For a cool 1.35 million you can live in a super creepy and haunted house! How fun!
Dailymail.co.uk writes:
It is a piece of American cinema history known to horror buffs across the globe.
And now the haunted house from 1978’s ‘The Amityville Horror’ movie is up for sale.
The 10-room colonial-style structure at 18 Brooks road in Toms River was built in the 1920s and is listed for $1.35 million.
For the movie, a superstructure was built around the outside to make it look like the home in Amityville, New York, whose owners claimed was possessed by evil spirits.
I remember when an interest in the paranormal was something to be hidden away. “Watch out for that Ravencraft boy. He’s a little strange.” The occult — a world which means “secret knowledge” by the way — was something to be sought in strange little book stores, or the remote regions of the local library while people eyed you carefully over the tops of their glasses. It was not spoken of except with people you could trust.
So what do we have now? People running around trying to “capture” ghosts. I’ve seen contests offering free T-shirts and a chance to be on a real ghost hunt. I’ve spoken to someone who was looking to move from the library to the field and her first concern was what to call the group! Ye gods!
I suppose that I should have some gratitude that the popularity of books like Harry Potter (and the myriad of books that are tapping into this magical interest) and TV shows about hauntings and the paranormal have moved some of this out of the closet and into the street. But maybe some of it ought to go back into the closet! I am genuinely concerned that people who will get all up in arms about things like a Ouija board (Yes, I got all of your notes telling me I was on my way to the fiery regions of hell, thank you very much.) will think nothing about going face-to-face with the unseen world armed with nothing more than the cheapest video camera they could afford. And they aren’t content to simply observe and report. Some of them have taken their cues from the boneheads on TV and are calling these things out. Do you have any idea what a malevolent being could do to you if you get him good and pissed off?
I’ve never been much for the gadgets. I’m a little curious about some of the ghost radio sorts of things. I have a little “Shack Hack” that was made for me by a friend, but I haven’t done much with it. I think that if your connection with the spirits relies on having enough batteries, then you’ve missed it altogether. That world has been rubbing up against ours since the beginning of time. Our forefathers seemed to find ways to make sense of it without help from Sony.
So what is the goal of all of these people running around trying to flush out the paranormal? A lot of them seem to think that there is money to be made. Ha! I’ve known many a rich charlatan, but rarely a wealthy wizard. I suppose that the research and experimentation interferes with quality T-shirt design. Maybe a lot of them are genuinely curious, but the noisy ones have made everyone feel like it’s all part of the game.
Steve, the owner of the museum, has agreed to let me experiment with the entities that he has in the building. I know of at least one that seems to be tied to the human skeleton he has on display. (Strangely, the mummy doesn’t seem to be bothered. Maybe there was something to all that effort preparing someone for Tuat — “Heaven” for you Bible thumpers.) There is also a good deal to draw upon in that whole area of the city. Perhaps I’ll sit some of you explorers down for a good old fashioned approach to talking to the ghosts. If it will make you feel better maybe I’ll let Steve design a T-Shirt and sell tickets.
I guess what I’m really on about here is that if you are a seeker, then know what you are seeking. Don’t just jump out there to see what will jump back. Look at some of the knowledge that people have accumulated on these subjects for the past several hundred years and consider that they might know something that could be useful to you on your quest. Perhaps even consider that the search for the hidden can happen quietly and peacefully with results that show you personally that there are connections, as opposed to ooing and ahhing over little glowy things in your photographs. Go curl up with some Hans Holtzer (may he rest in peace) and see what that gets you. Then come with me and we’ll walk quietly through the curtain together. The Museum knows where to find me.
[Ouija appears to be a combination of the French “oui” and German “ja,” which both mean “yes.” The French “non” and German “nein” both mean “no.” You probably already knew that.]
Recently I picked up something nice… well, nice for me anyway. It’s a 50-year-old talking board, or Ouija® board. (It’s pronounced “wee-jah” by the way, not “wee-jee.” Look at the word!) It’s a William Fuld board, made in the 1960s, before the rights went to Parker Brothers. It did not come with a planchette (that little triangle thing that they use today). It’s intended to be used with a overturned glass. I had my eye on a proper board from around 1920, but I got distracted during the critical final moments on eBay. Alas! (Yes, I use eBay. I’m a mystic, not a Luddite.)
