby Doo” story.

De Bont had a stellar cast, too. Owen Wilson portrays “Luke Sanderson”; Lili Taylor is “Nell”; Catherine Zeta-Jones is “Theo”; Liam Neeson is “Dr. Marrow”. At first I was ecstatic when I heard that a new film was coming out. Then I read an article about the premiere. Apparently, Neeson left early on, embarrassed and furious about how bad it was. I don’t know about you, but to me that’s a bad sign…

My recommendation is:

• Read the book.
• See the 1963, Ray Wise directed, “The Haunting”.
• Only see the 1999, Jon de Bont directed, “The Haunting”, if there is nothing else on…and maybe not even then...

"Ghost Adventures" Revisited...

Roughly six months ago I wrote a post called "Paranormal TV".  In it I talked about paranormal investigation shows, past and present.  One of the shows I spoke of in less than flattering detail was "Ghost Adventures", the current paranormal investigation show on the Travel Channel.  I have felt the need to update my views on the show as they have altered a bit.

Over the last few months, I have reached the point of stagnation on Paranormal investigation shows.  I am not saying that to indicate that I have grown tired of them.  What I mean is that I have been in need of some fresh viewing of the genre.  "Paranormal State" has been in reruns for ages now.  I keep hoping for new episodes, but more and more I am wondering if there will be anymore produced.  "Ghost Hunters" keeps the new shows coming, but the investigation team is so...boring.  I appreciate their methodology in their investigations, but most of those guys need to grow a personality.  For paranormal investigation show episodes unseen by me, I was left with one option...

"Ghost Adventures".  Yep, the show I said I couldn't sit through.  I did have to take a couple of runs at the show before it stuck, but I have now seen quite a lot of the episodes available on Netflix.  Enough to say that I can give a more 'educated' personal critique of it.  I am not saying that what I am about to write is more positive or negative of what I said before.  I just have more viewing time to base my opinion on.

I guess the first point to make is whether or not I have been entertained by the show.  That answer would be, yes.  Not necessarily for the same reasons as a lot of the fans.  Lead man, Zak Bagans, is...well, he comes off as a caricature of himself.  He's overly intense and dramatic when covering a site.  The main reason I am entertained by him is his wreckless approach to taunting spirits. Egging spirits on and inviting them to enter your body, well...not what you want to do in places where negative activity has been reported.  Just not a good idea in any haunting situation.  Taunting spirits is like a box of chocolates...catch my drift?

While net surfing a bit before starting this post, I found a story on the TMZ site about Bagans.  He decided to make a wise (cough, cough) decision, and take a human skull home that he found while investigating an old mining town hotel. He put it in a custom built case in his basement, and guess what?  He noticed an immediate spike in the paranormal activity in his home.  A "demonic presence" that hadn't been there before.  He said that he was grabbed and yanked several inches by unseen hands when he was sleeping, and a girl visiting his home was pushed down some stairs by unseen hands.  He hired a local Bishop to do an exorcism because he wants to feel safe in his home. Think he might want to start by not bringing home random parts from human remains he finds...

The above clip is from an episode that aired this past Friday on the Travel Channel.  The faithful trio were in Scotland investigating the extremely haunted Edinburgh Vaults.  (They are below ground for those unfamiliar.)  The particular area that Zak is in is purportedly haunted by an evil entity called "Mr. Boots".  The entity (when he was alive) was said to have murdered a prostitute in that room of the vaults.  Zak is flying solo at the point of the investigation in the video.  He is clearly terrified, and rightly so.  I included this because it illustrates the wreckless approach he has to taunting spirits.  He doesn't do it in this particular instance, but he regularly dares evil entities to do him bodily harm or to possess him.  Zak is lucky that Mr. Boots only scratched the wall behind him, a response that sends Zak into the five-year-old girl state.  Can you say 'sensationalism'?  Doing stupid things to thrill the audience?  Zak, if you want to feel safe you might want to rein in this deal of challenging spirits. Or, if you have methods you employ to get cleansed after these intense encounters, you might want to update them. Especially if stuff is following you home like I have heard you say on more than one occasion.  I find what you do fascinating on one level, and absolutely stupid on another. 

