Wow, man. Those spectral beings really love the Daily Mail, don’t they? Maybe we’ll make this a regular feature. Since our last edition of “A Selection of ‘Ghosts’ Currently Haunting the Daily Mail,” a huge variety of other supernatural occurrences have been reported in that venerable (HA) publication’s sensationalist pages. They’re a little more run-of-the-mill than the previous ones, but I still get a kick out them. Let’s take a look at a few, shall we?
1. Haunted Mansion That Has Witnessed TWO Mystery Deaths Goes On Sale
The emphasis on “two” is the Mail’s; apparently they wanted to drive home exactly how haunted this house is, and as we all know, there’s nothing like ALL CAPITAL LETTERS THAT LOOK LIKE YOU’RE YELLING AT YOUR READERS to get it done. Anyway, as of May 5, this “mini-mansion” in Joliet, IL is on the market for the astonishingly low price of $159,000—due, apparently, to its dark and terrifying past. Here’s what it looks like:
The house was originally built in 1882, and as you can see, it’s absolutely gorgeous; once owned by Civil War veteran and barbed wire inventor Hiram Scutt, it has been, at various times, a private home, a school for girls, and a boarding house for women. Despite its long and storied history, however, the two “mysterious deaths” touted in the Mail’s headline didn’t occur until quite recently: A man was fatally shot during a party held at the house in 2004; then, in 2007, a 29-year-old John Wilkes Booth impersonator who had just bought the house intending to turn it into a museum died suddenly and without warning. Visitors to the mansion have reported hearing voices and felt fingers running through their hair, and the “doll room” on the third is believed to be a particular hotbed for paranormal activity.
The realtor has noted, however, that the low price on the house is due to the renovation work it so badly needs, rather than due to any ghosts or spirits. She hopes whoever buys it will turn it into a bed and breakfast. If that happens, maybe we’ll have a new Haunted Road Trip location to add to our itinerary!
2. Is This Big Foot? Watch Hiker’s Footage of a ‘Sasquatch’ Climbing Up a Sheer Slope
Maybe it’s just because there are so many other, freakier cryptids out there these days, but for me, Big Foot will never cease to be hilarious. A Canadian hiker by the name of Myles Lamont allegedly shot this footage in the mountains near Squamish, British Columbia about two years ago; he uploaded it to YouTube last month, apparently only intending to share it with a few friends. “We had no intention for it to gather the interest it has,” Lamont told the Mail. “We are not claiming this to be anything other than a strange encounter.” So, y’know… at least there’s that.
What do you think? Big Foot? Or just another hiker wandering around in the Canadian wilderness?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYz9L_jl-0Q]
3. Is This a GHOST Streaking at the German Cup Final?
Again, emphasis is the Mail’s; they sure do love their capital letters. This footage was captured the DFB Cup final between BVB Dortmund and Bayern Munish towards the end of May. Note, too, that it’s the second “ghost” to have been spotted at a football match in recent months. I guess even ghosts need to keep up with their favorite sports.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbNTOMVMDDQ]
4. US Restaurant Calls in Paranormal Investigators After Eerie Human-Shaped Shadow Is Caught on Video
When Pat Orr, owner of Chuck and Edna’s Maid-Rite in Cascade, IA, spotted a human-shaped shadow on his restaurant’s security footage back in April, he did what any freaked-out person would do: He called up a local team of paranormal investigators. The Iowa City Ghost Hunters dutifully responded to the call and spent the early morning hours of one day last month conducting an investigation; additionally, they’re looking into the history of the property to see what else has been on the land. When Orr purchased the property five years ago, it was a vacant lot, although he says he recalls having seen an undated photograph once that showed an ice cream parlor located on the land.
The Iowa City Ghost Hunters haven’t shared their findings yet, so the jury’s still out on what might be going on. Orr supposes that the shadow “could have been a bug on the camera lens,” but he can’t explain some suspicious behavior involving some Styrofoam cups or a spatula. “Fortunately,” he notes, “if it’s a ghost, it’s been a friendly one so far.”
Thoughts?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnQxRu-8yn8]
5. Terrified Campers Fled Woods After Hearing Chilling Voice of Child at 1am
In what the Daily Mail is referring to as “The Real Blair Witch Project,” two women who went camping in the woods near Bristol cut their outdoor adventure short when they heard a whole bunch of weird noises—and to make matter worse, they think they might have caught a ghost on camera, too. “During the night we heard the sounds of what can be only described as people walking around,” one of the women, Lola Swan, told the Mail. “Twigs and branches were cracking and breaking, like footsteps on the forest ground.” Something also whistled at them once, a hammer went missing, and at one o’clock in the morning, they heard what sounded like a child’s voice outside their tent.
To be fair, the forest can be pretty creepy at night; what you’d take for normal woodland sounds during the day can morph into something otherworldly once the sun goes down. I’m pretty sure, though, that the “child’s voice” was a fox or something—they’re known for sounding eerily similar to crying children.
Here’s the photo they snapped. What do you think?
I’m going to go with Photoshop, but that’s just me.
In conclusion: Oh, come on, Daily Mail. If you’re going to use paranormal occurrences as regular features, you could at least put in the effort to find stories we haven’t all heard a million times before.
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