A particular faceless ghost was said to haunt the Old Waialae Drive-In Theater in Honolulu. Even after it was closed down, people have talked and whispered about the ghost that appeared in the women’s bathroom.
In vibrant Honolulu, Hawaii, at the intersection of Waialae Avenue and 21st Avenue, stood the Old Waialae Drive-In Theater—a cherished entertainment spot that opened on May 24, 1956. Operated by Royal Theatres, this outdoor cinema had a capacity of 790 cars and quickly became a popular destination for families and film enthusiasts. Its grand opening featured classics like “Elephant Walk” starring Elizabeth Taylor and James Stewart’s “The Naked Spur,” heralding a new era of leisure and entertainment in the community.
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For three decades, the Old Waialae Drive-In thrived, offering the magic of the silver screen under the Hawaiian stars. However, as the years passed, the theater began to show signs of age and, by January 1986, it played its final film, “Young Sherlock Holmes.” The beloved drive-in then closed its gates forever, making way for an upscale subdivision across from Kahala Mall. Yet, long before its demolition, the Old Waialae Drive-In was known not just for its cinematic charm but for its eerie, unexplained phenomena that haunted the premises, particularly in the women’s restroom.
Local legend tells of a ghostly presence that lurked in the ladies’ room—a faceless woman with long, flowing hair. This apparition was said to haunt the restroom stalls, creating a spine-chilling atmosphere that left many visitors unnerved. Witnesses recounted hearing frantic pounding on stall doors and seeing the spectral figure appear in the restroom mirror, her blank face a terrifying void.
Encounters with the Unknown
Stories of encounters with the faceless woman spread quickly among the patrons and employees, and it even reached the newspapers on May 19 in 1959.
A girl left her car around midnight to fix her lipstick in the restroom. She looked into the mirror and saw a figure standing behind her, describing the ghost with long hair, but having no face to look back at her. The ghost had no legs, and only a torso, floating above the ground.
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When she turned around, there was no one there. The door suddenly slammed shut and the lock turned by an unseen force. The girl, scared out of her mind, fainted and had to recover from the shock in a hospital.
This is not the only version of the story that was told during this time though. According to other sources the woman had come into the restroom and seen a woman standing in front of the mirror, combing her long hair. When she approached and said something, the woman turned to her, revealing she had no face. Also this version ended with the girl who encountered the ghost ending up in a hospital because of the shock.
The Drive-In’s Dark Legacy
The Old Waialae Drive-In’s proximity to an old cemetery only fueled the chilling tales. Some believed the faceless woman was a restless spirit from the graveyard, seeking solace or perhaps revenge. Others speculated she might be the ghost of a woman who had met a tragic end nearby and buried there, her spirit forever bound to the place of her untimely demise and the theater built on top of it. Regardless of her origin, the faceless woman’s presence was an indelible part of the theater’s lore.
Despite these ghostly encounters, the Old Waialae Drive-In remained a beloved local landmark until its closure. In fact, when the frenzy of the ghost stories spread, it was reported that people flocked to the theater, and business was booming of people trying to watch a movie as well as looking for the ghost.
But how real it was. According to Albert Silva who worked as the manager for the Drive-in, he had never heard people talk about ghosts before this happened. He also mentioned that there used to be a girl coming to the place often to play pranks on people in the restroom. Could this have been the end of it?
The Legend Resurface at Old Waialae Drive-In
It was not the end of the tales of the faceless woman in the restroom. Also in 1982 the tale started spreading again, sounding very similar to the one told in 1959. Could the ghost have made a new appearance? She was also reported to have appeared in 1992.
Added to the story from 1959, some versions tell of seeing a fireball after seeing the ghost in 1969. According to the stories it was a three-foot wide ball of fire that flew about thirty feet into the air before hurling into the screen of the Old Waialae Drive-In.
There have also been talks about her banging on the bathroom doors when people are inside and appearing almost like she is sick or drunk. Sometimes her hair is black, sometimes it’s red.
According to Glen Grant who wrote the Obake Files in 1996, there were also stories about three people that had seen her who died later, although there really aren’t any stories about the ghost actually harming them other than giving them a real fright.
Traces of the Legend other Places
So what type of ghost are we really talking about here haunting the Old Waialae Drive-In? According to Grant and many others, he draws the lines on what was told about at the Drive-In to ghost stories from Japan. There really aren’t many ghost stories involving faceless ghosts in Polynesian or Western culture, but there certainly is in Japanese folklore, and Japanese immigration to Hawaii is certainly seen in many aspects of the storytelling from the islands.
Read Also: Check also out The Haunting of Kaimuki House: A Tale of Terror and Tragedy also said to be a ghost story inspired by Japanese mythology.
Many describe the ghost in this story as a Mujina. The Mujina ghost is a well-known figure in Japanese folklore, meaning badger, often depicted as a shapeshifting spirit or yōkai capable of taking on various forms, including that of a faceless woman.
But does the Mujina type of ghost really fit though? They are certainly often used interchangeably, but are often seen as more like a creature like the Kitsune than a ghost. Although, the Mujina has tales about omitting a ghost-fire, perhaps like the fireball reported on.
Another type of ghost from Japanese folklore is the Noppera-bō, or faceless ghost, is a creature from Japanese folklore known for its eerie ability to appear human until it reveals its blank, smooth face devoid of eyes, nose, or mouth. The Noppera-bō are often referred to as a mujina by mistake. These yōkai, often encountered in deserted or secluded areas such as roadsides, forests, or quiet urban settings, typically startle their victims by first appearing as ordinary people. They might even engage in conversation before their facial features suddenly vanish, leaving a blank visage that evokes shock and terror.
The Cinema with the Same Haunted Story
In addition to the old traces of Japanese folklore, the place has an eerie resemblance to another theater where the same type of story circulated. The former East Town Theatre in Hong Kong also had a story similar to this. A girl went into the bathroom there and brushed her hair in front of the mirror. Although in this cinema, the ghost took her head off to brush the hair in the sink. Some also say the ghost was just standing there, no mention of it being faceless. According to this story though, the girl ran out from the bathroom, but fell over and died after the encounter.
To read more about this story and the other ghost stories from this place, head over to the Movie Watching Ghosts at East Town Theatre. Another detail about this haunted cinema, was that this too was rumored to be built on top of an old funeral parlor. Could the two theaters have similar stories, or perhaps been inspired by each other, despite being oceans apart?
The Legacy of the Drive-In
The haunting of the Old Waialae Drive-In Theater is still told, even after the place was torn down in 1986 and there is now a housing development of the Nohona Kahala gated community across from the Kahala Mall instead. Are there still people who claim to see the faceless woman roaming about? In November 1989, three years after the Old Waialae Drive-in had been torn down, the faceless woman appeared in the basement of a hospital in Honolulu
Is she still seen though? This once popular story seems to have died down in the last decades. Those who remember the theater can’t help but wonder about the faceless woman’s fate and whether her spirit still roams, forever tied to the memories of the old drive-in that once stood at Waialae Avenue and 21st Avenue.
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References:
Waialae Drive-In in Honolulu, HI – Cinema Treasures
Searching the Home of Mujina: For Glen Grant – Part 1
The Faceless Woman of Oahu | Monsters Here & There