Doc's new, old Ouija board
There is a lot of fear for people around talking boards, especially the Ouija brand. (Frankly, I find it difficult to put too much fear into the object itself. After all, it is now largely plastic, glows in the dark and made in the same factory with Mr. Potato Head!) If some of the stories people tell are true, Toys R Us would be the most terrifying place in the world. Perhaps it is!) In truth, people have explored ways of communicating with spirits before you could buy a talking board in a box. It all really got going in the mid 1800s with spirit knocks and table-tipping and all those wonderfully creative ideas that people have come up with to get around the fact that the spirit world hasn’t caught on to email.
From my own experience, working with a talking board is no more dangerous than using a pendulum or any other method where I wish to interact directly with a spirit. There is nothing about the Ouija board that makes it especially evil (except, perhaps, that it is plastic and glowy and sold in a toy store). There is nothing that makes it especially effective (except, perhaps, that people’s belief in the stories allow them to open up enough to let something happen). You could accomplish the same results with an overturned glass and a circle of Scrabble® tiles. It’s not the tool, but how you use it.
Let’s talk mechanics here for a moment. When you use a pendulum, or a talking board — or just about anything that you use to communicate with the spirits by having it move as you hold it — you are dealing with ideo motor responses. This means that your brain is subconsciously sending signals to your muscles to make something happen. Because you are not consciously doing this, it feels like it happens with an outside force, all by itself, but you are making it happen. “Gasp!” I hear some of you say. “He’s saying it’s all fake.” No! I am not! I am saying that there are natural means involved and that it’s not being pushed by “magic fingers.” You won’t get anywhere if you wait for the universe to do things without you.
You must understand that you are involved with moving these things in order to appreciate how they can become dangerous. If you want to sit down with one of these things and make it spell out whatever you wish, then you can do that. (It can be fun to get some squeally teeny-boppers and just completely punk them with what the board says. They’re not taking it seriously anyway, so why should I?) However, if you are doing it properly, you are letting go of the answers that you want it to say and letting your subconscious drive things. In other word, you are letting go of the outcome and allowing something else to drive it. Now, that may simply be thoughts hidden in your brain that are only available to your subconscious, like the last place you really saw that key. There are those who believe, though, that our subconscious mind is the one that can connect with outside influences, including spirits. In other words, you might open the communication line and become a channel for these things to talk to you. Can you see a potential problem with that?
If you believe that all this is crap, then you’re probably find no matter what. You’re mind will be closed enough that it’s pretty unlikely anything will get through. (See! Finally an advantage to being asleep!) However, if you are legitimately experimenting with these ideas and opening yourself to the possibilities, then there are some things you need to do:
Take responsibility for what you are doing. You are exploring in what may be dangerous territory. You need to be smart and you need to be attentive. If you come into contact with bad things you will have to be willing to get you and your fellow participants to safety. If that idea gives you serious doubts then leave it alone. If you make a mess, you will need to have the guts and wisdom to see that there is a problem and clean it up.
Ground, clean and clear. If you were going to meet with strangers, would you go to a rat-infested hole that was unfamiliar to you or would you try to go somewhere comfortable and safe? I guess if you’re buying crack you go wherever it is, but most of us would want to meet someplace that was at least neutral. So, take some time to make the place spiritually comfortable before you start inviting people in. I don’t think that there is a particular practice that is superior. It all depends on your own spirituality. (If you don’t have any, then this probably isn’t a good idea. If you just want the thrills, rent a movie instead.) Do what is done before you take on a serious ritual or sacrament. It may be smudging the site and casting a circle. It may be joining together and saying a prayer. If you don’t know, then you should probably work with someone who has more experience in this area before you try to do anything on your own. From what I have encountered, most of the bad things that happen with things like talking boards happen because people skip this step. They don’t bring any sort of protective force and place themselves at the mercy of anything that they encounter.
Don’t be an idiot. If something feels wrong to you, stop it. If you encounter something that feels dangerous, move away from it. There are old, dark things out there that are looking for opportunities to mess you up. You will not outsmart them like Captain Kirk giving something a logic puzzle. Forget the movies and the TV shows. Pay attention to your instincts. It would be better for you to lose out on a conversation than to allow something nasty to work through you or your friends. If something seems like it’s hiding something or the “vibe” you get is inconsistent with the words, let it go. If someone says that they are uncomfortable or describes something that they are picking up, don’t act as though it can’t be real if it didn’t happen to you. Don’t bully people into keeping contact with something that may not be nice to them. I know I’m being a little dramatic here, but you get these things for a reason. Don’t ignore them and cause unnecessary trouble for yourself.
