Kerry's Holiday Fun Headline Animator

Friday, October 24, 2008

More Halloween TV

Oct. 26
The Girls Next Store: "Scream Test," 1:30 pm/ET, E!Scary movie fan Bridget produces a low-budget horror movie, and shows off her, um, talents.

Oct. 27
South Park: "Pink Eye," 9:30, ET, ComedyOhmigod! They killed Kenny! But this time he turns into a zombie, in this classic seventh-ever episode of South Park.

Oct. 28
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, 8 pm/ET, ABC Linus returns yet again to the pumpkin patch for this, the greatest Halloween special ever.

NCIS: "Murder 2.0," 8 pm/ET, CBSAs Halloween nears, a serial killer uses the Internet to taunt the members of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Oct. 30
My Name Is Earl: "Little Bad Voodoo Brother," 8 pm/ET, NBC While Earl plans a Halloween party, Randy discovers Catalina's nephew may have magical powers.

Supernatural, "It’s The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester," 9 pm/ET, CWCastiel and Uriel issue an important warning for the Brothers Winchester.

The Office: "Employee Transfer," 9 pm/ET, NBCPam gets a nasty Halloween treat when she discovers she's the only person at corporate wearing a costume.

Nov. 1
Knight Rider, "Knight of the Living Dead," 8 pm/ET, NBCHalloween gets scarier when someone murders a tech inside Knight Industries headquarters.

Nov. 2
The Simpsons, "Treehouse of Horror XIX"After the already famous "Homer tries to vote for Obama" opener, Bart gets Lisa a haunted Transformer, and the Simpsons parody Mad Men, Planet of the Apes, and – gasp – Peanuts!

Friday, October 10, 2008

IMDB Top Rated Horror Movies


I've known a lot of the Best but the Worst was a Plus

Happy screaming :[


TOP 50


1. Psycho (1960)
2. Alien (1979)
3. The Shining (1980)
4. Aliens (1986)
5. Diaboliques, Les (1955)
6. Jaws (1975)
7. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
8. The Thing (1982)
9. Cabinet des Dr. Caligari., Das (1920)

10.Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
11. Frankenstein (1931)
12. King Kong (1933)
13. Faust - Eine deutsche Volkssage (1926)
14. Jungfrukällan (1960)
15. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
16. The Exorcist (1973)

17. Onibaba (1964)
18. Testament des Dr. Mabuse, Das (1933)
19. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
20. Kaidan (1964)
21. The Innocents (1961)
22. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
23. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
24. Repulsion (1965)
25. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
26. Grindhouse (2007)
27. Batoru rowaiaru (2000)
28. Dead of Night (1945)
29. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
30. Halloween (1978)
31. Yeux sans visage, Les (1960)
32. The Invisible Man (1933)
33. Delicatessen (1991)
34. The Birds (1963)
35. Evil Dead II (1987)
36. Peeping Tom (1960)
37. The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)
38. The Haunting (1963/I)
39. Freaks (1932)
40. The Unknown (1927)
41. The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)
42. Survive Style 5+ (2004)
43. Häxan (1922)
44. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
45. The Wicker Man (1973)
46. Vargtimmen (1968)
47. Profondo rosso (1975)
48. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
49. Locataire, Le (1976)
50. The Others (2001)

Bottom Rated "Horror" Titles

1. Demonsoul (1995)
2. A Feast of Flesh (2007)
3. Dead at the Box Office (2005)
4. At Dawn They Sleep (2000)
5. Witchcraft 8: Salem's Ghost (1996)
6. Bigfoot (1970)
7. Voyeur.com (2000)
8. Terror at Tate Manor (2002)
9. Witchcraft 13: Blood of the Chosen (2008)
10. Girls on the Road (1973)

October 2008 Halloween Related Shows

I'm working on a list of Halloween shows for October so this post will be updated regularly.