(Left: Nick Groff; Right: Aaron Goodwin)

The other two members of the on-air team are Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin. Quieter than Bagans, they do not have the 'in your face' approach to spirits that Bagans does.  Nick Groff seems to be the middle man, and Aaron Goodwin is the perpetual drawer of the short straw, having to hang out solo in some of the more hardcore haunting areas.  Aaron is in a constant state of 'AAAAAAGH', and both of his partners find great humor in sticking him in places he would rather avoid.  Put Goodwin in a room where a demon is said to prowl, and let the "dudes" begin.  I said in my 'Paranormal TV' post that you could create a drinking game around the number of times 'dude' is said in an episode, and Aaron is the main source.  In most episodes his eyes bug out as he shares that he felt a breeze or something touched him.  I just hope he doesn't treat Zak and Nick to him having a heart attack during one of their lock downs.  Nick, on the other hand, does get a tad spooked here and there, but he keeps his cool for the most part.  The most intense experience I have seen that involved Nick was when he was supposedly possessed for roughly a minute.  The video of the event is below:  

I'll admit that he seems to be acting a tad 'off', but is he really possessed? Maybe. The way these lock downs are conducted, I wouldn't be surprised. They don't appear to really believe in safeguards when addressing the spirits, so they leave themselves wide open.
Do I think "Ghost Adventures" is legit?  Yeah, I do.  As I have also written in posts on this blog, I have experienced hauntings first hand as two separate places I have lived were haunted.  (My experiences were rather benign...active, but not malevolent.)  The guys reactions and body language.  They seem to be having real reactions to something.  
There are some things I like about the show.  The way they interview a cross section of people, for example.  They also give pretty in depth background on the places they investigate.  "Ghost Adventures" is hosted by Bagans, who comes across like the love child of Henry Rollins and Steve Irwin.  Then you have Goodwin who always reacts like Don Knotts in "The Ghost & Mr. Chicken".  As for Groff, I really don't know how to describe his place in the mix.  As I said before, he is the middle man. 
Am I hooked?  Well...I wouldn't go that far.  I am still waiting hopefully for new episodes of "Paranormal State".      

Paranormal TV...

As someone who has experienced haunting's first hand, I watch my share of 'paranormal' television. There are quite a few shows currently airing on a number of channels, but in comparison to the number of shows that are airing and have aired over the last few years, my list of regular paranormal based viewing is rather short. Two main reasons for that. First, who (other than people who have nothing better to do) has time to watch every show that's on? Not I. Second, not all of them are that intriguing and they are rife with annoying added effects.

As a kid, I used to love to watch the Leonard Nimoy narrated "In Search Of" (aired 1976-1982). Especially when it was about ghosts. Other shows that followed were "Unsolved Mysteries" with Robert Stack (1987-2002), and a show that aired on the Sci-fi Channel called "Sightings" (early 1990's). (Most of the older shows were comprised of a few stories each episode, but not all of them were about ghosts, etc.) Then in October of 2000, supernatural TV seemed to go through some changes. Within my personal memory banks (my brain), that's when the shows focusing on paranormal investigation truly began.

"Scariest Places On Earth" was the first hour-long paranormal investigation based show I can remember seeing. Hosted by Linda Blair of "Exorcist" fame, and narrated by Zelda Rubenstein (best known as the short and quirky medium in "Poltergeist"), a family of five or six people were blind folded and taken to a famously haunted location where they would engage in their own ghost hunt. "Scariest Places" had it's interesting moments, most of them with a serious humor factor. Honestly, some of the people were so scared it was comical...why they agreed to go if they were that terrified is beyond me.

Then there was MTV's foray into "reality" based ghost shows with "Fear". "Fear" had some definite 'what the hell was that?!' moments. Like "Scariest Places", a group of non-professional hunters were involved. The differences here were that none of those involved knew each other prior to the show; they were left at the famously haunted location on their own; they operated from a 'safe room' filled with necessary equipment (digital recorders, various cameras, etc.) and computers with their instructions for the night. It was kind of a one night 'Real World' moment with ghostly activity thrown in. (Andy Dick did a hilarious skit on his MTV show based on 'Fear'...he investigates a .99 Cent store.) Before the group of curious teenagers arrived, surveillance cameras were installed in the various areas they would be sent to, so there was other footage of supposed activity. Unfortunately, it was a short lived show. Some pretty compelling video was caught on "Fear", and I must say that a lot of what was heard (things going bump) was shared with the viewer. This particular point leads me into the main focus of this post.

As I mentioned before, I have a short list of paranormally based shows that I watch regularly. Most have a more open minded approach and don't automatically call every occurrence an act of 'spirits'. Having watched most of these shows past and present, I'm going to mention some of the good and the bad. I'll start with the 'bad'.

