Halloween 2013: A Trio Of Influential Haunted Locations

~by Marie Robinson

Behind every good ghost story there is… another ghost story! Some of the greatest spine-tingling supernatural films are tied to allegedly haunted places. It’s nearly Halloween, the perfect time to let your morbid curiosity get the best of you, so read on…


HOSPITALS OF EXORCISM

I’m sure you are all aware that William Friedkin’s 1973 classic, The Exorcist is based on the “true story” of a possessed boy. I won’t go through the whole story, it’s strewn across a thousand pages on the Internet, but I do want to highlight one of the famous haunts associated with the macabre tale.

Alexian Brothers Hospital

The boy—who to this day remains nameless—was from Maryland but moved with his parents to St. Louis to be with relatives as his affliction (believed to be demonic possession) worsened. The exorcism, performed by Father Raymond Bishop, was conducted at St. Louis University hospital (SLU), and later at the Alexian Brothers Hospital, where it ended. Father Bishop kept a detailed and disturbing diary of the events that passed, and hid it in a locked desk drawer in the hospital. The wing of the hospital where the exorcism was performed, and in which the diary was secured, was used for the treatment of severally mentally ill patients. The wing later had to be demolished; the demolition crew found the diary and turned it into the building administrator, and the rest is history.

Now people claim that before the wing was demolished, that infamous room held the hospital staff in terror. Claims of cold spots, screams, smells, and apparitions are told by the ear-full; but alas, now the old hospital has been turned into apartments. Even so, it is a proud bit of haunted history from my hometown, and it doesn’t make it any less fun to drive your out-of-town friends by the spot, point, and say, “That’s where it happened!”

The Stanley Hotel

THE STANLEY HOTEL 

This enormous luxury hotel in Estes Park, Colorado was the inspiration for Stephen King’s 1977 novel The Shining. Why? Because King, himself, had several ghostly experiences there!

When the famous author stayed there with his wife, they were given room 217. Change the one to a three and you’ve got the scariest room in the Overlook Hotel. It is claimed that King and his wife set down their bags in the room and left the better part of an hour. When they returned, their clothes were put neatly away and their luggage stacked in the closet.

The most haunted floor in the Stanley is the fourth floor. It is there that several ghost children, particularly a girl and boy who are often seen together, play up and down the halls. Stephen King allegedly saw the wee spectres, providing the inspiration for the creepiest set of twins in movie history. Sometimes a red ball is found rolling down the hall, as if it was being tossed between two children.

Another ghost is that of a homeless woman who sought shelter under the concert hall, but froze to death. Now she is seen and heard around the area where she died, looking for warmth. The original owner, Mrs. Stanley can sometimes be heard playing the piano. Apparently it is difficult for housekeepers to keep the rooms clean, as unseen entities are constantly going in after them and tossing lamps to the floor and yanking pictures off the walls.

So far the elevators have not erupted with blood and the topiary animals have not come to life, so if you choose to visit the Stanley Hotel you should only have some slight spiritual disturbances. Unless, of course, they decide to dig up their pet cemetery.

THE YANKEE PEDLAR INN 

Why are hotels so creepy? You can’t claim that the movies made them creepy, because the ghost stories existed before the films did! Torrington, Connecticut hotel Yankee Pedlar Inn is not only one of the oldest running hotels in the state, but it is also the setting of horror director Ti West’s spooky 2011 film The Innkeepers. Shot on location, West and his cast members had a few off-book experiences.

West became interested in the supposedly haunted inn (West, himself, is a skeptic), and was even spoon-fed a good many by one of the inn’s night clerks, Luke Edwards, who would become a model for West’s character—Luke (Pat Healy). The cast and crew slept at the Yankee Pedlar while filming, and they admitted to be unsettled by their set.

Yankee Pedlar Inn

The Yankee Pedlar was originally the Conley Inn, opened in 1891 by Irish immigrants Frank and Alice Conley. After their death, the hotel changed ownership several times, and it wasn’t dubbed “the Yankee Pedlar” until 1956. The Innkeepers star ghost, Madeline O’Malley was inspired by the rumored lingering spirit of Alice Conley, who died in room 353 (although not by any gruesome means). Mrs. Conley is said to set her favorite chair a-rocking, and Mr. Conley has been reportedly seen in the inn’s pub (where else would a dead Irishman go?).

Bizarre dreams are another common experience when staying overnight at the Yankee Pedlar Inn; even Ti West was afflicted. If you decide to stay there, I think your safest bet is to stay out of the basement!