Halloween TV "Thirteen Days of Halloween"

History Channel 276 & 37 "History of Mysteries" & other shows
10/14 Crop Circles
10/17 Superstitions
10/20 & 10/21 History of Halloween

Biography Ch 275 "Haunted History"
10/18 Haunted Hollywood
10/19 Haunted New Orleans
10/25 Haunted Ships
10/26 Haunted London

Comcast On Demand
Top Picks
Various Ch
Horror Films
Haunted Places

TV Series
On Demand or
Ch 676 or 67
Ghost Hunters

Cutting Edge
American Monsters "The Jersey Devil"
Haunts

Best of Halloween TV

The Suicide Woods of Mt Fuji

"The perfect place to die." That's how Aokigahara was described in Wataru Tsurumui's bestselling book The Complete Manual of Suicide. A dense, dark forest bordering Mt. Fuji, Aokigahara is infamous throughout Japan as a popular spot for those taking their final journey. In 2002, 78 bodies were found within it, replacing the previous record of 73 in 1998. By May of 2006, at least 16 new suicides had already been found. More than a few of them were even carrying copies of Tsurumui's book. No one knows how many bodies go undiscovered.Signs emblazoned with messages such as "Please reconsider" and "Please consult the police before you decide to die!" are nailed to trees throughout the forest. However, the woods have such a reputation that these minor deterrents do little to stop the determined. Local residents say they can always tell who is going into the forest for its stunning natural beauty, who is hunting after the macabre and who is planning never to return. "We've got everything here that points to us being a death spot. Perhaps we should just promote ourselves as 'Suicide City' and encourage people to come here," the exasperated mayor of Aokigahara has been quoted as saying.Part of the appeal is dying at the foot of the sacred Mt. Fuji. Part of it is the foreboding nature of Aokigahara, so dense and thick that from just a few kilometers inside it no sounds can be heard other than those produced by the forest itself. Legends surround the place; for instance, there are said to be massive underground iron deposits that cause compasses to go haywire, trapping innocents along with the purposely suicidal. Japan's Self Defense Force regularly runs training exercises throughout Aokigahara, and claims to have had no trouble with their military-grade lensatic compasses. They admit, though, that commercially available equipment would be pretty much useless. Aokigahara is considered the most haunted location in all of Japan, a purgatory for yurei, the unsettled ghosts of Japan who have been torn unnaturally soon from their lives and who howl their suffering on the winds. Spiritualists say that the trees themselves are filled with a malevolent energy, accumulated from centuries of suicides. They don't want you to go back out.However, even in these haunted woods, regular humans still have a job to do. Forestry workers rotate in and out of shifts at a station building in Aokigahara, and occasionally they will come upon unfortunate bodies in various states of decomposition, usually hanging from trees or partially eaten by animals. The bodies are brought down to the station, where a spare room is kept especially for such occasions. In this room are two beds: one for the corpse and one for someone to sleep next to it. Yup, you read that correctly. It is thought that if the corpse is left alone, the lonely and unsettled yurei will scream the whole night through, and the body will move itself into the regular sleeping quarters. In inimitable style, the workers jan-ken to see who gets to sleep with the body. And you thought your job was rough.
Written by Zack Davisson

Thanks to my Friend Chris for turning me onto Aokigahara.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Hauntings

The White House
That's right, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. is not only home to the current President of the United States, it also is home of several former presidents who occasionally decide to make their presences known there, despite the fact that they are dead.
President Harrison is said to be heard rummaging around in the attic of the White House, looking for who knows what. President Andrew Jackson is thought to haunt his White House bedroom. And the ghost of First Lady Abigail Adams was seen floating through one of the White House hallways, as if carrying something.
The most frequently sighted presidential ghost has been that of Abraham Lincoln. Eleanor Roosevelt once stated she believed she felt the presence of Lincoln watching her as she worked in the Lincoln bedroom. Also during the Roosevelt administration, a young clerk claimed to have actually seen the ghost of Lincoln sitting on a bed pulling off his boots. On another occasion, while spending a night at the White House during the Roosevelt presidency, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was awakened by a knock on the bedroom door. Answering it, she was confronted with the ghost of Abe Lincoln staring at her from the hallway. Calvin Coolidge's wife reported seeing on several occasions the ghost of Lincoln standing with his hands clasped behind his back, at a window in the Oval Office, staring out in deep contemplation toward the bloody battlefields across the Potomac

