I love a good ghost story. Just ask Patrick Bernauw, and he can attest to how much I love reading his spooky tales. The idea of another world beyond our comprehension, not only serves as a reminder of what we can’t understand, but also is meant to freak the pants off of us.

Imagine being a family who moves their children closer to the hospital where the oldest needs cancer treatment. You don’t have much money, so you buy a house within your means. However, there is a catch. The house once served as a mortuary, and God only knows how many dead souls once found their way to this home. Dozens, perhaps hundreds.

Such is the story of the Parker family who moved to what they believed was a quaint, picturesque home in Connecticut in 1986. The basement, which was the mortuary, was converted into a bedroom for two of the four children. It even came complete with a mortuary slab. As if that wasn’t creepy enough, Paul, the oldest, begins to see disturbing visions that begin to plague him day and night.

Unexplainable figures became known to Paul, and in particular, the menacing man with menacing eyes. He begins to hear voices and pleads with his parents that something is wrong within the home. Then the other children began to see the others… Believing that Paul was influencing his siblings, his parents chastised him. What was going on?

As time passed, Paul became increasingly more withdrawn and eventually wanted the basement to himself. His parents began to think that Paul was possibly hallucinating. But they had enough when he attacked his cousin. Fed up, the parents had Paul put away in a psychiatric ward. It was then that the demons who plagued the house would make themselves known to the other family members. The dead wanted to play.

Karen (the mother) and Paul’s cousin (Theresa) began to be attacked by unseen hands. They couldn’t see what was attacking them, but they knew something was not right. Theresa had been given a crucifex by Karen, only to have it ripped off her neck. They eventually had the house exorcised and even had a demonologist, and a paranormal team study their home and events. There was something definitely evil about the home.

During the exorcism, Karen was pushed, and Theresa began to be choked by unseen hands. The spirits became angered and began to throw objects about the room. But whatever had haunted the family, disappeared as quickly as they had manifested.

Image via Wikipedia

Despite the house being cleansed of “demons,” the family decided to move shortly after the events that had taken place. They had enough.

While a movie will be out based on the events of the Parker’s haunting, The Haunting in Connecticut, there is a book loosely based on their story by Ray Garton (In a Dark Place: The Story Of A True Haunting). I find that using one’s imagination is a far better mind-trip than cheesy movie effects. So if you’re up for a good scare, I suggest reading the book.

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