Tag Archives: 1970s

The Ghost Faces in Bélmez de la Moraleda

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A house in Bélmez de la Moraleda quickly became known as Spain’s most famous haunted house when there suddenly started to appear faces inside of it. It is still a mystery exactly what the faces come from, but many believe that it is the ghosts from the burial ground under the house. 

Welcome to the mysterious and eerie world of Bélmez de la Moraleda, Spain’s infamous haunted house. Nestled in the province of Jaén, this unassuming village hides a chilling secret that has intrigued paranormal enthusiasts for decades. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

The story begins in 1971 when a peculiar stain appeared on the kitchen floor of the Pereira family. Little did they know that this seemingly innocuous stain would turn their lives upside down and attract visitors from all corners of the globe. Or did they? Over the years, faces of different individuals, both living and deceased, have materialized on the floor, leaving experts baffled and skeptics questioning. 

The Haunted House of Bélmez de la Moraleda

This mysterious dwelling is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the past. The locals have reported strange noises coming from the house, and some even claim to have seen apparitions walking around inside. The haunted house in Spain has become a popular tourist destination for those looking for an eerie experience. People come from all over to get a glimpse of this mysterious place and its supernatural inhabitants. Are you brave enough to take a tour of the haunted house and find out what secrets it holds?

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories set in Haunted Houses from around the world.

In a house on Calle Real number 5 in the village Bélmez de la Moraleda, in the far corners of Andalusia, a peculiar haunting has been reported. The small and sleepy town wasn’t really that known until strange things started happening inside of this whitewashed house. The faces on the floors and walls have been a subject of fascination for paranormal enthusiasts and skeptics alike. On the floors and walls of the building, there have been reports about seeing stains that look like faces that come and go since 1971.

Faces in the House: Suddenly it appeared what looked like faces in the walls and floors of the house. The owner of the house claim it wasn’t them. // Source: Cesar Tort/Wikimedia

At first, it appeared on the kitchen floor, and they scraped it off and covered it up. But then, the face started reappearing, not only in the kitchen where it was first seen but all over the house. They did several tests and multiple theories tried to explain exactly what happened in the house, but the exact cause has yet to be confirmed. The mystery continues to baffle experts, leaving the haunted house of Bélmez de la Moraleda shrouded in enigma.

Scientific Investigations and Theories: Unraveling the Unexplained

The strange phenomena witnessed in the haunted house of Bélmez de la Moraleda have attracted the attention of scientists and researchers from around the world. Various investigations and theories have been put forth in an attempt to understand and explain the inexplicable.

One theory put forward by the newspaper El Ideal published some tests that claimed the faces were painted on with silver nitrate and chloride. This painting method was actually a fairly common method in the forties by anti-Franco activists. 

Scientific investigations have involved extensive analysis of the stains, including chemical testing and microscopic examination. Yet, these investigations have not yielded a definitive explanation for the phenomenon. The haunted house of Bélmez de la Moraleda remains an unsolved mystery, leaving room for speculation and wonder.

Built on Top of a Burial Ground

Whose faces are they, and from what reason do they appear? If science can’t give a definitive answer, can perhaps the paranormal world do?

Bélmez de la Moraleda: The town seen from above where the house with the faces is. What really happened and happens in the house will we perhaps never know. //Source: Veinticuatro de Jahén/Wikimedia

It is said that the house is built on top of an ancient cemetery and some believe that it is the ghosts of those buried underneath that are manifesting themselves as faces throughout the house. 

The cemetery from the 13th century was found in the basement under the kitchen, and they could verify the remains of human bones. 

A Haunting Experience: Visiting the House of Faces

Today, the haunted house of Bélmez de la Moraleda stands as a testament to the enduring mystery that surrounds it. The house has been opened to the public, allowing curious individuals to explore the eerie corridors and witness the faces that continue to appear.Scholars have looked at it as a fraud though from the owners, and it is reported that since the death of María Gómez Cámara in 2004, the owner of the house, the faces have been blurring, some of them not even looking like humans.

In the realm of the supernatural, Bélmez de la Moraleda has carved its place as one of Spain’s most haunted locations. Its ghostly secrets and unexplained phenomena serve as a reminder that there is still much we don’t understand about the world around us. As the years go by, the haunted house of Bélmez de la Moraleda will continue to lure in those seeking a glimpse into the unknown, forever shrouded in mystery and ghostly allure.

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References:

Caras de Bélmez – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre
Ten paranormal places that you can actually visit in Spain
The 10 most famous haunted houses in Spain — idealista

Los Rodeos Airport Ghost Passengers

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After a horrible plane crash at Los Rodeos Airport on Tenerife in the 70s, over 500 lives were lost in the deadly collision between two planes on the runway. It is believed that the lost souls from that day are still haunting the airport, showing up before takeoffs. 

When we think of haunted places, airports are not usually the first locations that come to mind. However, Los Rodeos Airport has gained a notorious reputation as one of the most haunted airports in the world after a tragic accident in the 70s. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

With its unsettling atmosphere and chilling tales of supernatural occurrences, The Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna Airport, as it is known as today, has become a magnet for paranormal enthusiasts and thrill-seekers alike.

The Tragic History of Los Rodeos Airport

To understand the haunted reputation of Los Rodeos Airport, we must delve into its tragic history. One event, in particular, stands out as the catalyst for the ghostly encounters that plague the terminal to this day – the Tenerife airport disaster of 1977.