During it's early days on The Travel Channel, I started watching a British show called "Most Haunted". The UK is filled with purported haunts, and many were featured on the show. The historians on each episode gave some very interesting facts and folk lore on each location, and I do truly think that some regular members of the investigation team were trying to find some actual proof of preternatural goings on. Then again, maybe I'm giving the show more credit than it deserves. My main problem with the show from the get go was the host, Yvette Fielding. Ms. Fielding is (to date) the most irritating person on any show of this genre I have ever seen. Not only would she not shut up, talking over everything we viewers were trying to hear for ourselves, she would scream incessantly. In the second season or so, even her fellow team members were telling her to shut up...yes, it was that bad. Then there was psychic Derek Acorah. I fully believe in psychics, and maybe Mr. Acorah is a legitimate talent, dunno. He was just a bit over the top with his moments. I also have always taken those psychics who take money for their services to be a bit suspect. There have been a few psychics among my friends over the years, and they just saw it as an added ability and would never want to take money for anything they 'saw'. Charlatan mediums are some of the biggest con artists around, building their supposed visions/sights on the reactions of and nuggets of information provided by people around them. Before I go any further, the following video is an example of blatant fakery on "Most Haunted" as initiated by Ms. Fielding:

Yvette is very obviously moving the table herself. I had sensed that the 'wool was being pulled' on more than one occasion, and a plethora of information to support my suspicions was easily available online. Faked knocks, faked table tipping (as seen in the video above), obviously scripted "scenes" from an episode. The show quickly became exiled from my list. A shame, really. The sites they visited are ones I find quite interesting. I would jump at the chance to visit them myself. What could have been a legitimate paranormal investigation always seemed to be full of parlor tricks and bad acting. "Most haunted" is no longer on the air...color me disappointed...not.

The most recent spook filled addition to The Travel channel's line-up is "Ghost Adventures". I have attempted to sit through a few of the episodes, but it is just so formulaic (yes, paranormal TV has gotten to the 'formulaic' stage in many regards) and the host, Zak Bagans, is so annoying. For me to want to watch something I need to be entertained. That doesn't mean that every claim has to be verified and linked solidly to the supernatural. Sometimes reports of spirit orbs turn out to be flecks of dust drifting through the air; energy fields both natural and man made can cause anomalous readings; and so on and so forth. Some history is always welcome, either of the site or the reported paranormal events. One of the chief elements essential to my continuing to spend time in front of the tube is a decent host or hosts. Some likable investigatory team members are important, too. Since I have been watching a healthy amount of ghost stories, I am acquainted with the bulk of the better known haunts. I have upon occasion even watched a show and have ended up knowing more about a location than the investigators. Every episode of "Ghost Adventures" that I have attempted has been based around a location I've already seen a lot about. For the sake of this blog post, I decided to punch up an episode on NetFlix so I could view an installment in it's entirety. Impressed I wasn't. I'm going to take a brief side trip here: When I was in college we had a drinking game we would play during re-runs of 'The Bob Newhart Show'...it was called Bob. Every time someone said 'Bob' on the show you were supposed to drink. They said 'Bob' a lot, so you know what the draw was for us college rebels (hehe). For the number of times Bagans says 'dude', we all would have been hammered to the point of black-out. Gelled spiky hair (or maybe it's ectoplasm...), tight black t-shirt and jeans...Bagans looks like a cross between a Henry Rollins wanna-be and an aged boy band member. Yes, I realize that the show probably has a healthy viewership of young females, but this guy is trying way too hard. I am not saying that he doesn't know what he's doing as an investigator. I am sure he is well learned in the field. Personally, I find him a tad annoying and nothing he covers is anything I haven't already seen. I need more solids with my fluff, if you catch my drift. Actually, the catalyst for this post was an even more recent show on Travel that is also hosted by Bagans. "Paranormal Challenge" is a competition show, and signals the complete Hollywood-ification of the genre. Two up and coming paranormal investigation teams are put in a haunted location, given the necessary equipment, and are challenged to find evidence proving that there is indeed paranormal activity there. The two teams go up before three 'professional' ghost hunter judges and Bagans to present their findings. The first time I saw an ad for the show I was bummed. The lines between one of my main points of interests (hauntings) and 'reality' (I use the term loosely) competitions has been blurred...sigh...next!