Set some guidelines for what you are trying to do. Don’t just say “Hey! Is anyone there?” That’s like posting something on the Internet that says “Everyone come to my house! Here’s the address.” Make some decisions about who you want to contact and why. Start there and let them introduce you to other entities. Remember that bad things (or merely mischievous things) will lie to you. Don’t assume it’s Elvis just because he says so. Take some time. Be polite. An excellent place to start is to try to contact a spirit guide that is already connected to one of the participants. You may have one and not even know it. The point is that you want to connect with something that has your interests at heart. Starting there will save you a lot of trouble down the road.
Take notes. Keep some kind of record of who you contact and what they tell you. It gives you something to help verify anyone that you contact. It also helps you watch for inconsistencies, which can be a sign of something that’s messing with you.
Clean up when you’re finished. Just like after a big party you may need to wander through the place and make sure that everyone has actually gone home, you need to close things out after a session like this. Thank everyone who talked to you and ask them to depart until you invite them again. Do a closing prayer, or open the circle or whatever makes sense for your path. Just don’t leave things hanging.
There’s no way that this little list of ideas could cover all the possibilities when working with these tools. Hopefully, though, I’ve got you thinking. If you have questions, ask them. In the mean time, I’m going to see which of these glasses seems to like my Fuld board.
Something isn't quite right with this picture. What's that floating above the soundboard? (Courtesy Karen Hanlon)
People at a wedding reception at the Newman Wine Vaults in St. John’s believe they caught an image of an uninvited and otherworldly guest.
Newlyweds Matt White and Danielle Hann said one of their friends was shocked by the digital image she took at the June 18 event.
“Karen [Hanlon] was staring at this camera and she came running out with the camera saying, ‘Look what I just took! Look what I just took! There’s somebody in the picture,” said White.
On the right-hand side of the photograph, some see a figure that seems to be wearing a white top and floating in the air.
“Somehow it’s not as creepy in the daylight,” said White.
But it still makes Hann uneasy.
“I don’t know, it’s still creepy,” she said.
St. John’s folklorist Dale Jarvis said it might be explained away as a reflection or a light flare, but he added that the Newman Wine Vaults does have a haunting history.
“It is one of those places that continually generates new ghost stories. So, this is part of that tradition for the space,” said Jarvis, who has collected many St. John’s ghost stories.
Jarvis is the organizer of the city’s “haunted hike” – a tour of the downtown area that recounts many of the stories he has been told.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage website said the history of the wine vault is unclear.
It’s believed to have been built in the early 19th century, and was used by the English mercantile firm Newman and Company to age port wine from Portugal in St. John’s – a tradition that began in the late 17th century and continued until the late 19th century.
Season 10’s “American Idol” house is not some Victorian-era mansion or even an abandoned mid-century modern from the 1960s, yet the contestants on Fox’s hit show claim that the place is indeed haunted.
Built in 2008 the home now abandoned by the singers, has hit the Beverly Glen real estate market with a listing price of $12,000,000.
First reported by celebrity site TMZ, reports of paranormal activity began with “bizarre flickering lights” followed by an infestation of spiders. A few of the reality show stars told OK! Magazine that they saw “a hand falling down from the ceiling.” (They also admit to watching a horror movie at the time.)
10:00 PM CST, TONIGHT: It’s that time of the week… time to ease into your favorite chair, sit back and relax as we explore the sublime world of the strange, the odd, and the unusual. It’s time once again for… The Shadow Hour.
Sandy Bates Emmons works with the Freestone county Historical Museum in Texas. In her time with the museum she has encountered a number of haunted events related to the buildings and the artifacts. She’ll tell us more about her experiences and what she believes they mean.
As always, the lines will be open and we encourage you to call in with your questions. The call in number for tonight’s show is (347) 826-9662 or call toll-free at (877) 867-0829.
Listen right here with our blogtalkradio widget in the sidebar. You can listen to past broadcasts at any time, or tune in every Wednesday at 10pm Central for the live broadcast. See you in the shadows…
10:00 PM CST, TONIGHT: It’s that time of the week… time to ease into your favorite chair, sit back and relax as we explore the sublime world of the strange, the odd, and the unusual. It’s time once again for… The Shadow Hour.