On that fateful day, March 27th a bomb was set off by the Canary Islands Independence Movement at Gran Canaria Airport not far from Tenerife. This caused too many flights to be diverted to Los Rodeos. It was also a thick fog that clouded the vision of an already very chaotic situation. KLM Flight 4805 initiated its takeoff run while Pan Am Flight 1736 was still on the runway. The two airplanes collided on the runway, resulting in the deadliest aviation accidents in history. 

The Tragic Accident: The Tenerife Airport accident was the most deadliest in history and left only a few survivors, and according to the stories, many ghosts.

The collision claimed the lives of at least 583 people, leaving behind a trail of sorrow and despair. Only 61 people survived that day as they were seated in the front section of the aircraft. It is said that the spirits of those who perished in the disaster still linger within the airport, unable to find peace.

Legends and Myths Surrounding the Haunted Terminal

The reports of ghostly encounters at Los Rodeos Airport are not limited to legends and myths. Many individuals, including airport staff, passengers, and paranormal investigators, have claimed to experience unexplained phenomena within the terminal’s walls. These encounters range from hearing disembodied voices and footsteps to witnessing apparitions and inexplicable temperature drops.

Memorial Ghosts: The myths of seeing strange silhouettes and people that aren’t really there spread on the airport. People think that it must be from the victims from the Tenerife Airport Catastrophe.

Over the years, numerous legends and myths have emerged surrounding the haunted terminal of Los Rodeos Airport. One of the most chilling tales is that of a young girl who went missing within the airport’s premises. Despite extensive searches, her body was never found. Since then, there have been multiple reports of a ghostly figure resembling a young girl roaming the corridors of the terminal, her presence sending shivers down the spines of those who encounter her.

Another legend revolves around the military barracks at Garita Sur, located near the airport. It is believed that soldiers stationed there have witnessed ghostly apparitions of a young girl wandering alone and unexplained phenomena. 

Confused Pilots Seeing things on the Runway

Several pilots that have taken the flights to and from this airport have claimed that more than one of the souls from the crash is still haunting the airport. One pilot said that a lot of the spirits would appear and according to him, he claimed that he had delayed at least two takeoffs because he thought he saw figures on the runway, waving their hands as if warning of something dangerous ahead.

Pilot’s Tell: In the early morning hours or in the late darkness, several pilots tells about seeing things that aren’t really there on the runway on this airport.

Los Rodeos Airport’s haunted history continues to captivate the imagination of those who dare to explore its eerie corridors. The tragic events of the past have left an indelible mark on the terminal, manifesting in ghostly encounters that defy rational explanation. Whether you are a believer in the supernatural or a skeptic, a visit to Los Rodeos Airport is sure to leave an impression that will linger long after you depart.

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References:

Haunted Aircraft, Airports and Museums | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Tenerife airport disaster – Wikipedia

Visiting Spain’s Most Haunted Locations | Right Casa Estates

The Mystery of the Frozen Ghosts on Catalonia’s Haunted Road

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After a horrible explosion on the road that left a staggering amount of people dead, drivers passing this stretch of road have told tales about strange sightings of frozen ghosts. According to them, they all see the ghosts, frozen in time as if reliving the final moments before the disaster took their life on Catalonia’s Haunted Road. 

Spain is home to some of the most haunted roads in the world. From ghostly hitchhikers to phantom vehicles, these roads can be extremely dangerous at night. Many people have reported strange occurrences while driving on these roads, including sightings of ghosts and other supernatural entities. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

People have claimed there is a section of the road at Sant Carles de la Rapita where plenty of drivers have claimed to have seen people, men, women and children watching, not moving a muscle towards the place where the accident happened.

The History of Catalonia’s Haunted road

The road between Tarragona and Castellon in Catalonia has a long history of being one of the most dangerous and haunted roads in Spain that goes in a straight line passing in front of the campsite of Los Alfaques. 

On July 11 in 1978 there was a terrible accident on the road between Tarragona and Castellon in Castalonia when a tanker truck carrying 25 tons of propylene. It was carrying way more than it should and the cistern didn’t have any pressure relief system. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Haunted Roads all around the world.

While driving, this ended in an accident that caused an enormous fireball that ended up killing 243 people staying at the camp.

The car split in two and the whole camp area was filled with the fireball and burning liquid with a temperature of more than 2000 celsius. 

Read the whole New York Times Article Here

The Legend of the Frozen Ghosts

The accident only added to the road’s notoriety. Many people have reported strange occurrences on the road, including sightings of ghostly apparitions and phantom vehicles.

One of the most well-known legends surrounding Catalonia’s haunted road is that of the Frozen Ghosts. According to the legend, the ghosts of the victims of the 1978 accident haunt the road, frozen in time and unable to move on to the afterlife.

Read more: Check out the other mass hauntings after tragic accidents and catastrophes like the Ghosts of the Tsunami in Japan, The Haunting on Jeju Island in Korea or The Joelma Building and the Ghosts of the 13 Souls in Brazil. 

Many people have reported seeing ghostly apparitions on the road, including figures standing motionless on the side of the road. Some have even claimed that they have seen the faces of the victims in the mist that often shrouds the road at night.

First-hand accounts of Encountering the Frozen Ghosts

Some have claimed to have seen ghostly apparitions standing motionless on the side of the road, while others have reported seeing the faces of the victims in the mist that often shrouds the road at night.

There have been many retellings of the horrible accident that happened, and the paranormal phenomena was highlighted when the reporter Javier Perez Campos published his book Los ecos de la tragedia about what happened, and the strange stories that came after.