WiHM: Our Favorite Female Roles In Horror, Day 4

Two of the finest performances in horror are in the spotlight today.  Tell us if you agree.

Christine's pick:

Ellen Burstyn  - The Exorcist

When Academy Award winning actress Ellen Burstyn took the role in The Exorcist, anyone doubting the film's legitimacy and quality no doubt squashed that apprehension immediately. 

Her talent as an actress was already proven, so as Chris McNeill- the mother of a young daughter who may or may not be possessed by the devil - she was an excellent choice to make the film an even more veritable hit.

Normally, Linda Blair is the first actor people think of in The Exorcist.  But as good as Blair was as Regan, Burstyn was equally as commendable as her mother.  She brought a deep-seeded emotion to the part that would have been hard to come by if an unknown actress had been cast in the role.

I'm pretty sure everyone knows the story here.  Popular actress Chris McNeill is working in Georgetown and lives with her daughter Regan - who loves horses and apparently playing with Ouija boards by herself. Hmm.

When Regan starts exhibiting bizarre symptoms (like cursing and peeing on the floor in front of a room full of guests), Chris takes her to a doctor and has several series of tests run.  Nothing turns up from the tests and things get worse. So much worse that Burt Dennings, Chris's film director, is thrown out a window by Regan in one of her super-human strength episodes in which the bed shakes, the room is freezing, and Regan swears like a truck driver. 

At this point Chris is at her wits end and goes to a priest for help. And so begins the exorcism, and the horrific hours spent trying to release the demon (who claims to be the devil himself) testing everyone's last nerve, most of all Chris.  What she goes through is something that no mother should ever have to deal with - and let's face it, no one does.

For a fictional character, Burstyn brings a realism to the character that is so credible - so human - that we feel every emotion she is going through as she fears for her daughter's very life. It's such an impressive performance that it was a no-brainer when she was again nominated for an Oscar (as well as a Golden Globe) for Best Actress for the role. And it remains one of my favorite performances in horror to this day.

Marie's pick:

Sissy Spacek  - Carrie

The upcoming remake’s tagline boasts, “You will know her name.” But hopefully, you already do—Carrie White.

Carrie, of course, started out as the 1974 novel by Stephen King and has gone on to have not one, but three screen adaptations, come this October. For me, I’m pretty sure there will always be just one, and that is the 1976 version brought to us by director Brian De Palma and starring the one and only Sissy Spacek.

Carrie White is a teenage girl who has just as much trouble fitting in as she does fading into the crowd. She is strange, shy, and extremely sheltered. The memorable opening scene is of gratuitous nude girls in the school locker room. Carrie White is crumpled in the corner of the shower, shrieking, her hands covered in blood. She is frightened and confused because her overprotective Christian mother didn’t inform her daughter that she would one day menstruate. Her all too understanding peers help her out by pelting her with pads and tampons—and that is just a dose of what Carrie White goes through on a daily basis.

Whether it is at home or at school, her life is miserable. Her mother (Piper Laurie) constantly ridicules Carrie and punishes her by locking her in a closet filled with creepy crucified dolls. Another reason Carrie struggles to relate to the rest of her class (as if she needs any more) is the fact that puberty has blessed her with telekinesis.

Unbelievably, Sissy Spacek was 27 when played the role of teenage Carrie White, and had to do much persuading with the director to allow her the part. In the end, it seems she was the perfect choice; she captures awkward and often heartbreaking adolescence with perfection and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.

 It is hard for us to really, completely sympathize with Carrie, however, because, well, she is a weird girl. We all knew a girl like Carrie White in our school, and we all most assuredly said some awful things about her. I find it hard to consider Carrie a protagonist either, for she is driven by humiliation and madness to do some horrible, horrible things.

One reason I am angry at the casting of Chloe Grace Moretz in the upcoming remake is that I find it hard to believe that a girl like her could ever get picked on to the extent that her character does, whereas Sissy Spacek was (no offense) a weird looking girl. But alas, in this day and age it seems everyone is getting picked on. Maybe I should give Chloe a chance… NO, I REFUSE!

Every high school student faces some degree of ridicule, but Carrie is downright tormented. But the final prank is when a group of “popular” kids convince pretty boy Tommy (William Katt) to ask Carrie out to the prom and then humiliate her. What unfolds is a prom night to remember (if you survive) and one stellar, iconic performance from Sissy Spacek.