I’ve always loved a good ghost story. When I was little, there was a tv show called “That’s Incredible!”, which mostly featured creepy, haunted places around the U.S…ghost effects added for entertainment value. I was about 6 at the time I watched it, so everything seemed so real. I grew up wanting to visit the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, which was built by a superstitious woman who listened to spirits and Ouija boards. In her house, stairs led to walls, and doors opened to empty space. If you walked through, you could fall down three flights to your death. Supposedly, ghosts from the civil war haunted her and haunt this place still.
Now, there are similar tv series like “Ghost Hunters” that carry on the tradition of checking out haunted places. I still watch these shows, now with only a little more skepticism.
I’ve even had my own “haunted house” experience. Well, sorta. I worked at a school in Hollywood for young actors and actresses, built a block away from the infamous Black Dahlia’s house, with old bungalows for dorm rooms. It was dark and creepy at night. You could tell that over the years, bad things had happened here.
I was at my desk one Thursday morning (conveniently in October, a few short weeks before Halloween), and some students came by to report strange things happening in their bungalow. Kitchen drawers and cabinets would open and close on their own. They heard footsteps up and down the hall at night when nobody was walking. One girl even claimed she felt hands around her throat one morning when she was taking a shower. All of the roommates wanted to move out. But first, they decided to take matters into their own hands…with some candles, a chilly night, a camera and a Ouija Board.
When they reported back to me Monday morning about their seance experience, they were frightened and confused. Apparently, they didn’t get much of a “response” from any spirits. They would ask questions, ask the candle to flicker, yet nothing happened. So, they thought it was a lost cause. Then they started taking pictures in the darkness, hoping something might appear to explain what they were experiencing. Nothing. Except for one picture.
In this picture, there was a definite white shape within the darkness. It wasn’t a reflection, and it hadn’t been photoshopped. It was just there, a part of the picture. The shape had long wavy hair and a very pointed chin, definitely a female figure. They were convinced this was the spirit wandering around their bungalow.
Whether or not they actually snapped evidence of a spirit, I’ll never know. But I do believe in ghosts, and Halloween tends to remind me of my fascination. This is why I like to celebrate Halloween with a good old-fashioned scary experience. I think we all at some level fear what happens after we die, and hope that we aren’t trapped in some limbo wandering around like ghosts. Playing with the idea for some reason makes me feel like it’s not so real. So, I’m a fan of haunted houses, even though I will sleep with the lights on for the next week.
I plan to try the LA Haunted Hayride this year. I would love to hear if you’ve been, or if you have any ideas for other scary experiences (like Universal Studios or Knotts Scary Farm, both of which are awesome). I offered some suggestions of places to go for Halloween in my latest article. TGIF…
Notes from the Dating Trenches 