It asks the question, can ghosts be frozen in time, forever replaying the last seconds before disaster struck and forever put a dent in the straight stretch of haunted road.

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References:

Accidente de Los Alfaques – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre

Los 10 tramos de carretera más misteriosos de España

The Bizarre Story of the Highgate Cemetery Vampire

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The supposed haunted Highgate Cemetery in London left to decay suddenly became the hotspot for paranormal and occult phenomenon in the 1970s, when reports about the Highgate Vampire became a sensation and the hunt for it began. 

Settled in the heart of North London lies a place that’s shrouded in mystery and intrigue – Highgate Cemetery. With its overgrown pathways, eerie Victorian tombs, and gothic architecture, it’s no wonder this place has developed a reputation for being one of the most haunted cemeteries in the world and was certainly one of the most spookiest places in the 60s and 70s. 

From tales of ghostly apparitions to reports of unexplained phenomena, the dark secrets of Highgate Cemetery have captivated the imaginations of many over the years. But what is it about this place that has people so fascinated? 

The Dark History of Highgate Cemetery

Highgate Cemetery was opened in 1839 in Camden and quickly became the resting place of choice for wealthy Victorians and has today over 170 000 people buried there. The cemetery was designed by architect Stephen Geary and was intended to be a place where the rich and famous could be buried in style. However, as the years went by, the cemetery fell into disrepair and began to attract a less desirable clientele. 

Highgate Cemetery: The Cemetery was really made to make a more peaceful place to rest compared to the crowded churchyard graveyards. Today, it can seem like we have come full circle.

By the turn of the 20th century, Highgate Cemetery had become a shadow of its former self, with many of its tombs and monuments falling into a state of disrepair.

Famous Graves and their Mysterious Stories

Highgate Cemetery is home to many famous graves, each with its own fascinating story. One of the most famous graves in the cemetery is that of Karl Marx, the father of communism. Marx’s grave is a place of pilgrimage for many socialists and communists, who come to pay their respects to one of the most influential political thinkers of the modern era.

Another famous grave in the cemetery is that of Douglas Adams, the author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Adams’ grave is a popular destination for fans of his work, who often leave tributes and memorials at the site.

Pathways: Green pathways with tombs on each side fills the Highgate Cemetery in London.//Source: Panyd at English Wikipedia

But perhaps the most mysterious grave in Highgate Cemetery is that of Elizabeth Siddal. Siddal was a model and artist who was married to the pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. After her death, Rossetti buried a manuscript of his poems in her coffin. The manuscript was later exhumed, and the poems were published, but were not a commercial success. Her husband was haunted by his action for the rest of his days. 

The Ghosts of Highgate Cemetery

There have been tales about the paranormal surrounding the cemetery for decades. After WW2 the cemetery fell into disarray and had little to no maintenance for a long time. In 1960 and 70s, it was so overgrown and left to decay that it was a perfect setting for horror movies like Taste the Blood of Dracula from 1970 and Tales from the Crypt in 1972. 

There were reports of locals from 1965 about seeing ghosts around the premises. There were especially two different figures that had been seen. One was that of an older woman wearing all white that was haunting the graves, looking after the graves of her murdered children. Another thing that was talked about was the skeleton that was standing guard by the main gate. 

There were also those that told that occult and even satanic rituals were held in the cemetery, people rising from the graves and other strange phenomena that attracted the attention of seekers of the strange and the paranormal. 

The Grey Figures Haunting the Cemetery

Over the years, there have been countless reports of strange sightings and unexplained phenomena at Highgate Cemetery in addition to the strange case of the Highgate Vampire. Many visitors to the cemetery have reported feeling a sense of unease or being watched, while others have claimed to have seen ghostly apparitions moving among the graves.

Seekers of the Paranormal: David Farrant in Highgate Cemetery caught the attention of the media when he claimed something strange was lurking in the cemetery. Was it a ghost? Was it a vampire?

In 1970 there was a man that wrote to the paper about seeing strange figures at the cemetery. On 24th of December he had passed the cemetery and seen what he described as a “gray figure” and asked if people had seen something similar. 

Read More: Check out all of the ghost stories from haunted cemeteries around the world.

The man was David Farrant, an investigator for the British Occult Society and in his article headlined: “Why do foxes die?” he claimed that the foxes that had been found dead in the cemetery with their throats slit had been killed by the Vampire. 

Vampire Hunter: Sean Manchester in an interview. He claimed that the supernatural thing in Highgate was a King of Vampires.

People replied and told about many different figures that they had seen that they thought had to be of a supernatural origin. There was one tall man in a hat, a ghost of a cyclist as well as a woman wearing all white that was glaring at them through the bars. Another figure had been seen wading through a pond. 

There was then a man named Sean Manchester that claimed that the gray figures they had seen was that of a vampire practicing black magic and even made a claim that this phenomena they were now witnessing was the King of Vampires from Wallachia, the home of Dracula before having being buried in the cemetery but awakened by satanists. 

Manchester was a bishop of the Old Catholic Church, not related to the Vatican, and a self-proclaimed exorcist as well as a vampire hunter. Soon the two men were on a mission to be the first to stop and capture the vampire and restore the peace of the holy ground of the cemetery. 

The Highgate Vampire Frenzie

The legend of the Highgate Vampire quickly spread, and soon the cemetery was attracting visitors from all over the world who were keen to catch a glimpse of the legendary creature.

Storming: Vampire hunters jumping over fences and gates of Highgate for vampire hunts.