Since its start, I would have to say that one of the most widely known of the shows is "Ghost Hunters" on the SyFy Channel. Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson the head honchos of the 'Hunters' team seem like nice guys. I think they are quite knowledgeable and I dig the fact that they look for scientific explanations before giving way to paranormal causes. In my opinion it is the logical approach. I do put it on as background noise while I'm doing other stuff, but it ceased to be something I could really sit and get into awhile back. Why? It's boring. Steve and Dave the two chief team members that we spend quite a bit of time with are just as dull as dish water. Watching paint dry would be preferable. I didn't mention this in the last critiques, but something that really seemed to become popular in the early days of "Ghost Hunters" was the use of background music and noises, and the infernal fake green "night scope" effect. First, the background sounds...it is so frustrating and, yes, infuriating for the investigators on the show to say something to the effect of, "Oh my God! Did you hear that?!", when my only response is "NO I DIDN'T! All I can here is the 'spooky' background music and canned effects that your editors added in during post!" Then there's the EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomenon, where an investigator asks questions hoping for spirits to leave verbal responses on their digital recorders. During the phase of the investigation where they go through the data collected looking for evidence, they will supposedly find something. They play it back on the show for the viewers to hear, and many times it just sounds like gibberish. Then a team member will say "Wow, did you hear that? It said 'GET OUT!' " No, it didn't, but now that you suggested that it said that, that's all anyone will hear when you play it back. Sheesh. Now for the green night vision effect...it is extremely obvious during these times that the area they are in is clearly lit. I think they believe that viewers will forget the fact that they have an additional camera crew following them around on the investigations. Those guys usually use camera lighting. Also, if you pay attention, you will notice the team spotting and looking at things that they couldn't have possibly seen since they are supposedly in pitch darkness. It is very common for them to actually be in a room with some form of light. The industry standard appears to be the use of the green lens for spooky effect. I am not saying that they never use night vision, but not with the regularity that you are led to believe.

Now I am going to get into the realm of what I watch regularly. The Animal Planet Channel has a show called "The Haunted". This isn't so much an investigation show, but they do have segments where a team is called in. This show centers around people who have experienced some serious haunting activity, and have contacted outside help in the form of paranormal Investigators. It's pretty interesting. I have lived in two haunted locations over the years, and although my experiences weren't malevolent I know what it's like to have an other worldly room mate. The accounts on "The Haunted" involve pets (they kind of need to if they are going to be on Animal Planet), and over all have been interesting tales. Narrated in places, it is chiefly built on interviews with the actual people involved and re-enactments where necessary. I recommend it.

Another show that involves individuals recounting their personal experiences through personal interview and re-enactments is the Biography Channel's "Celebrity Ghost Stories". Each episode usually has three or four story tellers from various levels of fame sharing a ghostly experience from their past. Some of them are fascinating and seem genuine, and others have the feel of being embellished a bit. After all, a number of those featured on this one are actors, writers...embellishing is kind of their job. But then again, who am I to say that they aren't telling the absolute truth? I know what I have been through and I am sure that there are some who would not believe me. To each his own. Anyway, the thing I find funny about this show is how many of the stories 'fit' the sharer. For example, Joan Collins' experience took place at a villa in Europe somewhere, and it involved the irate ghost of a countess (or a similar gal of the 'upper crust'). Sounded like the plot of a Halloween episode of 'Dynasty'. Marilyn Manson's involved some dark woods, a book of witchcraft, a concrete room below an abandoned housing foundation, and what he thought to be demonic activity. See what I mean? The experiences fit their personas. I don't catch all of the episodes when they first air, but tend to catch up with them upon re-air...they re-show this one frequently. I'll give this one a recommend, too.

The last show I am going to comment on is at the top of my list. "Paranormal State" airs on A&E, and is the main show I schedule time for. Ryan Buell and crew are all students at Penn State, and met through their common experiences/interests in the paranormal. The investigations Buell and Co. embark on are by request. Individuals who are having paranormal problems contact them, and they pick the most severe cases. They assist those who are in the greatest need of help. Dark hauntings and sometimes even the demonic are encountered, as well as a fair share of the harmless but annoying. There is a definite religious presence with the team (priests have been enlisted on many occasions), but for those who aren't necessarily of the religious bent there is a wiccan on the team, and the religious side of things isn't rammed down anyone's throat (so to speak). They show an all encompassing spiritual sensibility that I appreciate.