Raynham Hall
Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, is most famous for the ghost of "the Brown Lady," which was captured on film in 1936 in what is considered one of the most authentic ghost pictures ever taken.
The Unexplained Site describes one of the first encounters with the spirit: "The first known sighting happened during the 1835 Christmas season. Colonel Loftus, who happened to be visiting for the holidays, was walking to his room late one night when he saw a strange figure ahead of him. As he tried to gain a better look, the figure promptly disappeared. The next week, the Colonel was again came upon the woman. He described her as a noble woman who wore a brown satin dress. Her face seemed to glow, which highlighted her empty eye sockets."

Waverly Hills Sanatorium
The original Waverly Hills Sanatorium, a two-story wooden structure, was opened in 1910, but the larger brick and concrete structure as it stand today was completed in 1926. The hospital was always dedicated to the treatment of tuberculosis patients, a disease that was fairly common in the early 20th Century.
It is estimated that as many as 63,000 people died as the sanatorium. Those deaths coupled with the reports of severe mistreatment of patients and highly questionable experiments and procedures are ingredients for a haunted location.
Ghost investigators who have ventured into Waverly have reported a host of strange paranormal phenomena, including voices of unknown origin, isolated cold spots and unexplained shadows. Screams have been heard echoing in its now abandoned hallways, and fleeting apparitions have been encountered.
In the article, Those That Linger, by Keith Age, Jay Gravatte and Troy Taylor, you can read more about these investigators' experiences.

The Queen Mary
This grand old ship is quite haunted, according to the many people who have worked on and visited the craft. Once a celebrated luxury ocean liner, when it ended its sailing days the Queen Mary was purchased by the city of Long Beach, California in 1967 and transformed into a hotel.
The most haunted area of the ship is the engine room where a 17-year-old sailor was crushed to death trying to escape a fire. Knocking and banging on the pipes around the door has been heard and recorded by numerous people. In what is now the front desk area of the hotel, visitors have seen the ghost of a "lady in white."
Ghosts of children are said to haunt the ship's pool. The spirit of a young girl, who allegedly broke her neck in an accident at the pool, has been heard asking for her mother or her doll. In the hallway of the pool's changing rooms is an area of unexplained activity. Furniture moves about by itself, people feel the touch of unseen hands and unknown spirits appear. In the front hull of the ship, a specter can sometimes be heard screaming - the pained voice, some believe, of a sailor who was killed when the Queen Mary collided with a smaller ship.


Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary has become a favorite destination for ghost hunters as well as the public at large since it has been opened to tours.
Built in 1829, the imposing Gothic structure was originally designed to hold 250 inmates in solitary confinement. At the height of its use, however, as many as 1,700 prisoners were crammed into the cells. Like many such places of high emotional stress, misery and death, the prison has become haunted.
One of its most famous inmates was none other than Al Capone, was was incarcerated there on illegal weapons possession in 1929. During his stay, it is said that Capone was tormented by the ghost of James Clark, one of the men Capone had murdered in the infamous St. Valentine's Day massacre.
Other reported haunting activity includes:
A shadow-like figure that scoots quickly away when approached.
A figure that stands in the guard tower.
An evil cackling reportedly comes from cellblock 12.
In cellblock 6, another shadowy figure has been seen sliding down the wall.
Mysterious, ghostly faces are said to appear in cellblock 4.
Unfortunately, not all of these cells are open to the public, even on the tours