Read More: Check out the story of Paris’ Haunted Père Lachaise Cemetery or Poveglia Island — The Most Haunted Place in the World for more stories about vampires.

Farrand and Manchester both claimed they were the one to get rid of the figure and Manchester said he was going to hold an exorcism in the cemetery the 13th of March in 1970 and they were filmed and interviewed about it. 

After they were shown on TV a mob of people that wanted to see for themselves flooded the cemetery. The police tried to control the masses by locking the gates, but they got over the gates and walls in the chaos. They were armed with stakes and roamed the cemetery to find the vampire and opened graves, beheaded and staked the corpses. 

Despite the fact that the vampire was never actually seen, the legend had a profound effect on the cemetery. Over the years, Highgate Cemetery has become synonymous with the supernatural, and many people believe that the cemetery is haunted by the ghosts of those who were buried there.

The Finding of the Staked Body

Months later the case was still widely discussed. On August 1st, a woman’s body was found headless and burnt close to the catacomb by two school girls. It was the body of a woman that had died a 100 years ago, been dragged from her coffin and staked through the heart before being left on the pathway. The police suspected she had been used in some sort of black magic ritual. 

When the police were searching the next couple of days, they found Farrant wandering around in the churchyard next to the cemetery with a crucifix and a wooden stake on the 17th of August.

He had gathered his Society to do an exorcism by holding a seance. He tried to run for the exit when the police arrived, but was caught and arrested, but when the case came to court it was dismissed. 

From BBC 24 Hours in Oct 1970 after Ferrant was aquitted.

It was not the last time Manchester visited Highgate Cemetery either. According to him his psychic helper guided him to a family vault where they broke open the door. He claims he lifted the lid of one of the coffins that he thought didn’t belong in the vault and had mysteriously been moved there from another catacomb. 

Right before he was about to stake the body in the coffin, another one of his helpers stopped him. He reluctantly listened and left garlic and incense in the vault before they exited out from the vault. 

After the Media Circus Died Down

Both Farrant and Manchester kept the legends about the strange satanic things going on at Highgate Cemetery, long after the other moved on. 

Farrant was arrested and jailed in 1974 for vandalism and desecration of the graves and the dead at the cemetery. He kept insisting that it was the work of Satanist’s and not him. He was also involved in politics and ran as the sole candidate for the Wicca Workers Party. His cases were for free nudity and sex as well as establishing state brothels. He was less keen on communism which he wanted to ban as well as leaving the EU Common Market. 

Their feud about what happened at Highgate Cemetery until Farrant died in 2019. They even challenged each other to a “Magician’s Duel” that was supposed to take place on Parliament Hill on Friday 13th in 1973, although that never happened. 

There were rumors that the two were going to sacrifice a cat in front of naked virgins. When a man’s cat never returned home one day after this, Farrant was persecuted by the RSPCA and the media as they thought he was behind the disappearance of the man’s beloved pet. 

Later he did sue News of the World for him being portrayed as a cat killer. And for the RSPCA inspectors, he sent them voodoo dolls with pins stuck in their heads, as well as two of the police officers that were involved in the arrest in 1974.

Staking the Vampire of Highgate Cemetery

Manchester on his end continued to write blog posts about Farrant, illustrating paintings of him looking like a demon and said he had a narcissistic personality disorder. 

On his quest to rid London of what he called the King of Vampires, he claimed to have tracked it down to a house in Crouch End. There he had staked the vampire and burnt the body, finally ridding them of the vampire tormenting Camden Town. 

Dracula A.D 1972 were inspired by the bizarre events:

Trailer for the movie Dracula AD 1972 that were supposedly inspired by the events that happened at Highgate around that time.

Behind the Hunt for Media Attention

What really happened in Highgate Cemetery is up for speculation. How much occult rituals and pagan sex parties with the devil really did happened or was blown up in the media’s satanic panic headlines is uncertain.

Today we don’t really hear much about vampires or ghosts from the cemetery other than hardcore paranormal investigators or curious tourists that wants to have a look at what it’s all about. Because who really knows, it is certainly not the first, nor the last cemetery were a vampire is rumoured to roam.

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References:

Featured Image: Nick Garrod/Flickr

Highgate Cemetery – Wikipedia

Highgate Vampire – Wikipedia 

The strange tale of the Highgate vampire 

The hunt for a vampire in Highgate Cemetery that led to a real magician feud – MyLondon 

The Ghost Bride at the Devil’s Curve

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On a road known as the Devil’s Curve in Colombia, the ghost of a bride has been reported on the road since the 70’s, asking passing cars for a ride. 

On the road can be a dangerous place to be, especially at night, during bad weather and at high speed. Especially when there are rumors about a ghost roaming the road that are asking you to take them with you.  

Since the 1970s, there have been reports about something that looks like the ghost all dressed in white on what is known as The Devil’s Curve or La Curva del Diablo in Puerto Colombia, a coastal town and municipality in Colombia. 

There are many tales about ghosts that asks for a ride, disoriented and alone alongside the roads.

Read More Ghost Stories About Ghost Hitchhiking

Ghosts of the Tsunami

The tsunami disaster in 2011 left large parts of Japan in ruins. And some of the people never being found, are still trying to reach home it seems.

Keep reading

The Ghost Bride at La Curva del Diablo has later been dubbed as the ghost bride as many have thought it looks like she is wearing a white wedding dress. 

She is said to be asking for a ride of the cars passing by this dangerous road. If they refused, they would later see her sitting in the back of the vehicle, even if they didn’t let her in. 