Buell might be seen as overly intense by some, but I just find him to be serious about what he's doing. He is on his own personal quest to learn more about the paranormal because of his own experiences, but at the heart of each episode...when all is said and done...I think he just wants to help people. Buell is a young man with a very comforting yet authorotative air to him. His team seems equally capable. There are three main psychics they use on most of their excursions: Chip Coffey (my favorite...a fellow Atlanta native), Michelle Belanger, and the well known Lorraine Warren. Do the Penn State gang try to find scientific explanations first? Absolutely. They employ all of the same tools of the trade as everyone else. However, they don't use some of the "tricks" of the trade that other shows use. There isn't the usual over produced background nonsense drowning out the things I most want to hear...what they hear. If any EVPs are collected, I am allowed to hear it clearly, and don't have someone telling me what I'm supposed to hear. Here's a biggie for me...when you see things in night vision, it's actually night vision. A lot of the investigations are shown as they are conducted, in a semi-lit environment. If you see the dark green of a night vision camera on the screen, then you know that the people being filmed are in complete darkness. I appreciate the honesty.

"Paranormal State" is the only paranormal show I have seen that is of the quality I want to see in a half-hour format. You don't see the added unnecessary footage of tech cabling cameras, etc. No fluff. Other shows on the air ("Ghost Hunters", "Ghost Adventures") could learn from them. If you are looking for a chill or two, "State" definitely delivers. I definitely give this one two thumbs up.

Who's there?

I had already written an account of my second haunting experience (which in my personal time line was actually my first experience), and all of what I included did happen...I just don't care for the way I wrote it. I kept going back and editing...and re-editing...and re-editing...changing the phrasing, etc. I decided to start over with a posting I feel more happy with. Moving right along...

It was the mid-80's, and I had moved back to Atlanta after giving college a try. I was living with my mother and working for B. Dalton Bookseller. I got promoted to an assistant manager's position and transferred to the Toco Hills store where I met Sherry, the manager. We got along really well. We both had a love of Science Fiction & Fantasy...the store had a great SF&F section because of that fact. I had been working there for a little while, and during that time she got me involved with the SCA (the Society for Creative Anachronisms...we dressed in medieval garb and re-created the middle ages...that's the Reader's Digest description). Those were good days.

Anyway, things weren't that great with my living arrangements, so it was time to start looking for new digs. It just so happened that Sherry and her roommate (Michelle) had a small bedroom in the duplex they rented that was available. How convenient was that? The great part was that they were asking $80 a month for it. I would have been a maroon to not at least consider it. As I said, Sherry and I got along really well, and I was acquainted with Michelle through my SCA involvement. So I followed Sherry home after work to check things out.

The house was on 3rd Street in Mid-Town Atlanta. It was not far at all from where I had been living, as my mom rented a house in mid-town, too. Sherry had described her house as being rather old, and she hadn't been kidding. It was old, but really neat. Two-stories high, the two halves of the duplex set-up looked to be pretty equal in size. There was a long roofed porch that ran the width of the house. The front door to the unit I would be looking over had an ancient front door that had etched glass set into it. The inside of the place was really impressive. The stairs up to the second level were directly in front of the door when you walked in, and we entered into the living room which was huge with high ceilings, a big ornate fireplace, and a huge bay window. There was a dining room on the other side of the living room that had an entry way with columns to either side, and a smaller fireplace along it's back wall. The entrance to the kitchen was in a back corner of the dining room. It was really a beautiful place. The shame was that it obviously was housing a couple of uber-slobs. There was crap everywhere. Well not literally. (haha) That was something I hadn't known about Sherry. I just kind of looked past the mess to what lay beneath. There was something else. An energy to the place. Not negative or unwelcoming, but just kind of...off. Nothing I can properly articulate. Continuing the tour, Sherry led me upstairs to the bedroom I was there to scope out.

The stairs were rather creaky. The railing went up about ten steps, and ended into the wall. The remaining two-thirds or so of the steps had wall on both sides. Looking up to the top, I could see a door with a smoked glass window in it. That was the bathroom (which was really cool...it had a huge claw-foot tub in it that was awesome for taking relaxing baths...very roomy). There was a lighting fixture on the sloped ceiling over the stairs, but Sherry said that the bulb had been burned out for some time as it was a bitch to change. We got to the landing in front of the bathroom, and right next to that door was another door at kind of an angle. That was the door into the room for rent. Sherry had told me the bedroom was small, but once I saw it in person I seriously doubted that it was meant to be a bedroom. It looked more like a sewing room to me. It was about 10'x12' in diameter, and had two windows on the two outside walls. I could look down on the backyard of the house which was overgrown and green. The closet was tiny. After Sherry had told me about the room, I had already decided I would take it if it checked out okay. It had, so I wrote Sherry a check for the first month's rent. I would move in soon after that.

