Haunted house

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about literal haunted houses. For simulated haunted houses, see Haunted attraction (simulated).
For other uses, see Haunted house (disambiguation).
The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not
represent a worldwide view of the subject. lease improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk
page. (July 2013)
The Winchester !ystery House is reported to be haunted.
" haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the
deceased #ho may have been former residents or #ere familiar #ith the property. arapsychologists attribute
haunting to the spirits of the dead and the effect of violent or tragic events in the building$s past such as murder,
accidental death, or suicide.
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!ore scientific explanations for the perception that a house is haunted include
misinterpreting noises naturally present in structures, #aking dreams, suggestibility, and the effect of toxic
substances in environments that can cause hallucinations.
(n a )**+ ,allup poll, -. percent of "mericans, )/ percent of 0anadians, and 1* percent of 2ritons expressed
the belief that houses could be 3haunted3.
%)'%-'
Contents
& ossible causes
) 0ommercial haunted houses
- 4egal aspects
1 5hort stories and novels
+ Films
6 5ee also
. 7eferences
/ 8xternal links
Possible causes
"ccording to science #riter Terence Hines, cold spots, creaking sounds, and odd noises are typically present in
any home, especially older ones, and 3such noises can easily be mistaken for the sound of footsteps by those
inclined to imagine the presence of a deceased tenant in their home.3
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9avid Turner, a retired physical chemist, suggested that ball lightning could cause inanimate ob:ects to move
erratically.
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5keptical investigator ;oe <ickell #rites that in most cases he investigated, he found plausible explanations for
haunting phenomena, such as physical illusions, #aking dreams, and the effects of memory. "ccording to
<ickell, the po#er of suggestion along #ith confirmation bias plays a large role in perceived hauntings. 3"s a
house, inn, or other place becomes thought of as =haunted,> more and more ghostly encounters are reported3
says <ickell, 3When people are given to expect paranormal events, they tend to notice those conditions that
#ould confirm their expectations.3
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Toxicologist "lbert 9onnay believes that chronic exposure to substances such as carbon monoxide, pesticide,
and formaldehyde can lead to hallucinations of the type associated #ith haunted houses. 9onnay speculates on
the connection bet#een the prevalence of gas lamps during the ?ictorian era and start of the )*th century
stories of ghost sightings and hauntings, describing it as the 3Haunted House 5yndrome3.
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9onnay says that
carbon monoxide poisoning has been linked to haunted houses since at least the &@)*s, citing a &@)& :ournal
article published about a family #ho suffered headaches, auditory hallucinations, fatigue, melancholy, and other
symptoms associated #ith haunted houses.
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!ichael ersinger, ;ason 2raithe#aite, and others, suggested that perceived apparitions, cold spots, and ghostly
touches are perceptual anomalies caused by variations in naturally occurring or manAmade magnetic fields.
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Ho#ever, a study by psychologist 0hris French and others that attempted to replicate ersinger$s findings found
no link.
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Commercial haunted houses
Further informationB Haunted attraction (simulated)
The concept of the haunted house #as capitaliCed on and commercial haunted houses sprung up all over the
country
%where?'
. "n estimated -,+** to +,*** professional haunted attractions operate in the Dnited 5tates.
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(n
addition, around the time of Hallo#tide, many 0hristian churches run a type of haunted house kno#n as a hell
house, #hich #hile being a haunted house, also promotes their interpretation of the 0hristian gospel message.
"ccording to USA Today, in hell houses, 3participants #alk through several $scenes$ depicting the conseEuences
of things like abortion, homosexuality and drunkenness.3
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Legal aspects
(n the case Stambovsky v. Ackley, the 5upreme 0ourt of <e# Fork, "ppellate 9ivision ruled in &@@& that a
seller must disclose that a house has a reputation for being haunted #hen there is a fiduciary relationship or in
cases of fraud or misrepresentation,
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because such a reputation impairs the value of the houseB
(n the case at bar, defendant seller deliberately fostered the public belief that her home #as possessed. Having
undertaken to inform the public at large, to #hom she has no legal relationship, about the supernatural
occurrences on her property, she may be said to o#e no less a duty to her contract vendee.
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Short stories and novels
4egends about haunted houses have long appeared in literature. The earliest surviving report of a haunted house
comes from a letter #ritten by liny the Founger (6& G c. &&)) to his patron 4ucias 5ura, in #hich he describes
a haunted villa in "thens.
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<obody #ould live in the house until the philosopher "thenodorus arrived in the
city, and tempted by the lo# rent moved into the villa. The ghost, an old man bound #ith chains, appeared to
"thenodrus during the first night, and beckoned the philosopher him. The apparition vanished once it reached
the courtyard, and "thenodrus carefully marked the spot. The follo#ing morning he reEuested the magistrate to
have the spot dug up, #here the skeleton of an old man bound #ith chains #as discovered. The ghost never
appeared again after the skeleton #as given a proper burial.
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5tories of haunted houses are also included in the Araba! "#hts, as in the tale of 3"li the 0airene and the
Haunted House in 2aghdad3H
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more modern authors from Henry ;ames to 5tephen Iing have also featured
them in their #ritings.