Tonight our guests are Ian and Erin Powell, who run the Pride House in Jefferson, Texas. They firmly believe that this location is haunted and have spent the last several years investigating and collecting evidence, including a wide variety of Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP).
As always, the lines will be open and we encourage you to call in with your questions. The call in number for tonight’s show is (347) 826-9662 or call toll-free at (877) 867-0829.
Listen right here with our blogtalkradio widget in the sidebar. You can listen to past broadcasts at any time, or tune in every Wednesday at 10pm Central for the live broadcast. See you in the shadows…
It’s the oldest timber frame house in America, lived in for generations by the same family and lovingly kept just as it was in its early Colonial days.
But what the Fairbanks House lacks in modern facilities it seems to make for with … strange spirits.
The house in Dedham, Massachusetts, was built between 1637 and 1641 by English settlers Jonathan and Grace Fairbanks.
Today the house is a museum, but it could very well one of the most haunted houses in America.
Is it or isn't it? There is a movement on to see if one of America's oldest houses, in Dedham, is haunted
Justin Schlesinger, one of the museum directors whose ancestors built the property, said: ‘There’s always been weird things happening in the house, from the doorbell going off a million times to flashlights never working.’
He added that there are sometimes footsteps heard on the stairs when no one is there. Also, a newly-installed alarm system went off every night for several weeks with the alarm company unable to offer an explanation.
If there are such things as ghosts, he said, ‘this would be the logical place for them to be.’
For decades now, throngs of visitors from all over the world, from school children to distinguished architects, have toured the house, entranced by its authenticity.
A gentler age: Portraits and china bring a dash of colour to the living room
Over the centuries, there must have been some deaths in the house, museum business manager Lee Ann Hodson said.
There’s even been a shocking murder. In 1801, one of the Fairbanks sons, Jason, was convicted in the killing of his girlfriend, Elizabeth Fales, in a nearby pasture. She had apparently spurned his marriage proposal.
He was hanged from the gallows on Dedham Common in one of the most sensational murder cases of the time.
On a whim last year, Mr Schlesinger, 25, asked a ghost-hunting group, The Atlantic Paranormal Society, or TAPS, to come in and see what they might find.
A house full of history: Tools and items from the early Colonial days litter the property
He spent a a night in the house with the TAPS investigators.
‘We heard footsteps in the beginning,’ he said. ‘Up where the children used to sleep.’
The TAPS group made audio recordings all night in an effort to detect anything out of the ordinary.
They told him after reviewing the tapes that they did record some sounds.
‘They thought it was kids, because they got some laughter on the recordings.’
Schlesinger admitted that he didn’t get much sleep that night while the group camped out on sleeping bags in the house’s tiny parlor, especially when his cell phone went off in the middle of the night and began playing organ music.
‘I don’t know if scared is the right word,’ he said.’Maybe startled or confused.’
The ghost hunters told him not to worry, that if there were spirits in the house, they were likely his own family and wouldn’t harm him, thebostonchannel.com reports.
10:00 PM CST, TONIGHT: Scott Wells and Jamie Salinas are entertainers in Houston, Texas. They created a show with special effects, depicting a séance purely for entertainment purposes. To add to the realism, they arranged to perform their program in a location that has a haunted history. What they did not expect was that their foray into the imaginary world of ghosts would put them face-to-face with real haunted activity. The will talk about some of the ways that the unseen world has intruded into their show, the experiences that they and guests have had and how these experiences have affected their view of the paranormal.
This will be a good one to call into if you can listen live. The lines will be open and we encourage you to call in with your questions. The call in number for tonight’s show is (347) 826-9662 or call toll-free at (877) 867-0829.
Listen right here with our blogtalkradio widget in the sidebar. You can listen to past broadcasts at any time, or tune in every Wednesday at 10pm Central for the live broadcast. See you in the shadows…
Posted by Chris Walden
10:00 PM CST, TONIGHT: Brian D. and Anne Marie Petroff Byers of Ghostology, the really laid-back program about the paranormal, will bring their wit and spontaneity to The Shadow Hour as we continue our countdown to the Texas Ghost show.
The lines will be open and we encourage you to call in with your questions. The call in number for tonight’s show is (347) 826-9662 or call toll-free at (877) 867-0829.
Listen right here with our blogtalkradio widget in the sidebar. You can listen to past broadcasts at any time, or tune in every Wednesday at 10pm Central for the live broadcast. See you in the shadows…