My brother helped me paint the room before I actually moved anything in. I did decorate with my usual amount of clutter, but the furniture was minimal enough to make it a very comfortable space. Sherry and Michelle's bedrooms were at the end of the hall that continued past my door and ran back towards the front of the house. The hallway dead-ended at Sherry's door, and Michelle's was on the left next door. Both of the girls kept their doors closed when they weren't in their rooms. Sherry had a cat that she kept cooped up in her bedroom 24/7. I felt bad for that cat. Sherry had not only turned out to be a messy slob, but a dirty one. By the time I was introduced to the feline it was kind of schizo. Sherry never cleaned the litter boxes she had in there, so the cat went anywhere and everywhere in her bedroom. In the earlier days of them co-habitating, Michelle would leave her door open. One day when they both were out, the cat got out of Sherry's bedroom and crapped in the middle of Michelle's bed. She kept her door shut after that.

A couple of days after I had moved in, I arrived home from work to find the house empty. I decided to take advantage of the absence of my roommates and take a long relaxing uninterrupted shower. I finished up, had turned the water off, and was drying off when I heard someone coming up the stairs. It appeared that one of the girls had come home. I heard them come up the stairs and turn to walk down the hall to their bedroom. I finished drying off, threw on my PJ's, and walked into my bedroom. Glancing down the hall, it was really dark. The shadows in that place were. They always seemed to be a bit darker than your usual shadows. I couldn't even see a sliver of light from under either of the closed doors. I called out their names and didn't get an answer. I felt pretty creeped out, and a chill ran through me. I know I had heard someone walk upstairs. No doubt in my mind. Walking into dark rooms in places I've lived has never been something I had ever been nervous about, but there was no way I was going to walk down that hall. Bottom line...I was freaked out. I went down to the living room, turned the TV on and the volume up, and stayed down there until someone came home. I remember not being able to look back at the stairs. It takes a lot to scare me, but I was absolutely on edge. A short time later, Michelle came home. That's when I found out that Sherry hadn't told me everything about the house.

Michelle was not surprised that I had an experience. If anything she was jealous because she had yet to have one. The news bulletin was that the house was haunted, and the 'ghost' would walk up and down the stairs. I hadn't ever witnessed anything that paranormal before, so it took me some getting used to. As I've mentioned in posts on here, I'm very open minded. Having said that, it threw me for a bit of a loop being front and center for an event like that without any prior warning or any prior experiences. Was it a deal breaker for me? Not at all. However, I really wish that Sherry had told me about it from the beginning. When Sherry got home I learned more. The manager of the downtown B. Dalton store (her name escapes me) had been the previous tenant, along with her husband and daughter. They were the ones that had turned Sherry onto the place when they were moving out after living there for quite a long time, and were very upfront with her about there being a ghost in the house. I had a number of questions about the ghost that my roomies couldn't answer, so I queried the previous tenants. They, too, were in the SCA, so I chatted them up at the next meeting...which was conveniently the next night. (The night of my "event", I slept with the lights on.)

Talking to the old tenants was a good move. Since they had lived there for a number of years, they had done their own investigating. The thought had crossed my mind about the neighbor just on the other side of the wall, and whether or not they had a staircase against that same wall. Maybe that was giving the illusion of a haunting? Nope. They had also asked the neighbors if they had experienced anything, but they had not. Looked like the haunting was specific to our digs. They got used to the presence. They said that it would go up and/or down the stairs at no specific time, but usually at night. They also felt that it would hang around sometimes at the top of the staircase outside of the bathroom because it would feel chilly right around there. The husband said that he had caught a glimpse of a shadow in that area a couple of times, as well. Having that discussion helped my mind set tremendously. I just wish I would have known about it prior to moving in so that I would have been prepared and not so freaked out witnessing things when I was home alone.

I lived there for about 8 months, and in that time I heard the footsteps pretty frequently. Michelle and I became good friends and on a couple of occasions when hanging out in my room she was finally able to witness our fourth roomie. I think it did excite her to think that she was living with a ghost. I remember one time when we were talking in my room, we heard the footsteps ascending the stairs. This was the only time I did this, but I was curious. I went out in front of the bathroom door and looked down the stairs. I could hear the creaking, but saw nothing. It was rather dark downstairs, so the stair well was really dark. Thankfully there wasn't any sort of contact made. I think if something had poked me or touched me in any way, I would've soiled myself. lol If Michelle hadn't been right there, I would never have gone out for a peek.

When I eventually moved out, it wasn't because of the haunting. True, I started closing my door when I went to bed, and there were a few times that the door was opened. There was no logical explanation for it either. The main reason for my moving out was drama. Three females living together can be a recipe for the dramatic, and I don't do drama very well.