The Tower of London
The Tower of London, one of the most famous and well-preserved historical buildings in the world, may also be one of the most haunted. This is due, no doubt, to the scores of executions, murders and tortures that have taken place within its walls over the last 1,000 years. Dozens upon dozens of ghost sightings have been reported in and around the Tower. On one winter day in 1957 at 3 a.m., a guard was disturbed by something striking the top of his guardhouse. When he stepped outside to investigate, he saw a shapeless white figure on top of the tower. It was then realized that on that very same date, February 12, Lady Jane Grey was beheaded in 1554.
Perhaps the most well-known ghostly resident of the Tower is the spirit of Ann Boleyn, one of the wives of Henry VIII, who was also beheaded in the Tower in 1536. Her ghost has been spotted on many occasions, sometimes carrying her head, on Tower Green and in the Tower Chapel Royal.
Other ghosts of the Tower include those of Henry VI, Thomas a Becket and Sir Walter Raleigh. One of the most gruesome ghost stories connected with the Tower of London describes death of the Countess of Salisbury. According to one account, "the Countess was sentenced to death in 1541 following her alleged involvement in criminal activities (although it is now widely believed that she was probably innocent). After being sent struggling to the scaffold, she ran from the block and was pursued until she was hacked to death by the axe man." Her execution ceremony has been seen re-enacted by spirits on Tower Green.

The Myrtles Plantation
Built in 1796 by General David Bradford, this stately old home is said to be haunted be several restless ghosts. Some researchers say as many as ten murders have been committed there, but others, such as Troy Taylor and David Wisehart, have only been able to confirm one murder at Myrtles. (Those two authors provide a very good history of the house in their article, The Legends, Lore & Lies of The Myrtles Plantation).
Even they agree, however, that the place is seriously haunted and easily qualifies as one of the "most haunted." These are some of the ghosts that allegedly haunt the house:
Cleo – a former slave who was allegedly hung on the premises for killing two little girls. (Those murders and even the existence of Cleo are in question.)
The ghosts of the two murdered children have been seen playing on the veranda.
William Drew Winter – an attorney who lived at Myrtles from 1860 to 1871. He was shot on the side porch of the house by a stranger. With his life's blood pouring from his body, Winter staggered into the house and began to climb the stairs to the second floor... but didn't make it. He collapsed and died on the 17th step. It is his last dying footsteps that can still be heard on the staircase to this day. (Winter's murder is the only one that has been verified.)
The ghosts of other slaves allegedly occasionally show up to ask if they can do any chores.
The grand piano has often been heard to play by itself, repeating one haunting chord.
Now a bed and breakfast, The Myrtles Plantation has opened its doors to guests who often report disturbances in the night. My colleague, Stacey Jones, founder of Central New York Ghost Hunters, reports on her stay there:
"It was a spectacular place to stay, if you keep an open mind. While taking the guided tour, I saw what looked like a heavyset African-American woman wearing an apron walk by the door, on the porch. Thinking it was a worker in period dress, I peeked out and no one was there. We stayed in the children's bedroom, and my best-friend (who was a non-believer at the time) experienced quite a bit of paranormal phenomena. She was held down in the bed and constantly poked all night. She was unable to move or cry out for help. She didn't think the stay was as great as I did. They let you ghost hunt on the grounds whenever you like, but you can't ghost hunt in the main house without an escort. I suggest setting up a video camera in your room and bring a tape recorder to obtain EVP."

Cool Mausoleums

Homes for the Dead
When ghosts aren't residing under the beds of little children, they can often be found in palatial estates, or what the living call mausoleums. Serving as a background for dramatic scenes in more than a few horror films, these structures have a reputation for being eerie and haunted. But more often than not, these "homes" are anything but scary. Many are built by famous architects and modeled after grand architectural structures.

Gated Community
Great philanthropists Edward Harkness, son of an original Standard Oil partner, and his wife Mary Stillman, of the Rockefeller family, are buried together in this gated fortress reminiscent of a Medieval church. It was designed by James Gamble Rogers, Edward Harness's favorite architect, known for his university structures at Yale, Columbia, and Northwestern. The Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY

Architectural Beauty
Architects McKim, Mead, and White, who designed many famous New York buildings including the Morgan Library and the Municipal Building, fashioned this Mausoleum for Henry A.C. Taylor, son of wealthy banker Moses Taylor. The Beaux Arts structure features an eclectic design with elaborately bordered panels. The Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY


Walk Like An Egyptian
A sphinx guards the mausoleum of five-and-dime store mogul F.W. Woolworth (1852-1919). The famous merchant was fascinated by Egyptology and designed his own burial site to mimic Egyptian architecture. The Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY

Lakeside View
After his premature death at 31, actor Rudolf Valentino was interred inside this Cathedral Mausoleum designed by architect Matlock Price (originally for scriptwriter June Mathis) at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. More than 70 years later, fans still bring flowers to the site. The star of "The Sheik" (1921) and "Blood and Sand" (1922), attracted 80,000 mourners when his casket was carried into the elaborate structure. Rose petals showering the crowd from a small plane. Legend has it that the "Lady in Black" visits Valentino's crypt each year on the anniversary of his death and leaves red roses.

