 |
| SPOOKY SILENT FILM SERIES AT WHALEY HOUSE includes John Barrymore (right) in the 1920 version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." |
GUEST BLOG—By Dean
Glass, Save Our Heritage Organisation-- Famed psychic Sybil Leek claimed to
have sensed several spirits there, and renowned ghost hunter Hanz Holzer
considered the Thomas Whaley House in the historic Old Town section of San
Diego to be “one of the most reliably haunted structures in the United States.”
This October, Save Our Heritage Organisation [SOHO] offers a
chilling experience for those who dare to visit Whaley House Halloween haunts and
events, which include:
-- Popular
ghost hunting tours with the San Diego Ghost Hunters;
-- Past
& Presence Walking Tours of three historically haunted sites including the
Whaley House;
--Silent
screen era “horror flicks” in San Diego's first commercial theater upstairs in
the Whaley House.
Whaley House Past
& Presence Ghost Tour
October 3 & 4 · 10:30pm-midnight
$25 · Ages 12 & older
Let the Past & Presence Ghost Tours be your guide to San
Diego's most haunted historic sites. Come visit the past and you might just
feel a presence as you explore some of Old Town San Diego's most haunted
locations. Truth is stranger than Fiction! Learn the fascinating true stories
of each of these historic sites and of the real people who inhabited them, and
hear the legendary ghost stories that surround them. This unforgettable and
entertaining excursion includes an exclusive after-hours tour inside the Adobe
Chapel, El Campo Santo Cemetery and, of course, "the most haunted house in
America" the Whaley House.
Film Schedule:
Silent Screams at the
Whaley House
Horror and suspense classics of the Silent Era screened in
San Diego's oldest theatre.
October 1, 8, 15, & 22 · 6:30pm & 8:30pm
Includes Whaley House Tour
$20 each per show or save with a $60 4-movie series pass
October 1: Hitchcock’s
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
Superb silent thriller. - Film Journal International.
A landlady suspects her lodger is a Ripper-like murderer
killing women around London. Starring June Tripp and Ivor Novello. Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock. Released 1927.
October 8: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The renowned adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson
classic about a Victorian scientist who turns himself into a murderous
abomination. Starring John Barrymore and Martha Mansfield. Directed by John S.
Robertson. Released 1920. Critics call
this film one of the better renditions of the tale, thanks to Barrymore's
brilliant silent performance.
October 15: The Cat and the Canary
"The sort of creepy movie that is perhaps best thought
of as spooky fun -- and 85 years have not changed that." - Mountain
Xpress.
Relatives of an eccentric millionaire gather in his spooky
mansion on the 20th anniversary of his death for the reading of his will.
Starring Laura La Plante and Forrest Stanley. Directed by Paul Leni. Released
1927.
October 22: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
"A case can be made that Caligari was the first true
horror film." - Roger Ebert.
This milestone film, known for its expressionistic sets and
techniques, tells the strange tale of a sleepwalker under the spell of the
mysterious and evil Dr. Caligari. Starring Werner Krauss and Conrad Veidt. Directed
by Robert Wiene. Released 1920.
Whaley House Ghost
Hunting Tour
October 10, 11, 17 & 18 · 10:30pm-midnight
$50 · Ages 12 &
older
Discover why the Whaley House has been called the Most
Haunted House in America. Join the Whaley House Museum staff and the San Diego
Ghost Hunters for this exclusive ninety-minute paranormal investigation of San
Diego's most famous haunted site. Hear the history behind the legendary spirits
that haunt the house.
Learn how to use paranormal investigation tools and techniques
to hunt for ghosts
Attendance is limited to 20 each night. Advance reservations
are strongly encouraged as this event is sold out quickly.
 |
| Thomas Whaley House (1857) in the historic Old Town section of San Diego |
About the Whaley House and its Ghosts
"And here I am, sixty years of age, living in a haunted
house," C. Lillian Whaley, a chronicler of early San Diego history wrote
in her journal in 1925. Whaley was the youngest of six children born to San
Diego pioneer Thomas Whaley and his wife Anna. Mr. Whaley was a prominent local
businessman who had arrived in California by ship from New York during the Gold
Rush, and (read more...)
Paranormal phenomena expert Stephen Wagner writing in About
News (About.com) blog points out the Whaley House has earned the title of
"the most haunted house in the U.S." Built in 1857 by Thomas Whaley
on land that was partially once a cemetery, the house has since been the locus
of dozens of ghost sightings.
Author deTraci Regula relates her experiences with the
house: "Over the years, while dining across the street at the Old Town
Mexican Cafe, I became accustomed to noticing that the shutters of the
second-story windows [of the Whaley House] would sometimes open while we ate
dinner, long after the house was closed for the day.
“On a recent visit, I could feel the energy in several spots
in the house, particularly in the courtroom, where I also smelled the faint
scent of a cigar, supposedly Whaley's calling-card. In the hallway, I smelled
perfume, initially attributing that to the young woman acting as docent, but
some later surreptitious sniffing in her direction as I talked to her about the
house revealed her to be scent-free."
Some of the other
ghostly encounters include:
The spirit of a young girl who was accidentally hanged on
the property.
The ghost of Yankee Jim Robinson, a thief who was clubbed to
death and who can be heard on the house's stairway where he died, and has
sometimes been seen during tours of the old house.
The red-haired daughter of the Whaley's sometimes appears in
such a realistic form; she is sometimes mistaken for a live child.
Info: 619-297-9327 · sohosandiego@aol.com
Pssst!
If you can’t make the viewing of The Lodger then catch it on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzlVNRzU1FE
No comments:
Post a Comment