Happy Friday the 13th! In the spirit of today, I have decided to drag a little Halloween into February! I have developed a new obsession this year for horror movies and stories! Here's a list of my top 5 favorite scary stories! Most of them are considered "true" and have kept me up at night at least once before. If you are a bit squeamish around haunted things, this post isn't for you! Check out today's funny video instead, or wait until my Valentine's Day post tomorrow!
And, without further ado...
And, without further ado...
5. The Hands Resist Him Painting
The Hands Resist Him was painted by Bill Stoneham in 1972. The painting was originally made to symbolize the line between dreams and reality. The doll is there to guide the boy through the divide. However, in 2000 it took on an entirely different meaning after being put for sale on eBay. The owner of the painting had thought it was great art, but later found out that it held darkness inside it. Their daughter saw the children in the painting fighting and coming into the room They set up a motion camera on the painting and saw that the boy would leave the painting under threat. They quickly decided that the painting had to go. Read more about it here (includes close up pictures).
The Hands Resist Him was painted by Bill Stoneham in 1972. The painting was originally made to symbolize the line between dreams and reality. The doll is there to guide the boy through the divide. However, in 2000 it took on an entirely different meaning after being put for sale on eBay. The owner of the painting had thought it was great art, but later found out that it held darkness inside it. Their daughter saw the children in the painting fighting and coming into the room They set up a motion camera on the painting and saw that the boy would leave the painting under threat. They quickly decided that the painting had to go. Read more about it here (includes close up pictures).
4. The Crying Boy Painting
The painting was by a Spanish artist using an orphan boy as his subject. The artist's studio burnt down about when the painting was released and the boy was killed later in a car crash. People believe that the boy's spirit is trapped in the painting. Unfortunately, The Crying Boy was mass-produced and many people had them in their homes. On September 1985, "The Sun" ran a story that claimed that it was cursed. The Crying Boy was commonly found in the ashes of burnt down houses. In every case, the picture was entirely unscathed. The curse only worked if the owner of the painting knew about the curse. After the article was published, those who ignored the warning later found their houses ablaze. Read about the many specific cases of burnt down houses with the painting here.
The painting was by a Spanish artist using an orphan boy as his subject. The artist's studio burnt down about when the painting was released and the boy was killed later in a car crash. People believe that the boy's spirit is trapped in the painting. Unfortunately, The Crying Boy was mass-produced and many people had them in their homes. On September 1985, "The Sun" ran a story that claimed that it was cursed. The Crying Boy was commonly found in the ashes of burnt down houses. In every case, the picture was entirely unscathed. The curse only worked if the owner of the painting knew about the curse. After the article was published, those who ignored the warning later found their houses ablaze. Read about the many specific cases of burnt down houses with the painting here.
3. Edward Mordrake
Edward Mordrake was born in England, the heir of one of the noblest families in England. He was a scholar, a musician, and pretty handsome. That is, when viewed from the front. You see, Mordrake had a strange problem, on the back of his head was a second face twisted like the devil. The face was more than just a deformity, it was actually alive and had its own intelligence. Its eyes would follow people and it would gibber quietly and relentlessly. According to legend, it would smile and sneer whenever Mordrake cried about it. No one ever heard the face speak, except for Edward, who swore that it would whisper horrible things to him in the dead of night. Mordrake could no longer stand it, and killed himself at the age of 23. Read more about Edward Mordrake here.
Edward Mordrake was born in England, the heir of one of the noblest families in England. He was a scholar, a musician, and pretty handsome. That is, when viewed from the front. You see, Mordrake had a strange problem, on the back of his head was a second face twisted like the devil. The face was more than just a deformity, it was actually alive and had its own intelligence. Its eyes would follow people and it would gibber quietly and relentlessly. According to legend, it would smile and sneer whenever Mordrake cried about it. No one ever heard the face speak, except for Edward, who swore that it would whisper horrible things to him in the dead of night. Mordrake could no longer stand it, and killed himself at the age of 23. Read more about Edward Mordrake here.