Haunting is used as a plot device in gothic or horror fiction or, more lately, paranormalAbased fictionH haunted
castles and mansions are common in gothic literature such as 9racula. <otable #orks of fiction featuring
haunted houses includeB
The $astle o% &tra!to (&.61) by Horace Walpole
The 'ysteres o% Udol(ho (&.@1) by "nn 7adcliffe
3The Fall of the House of Dsher3 (&/1+) by 8dgar "llan oe
The )ouse o% the Seve! *ables (&/+&) by <athaniel Ha#thorne
The Tur! o% the Screw (&/@/) by Henry ;ames
The )ouse o! the +orderla!d (&@*/) by William Hope Hodgson
3The 7ats in the Walls3 (&@)1) by H. . 4ovecraft
The )au!t!# o% )ll )ouse (&@+@) by 5hirley ;ackson
)ell )ouse (&@.&) by 7ichard !atheson
The )ouse wth a $lock ! ,ts -alls (&@.-) by ;ohn 2ellairs
.Salem.s /ot (&@.+) by 5tephen Iing
The Sh!!# (&@..) by 5tephen Iing
The Amtyvlle )orror (&@..) by ;ay "nson
The -oma! ! +lack (&@/-) by 5usan Hill
0raw!# +lood (&@@-) by oppy 2rite
Slk (&@@/) by 0aitlin 7. Iiernan
)ouse o% /eaves ()***) by !ark J. 9aniele#ski
The 0ary o% 1lle! 2mbauer3 'y /%e at 2ose 2ed ()**&) by 7idley earson
The /ttle Stra!#er ()**@) by 5arah Waters
The 2ed Tree ()**@) by 0aitlin 7. Iiernan
Films
The )au!ted )ouse (&@&))
The *host +reaker (&@&1)
The )au!ted )ouse (&@&.)
The )au!ted )ouse (&@)&)
The *host +reaker (&@)))
The 'o!ster (&@)+)
The $at a!d the $a!ary (&@).)
/o!do! A%ter 'd!#ht (&@).)
The Terror (&@)/)
Seve! 4oot(r!ts to Sata! (&@)@)
The $at $ree(s (&@-*)
The *host *oes -est (&@-6)
/o!esome *hosts (&@-.)
The $at a!d the $a!ary (&@-@)
The *host +reakers (&@1*)
)old That *host (&@1&)
The $a!tervlle *host (&@11)
The U!!vted (&@11)
The Tme o% Ther /ves (&@16)
The *host a!d 'rs. 'ur (&@1.)
Scared St%% (&@+-)
)ouse o! )au!ted )ll (&@+@)
13 *hosts (&@6*)
The ,!!oce!ts (&@6&)
The )au!t!# (&@6-)
+hoot +u!#la +ollywood %lm(&@6+)
The *host a!d 'r. $hcke! (&@66)
The )ouse That 0r((ed +lood (&@.*)
0o!.t +e A%rad o% the 0ark (&@.-)
The /e#e!d o% )ell )ouse (&@.-)
The 2ocky )orror 5cture Show (&@.+)
+ur!t &%%er!#s (&@.6)
The Amtyvlle )orror (&@.@)
,!%er!o (&@/*)
The Sh!!# (&@/*)
The $ha!#el!# (&@/*)
The 1!tty (&@/&)
The 1vl 0ead (&@/&)
5olter#est (&@/))
*hostbusters (&@/1)
)ouse (&@/6)
1vl 0ead ,, (&@/.)
+eetle6uce (&@//)
"#ht o% the 0emo!s (aka )allowee! 5arty) (&@//)
Sweet )ome (&@/@)
5athmoo!am "umber 7eedu (&@@*) 8ollywood %lm
The 5eo(le U!der the Stars (&@@&)
$as(er (&@@+)
)au!ted (&@@+)
Tower o% Terror (&@@.)
*hosts (&@@.)
)ouse o! )au!ted )ll (remake) (&@@@)
The )au!t!# (remake) (&@@@)
Thrtee! *hosts (remake) ()**&)
The &thers ()**&)
The 0evl.s +ackbo!e ()**&)
2ose 2ed ()**))
0ark!ess ()**))
Ju9o!3 The *rud#e ()**))
The )au!ted 'a!so! ()**-)
The *rud#e ()**1)
The Amtyvlle )orror (remake) ()**+)
)ouse &% -a: ()**+)
The *rud#e 2 ()**6)
'o!ster )ouse ()**6)
A! Amerca! )au!t!# ()**6)
,! a 0ark 5lace ()**6)
Stay Alve ()**6)
2etur! to )ouse o! )au!ted )ll ()**6)
The 'esse!#ers ()**.)
The &r(ha!a#e ()**.)
1;0< ()**.)
5ara!ormal Actvty ()**.)
1=20 ()**/) (2olly#ood)
5ara!ormal 1!tty ()**/)
The )au!t!# ! $o!!ectcut ()**@)
0eadl!e ()**@)
5ara!ormal Actvty 2 ()*&*)
)au!ted > 30 ()*&&) +ollywood %lm
5ara!ormal Actvty 3 ()*&&)
0o!.t +e A%rad o% the 0ark (remake) ()*&&)
The ,!!kee(ers ()*&&)
5ara!ormal Actvty ; ()*&))
The -oma! ,! +lack ()*&))
The $o!6ur!# ()*&-)
2a#! ''S 2 ()*&1) +ollywood %lm
5ara!ormal Actvty3 The 'arked &!es ()*&1)