If they did let her into the car, several reports of her sitting in the backseat crying are told, but when the driver turned to check on her, she disappeared, leaving the seat wet. In some versions she smiled and left a sickening smell of rotting flowers in the air before disappearing. 

The buses passing by also report a woman that is signaling them to stop. One taxi driver named Hugo Rangel told a story of meeting her in 1993. He was scared as he knew of the ghost bride. She was covered in dirt and looked terrible. 

This tale of a female hitchhiking is a very common ghost story throughout the world. The urban legend of The Vanishing Hitchhiker comes in many variations. Considering just how many die a sudden and tragic death on the roads, there might be some truth to some of them?

Read the Urban Legend of The Vanishing Hitchhiker

The Vanishing Hitchhiker

The Vanishing Hitchhiker is a well known urban legend throughout the world. Here is a Moonmausoleum original writings based on the Urban Legend – The Vanishing Hitchhiker

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References

Archivo de Terror Histórico del Atlántico: Los fantasmas que aterrorizan en las carreteras – Archivo Histórico del Atlántico

La novia que asusta a conductores en el Atlántico – Barranquilla – Colombia – ELTIEMPO.COM

Las carreteras fantasmales de Colombia | Blog Autolab

Lady of the Lake at Gotts Point in Lake Lowell

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Sometimes the sound of someone gasping for air is heard over the deep waters in Lake Lowell, Idaho. Some claim it is the ghost of a girl who drowned at Gotts Point a long time ago that is still trying to get to the shore. 

The deep waters can be a treacherous place. One wrong move and you will never reach the shores of safe land ever again. Stories about ghosts of drowned are some of the oldest ghost stories we have and they come from all. From the deep blue sea, fierce rivers and the dark waters of lakes. 

Read More: Check out all of the ghost stories from USA

Gotts Point is a place between Nampa and Caldwell in Idaho and bears such a haunting legend. The beautiful Lake Lowell is home to much wonderful wildlife as well as haunting stories of the people that drowned there. 

The Ghost of the Lady in the Lake at Gotts Point

One of the ghosts that are said to sit under the surface of the water is that of a girl that drowned in the lake in the 1970s when she was water skiing at Gotts Point. She has later been dubbed Lady of the Lake of Lake Lowell to some when telling the legend of her ghost that are sometimes spotted by swimmers or those that walk along the shores.  

The Lady of the Lake: at Gotts Point in Lake Lowell there are tales that a woman is haunting the lake after drowning. Her ghost have been dubbed the Lady of the Lake.

The reports include sounds of her gasping for air out in the lake late at night as well as seeing her sitting on a rock along the shore, but disappearing when you get close. 

Her name as well as hard evidence of a girl actually having drowned at that time and place has not surfaced, but considering that many people drown in these parts every year when the summer comes and people are drawn to the water, a ghost of a drowned one doesn’t sound as far fetched at all. 

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The Possession of Letta the Doll

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Described as the ‘doll from hell’, Letta the Doll in Australia is the cause of strange things. But although a scary one, the owner will never part with the possessed doll and has today a very strong social media profile and is travelling the country. 

Haunted dolls have long been the subject of fascination and fear throughout time across the globe. These eerie objects made in our image are believed to be inhabited by restless spirits or possess supernatural powers. What is it with dolls, originally made for children to play with that taps into something so scary? With their lifeless eyes and unsettling presence, haunted dolls have captured the imagination of many and have become the stuff of nightmares.

Read also: Check our stories about other haunted dolls like Okiku — The Haunted Doll of Hokkaido, The Haunted Barbie Doll in The Shrine on Pulau Ubin Island or Mandy the Haunted Doll.

Stories of dolls moving on their own, whispering, or causing inexplicable occurrences have been passed down through generations, fueling the belief in their paranormal existence. Whether these accounts are true or merely urban legends, one thing is certain: haunted dolls continue to both terrify and intrigue those who dare to encounter them.

This is the case with the curious Letta the Doll in Australia that have captivated the country on the account of being creepy and allegedly haunted.

The Haunted Story of Letta the Doll

The owner of Letta the Doll, Kerry Walton claims he found the doll under the floor of the porch in an abandoned house in Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, Australia. He was going there for his grandmother’s funeral, and decided to go exploring the neighboring house that always had haunted him when he visited.

The doll is of wood and is child sized with a peculiar face, dressed in green with a long braid. When Walton first saw the doll, he was as terrified as we are when seeing the doll. 

Read also: Check out all of our ghost stories from Australia

That was back in 1972 and Letta the Doll came back to live with Walton and his family in Brisbane were the doll has lived ever since.

The origin of the name Letta the Doll came about when he was transporting it to its new home. When he put the doll in the trunk of his car to drive home, he heard movement and a scream:

“Letta me out,” he heard from the back of his trunk where only the doll was. And ever since then, the doll was called Letta the Doll. And since then, the doll has apparently been the cause of many strange things happening in the home in Queensland. 

Letta The Doll: The doll is a peculiar one, with a grin that will stay with you for a long time. According to the person that found her and so called carer, the doll is haunted by the spirit of a drowned boy. //Photo: Facebook.

Together, Letta the Doll and Kerry Walton have appeared on numerous television shows where he claims there is something paranormal over the doll. He says more than one person has seen the doll move right in front of them. There are also signs of the dolls moving on its own as it left visible marks around the house as well as under the shoes of the doll. 

The children living with the doll were also understandably terrified of the strange new addition to the household, and said they could hear the doll move around. 