Sphinx Switch
The Stanford mausoleum, located on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, holds the remains of University namesake Leland Stanford, Jr. and his parents Leland and Jane Stanford. Legend has it that the original structure was built with naked Greek female sphinxes on the front, but the Stanfords disapproved and had them replaced with Egyptian-style male sphinxes, moving the females to the back. Ionic columns line the sides of the strucure. Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Voodoo Lady
Though there is controversy as to where voodoo queen Mary Laveau is actually buried, this tomb at St. Louis Cemetery #1 in New Orleans attracts tourists and believers alike. Many leave small gifts at the site, such as candles and flowers. It's said that if a visitor leaves an offering and marks triple Xs on the tomb, they may then ask for a favor. Claims of ghost sightings here are not uncommon. St Louis Cemetery #1, New Orleans, LA
Next Stop, Huntington Station
Collis Potter Huntington, known for his work on the transcontinental railroad, is interred high on a hilltop looking towards the east in this Neo-Classical Revival mausoleum. Designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt, who is responsible for the façade of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, it boasts stairways replicated from the old Pennsylvania Station in New York City. Its bronze doors are by Herbert Adams, founder of the National Sculpture Society.

Da Vinci Decor
This stunning mausoleum holds the bodies of wealthy American socialite and congressman Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont and his wife Alva Vanderbilt, a well-known women's rights activist. Designed by Richard Morris Hunt, it is an exact replica of the Chapel of St. Hubert at Château d'Amboise in France, which was designed by Leonardo da Vinci in the Gothic Flamboyant style of the early 1500s and is rumored to contain his body.

More Haunted Houses

Even Architects Can't Explain Everything
The 1801 Octagon Museum appears to have more spirits than sides. Designed with six sides to fit a triangular lot by the first architect of the U.S. Capitol, Dr. William Thornton, the Octagon helped anchor early Washington, D.C.'s map. But, according to Washington Walks, events inside the house have been unmooring. At least two women in original owner Colonel John Tayloe's household fell to their deaths from the oval staircase. This helps account for the disembodied shrieks and the carpet at its landing that flips by itself. The skeleton of a young woman, so it is said, was found behind a wall, putting an end to the years of supernatural rapping residents had endured. When the White House was burned during the War of 1812, James and Dolley Madison stayed here. Today the smell of lilacs in the building signals Dolley's post-mortal presence. Other hauntings include the ghost of a murdered gambler, the moans of the former slaves who escaped to freedom through tunnels beneath the building during the Civil War, and a full apparitional attendance of footmen and carriages at the front door. Though the building is considered one of the most haunted in a town full of horrors, the director of the Octagon, which currently serves as the museum for the American Architectural Foundation, would like you to know that the stories are hearsay.
There Is Such a Thing as Too House Proud
John McGee Parkman had reason for hubris. He had worked his way up from dry goods clerk to become President of the First National Bank of Selma at the tender age 28. His house—a 13-year-old Greek Revival beauty which he purchased from its original owner for $65,000 in 1864—was a reflection of his success. Then Parkman got himself in trouble for speculating in cotton. The feds threw him in jail by the Mississippi, and he drowned in 1867 in a failed attempt to escape. That didn't stop him from inhabiting his mansion. He's been seen loitering by the side portico and surveying his property from the cupola windows. The house, named Sturdivant Hall now, is open to the public. But enter at your own risk: doors swing open of their own accord, and Parkman's possessive presence is sensed in the bedroom and parlor.