What The Hell Is That?

Decided to share a story from my past that some might find interesting. It happened in the early 90's while I was living in the Los Angeles area.

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Living in Sherman Oaks in "the valley" had gotten old. My commute to work was a pain, and I felt rather disconnected from things. It was around 1990-91, and my friends (the ones I actually socialized with) lived in Hollywood on the 'fun' side of the hills. The thought of moving was becoming more and more prominent in my mind.

One day at work, I struck up a conversation with a co-worker of mine, Kathi, in the office kitchen. We were both waiting for the current pot of java to finish brewing. The subject of life in my neck of the woods not being that great came up, and Kathi mentioned that her neighbor had moved out of the unit right next to her. It was located in West Hollywood, the rent was around $350 a month (rent control), and it was pretty much available right away. At $350 a month I would have been an absolute maroon to not at least look at the place, so she put me in touch with the owner/landlord. She had a key (she had lived in her apartment for many years at that point), so it was scheduled that I would go by and take a look after work.

I had spent some time in "WeHo" (I absolutely hate when people call it that). Part of Hollywood, it's a very 'happening' area. Lots of apartments, many of the buildings quite old. The building I was headed to for the apartment viewing was no exception. All of the neighbors living there had lived there for years, and I do mean YEARS. The only unit with any turnover was the one I was looking at. There is a rather colorful tale about John, the owner/manager who was deceased by that time, that I may relate another time. Another interesting story is about another one of the tenants who had been married to Edward G. Robinson, Jr. He passed away in the apartment there. Very sad. He and his wife had all kinds of celebs dropping by at all hours. It was not uncommon to see Stars like Marilyn and Tab Hunter coming and going. I had been there once before (had borrowed a sewing machine from Kathi), so I knew where to go. The front building was one-story, and had three units that followed the length of the driveway to the back building where I was headed. That building also had three units, one on the bottom (a really unpleasant guy lived there...he had at one time been on General Hospital, and was having a hard time accepting the fact that he no longer was an actor and that he was aging), and two on top. This picture is of that building. Kathi lived in the unit with the beige fenced deck. The unit I was checking out was on the walkway with the railing by the big tree. (The tree kind of obscures the front door.) So I climbed the slightly steep steps and tapped on Kathi's door. She popped out with the keys and we unlocked the front door of what was to be my new home.




It was really small, but comfortable enough for one person. It was kind of a divided square. The front door opened into the living room; the bedroom was through a doorway to the right; straight ahead was a doorway in the middle of a built-in bookcase that lead into the dining/kitchen area; the bathroom was kind of in the north-eastern most corner of the square. Like I said, small but comfortable enough for one. Now that I've laid out the...well, the 'layout', I'll mention the vibe. There was definitely something about the place, but it wasn't anything I could define. Nothing unpleasant, just something...different. All things considered, I took it. I think I was about 75% towards renting the place sight unseen, so it wasn't a hard or lengthy decision making process. The landlord was called, and the paperwork would be taken care of the next day. Feeling very excited, we locked up and headed off to 'Japon' for sushi (it would become a regular haunt for Kathi and me).

Moving is always a pain in the ass (at least in my experience), but I was never so excited to move. The apartment I rented in Sherman Oaks wasn't actually that far removed from things, but it felt like I was moving in from the sticks. Being in the heart of Hollywood was where I wanted to be. With a little help from some friends, I made the move and began to settle in. I really did love being in my new surroundings. However, that vibe I mentioned earlier was always there. Nothing I could really articulate, but it was just...there. Something was 'there'. There were more life sounds around. Neighbors clanging dishes in their kitchen; the a-hole downstairs having loud get-togethers; helicopters flying around all night making it sound like downtown Beirut; sirens from the fire station down the street. Plus, I was in an old building. It had creaks and pops. I just kind of chalked it all up to the new digs, and left it at that.

The odd sensations increased over time. Some days were more 'active' than others. I would be washing dishes in the kitchen and it would feel like something moved past behind me. I would be lying in bed, and it would feel like something was next to the bed. Was it my imagination? Figured it probably was, but I am a very open person. I just pick up on things some times. Not knowing what to make of any of it, I just shrugged it all off and enjoyed my new pad. Until one particular evening...