The Doll With a Strong Media Profile

You can get the opportunity to meet with the doll, however, there are reports of having nightmares as well as feeling nauseous after an encounter with Letta the Doll. The owner of the doll is traveling around with it when not in their home in Warwick and charges money to get a picture taken. The doll is so famous now, it even has its own facebook account. 

Walton himself has vowed to never get rid of the doll, although he has tried. Once, to get his family out of a financial situation, he tried to sell the doll for 400$. But when it got to him taking the doll out of the car, he physically couldn’t do it, as if a force of some sort was stopping him. 

As well as the Facebook account as a true influencer, Letta the Doll also has gotten an Instagram profile where they post family like pictures like this:

Letta the Doll Possessed by the Restless Spirit of a Drowned Boy

Another claim that Walton has is about the origin of the doll and why this particular object is haunted. He apparently had the doll examined by a professional and found that the doll itself was around 200 years old. And the hair of the doll was made with real human hair allegedly, specifically from Eastern European gypsies. 

On further examination in some way or another, he found that the doll was haunted by a restless spirit of a drowned boy. The doll is supposedly possessed with the spirit of this boy, and in some variation of the origin of the doll, it was the gypsies that placed the soul of the boy inside the doll. And according to Walton, he thinks the drowning is the reason why it always rains when they go traveling for their shows. 

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References

https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/annabelle-real-life-haunted-dolls/

World’s most haunted doll lives in Warwick | The Courier Mail

Hauntings at the Idanha Hotel

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The Idanha Hotel has a long story of being haunted. And even after it was renovated to apartment buildings, the stories about the misty apparition, the elevator with a will of its own, and whispering voices in the halls still happens in the building. 

The old hotel in downtown Boise, Idaho is a historic hotel that was built in 1901 with a long and supposedly bloody history that is still being told in the corridors and whispered about inside the apartments. 

Today the old French-chateau style building has been converted to apartments, but until its renovation it was used as a hotel and restaurant that caters to wealthy people from all over the country as it was considered to be the hotel in Boise as a stop on the Oregon trail or just to have some fun downtown. 

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During the renovation to make it from a hotel to an apartment complex, the workers reported on strange things happening around them as they worked. Lights turn on and off without someone there as moaning sounds from certain places in the building can be heard without no one there. There is also a strange gray misty apparition that has been spotted without a good explanation. 

There are numerous reported sightings about the building and residents in the apartment building have connected their strange experiences to certain stories, where some of the stories they experienced supposedly made them so scared they moved out. 

Haunting on the Upper Levels

Not all hauntings stay as just a misty apparition in the corner of the eye or a sound that you may or may not hear. There have also been reports about something sinister going on in the upper floors. People have said that a certain something pulls them out of their beds. But for whatever reason or what it can be is still to be found out. 

One of the ghosts that are supposedly haunting the building is a bellboy that worked there in the 1970s. He was shot dead by a guest at work and has been to blame for the elevator malfunctioning. He is known to move the elevator up and down without any people going, especially to the fourth floor where he was reportedly killed. 

Some residents have also claimed to have seen his ghost peeking around the corners of the building. Hard evidence that this ever happened has not surfaced though and the story usually ends in its own rumor. 

Hauntings at the Lower Levels

On the second floor there is a story of a woman that was murdered by her husband in the 1920s. She was reportedly murdered with a pair of scissors and now is said to roam the halls. There are many stories of residents hearing, talking and walking outside their doors, but when they open, there is no one there. 

In the basement there is also a legend that is told again and again. It is said a woman was killed and buried there. She still lingers there as her body is buried underneath the building as well according to the legend. There have never been found a body under the basement floor however that has been revealed to the public, and the story is just that for the moment – a story.

The Future for the Old Idanha Hotel

The building is considered to be one of the landmarks of downtown Boise and is beloved because of the fine architecture and local stories. The apartments have residents that stay for decades and it is a very difficult place to get into apparently. 

But there are also stories that tell something else. Although a much sought after place to stay, some of the strange encounters the residents have experienced have supposedly made them so scared that they decided to move out, unable to stay in the haunted space for long. 

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These 9 Haunted Hotels In Idaho Will Make Your Stay A Nightmare

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Idanha Hotel | Haunted Places | Boise, ID 83702

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The Joelma Building and the Ghosts of the 13 Souls

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In the 70s, a deadly fire broke out at the Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brasil, killing many people. Later, the building is reported haunted, and the ghosts of the victims are crying for help from beyond the grave.

In downtown São Paulo in the southeast region in Brazil, a building stands that were the site of one of the most horrific fires that the world ever saw. Today the building has been renamed and is called Edifício Praça da Bandeira, but it is probably most known by its former name, the Joelma Building. 

The 25-story Joelma Building is famous because of a fire that started in the building in 1974 that took the life of at least 179 people, and is the world’s worst skyscraper fire in history besides the World Trade Center fire by death toll. 

The Death Fire of the Joelma Building

On a Friday the 1. February at Avenida 9 de Julho, 225, an air conditioning overheated on the twelfth floor in the morning. The building was used as an office building so at this particular time, the working day had started. The banking company Banco Crefisul S/A that worked in the building had 756 employees present.

The Fire: Although the Joelma Building didn’t collapse, the whole building was swallowed by the flames.

The Joelma Building was a brand new building and completed in 1971 and it shouldn’t have any old or rusty things that would malfunction like this. The reason why the air conditioning overheated was that it used the wrong plug that it needed. Also, the materials that had been used to build the interior of wood, the fabrics and such were very flammable, and in no less than 20 minutes, the entire building was engulfed in flames that trapped the people inside. 