Redecorate with Caution
In 1970 when Governor Bob Scott moved a hundred-year-old behemoth of a bed out of his room and into a spare room on the third floor of the North Carolina Executive Mansion, he didn't expect to so upset one of his predecessors. But Governor Daniel Fowle wasn't having it. The widower politician had been in office when state penitentiary workers completed the brick-and-sandstone Queen Anne in Raleigh in 1891. But he died of a heart attack in the massive bed a few short months after moving in. The bed's departure from Fowle's former bedroom precipitated the deceased governor's protestations in the form of a nightly spectral rapping that ensued promptly at 10 PM. Though the eventual return of the bed to what Fowle's spirit apparently believes to be its rightly place in the house put an end to the racket, the Executive Mansion's current resident manager, Jean Carroll, says affectionately, "We blame everything that goes on here on Governor Fowle."

When Things Go South, Unwind With A Little Yard Work
George Ferris and his wife Julia mail-ordered their Queen Anne mansion; it came in a kit from Tennessee architectural firm Barber and Klutz. Ferris, a copper mine millionaire and Wyoming political figure, was thrown from a carriage and killed before his house's completion in 1903. The place seemed cursed; a roofer fell to his death during construction, and the Ferris' young son died in 1904 there when a loaded gun he was playing with went off. All in all, four of the Ferris' seven children died in strange accidents. The folks who live in the house now have retired from the innkeeping business, but back when they ran the place as a B&B, ghosts often awakened their guests at night. And the spectre of a woman could be seen tending to nonexistent plants out front. Story has it that this was Julia Ferris, possibly assuaging her grief with some ghostly gardening.
Make Wise Use of Basement Storage
Doric columns announce this 1861 Greek Revival in Demopolis, Alabama. But it's not the imposing facade that lures ghosthunters to Gaineswood; it's what lurks underground. The National Historic Landmark is haunted by Evelyn Carter, by some accounts a household assistant and by others the sister-in-law of Nathan Bryan Whitfield, the mid-19th-century cotton magnate who built the place. Evelyn fell ill and died in the cold months. Whitfield laid Evelyn to provisional rest until the spring thaw, stowing her body beneath the cellar stairs. But Evelyn's spirit wouldn't lie still; it took to pitter-pattering, rustling skirts, and chirping ditties beneath the floorboards. They say visitors who tour the house's domed rooms can sense her presence today.
Sometimes Weatherproofing Can't Help
Chill in the air? It could be Edith Wharton. The celebrated author of over 40 books, including The Age of Innocence, House of Mirth, and her final collection, Ghosts, designed and built her massive house and gardens in Lenox, Massachusetts starting in 1902. Wharton's house was inspired by the Palladian-style Belton House in England, and incorporated classical Italian and French influences. She named the place The Mount. Though Wharton sold it in 1912, she had so adored The Mount that she haunted it after her 1937 death. In the late '70s, a voice teacher for the theater group that then occupied the house was startled from her nap in Wharton's old writing quarters by an extreme plunge in the room's temperature. She awoke to find Wharton, Wharton's husband, and her male secretary, all of whom turned to look at her.
Go Ahead, Call the Electrician—But Don't Expect a Quick Fix
John Francis Rague, architect of Iowa's Old Capitol, poured his monumentalist talents into this 1856 Italianate mansion for Dubuque lead mining mogul Mathias Ham. From his riverside mansion, Ham monitored merchant and pirate ships along the Mississippi. The house eventually passed to his children. His last unmarried daughter, Sarah, was living alone there when she shot an intruding buccaneer and killed him. In 1964 when the house was converted to a museum, the pirate ghost took to shivering timbers: lights turned off and on by themselves; organ music streamed from sockets. Electricians couldn't figure it out. But current curator Tacie Campbell seems as if she has—she says the haunting was a hoax concocted by well-meaning volunteers trying to drum up interest in the nascent landmark.