One evening after work, I was watching a little TV and unwinding after a long day. I was sitting on the sofa, sipping a beer, with my feet up on the coffee table. To my right was the doorway into the dining area. That was the first time I saw 'it'. In my side vision I saw a non-descript figure in the doorway. I jumped and looked to the opening. Nothing was there. My heart was pumping a little quicker, but after the initial shock I was intrigued. Sure, it could be my imagination. What if it wasn't? I had been having "feelings" since I had moved in. Over the next couple of weeks, I would catch some more glimpses of a figure (always out of the corner of my eye), and it took more shape. Well, actually the second time I saw it there was more of an image than a 'blob' there. It had to be a male because I could see the hint of a beard. White puffy shirt, knee length pants, and stockings. Almost immediately, I thought 'Conquistador'. That's what he looked like. A rather disheveled one, but a Conquistador nonetheless. This picture kind of illustrates what I saw, only take away the hat, chest armor, and sword. (If one were to see a spirit/ghost/apparition of a Conquistador, it would make perfect sense to see one in southern California. If I'm not mistaken, Spanish Conquistadors were in the southern regions of California as far back as the 1500's.)




Ya know, I've got quite a vivid imagination, but I was NOT making this up...consciously or subconsciously. Seeing it once might have made me think it was a figment of my imagination, but I saw it several times. The first times I saw 'him' were in that bookcase doorway in the living room. The first time I saw him by my bed shocked the crap out of me. At no point had I ever felt anything negative from the 'apparition', but there is a vulnerability one feels when confronted with something like that while lying in bed. He was never extremely defined when I saw him. He wasn't clear like a Polaroid. He was just there, always in my peripheral vision. That night in my bedroom I was looking straight at him and he was maybe four feet away. I had been reading a book, and all of a sudden he was there looking at me like he was trying to tell me something. Not vocally, but through his...energy. It lasted for maybe...15, 20 seconds? Right around there. That may not sound like a long time, but sit and count that out (one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand...). When you're in the moment it feels like a lot longer. I may have made my sightings sound like they happened every day. They did not. They did happen frequent enough though. I felt a presence more than I saw one.

One Saturday I was doing some housework, and I had my front door open. I frequently left my door open as Kathi and I went back and forth to each other's apartments all the time. Especially when I heard her blender going...Margarita time. That particular day, Kathi wasn't home. Anyway, I heard a tap on my front door. A friend of Kathi's who I had met briefly once before had stopped in to see her and found that she was not at home. Since my door was open, he decided to stop by and say hello. It so happened that he had been the tenant in my apartment right before me. We were chatting for a few minutes when I decided to bring up my 'roomie'. I hadn't mentioned any of my sightings to anyone. Figured it best to keep things to myself. You never know who might believe you, or who might think you had gone off your rocker. So...I asked him. "I'm just curious, but did you ever see anything in this apartment when you lived here?" His eyes got a little wider, and he got a little paler. His response sent chills up my spine. "You've seen him?" Half of me felt elated that I wasn't going nuts, and the other half felt a tad freaked out because I had just gotten some validation for what I had been seeing.

"Yes, I've seen the man. Mostly in the living room, but also in the bedroom.", I said. He proceeded to describe the figure to me EXACTLY as I had seen it. He described seeing the man in the bedroom, as well, only his experience seemed a bit more intense as the figure got a bit more in his face with the urgency deal. (I have to say that I was relieved that I hadn't had that experience, but then I wondered if it was some 'haunted' fun to come? Oh goody...

We were both relieved, I think. We told Kathi about what we had seen. She hadn't seen anything in her apartment. I found that odd since she and I had nothing but a wall between our bedrooms. Why was the "ghost" so centered on my unit, and not the building as a whole? For a Milli-second I thought about asking my downstairs neighbor if he had seen anything, but him being such a pleasant fellow I thought better of it. He and I had been getting along for the most part, and the last thing I needed was for him to brand me a kook and put me in his cross hairs along with other neighbors (he was quite the bitcher and moaner). I lived in that apartment for a couple of years before moving into a nearby building. During my time there, I did see the apparition several more times in the living room, but I grew somewhat accustomed to his presence there. As I mentioned, I didn't ever feel anything negative there. In retrospect, I wish I had tried to do some EVP recordings to see if I could get any sort of vocal evidence. Maybe I could have answered some of the questions I had.

That is the most intense "ghost" experience I've ever had. Some may believe it, some may not. Some may have had experiences of their own. I'm just feeling the need to share some of the more...'unique' experiences I've had. There will definitely be more to come. I've got another one to share next that happened while I was living in that apartment, as well. It's of a different nature than this one. But, as I said...that'll be in my next installment...