There were no emergency lights, fire exits or fire sprinkler systems that would help the people trapped by the fire and smoke inside, and after the tragedy, it put a new focus of how important standard things like this was in a building. But for those trapped inside of the fiery hell, it was all too late.

There was a chain of events that led to the big catastrophe the death fire turned out to be. The firefighters came only 20 minutes after the fire started, but didn’t have proper equipment with them to put out the flames in the tall building. The ladders they had could only reach up to 14 floors of the building with 25 floors, and those above were left to their own devices.

The fire in the Joelma Building turned into a battle of survival. They tried to rescue the people on the upper floors by helicopter as well, but didn’t manage to get close enough to get them safely out.

By the time the fire was extinguished, over 300 people were injured, and they estimate that between 179 to 189 people had lost their lives. 

The 13 Souls in the Elevator

40 people tried to jump out of the Joelma Building when they realized they wouldn’t manage to get down on the lower floors. Of these jumper there were none survivors because of the height of the building. The only way to escape was by getting down to the lower floors, but with no emergency exits, the people inside found themselves trapped. 

13 people tried to escape by using the elevators of the building that was at the time still working. Although not recommended to use under fire, they were desperate enough to try to escape. The plan didn’t work though and the elevator stopped on its way down and trapped them inside where they died of suffocation as the flames were closing in on them.

The bodies were badly hurt by the fire and it even took time to make the carnage of huddled corpses into 13 individuals. They never managed to identify the 13 souls and today they are buried in anonymous graves at the Vila Alpina Cemetery. 

Haunting the Cemetery

These 13 souls have since been suspected of still lingering in this world as ghosts. At the site of the mass grave of the 13 unidentified bodies there were reports of moaning and cries for help for those that in their dying moment, never got rescued. 

The Thirteen Unknown Graves: The graves of the 13 souls that were never identified in the Joelma Building fire. Visitors comes and puts glasses of water for them. // Photo: Wikimedia

The cemetery caretaker at the time, Luiz Nunez was so bothered by this and became desperate to stop the noise of their cries and poured water over the graves. This act of extinguishing an eternal fire he meant helped to quiet them, at least for one day. 

From that day, visitors started leaving a glass of water on the grave instead of the usual flowers. 

The Haunting at the Joelma Building

Back at the building where this tragedy happened, the reports of the paranormal continue to this day as well. People experienced strange phenomena where the cars in the parking lot outside of the Joelma Building would suddenly start blinking with their lights without anyone turning them on, and the inside of the building was also haunted. 

It is said that every floor above the 15th floor is haunted, where the firefighters ladders didn’t reach. People keep seeing shadows in the stairways and experience malfunctioning elevators. Fire alarms going off with no fire is also some of the activity that is apparently going on there. 

Curiously enough It is not the only tragedy that happened on the site of where the building stands either. And the place where the building was built has been called cursed land because of its history.

Cursed Land

In 1948, a chemistry professor named Paulo Camargo lived in a house at the same place where the Joelma Building would be built with his mother and two sisters. They had a lot of illness in their family that took a lot of energy for Camargo that had to take care of them by himself. It didn’t get better when Camargo found a girlfriend named Isaltina dos Amaros that his mother didn’t approve of. 

It all ended with Camargo killing his entire family by shooting them and throwing them down a well. They never really found a clear motive as to why he ended up doing what he did. And they never got a chance to dig further either. When the police came and discovered the well, Camargo killed himself with the very gun he had used on his family.  

When they built the Joelma building it is said they changed the entrance so the address wouldn’t be the same as the murderers. But the place was still the same and some even called it cursed land because of the place.

Even before the gruesome murders in 1948, the place was believed to be a ‘pelourinho’, a public place were they would take slaves and criminals. They would tie them up and torture them, and at times, also kill them for the public up to the abolition of slavery in 1888.  

Purified by a Buddhist Monk

Today the Joelma Building is once again renamed and something stands on the top of a past buried tragedy. After the fire the Joelma Building closed for 4 years for reconstruction. It was renamed Edifício Praça da Bandeira after it opened again to rid itself of its past. But there are some things you just can’t bury. 

In 2004, they were doing work on the building, but the owners was met with hesitant workers, not wanting to be there at all because of its haunted history. Many wouldn’t step into the new building until it was blessed by a Buddhist monk. The monk that did the blessing said in interviews that she had purified the place and deemed it safe for the living. The Buddhist monk also said that she could do nothing about the ghosts on the upper floors, and that they still lingered.

But is it enough to ward off another tragedy to have a monk purify the place? Is the supposedly cursed land clean and cured? Or was it just a coincidence that they happened on the same land as the past atrocities? 

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The Ghosts From Security Prison 21 in Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

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Cambodia is a land with a lot of hauntings. One of them being in the old prison known as Tuol Sleng or Security Prison 21 where almost 20 000 people were tortured and killed during the Cambodian Genocide. And even today, the building is known for its ghosts. 

In Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum that used to be a prison, some of the prisoners were never really freed. Even in their deaths, their souls lingers in what used to be their own prison cells. However, they have now people taking care of them. 

The people working in the former prison now turned into a museum are well aware of the past and try their best to honor the building’s gruesome history. There are many occurrences that are being reported on that the museum’s staff cannot explain. Objects are being thrown hard to the floor and high pitched screaming has been heard.

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The staff working there also leave out food for the ghosts when they go on lunch break as they can’t enjoy their own lunch because of the loud noises the ghosts will make when they don’t leave an offering. 