Some Contractors Don't Know When to Quit
East Hartford has a hardworking ghost. Huguenot saddlemaker Makens Bemont and his family lived in this gambrel-roofed house from the 1760s to the 1820s. When the town undertook restorations on it 150 years later, stone masons restoring the chimneys heard phantom hammering and were once startled by the unmistakable sound of a hod of bricks falling. No fallen bricks were found. The story goes that the masons got so accustomed to the industrious ghost, they took to calling him Benny, and the foreman issued him work orders. Other presences have materialized. A woman with a candle was seen on the stairs, and a floating blue dress once scared the bejesus out of a little girl playing outside the house.
When Considering a New Home, Scrutinize the Neighborhood
In California's Kern River Valley is a patchwork quilt of a town made up of swatches of historic mining camps. Silver City Ghost Town, a museum and film location, is kept by its owners in "arrested decay", as if it were only yesterday that the Gold Rush ran dry. If you've got a ghost town, you'd better have some ghosts, and among the historic structures hauled onto the site, none is more accommodating to that crowd than the Apalatea/Burlando House. The oldest building in the Valley was once the home of the prolific Francisco Apalatea, husband to three and father of 13. The house is haunted by his last wife, Mattie, who lifts shot glasses into the air and rocks in the "unoccupied" rocker. But she's not the only undead here. Apparently those '49ers threw a heck of a party: a caretaker once overheard a haunted hoe-down, complete with ghost fiddle, phantom card shuffling, and incorporeal laughter.
If You're Building a House, Be Careful Where You Site It
General store, ballroom, billiard hall, school, polling place, granary, theater, and courthouse, the Whaley family home was a multi-use space. Busy as he was hosting all these ventures, Thomas Whaley seems not to have given much thought to the poor souls who met their maker on the gallows grounds that preceded his house on its lot in Old Town San Diego. But the condemned weren't keen on being forgotten. Soon after its completion in 1857, the Greek Revival building became home to its first ghost, Yankee Jim Robinson, who was hanged for grand larceny in 1852—an execution Whaley attended. Over the years, a slew of spectres have moved in: a dark woman in full skirts, a long-haired girl, a fox terrier, and—perhaps as penance for his disregard for the dead—Thomas Whaley himself.
When You're Adding On, Know When to Stop
Sarah Winchester suffered a guilty conscience. The diminutive heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune was informed by a medium that it was her duty to go West and build a home. This home was to house herself and all the victims killed by Winchester rifles. There were an awful lot of victims. From 1884 for 38 years around the clock, the Queen Anne was built. One hundred-and-sixty rooms, 467 doorways (many leading nowhere), 40 stairways (ditto on the nowhere), 47 fireplaces, 17 chimneys, 52 skylights, 20,000 gallons of paint, two basements, and $5.5 million dollars later, Sarah died. She left behind a host of apparitions, from balls of light to floating spectres to whispering, door-slamming poltergeists. And why wouldn't they want to stay in what now is called the Winchester Mystery House? Sarah stipulated in her will that the ghosts continue to enjoy the good "life", treated as they had been to five-course banquets served with solid gold table settings when Sarah was alive.

Be Very Cautious When Moving a House
Before he was tried four times for the same murder, antiques dealer, Savannah swell, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil protagonist Jim Williams moved a house. It was the 1796 Hampton Lillibridge House, built by a Yankee in the Georgian style. During its relocation, a worker was crushed when a neighboring house collapsed. Eerie incidents ensued and continue to this day: a Dixieland band strikes it up, footsteps are heard where no one is walking, the spectre of a dark-suited man in a top hat haunts the second floor, and a couple of wraiths in formal attire occupy the widow's walk. The dead sprung to life, so to speak, when the house was hauled a few blocks to its current location in 1963.

