2. Annabelle
As many of you probably know, Annabelle's story inspired the Conjuring. Here is the real story of this haunted doll. A girl named Donna got the doll from her mother in 1970, who bought it used at a hobby store. Donna was in college and lived with her roommate Angie. At first, Annabelle didn't seem unusual at all. Then they noticed that the doll seemed to move on her own. At first she would only change position, but then the girls would come back to the room and find it in a completely different place than where they left it. Their friend Lou hated it and thought their was something wrong with it. They started finding pieces of parchment, something that they didn't have around, that had messages like "Help us" and "Help Lou" written in child's writing. One day Donna found the doll on her bed with blood on its hands. It scared her so they brought in a medium. The medium told her that a seven-year-old girl named Annabelle Higgins had been found dead on the field that Donna's apartment had been built on. She believed that the spirit latched onto the doll. She said that the doll felt safe with Donna and her roommate.
So the girls kept the doll. That is when all hell broke loose. Lou was hanging out with Dona when they heard someone moving around in Donna's room. Lou went in and saw that Annabelle was sitting in a corner. He walked towards the doll and instantly felt eyes on the back of his neck. He turned around but saw no one there. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and looked down to see bleeding claw marks on his chest. They started to heal quickly, and were gone in two days. Annabelle is now locked up in a glass case in Ed and Lorraine Warren's Spooky Museum of Trophies. Read more about Annabelle here.
As many of you probably know, Annabelle's story inspired the Conjuring. Here is the real story of this haunted doll. A girl named Donna got the doll from her mother in 1970, who bought it used at a hobby store. Donna was in college and lived with her roommate Angie. At first, Annabelle didn't seem unusual at all. Then they noticed that the doll seemed to move on her own. At first she would only change position, but then the girls would come back to the room and find it in a completely different place than where they left it. Their friend Lou hated it and thought their was something wrong with it. They started finding pieces of parchment, something that they didn't have around, that had messages like "Help us" and "Help Lou" written in child's writing. One day Donna found the doll on her bed with blood on its hands. It scared her so they brought in a medium. The medium told her that a seven-year-old girl named Annabelle Higgins had been found dead on the field that Donna's apartment had been built on. She believed that the spirit latched onto the doll. She said that the doll felt safe with Donna and her roommate.
So the girls kept the doll. That is when all hell broke loose. Lou was hanging out with Dona when they heard someone moving around in Donna's room. Lou went in and saw that Annabelle was sitting in a corner. He walked towards the doll and instantly felt eyes on the back of his neck. He turned around but saw no one there. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and looked down to see bleeding claw marks on his chest. They started to heal quickly, and were gone in two days. Annabelle is now locked up in a glass case in Ed and Lorraine Warren's Spooky Museum of Trophies. Read more about Annabelle here.
1. Robert the Haunted Doll
This story takes place in the late 1800s. Robert Otto and his family had moved in to a mansion in Key West, Florida. The Ottos often mistreated their servants, which lead to the haunting of this doll. A woman was hired to take care of the Otto's son Robert, but was fired after Mrs. Otto witnessed her practicing dark magic in the backyard. Before the woman left, she gave Robert a three-foot-high doll with human hair. Robert named the doll after himself and played with it often. Then it began to get strange. Robert decided to go by Gene, his middle name, because Robert was the doll's name, according to him. Gene would talk in a childish manner and responses could be heard in a much lower voice. Gene would become agitated on occasion and would cower in a corner while Robert perched in a chair by the bed, glaring at him. Household objects were thrown across the room, toys were mutilated, and giggling could be heard. The doll was later put in the attic. It supposedly attacked people and locked them in there with him. Now Robert is in the East Martell Museum in Key West. He is known to curse you if you take pictures of him without asking him first. Read more about him here.
This story takes place in the late 1800s. Robert Otto and his family had moved in to a mansion in Key West, Florida. The Ottos often mistreated their servants, which lead to the haunting of this doll. A woman was hired to take care of the Otto's son Robert, but was fired after Mrs. Otto witnessed her practicing dark magic in the backyard. Before the woman left, she gave Robert a three-foot-high doll with human hair. Robert named the doll after himself and played with it often. Then it began to get strange. Robert decided to go by Gene, his middle name, because Robert was the doll's name, according to him. Gene would talk in a childish manner and responses could be heard in a much lower voice. Gene would become agitated on occasion and would cower in a corner while Robert perched in a chair by the bed, glaring at him. Household objects were thrown across the room, toys were mutilated, and giggling could be heard. The doll was later put in the attic. It supposedly attacked people and locked them in there with him. Now Robert is in the East Martell Museum in Key West. He is known to curse you if you take pictures of him without asking him first. Read more about him here.
Are you spooked out now? Because I am! What are some of your favorite scary stories?