The Cambodian Genocide

To understand the hauntings of this museum, we must first understand a little bit of Cambodia’s dark past and how so many could die in a place like Tuol Sleng. 

After years of devastating civil war, Cambodia had already seen its fair share of bloodshed. But the worst was still ahead of them and from 1975 to 1979, Cambodia went through a systematic killing, later known as the Cambodian Genocide which killed nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population at the time. The exact death toll is uncertain, but it ranges from everything from 1.5 to 2 million people. 

The genocide was done by the Khmer Rouge, a popular name given to the communist party called Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), led by Pol Pot who wanted to ‘cleanse’ the population in order to establish a pure, self-sufficient communist state. 

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum: Known as Security Prison 21 or S-21 during its time of torture and killings where thousands of Cambodians died. Here is one of the buildings of Tuol Sleng in 2013 // Photo: Dudva/Wikimedia

The Story of the Prison Turned Museum

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (សារមន្ទីរឧក្រិដ្ឋកម្មប្រល័យពូជសាសន៍ទួលស្លែង) literally means, ‘Hill of the Poisonous Trees’. It used to be a secondary school in the capital Phnom Penh until the Khmer Rouge regime took over and used it as a prison during the genocide. 

Prison Cells: The former school turned the classrooms into prison cells the museum has kept intact to this day.// Photo: Gerd Eichmann/Wikimedia

Known as Security Prison 21(មន្ទីរស-២១) or S-21, it converted the classrooms to prison cells and torture chambers in 1976. It is estimated that over 18 000 were killed in the S-21, including children. Of course, this is an estimate since the real numbers are uncertain and could also be much higher. Only 12 former inmates survived from the prison. 

When the prisoners arrived at S-21 they were photographed, forced to undress and had their personal belongings confiscated. Many of the prisoners didn’t even know why they were taken. There would often be nonsensical reasons like wearing glasses or speaking multiple languages, a sign of being an intellectual that could potentially speak against the communist regime.

Also religious, ethnic and political reasons were why you were being singled out as a potential threat to the regime. Often whole families would be taken at the same time so that no one would be able to seek revenge for them. Pol Pot said himself: “if you want to kill the grass, you also have to kill the roots”

After a grueling questioning to make them give up information, they were taken to their cells. Some were shackled to the floor in small prison cells, others were shackled together with others in large rooms. One of the common hauntings people report on is the sound of shackles rattling from the cells. The prisoners were forbidden to talk to each other and had to follow the rest of the rules. Any action, just sitting up or turning over had to be approved by the Khmer Rouge guards, and they would be severely punished if they broke the rules. 

The goal was to get the prisoners to confess before executing them. Either that they themselves were betraying the party and the revolution, or give up names of those that did. They got the prisoners to confess to anything by the use of torture and submersion in water, electric shock or being hanged from the gallows by their hand until unconscious were some of the methods. Once they got a signed confession, they had to face their execution. 

The Killing Fields

The prisoners were killed on site at first, but then they also started to execute at what would be known as the killing field outside of the city known as Choeung Ek. The prisoners often had to dig their own graves before being killed. 

These fields have numerous stories of being haunted themselves. In the field in Choeung Ek, a site with mass graves where many graves are visible above the ground. During rainfalls, bones and clothes surface from the shallow graves.

This relentless killing and torture lasted for many years. The prison closed down in 1979 when the Vietnamese army invaded and ended the rule for the Khmer Rouge. And ever since then, Cambodia has tried to rebuild the country, piece by piece.

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Security Prison 21 never returned to being a school for children. It was instead turned into a memorial and a museum that would remember and showcase the atrocities that the people suffered during those years.   

From 1979 until 2002, they displayed a huge map of Cambodia made up of 300 skulls of victims to the regime. It was displayed to show the brutality of the regime until it was dismantled to give the skulls a proper burial at last. 

But did it also bury the rumors of the prison being haunted?

The Haunting at the Museum Today

From the outside rumors about a haunting of ghosts started spreading. Neighbors claimed to hear the rattling of shackles and terrified screams from inside the former prison. Also from within the museum, countless reports of something paranormal going on started to spread. Many of the staff at the museum claim to have witnessed the hauntings, both cleaners, guides and the security guards, especially those working the night shifts. 

Map of Skulls: This is the infamous skull map that was on display in the former S-21 prison camp at Tuol Sleng in January 1997 // Photo

“There was one night that I woke up to go to the bathroom when I saw a black figure bending towards me, and that made my hair stand on end. I was very frightened; I climbed back into my bed and waited until the morning to tell my colleagues,” Nong Saveoun, a security guard who both worked and lived at the genocide museum said to the Phnom Penh Post back in 2016.

There is also a story about a security guard that heard the shower start running after he saw a dark figure opening the toilet door. When he went to investigate, there was no one there. 

Three times a year they hold blessing ceremonies at the Tuol Sleng museum where they invite both government officials and monks to give a prayer to the victims on the Khmer new year, the Pchum Ben festival and on Visak Bochea Day. Perhaps that is the way to appease the soul and finally free the ghostly prisoners from their cells and their shackles to this world. 

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References

Featured Image: Pete Stewart/Wikimedia

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum – Wikipedia

History of the Museum

The 10 Most Haunted Places on Earth – Days to Come

NST Region: Five most haunted places in Cambodia

Land prices undaunted by genocide museums’ history and hauntings | Phnom Penh Post

https://www.wired.com/2002/03/skull-map-dismantled/