Are You Sure You Want to Renovate?
When Donna and Phil Stone bought this Colonial Revival in 1994 to convert it to an inn, little did they know they'd have a permanent guest; renovations on the 1898 Falmouth house kicked up a young female ghost. The Stones moved antiques from the attic to a guestroom, and the ghost—whom they dubbed "Ada"—went with them. Must have been her stuff. She has fancied moving workers' tools, flushing toilets, pulling mirrors off the walls, and turning on the faucets. Guests have seen her, her taffeta gown wooshing down the halls.
Maybe Your Contractors Aren't Just Lazy
Beer couldn't save the Lemps from depression. St. Louis' German-American brewing dynasty controlled the largest suds operation in town in the mid-19th century. But the death of favorite son Frederick triggered a chain of family suicides that felled William, William Jr., Elsa, and Charles Lemp. They killed themselves; Prohibition killed their business. The Lemps' 1860s Italianate house had been a local marvel: newly patented radiant heat, an open-air elevator, 33 rooms. After the death (by natural causes) of the last Lemp son, the place became a boarding house. In 1977, renovations transformed it into a restaurant and inn—but not without difficulty. Ghostly barking and piano music, slamming doors, burning sensations, faces in the windows—the place was so spooky that several construction workers fled the jobsite.
Written by Betsey Andrews for this Old House

Haunted Houses

The most Haunted places in all of America!
Readers beware! If you are easily scared or frightened, then you are urged not to continue reading. In celebration of Halloween, we’re featuring the scariest and most terrifying cities and towns in America. Each location has its own real ghost stories, sightings and haunted tours that take you deep into the past to explore the truly scary side of history. HauntedAmericaTours.com has compiled a list of the scariest places to visit if you are in need of a good fright – or a good history lesson. Happy Haunting

New Orleans, Louisiana
Many people believe New Orleans is the most haunted city in all of America. With 200 years of haunting stories and unexplainable activity, the city offers more then just a cheap thrill. New Orleans is home to real voodoo legends, regular ghost sightings, unsettled spirits, haunted cemeteries and more. Over 90% of the burial sites are still above ground in vaults, crypts, or family tombs and the “supernatural” are said to be seen year round - naturally.

Galveston, Texas
The island of horror known as Galveston carries a truly haunted history. The Battle of Galveston during the civil war claimed the lives of many American soldiers who still roam the city in spirit form. In 1867, the yellow fever epidemic claimed so many Galveston lives, that the city was actually quarantined. In 1900, the great storm of Galveston left the city in shambles. It is said that the drowned victims from the storm can still be heard on the brick lined streets and Gulf shores. All of these historical events have made Galveston the haunted city it is today; complete with sightings of dead soldiers and even encounters with ghostly beings.

San Francisco, California (Alcatraz)
From 1933-63, America’s most dangerous criminals were locked away in one of the most famous prisons in the country: Alcatraz. Prisoners were locked in their cells almost 24 hours a day, and the ones lucky enough to be let outside spent their time breaking rocks. Any foul play and it was straight to solitary confinement. The inescapable prison is now home to the ghosts of the criminals who died there. The landmark has many visitors who swear they’ve heard moans, screams, and even seen ghosts walk the prison grounds. The haunting doesn’t end at Alcatraz, as the city of San Francisco has its share of haunted areas, including the local Art institute. After the great earthquake in the early 1900s, the victims of the disaster were buried in a cemetery now underneath the haunted building.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg was one of the major battlefields of the Civil War. Ready to admit defeat, the Union soldiers were low on ammunition and running out of options. That is until (as the story goes) the ghost of George Washington appeared on a white horse and urged the soldiers to continue fighting. Needless to say, the presence of George Washington helped the soldiers continue the battle and wage forward. Today, the residents of Gettysburg insist on keeping that historic legend alive. The ‘unquiet dead’ are known to show themselves on the fields of the great battle. If travelling to Gettysburg, do not be surprised if you have a sighting or two as the town that George Washington saved is filled with the ghosts of those fallen soldiers.

Salem, Massachusetts
Which city is Witch city? Salem of course, and the name “Witch City” was given to the city for a good reason. The year was 1692, and innocent women in the small Puritan town were burned, tortured and killed after cruel trials to determine whether they were in fact, witches. The women were suspected of being witches after throwing fits that caused them to yell, scream, throw things, mutter strange noses, crawl under furniture, and ever contour their bodies into awkward positions. When examined, the girls had nothing physically wrong with them so they were thrown in prison and tried as witches. The strange behavior began to spread to other woman in Salem, and eventually, hundreds of women were on trial. Today, the real witches of Salem keep the history of the Witch Hunt alive by giving tours of the city and will show any visitor the most haunted landmarks in the city.